No raw water flow after attempt to winterize - What happened - Page 2

TrueBlue · #11 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

Instead of disconnecting the intake hose from the raw water through-hull . . . a pain to do anyway, I unclamp the raw water strainer hose end, that leads from the engine intake pump.

I have a 4 foot hose that fits perfectly inside this hose, sticking the other end in a 5 gal bucket filled with anti-freeze. This reduces the distance liquid needs to be drawn to the pump and minimizes potential airlocks . . . works like a charm every time.

Pamlicotraveler · #12 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

K1...That's what I thought I guess, but I know one of our shower sumps loses flow sometimes and it is supposed to be self-priming. With it I have used a toilet plunger to get the sump to start working.

TB - your idea makes sense to me. Even though I guess water could theoretically freeze and break the strainer, that wouldn't worry me much.

With our normal weather here it's not even an issue...I wish I hadn't bothered. Most of the time I don't. Just run a small heater during the really cold stretches. But it got down to 16 degrees one night last week so I decided to pump in the antifreeze just for the heck of it....

So much for prudence. Sometimes with boats it seems like there are fewer problems when I don't try too much to prevent them.

TrueBlue · #13 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pamlicotraveler

TB - your idea makes sense to me. Even though I guess water could theoretically freeze and break the strainer, that wouldn't worry me much.

With the seacock closed, I also pour antifreeze into the strainer - for added assurance. In reality though, since the strainer is typically at sea level, by reconnecting the hose to the strainer, the antifreeze gets dispersed evenly.

TIKI TIME · #14 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

I spliced a tee in the raw water intake hose as close to the seacock as possible. Coming off the tee I clamped a hose and inline ball valve. I added about four feet of hose after the ball valve. The hose is long enough that I can run it out of the cramped engine compartment to the bottle of antifreeze. I start the engine, wait for water to start circulating, open the valve to the antifreeze and then close the seacock. I let the engine run until I see the pink fluid coming out of the exhaust port then kill the engine. There is about an inch of raw water in the line under the tee, but the antifreeze mixes with it pretty well once the pump is off. Works every time.

Dunlookn · #15 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

Tiki Time:

I wondered about this as a solution (no pun intended). Your method is a common practice on RV's.

The "t" is placed between the fresh water pump and the fresh water tank. It eliminates the need to put the RV (people safe) anti-freeze in the fresh water tank.

This appears to be a method that makes sense, is inexpensive, can be owner installed and serviced.

Anyone:

Why would I not want to do this on my boat?

TrueBlue · #16 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

I was planning on installing a Y-valve to my raw water intake this coming season - before we decided to sell. It's very easy to do and quite popular with most sailors on my dock, who have done the installation.

Aside from making winterizing simpler, some boat owners use the valve to draw fresh water into the raw water sections of the engine, if they expect to be in dock for a while. This reduces wear of pencil zincs and adds years to the life of the heat exchanger.

christyleigh · #17 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by k1vsk

Raw water (impellor) pumps are self-priming. I'm sure others here have primed the system to get it to work, however, that indicates that either the pump is problemmatic or the impellor is damaged. These pumps should never require priming unless something else is wrong.

I'm with you on this one. Three different boats over the last 12 years for at least 24 dis-connects with my inboards - the outboards were sooo... much easier

(I know that's not much for you reeeeeal old timers

) I have always gotten an instant prime with only reasonable care in 'thumb over the hose' flow stopping during thru-hull to bucket transfer. Same with my Genset for the past few years.
On the other hand my AC unit can't handle even a few inches of air so I'm going to set up a Y valve as I'm sick of filling up an added 6 foot hose and trying to keep it water tight for the transfer every fall and spring.

k1vsk · #18 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by christyleigh

I'm with you on this one. Three different boats over the last 12 years for at least 24 dis-connects with my inboards - the outboards were sooo... much easier

(I know that's not much for you reeeeeal old timers

) I have always gotten an instant prime with only reasonable care in 'thumb over the hose' flow stopping during thru-hull to bucket transfer. Same with my Genset for the past few years.
On the other hand my AC unit can't handle even a few inches of air so I'm going to set up a Y valve as I'm sick of filling up an added 6 foot hose and trying to keep it water tight for the transfer every fall and spring.

That's because A/C pumps are not self-priming

CalebD · #19 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008

I too thought that the impeller type raw water pump was basically self priming. My old Tartan 27 came with the 'T' fitting installed in the raw water intake hose and the other end goes to a fitting that attaches to a standard yard hose on deck outside the cockpit. When I first used this setup I had not inspected the T fitting thoroughly and subsequently found that the T fitting contains a spring loaded piston which is apparently there so high pressure fresh water can be connected to the deck for flushing etc. The problem was and is that I wanted to put antifreeze (yes, the pink stuff) into the engine using a 5 gal. bucket and some spare lengths of engine and surgical hose using a siphon technique from above, on deck in the cockpit. I had to remove the spring loaded piston from the T fitting in order for this to work but now it is a no brainer to use the alternate raw water intake source as long as the bucket and connecting hoses are on the boat. Of course the fitting on deck needs to be closed tightly when not in use as the sucking pressure from the impeller would likely just suck air instead of water from the raw water intake thru hull.
Yeah, that is our new cat - Siamese/Tabby mix and very cute. I will replace it with something more nautical when I can find/make a photo small enough to use as an avatar.

Spiritman · #20 (**permalink**) 01-23-2008

I've been using a method of winterizing my engine (Westerbeke 30) which works pretty well.

I removed the cap from my Groco strainer and took it to a hardware store. There I found a plumbing fitting whose size and threads perfectly matched those of the strainer cap. It has a threaded hole in its top to receive a one inch male threaded fitting.

When I'm ready to winterize, I screw in this new fitting to the top of the strainer, then stick a long, wide-mouthed funnel firmly into the hole on the top. I close the seacock, drain the strainer, fill the funnel with Pink (it holds about a half gallon), and turn on the engine.

The weight of the Pink in the funnel ensures I won't have trouble with any air that might have gotten into the system. As the Pink level decreases in the funnel, I just pour in more Pink until it shoots out the back. I already know how much my engine needs to cycle through, so I do this whole process myself.

I've found this much easier than disconnecting hoses from either the strainer or seacock -- and more desirable that introducing a tee fitting into the raw water intake line as this ultimately reduces the interior diameter of the hose.

Hope this helps.