Winterizing Pink Liquid Questions

[northern]

This is the first time I have winterized our boat. I have read the advice on the site and it seems simple. Have got help on how to do my watermaker from people on the site.
I purchased at a lumberyard R.V. Plumbing Antifreeze. Contains no salt but it contains ethanol. There is a warning on it: Do not smoke. Keep away from flames. I put some in a cup and could not get it to light. Stuff was $10 for 3 gallons. Just found the propylene pink for 4.97 a gallon.
Questions
Can I use the $10 stuff to flush out the Air Conditioner? Boat has 3 built in ones.
Can I use it in the hot and cold lines using the 12 volt water pump? Will drain hot water tank and bypass.
Can I put this in the drain lines from the sinks?
Can I flush it through the heads and leave some in the holding tank? Tank is fiberglass.
The showers have a sump with a 12 volt pump. Can I use this in them?
I assume this pink would not be a good idea to do the engines or the generator with. If anyone uses this for them please advise and precautions I need to take.
I can always take it back if it is not the correct stuff.

 

[JimG]

Most pink RV anti-freeze is made of the same chemicals and have the same combustible warnings. You can use them in fresh and black water systems and A/C systems. I use a pink with a rust inhibiter additive for the engines and genny.

 

[bbwhitejr]

JimG is right on. The stuff with ethanol is fine for AC and fresh water system. You want to use the $4.97 stuff with propylene glycol for the gen and engine as it contains the rust inhibitors. I use the propylene glycol everywhere for two reasons-it will tend to keep rubber flexible where alcohol will dry it out in time and because it is just easier to deal with one kind.

Bennett

 

[Westie]

This is from the Sealand manual for the Vacuflush system

CAUTION: The use of freshwater antifreeze that contains alcohol will result in damage to your
sanitation system. Only use propylene glycol freshwater antifreeze that does not contain alcohol.

I spend the few extra bucks and use propylene glycol for winterizing everything on the boat.

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

When I used to store outside instead of using antifreeze on the water and AC Systems I'd simply use a small compressor and blow the air out of both. Never had an issue in 10yrs. Used a homemade fitting and no more than 30lbs of air pressure.

 

[gerryb]

When I used to store outside instead of using antifreeze on the water and AC Systems I'd simply use a small compressor and blow the air out of both. Never had an issue in 10yrs. Used a homemade fitting and no more than 30lbs of air pressure.

I do the same for the water system but be careful with the AC system if you take this approach. The copper lines in the AC are much less forgiving than the plastic lines mostly used in the water system. I run antifreeze through my AC system.

 

[northern]

Thank you all for the advice
Looks like the good stuff is what to use. Now I have 10 gallon of windshield antifreeze.
Question
The holding tank on the boat is fiberglass. What do you all think would be the effect of putting 2.5 gallons of my methanol in it for the winter or should I just use the good stuff. I have no idea what methanol would do to the fiberglass tank holding tank.

 

[bbwhitejr]

Pump out the holding tank and drain the fresh water tank. Leave empty. What little bit remains that freezes has plenty of room to expand and will hurt nothing.

Bennett

 

[hottoddie]

Pump out the holding tank and drain the fresh water tank. Leave empty. What little bit remains that freezes has plenty of room to expand and will hurt nothing.

Bennett

That may be OK in Ga but not up North.

 

[Creekwood]

That may be OK in Ga but not up North.

i agree 150%. I have a philosophy that I don't take shortcuts on winterizing. Pink antifreeze is cheap compared to replacing things that froze in the spring.

I use lots and make sure that it gets through very thing that had fresh water in it. That includes fresh and black water tanks and lines, ice maker, water heater, transom shower, shower sump, AC, sink drains, etc. You may think you have drained things then they block your boat and the little bit of water on the tank then shifts aft and fills up some fitting or line on the tank or water heater hose and then freezes. If it was pink, there would be no issue.

The peace of mind is worth it IMHO.

 

[Lazy Daze]

There's certainly more than one way to skin a cat (winterize) properly, but in regards to pumping out the fresh water tank, holding tank and hot water heater... and then NOT putting pink in them... That is TOTALLY fine, even in the Northeast. I have done that to my boats (including a couple in Maine), along with family members/friend's boats, along with boats that I winterize with my side biz, along with all of the boats that get winterized at Peters. The only time I add pink to the fresh water tank is if it is inconvenient to bypass the tank so I can introduce pink into the water lines. Now, since I introduce pink into the water lines, and of course the head and it's discharge lines, some pink does go into the holding tank. But I'm not putting the pink into the holding tank because IT needs the stuff, it's just a side effect of the winterizing process.

But again, there's more than one way to do things. I just wanted to clarify the point that it is OK to leave those tanks pink-less. However, a definitie plus to leaving the fresh water and HW heater empty is the Spring-time flushing-out process is MUCH, much simpler/faster.

 

[jrurhh]

I would not use any anti freeze with alcohol it will over time dry out the seals. You also need to check the level of propylene glycol that is used. The best stuff has 30-40%.

 

[JVM225]

This is my winterizing routine:
The day I'm getting hauled out I give the fuel tanks a good dose of Stabil before leaving my dock. Then I get to the ramp (a few minute boat ride away) a little earlier than when I'm supposed to meet the boat hauler. If the weather is nice and I can make the time, I like to take a last blast for an hour or so anyway before I get to the ramp.
Once at the ramp, I fog out my motors with Marvel Mystery poured slowly through the carbs while waiting for the guy to arrive with the trailer.
Then after he hauls the boat back to my property and it is up on blocks it gets a good power washing of the bottom before any crap has a chance to dry. I find getting any crap off right away makes the job much easier.
Either later that same day, or on the next nice day that I have time, I start the rest of the winterizing procedure.
I have a portable compressor that is fairly easy to get to the boat, so I sort of double up on the fresh water system by blowing it out first after bypassing the hot water heater, and then I dump a couple of gallons of the cheap RV pink stuff in to the fresh water tank, and turn on the faucets until pink comes out. I just like to know that nothing in a line or fixture is going to hold water and crack. After having had to squeeze in to replace both the head and galley faucets over the years, I'm not looking to squeeze these old bones back in those spaces again anytime soon. It's overkill, but not a big deal. I generally try not to pay more than $3.00 a gallon for the cheap pink RV stuff anyway, so it's not cost prohibitive.
The holding tank gets pumped out, and then a gallon of pink dumped in the head and pushed throught the lines to the tank.
For the AC, I force a hose snugly in to the discharge (when it's on the hard)and hand pump some RV pink stuff through the system until I see pink coming out of the pick-up on the bottom of the boat.
I get a little anal with the bilge pumps and run a bit of cheap pink through them too.
Although I cheap out with the cheapest RV pink stuff I can find for the water, waste, and AC systems, I splurge and get the good stuff with the rust inhibitors for the exhaust on the motors.
I've got fresh water cooled half systems on the motors themselves, so no need to drain them.
For the exhaust side; After I pull my drives I shove a hose in to the intake on the transom assembly, and hand pump the pink until clear pink comes out the exhaust.
I've got a 5 gallon container with a hose, hand pump, and then another hose on the other side of the hand pump, that is invaluable for doing the AC and exhaust side of the engines.
Once everything is winterized, and I accept the fact that I can't get back on the water until spring, I give the boat a thorough top to bottom cleaning and waxing. It gives me my last chance to bond wth the boat before the winter, and makes things go much faster and easier when getting ready to go back in once Spring finally gets here.

 

[Bt Doctur]

For the exhaust side; After I pull my drives AND AFTER I DRAIN MY MANIFOLDS AND RISERS I shove a hose in to the intake on the transom assembly, and hand pump the pink until clear pink comes out the exhaust.

 

[Great lakes pirate]

Has anyone used the starbrite AF? The website states safe for engines and no alcohol..

http://www.wholesalemarine.com/starbrite-sea-safe-non-toxic-anti-freeze-50f-38190.html

 

[northern]

All great advice. Any one have comment on how much pink I should run through the 454s, the generator and AC. So far I have flushed the generator with 10 gallons of fresh water and sucked 2 gallons of pink through it by a 3 foot hose connected to the suction of the raw water pump. Was going to do the same for the other 454s and AC.

 

[northern]

All Done
What we did. Boat is on the hard.
Blew down all lines from sea strainers to threw hulls, filled with pink and cycled valves. Left valves at 45 degree open.
AC. Blew down with shop vac and sucked 2 gallons of pink into system by running system and pouring it into the sea strainer. It came out all through hull drains.
Generator. Sucked 2 gallons of pink into suction of raw water pump. Did not drain muffler as it was too hard to get to. Pink came out through hull.
Water system. Blew it down with air compressor. Pumped down water tank using 12 volt pump on boat. By passed hot water tank. Put 6 gallons of pink in system and turned taps on until all pink was used up.
Heads. Poured 1 gallon of pink in each head and flushed. Open and closed threw hull, cup of water came out into bucket closed valve.
Main engines. Drained mufflers, disconnected coil spark plug wire and using starter turned over engine and poured 4 gallons of pink into each sea strainer. After sea strainers drained of pink put drain plugs back.
Watermaker. Sucked 1 gallon pink into system from sea strainer. Put pure food grade propylene glycol and preservative cartridge in system and preserved as per normal. Blew down fresh water line to water tank using shop vac, removed carbon filter and opened valve into it from water oil separator. Water oil separator was full of pink that drained into carbon filter.
Will post in spring if all went well.

 

[Creekwood]

All Done
What we did. Boat is on the hard.
Blew down all lines from sea strainers to threw hulls, filled with pink and cycled valves. Left valves at 45 degree open.
AC. Blew down with shop vac and sucked 2 gallons of pink into system by running system and pouring it into the sea strainer. It came out all through hull drains.
Generator. Sucked 2 gallons of pink into suction of raw water pump. Did not drain muffler as it was too hard to get to. Pink came out through hull.
Water system. Blew it down with air compressor. Pumped down water tank using 12 volt pump on boat. By passed hot water tank. Put 6 gallons of pink in system and turned taps on until all pink was used up.
Heads. Poured 1 gallon of pink in each head and flushed. Open and closed threw hull, cup of water came out into bucket closed valve.
Main engines. Drained mufflers, disconnected coil spark plug wire and using starter turned over engine and poured 4 gallons of pink into each sea strainer. After sea strainers drained of pink put drain plugs back.
Watermaker. Sucked 1 gallon pink into system from sea strainer. Put pure food grade propylene glycol and preservative cartridge in system and preserved as per normal. Blew down fresh water line to water tank using shop vac, removed carbon filter and opened valve into it from water oil separator. Water oil separator was full of pink that drained into carbon filter.
Will post in spring if all went well.

Did you do your ice maker? My first step after draining the water tank and bypassing the water heater is to let the ice maker run a couple cycles with the fresh pump on until pink slush come through the cubes. I put some pink the fresh tank before since j run pink through all the water lines to be safe. I let that happen while do the othe water lines sumps and the AC system. Then one beer and a rest and it's done and ready to do the final other stuff.

 

[northern]

Ice maker there is a valve on the inlet 1/4" line. I turned it off let the ice maker make ice until it would not make more. I discarded the filter. There is still water in the solenoid valve but less than full I assume. I blew the 1/4" line down.
Good idea about letting it run until pink comes out.
will see in the spring.
For the 1500 I saved I can buy a few parts.

 

[Great lakes pirate]

All Done
What we did. Boat is on the hard.
Blew down all lines from sea strainers to threw hulls, filled with pink and cycled valves. Left valves at 45 degree open.
AC. Blew down with shop vac and sucked 2 gallons of pink into system by running system and pouring it into the sea strainer. It came out all through hull drains.
Generator. Sucked 2 gallons of pink into suction of raw water pump. Did not drain muffler as it was too hard to get to. Pink came out through hull.
Water system. Blew it down with air compressor. Pumped down water tank using 12 volt pump on boat. By passed hot water tank. Put 6 gallons of pink in system and turned taps on until all pink was used up.
Heads. Poured 1 gallon of pink in each head and flushed. Open and closed threw hull, cup of water came out into bucket closed valve.
Main engines. Drained mufflers, disconnected coil spark plug wire and using starter turned over engine and poured 4 gallons of pink into each sea strainer. After sea strainers drained of pink put drain plugs back.
Watermaker. Sucked 1 gallon pink into system from sea strainer. Put pure food grade propylene glycol and preservative cartridge in system and preserved as per normal. Blew down fresh water line to water tank using shop vac, removed carbon filter and opened valve into it from water oil separator. Water oil separator was full of pink that drained into carbon filter.
Will post in spring if all went well.

You say that you poured pink down the head. Did you make sure that you either blew out or ran pink through the line from the 12 volt pump to the head?