I live in Michigan. Some nice fall fishing to be had yet, so not ready to put the boat away. But starting to think about winterizing some of my water systems to prevent any freezing problems, and still be able to fish. Anyone give me a checklist really dumbed down? My first boat with water systems, so not real clear on everything just yet. But I have a head, raw water washdown and freshwater system, although I never filled fresh water tank. I pumped out all the waste, filled head with RV antifreeze and flushed a few times. So hope I'm good there. No clue how to get antifreeze into my washdown though. Through a little in freshwater holding tank, just to be safe even though I didn't use it. Thanks for any help
2023 Freedom 235 winterize water systems
- Thread starter thePearlyWhite
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JJF
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Just an FYI, many insurance companies will only cover freeze damage if the winterization was performed by a dealer/yard, etc.
Put a few gallons in your fresh water tank. Run all fresh water outlets (one at a time) until pink comes out. Don’t forget the windshield washer. For saltwater the best way is to get an adaptor (Looks like a toilet plunger) and a plastic tank. Put the tank up on your gunnel and the “Plunger” (It is made just for this) up to your saltwater thru-hull. It helps to have someone hold it there for you. Then run all of your saltwater outlets (one at a time) until pink comes out. Don’t forget to run through your remote engine flush valves if you have them. Double check to make sure you didn’t forget anything. With the toilet just make sure you run the non-tox through the entire system. I drop out the same way I do my salt water system so that there is antifreeze from one end to the other. The entire process will take under an hour. Probably less.
Rustygaff
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For my raw water washdown and livewell I purchased one of those "fake-a-lake" plunger type devices. With a short section of garden or similar hose, I connect the FAL to a common submergible pump found in any home store. I drop the pump into a 5 gallon pail with a couple of gallons of anti-freeze. Crawl under the boat and rig the FAL to the livewell water pickup. Open the livewell seacock and turn on the live well pump. Then plug in the submergible pump and push AF until you see it flowing freely inside your livewell. Shut everything down and then repeat the process for your raw water system. For the fresh water system simply pump it dry and then add a couple of gallons to the tank. Turn on your shower/sink and pump until you see a good flow of pink. Your done.
My boat has a single F300 which gravity drains as long as it is left in the "down" position. No need for any engine anti-freeze.
My boat has a single F300 which gravity drains as long as it is left in the "down" position. No need for any engine anti-freeze.
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