What is the best way to get antifreeze through the strainers and into the generator, A/C, and live well?
Antifreeze into/through strainers
- Thread starter Kookamongus
- Start date
Kookamongus said:
Here what I used to do (when I kept my boat up in the cold NJ winters) :
On my Trophy Pro, under the step in the cabin is a seacock where the washdown pump hose is connected. (your boat may have it in a different location, but the process is the same)
Disconnect the raw water intake hose from the seacock, and put the end of that hose into a gallon of antifreeze. If there is not enough slack to do that easily, add a length of smaller diameter hose into the end of the washdown pump hose in order to reach down into the gallon jug and clamp it to create an airtight seal.
Now, simply turn on your washdown pump and run some antifreeze though until it some of it starts to come out your washdown nozzle.
Then, put your washdown nozzle into your (already empty) fresh water tank and pump the rest of the gallon (or more if needed) into your fresh water system.
Now run some of the anti-freeze through your fresh water system and you are done.
Both Salt water and Fresh water systems protected...easy and quick.
It all depends on your access to things (for whatever boat model you have) and your skill level at accessing things that are harder to get to. There is no "one best" way.
-- A/C can be pumped backwards with a simple hand pump via the thru-hull on the side of the boat.
-- There are "Fake-A-Lakes" that can be used underneath the boat (or make one with a toilet plunger and a stick) for the various pick-ups.
-- For the genny, you could even just pour AF into the strainer as the genny sucks it up (after draining, if needed). Also check to see if there is any spot on the genny (backside of t-stat, for example) that would retain water - might want to pull t-stat, first.
-- Removing the hoses (as mentioned) at the seacocks is another good way.
-- Fresh water... run empty then put a gallon or two of AF in there (if it's a large tank, you might need more pink stuff). Or, take the pick-up hose off the fresh water tank and stick it in a gallon of pink stuff. Then you don't have to worry about flushing your tank out so much in the Spring.
There's still other ways, but again there are many variables that come into play between owner's skills and a particular boat.
-- A/C can be pumped backwards with a simple hand pump via the thru-hull on the side of the boat.
-- There are "Fake-A-Lakes" that can be used underneath the boat (or make one with a toilet plunger and a stick) for the various pick-ups.
-- For the genny, you could even just pour AF into the strainer as the genny sucks it up (after draining, if needed). Also check to see if there is any spot on the genny (backside of t-stat, for example) that would retain water - might want to pull t-stat, first.
-- Removing the hoses (as mentioned) at the seacocks is another good way.
-- Fresh water... run empty then put a gallon or two of AF in there (if it's a large tank, you might need more pink stuff). Or, take the pick-up hose off the fresh water tank and stick it in a gallon of pink stuff. Then you don't have to worry about flushing your tank out so much in the Spring.
There's still other ways, but again there are many variables that come into play between owner's skills and a particular boat.
I just had 2 of these delivered. A simple hose and funnel will work. I'll also use these to flush the salt water out.
Randy
Randy
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Rustygaff
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I winterized my livewell, raw water, and FW tank yesterday and found an easy way to do it after lots of fiddling around. I bought one of those toilet plunger tools (Fake-A-Lake) that have the hose connection on it. I pour 3 gallons of AF into a 5 gallon pail and drop in one of those cheap submersible pumps that have a garden hose fitting on the discharge. I crawl under the boat and prop up the plunger tool around the intake screen so I have the tightest seal I can get. Connect the plunger to the submersible pump discharge with a short section of hose. Turn on the boat pump that you have the plunger under and then quickly plug in the submersible pump. When you see the red stuff coming out of the desired location, unplug the sub. pump and turn off the boat pump and move on to the next one. This system works well.
journeyman
GreatGrady Captain
Just did this Saturday. As Dennis said, depends on your access and configuration. Also your systems may have been change by a previous owner if your boat was bought used. You may have to adapt some of the suggestions (all good) given here by the members. The strainer adapters look interesting but I would only use it for the generator and it’s a good idea to open the strainers to check for debris.
Here’s my method on a Marlin. I remove the access panel over the seacocks. It’s a little bit of a chore but worth it as I can also better access the generator for winter service. Later models have hinged access. I’m jealous!
I have a small electric self priming pump that I’ve used for years. I bought it from a big box store and it’s not that expensive (around $80) and it will serve you well. It comes with several hoses and fittings and you can adapt your own easily. The suction and discharge are garden hose threaded so you may find many other uses for it around the house.
Fresh water:
Pressurize and deplete the Fresh water until empty. Turn off the pump.
By-pass the water heater wherever it is located. Make sure the heater is turned off and don’t turn it on until it is full of water in the spring. If you don’t by-pass the heater before you winterize the fresh water system, you will need a lot more antifreeze. Mine is under the starboard helm chair. I remove the tackle center to accomplish this. Some people have installed a permanent system to by-pass when needed but I just remove the cold inlet and hot outlet and connect them together with a barbed fitting and clamps. Open the heater drain and it will empty into the bilge and out the transom drain which you should have removed.
I add about three or four gallons of antifreeze to the fresh water tank. This may seem like a lot but there are many sections of hose under your deck with water in them that need to be flushed or you will end up with problems in the spring. Turn on the FW pump, pressurizing the system and open each faucet, cold then hot, starting at the farthest away from the tank. Remember, your heater is by-passed so you need to flush the hot side at each faucet. When antifreeze comes out stop, and move to the next faucet. Flush each fresh water outlet, bait station, transom shower etc, until done.
With the FW system still pressurized, flush the head until antifreeze is present in the bowl. You should have emptied the holding tank before winterization so a gallon or so of antifreeze poured into the bowl and flushed to your tank should be enough. Shut off the pump. Fresh water done.
AC:
Open the AC seacock. The AC discharge through hull is smaller the regular. One of the hoses that come with the pump fits nicely. I flush the system with fresh water from the garden hose backwards for a while before pumping antifreeze through it. Disconnect the garden hose, setup the pump with the suction hose in a gallon of antifreeze. It helps to set up a step ladder next to the boat so you’re at the same level as the through hull. Turn on the pump until antifreeze comes out the intake. Usually takes less than a gallon but I use a whole one. Turn off the pump, AC done. Strainer will stay full of antifreeze. Leave seacock open.
Live Well:
Open the seacock and leave open. Unclamp and remove the discharge hose from the live well pump. Any water in the pump will drain out the seacock assuming your pump is mounted directly on you seacock. Set up winterizing pump with the suction in a gallon of antifreeze and the appropriately sized discharge hose shoved into the hose going to the live well. Turn on pump and shut off when antifreeze is present in the live well. Usually takes less than a gallon but I use a whole one. Turn off the pump, remove hose, reconnect and re-clamp to live well pump. Live well done.
Salt water wash down:
Open the seacock and leave open. Unclamp and remove the hose from the top of the seacock. For this (and the generator) I have a plastic container with a valve at the low point to gravity feed antifreeze. West marine has them and it’s a one time investment. Attach the hose to the tank holding the antifreeze. Shove the other end into the hose going to the salt water wash down pump. Open tank valve and turn on the wash down pump. Use the sprayer into a bucket and when antifreeze is present, shut off washdown pump. Remove tank hose, reconnect and re-clamp wash down suction hose to seacock. Wash down done.
Generator:
Open the seacock. I use a “Fake a Lake” propped up to the generator intake under the boat. Start the generator and turn on fresh water. Let it warm up for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help flush the generator. While generator is warming up, unclamp the strainer outlet hose. Set up the antifreeze gravity feed tank. When you’re ready, shut the seacock (it’s OK to let the water run, it’s not going anywhere) and remove the hose from the strainer. Working quickly, shove the hose from the antifreeze tank into the hose going to the generator and turn on the tank valve. Antifreeze will flow through the generator and when you see it coming out the exhaust, shut down the generator and shut off the antifreeze tank valve. Shut off the fresh water going to the fake a lake and remove it. Leave seacock open and re-attach then re-clamp generator hose to the strainer outlet. Open top of strainer. If antifreeze is not present, pour some into it until it come out the intake under the boat. Generator done.
Rinse everything down as you will inevitably spill some antifreeze. As with the others, these are just some suggestions. You may find a better way or adapt some that seem easier to you. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Here’s my method on a Marlin. I remove the access panel over the seacocks. It’s a little bit of a chore but worth it as I can also better access the generator for winter service. Later models have hinged access. I’m jealous!
I have a small electric self priming pump that I’ve used for years. I bought it from a big box store and it’s not that expensive (around $80) and it will serve you well. It comes with several hoses and fittings and you can adapt your own easily. The suction and discharge are garden hose threaded so you may find many other uses for it around the house.
Fresh water:
Pressurize and deplete the Fresh water until empty. Turn off the pump.
By-pass the water heater wherever it is located. Make sure the heater is turned off and don’t turn it on until it is full of water in the spring. If you don’t by-pass the heater before you winterize the fresh water system, you will need a lot more antifreeze. Mine is under the starboard helm chair. I remove the tackle center to accomplish this. Some people have installed a permanent system to by-pass when needed but I just remove the cold inlet and hot outlet and connect them together with a barbed fitting and clamps. Open the heater drain and it will empty into the bilge and out the transom drain which you should have removed.
I add about three or four gallons of antifreeze to the fresh water tank. This may seem like a lot but there are many sections of hose under your deck with water in them that need to be flushed or you will end up with problems in the spring. Turn on the FW pump, pressurizing the system and open each faucet, cold then hot, starting at the farthest away from the tank. Remember, your heater is by-passed so you need to flush the hot side at each faucet. When antifreeze comes out stop, and move to the next faucet. Flush each fresh water outlet, bait station, transom shower etc, until done.
With the FW system still pressurized, flush the head until antifreeze is present in the bowl. You should have emptied the holding tank before winterization so a gallon or so of antifreeze poured into the bowl and flushed to your tank should be enough. Shut off the pump. Fresh water done.
AC:
Open the AC seacock. The AC discharge through hull is smaller the regular. One of the hoses that come with the pump fits nicely. I flush the system with fresh water from the garden hose backwards for a while before pumping antifreeze through it. Disconnect the garden hose, setup the pump with the suction hose in a gallon of antifreeze. It helps to set up a step ladder next to the boat so you’re at the same level as the through hull. Turn on the pump until antifreeze comes out the intake. Usually takes less than a gallon but I use a whole one. Turn off the pump, AC done. Strainer will stay full of antifreeze. Leave seacock open.
Live Well:
Open the seacock and leave open. Unclamp and remove the discharge hose from the live well pump. Any water in the pump will drain out the seacock assuming your pump is mounted directly on you seacock. Set up winterizing pump with the suction in a gallon of antifreeze and the appropriately sized discharge hose shoved into the hose going to the live well. Turn on pump and shut off when antifreeze is present in the live well. Usually takes less than a gallon but I use a whole one. Turn off the pump, remove hose, reconnect and re-clamp to live well pump. Live well done.
Salt water wash down:
Open the seacock and leave open. Unclamp and remove the hose from the top of the seacock. For this (and the generator) I have a plastic container with a valve at the low point to gravity feed antifreeze. West marine has them and it’s a one time investment. Attach the hose to the tank holding the antifreeze. Shove the other end into the hose going to the salt water wash down pump. Open tank valve and turn on the wash down pump. Use the sprayer into a bucket and when antifreeze is present, shut off washdown pump. Remove tank hose, reconnect and re-clamp wash down suction hose to seacock. Wash down done.
Generator:
Open the seacock. I use a “Fake a Lake” propped up to the generator intake under the boat. Start the generator and turn on fresh water. Let it warm up for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help flush the generator. While generator is warming up, unclamp the strainer outlet hose. Set up the antifreeze gravity feed tank. When you’re ready, shut the seacock (it’s OK to let the water run, it’s not going anywhere) and remove the hose from the strainer. Working quickly, shove the hose from the antifreeze tank into the hose going to the generator and turn on the tank valve. Antifreeze will flow through the generator and when you see it coming out the exhaust, shut down the generator and shut off the antifreeze tank valve. Shut off the fresh water going to the fake a lake and remove it. Leave seacock open and re-attach then re-clamp generator hose to the strainer outlet. Open top of strainer. If antifreeze is not present, pour some into it until it come out the intake under the boat. Generator done.
Rinse everything down as you will inevitably spill some antifreeze. As with the others, these are just some suggestions. You may find a better way or adapt some that seem easier to you. Hope this helps. Good luck.
What I did on my 2001 Marlin and am in the process of doing on my 2007 Marlin.. About $100 in brass fittings ... do it once and your set,.. no hoses to remove .. I make up a brass Tee with brass nipples and brass pipe to hose connections .. connect one port of the T to the sea-cock. A second port of the TEE to a pipe/hose fitting and The 3rd port of the tee gets a pipe to garden hose connector with a brass hose cap to close it off. So I close the sea cock , and into the Garden hose connector i can pour, or pump antifreeze or just blow compressed air. A washing machine hose can be adapted and will screw onto the hose connection of the TEE. I cut the water line coming out of the tank and put a shutoff valve and a similar Tee. I drain the tank and then shut off the valve to the tank, and thru the Tee I blow compressed air through all the Fresh water fixtures .. sinks, HW heater (with drain open and closed and open again ), toilet , Windshield washers.. ect. (go around the boat , opening and closing them till there is no residual water. The only components i will run antifreeze through are the GenSet and the A/C. ..The Bait well , wash down, fresh water all just get blown out ... Never an issue in the spring and I don't have pink water to deal with . Antifreeze is flushed thru the toilet into the holding tank and also poured into the shower sump. Depending on location and hose configuration, I may connect the Tee to the sea-cock with either a street elbow, or a nipple. The hose end is connected with a brass hose to pipe fitting of the proper size. After all is done I open the sea-cocks, put the brass hose caps onto the "winterizing port" of the Tee , and i am ready to splash in the spring. I guess technically I should use bronze fittings but Brass is much easier to get and In almost 10 years with the 2001 Marlin not a problem..... My buddy with a 48' Sea Ray winterizes in a similar way.. No issues there either .
A little work right now , but makes life much easier for future winterizing .
A little work right now , but makes life much easier for future winterizing .