Freeze damage

J

joefish

New member
In response to the recent topic, "Will water system freeze..." and others that discuss winterization strategies it would be helpful to me to know what actual damage fellow C-Brats have had due to insufficient/failed precautions or excessive and sometimes unpredictable drops in temperature. The idea being to learn from other's mistakes and possibly identify what systems are most likely to be damaged. I don't mean to sound like I haven't made mistakes, in fact, I just winterized for the first time and temperatures are now colder than expected -- I may be reporting damage soon.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know what wintertime damage you've incurred -- shower, head, hot water tank? and why did your winterization technique fail. What's the most likely or most expensive system to be damaged over the winter? Are there any C-Brats humble enough to contribute and possibly help us newbies? Thanks.
 
Joe..

I'm sure the low temps of a couple of winters ago did in my macerator pumps. They are mounted to the inside wall of the transom and I didn't try to get any anti-freeze into them. Not having the infamous fish boxes, you won't suffer this fate.

I think the trick is to keep the cabin somewhat warm with a couple of de-humidifiers. Open the doors to the water heater and water pump areas and douse all liquid systems with pink RV antifreeze. It's been in the low teens here so far and so far, so good. :roll:
 
One spring I noticed my stb bilge pump was cracked. Nothing physical can get down there to cause the damage other than ice. I make a point to run non-tox rv/marine antifreeze through every pump.

This thread just reminded me I did not remove the filter/bowl and disconnect the hoses on my wash down pump...that needs to be done also to prevent damage!

Will do it today...
 
Joe Fish-

All good sailors and mariners have a fundamental understanding and belief in Murphy's Law, which leaves nothing to be spared in the search to avoid imminent catastrophe!

Even the Boy Scouts have the sense to "Be Prepared"!

I, for one, have learned the hard way not to tempt fate in general. Almost every bad outcome I've had in my life has been foreseen, but not always heeded, and therefore avoided!

Although the climate and lake temperatures here are such that sone has rarely to be concerned with freezing issues when a boat is in the water or garage, I turn on an electric heater inside the boats whenever serious freezing danger is expected. No freeze damage in boats so far....

If it can freeze, break, and cost you money, it will...........

Joe. :teeth :thup

Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law
 
A few years ago I had to replace a frozen bilge pump in the little in-cabin "bilge" by the rear cabin wall in our 22. Reason: an inch of water in that little bilge. Learned my lesson. This year I put rv anti-freeze in there as well as in the fresh water tank and ran water through the lines until it came out pink.
 
matt_unique":1ly7kqep said:
One spring I noticed my stb bilge pump was cracked. Nothing physical can get down there to cause the damage other than ice. I make a point to run non-tox rv/marine antifreeze through every pump.

This thread just reminded me I did not remove the filter/bowl and disconnect the hoses on my wash down pump...that needs to be done also to prevent damage!

Will do it today...
Click to expand...

Working from home today I was able to run out and do it. I had a full hand towel's worth of water that ran out of the wash down pump, hoses, and filter bowl.

Thanks for the starting this thread so I remembered to do this!
 
Bilge pumps seem to be an easy freeze target, lost my first one hauling the boat up from Washington to Alaska. There was enough standing water back there to crack the housing. I now just unsnap the bilge pump from its housing and make sure it’s elevated; dry storage only.

Another target for freeze up I discovered is my in-hull transducer. It’s snapped into a housing that’s filled with RV antifreeze and over the course of the season the antifreeze was diluted enough with sea water that it was starting to slush; I guess the o ring seal isn’t that great. As part of my winterization process I will now fill it with fresh RV antifreeze and apply ample amounts of plumber’s silicon to the o ring seal.
 
The Reynolds C-Dory Factory got to replace the fresh water tank on our TomCat 24'. When they built the boat they used the famous Bostick sealant to put together the water system hoses. That boat had a foot pump for the galley sink. I filled the water tank and never was able to get any water through the pump, during a three month trip to Mexico. Returning to Utah in the spring, I siphoned all the water I could out through the fresh water fill, but enough remained to rupture the tank with a hard freeze. Later it was determined that the foot pump was full of Bostick sealant. Reynolds replaced the fresh water tank, and installed a Norcold refrigerator for free. I was a little vocal to management about their lack of quality control and my frustration with the boat in Mexico.

The TomCat TC255 has been fine to winterize. I pump out all the water I can, drain the water heater, then put two gallons of RV antifreeze in each water tank (yes... we have two 20 gal. tanks). I also pour antifreeze in the fish boxes, bilge pumps and shower sump. I run each pump for a few seconds to get antifreeze through the pumps. I also pour some antifreeze into the toilet and run the macerator for a few seconds.

The problem comes in the spring. Trying to get the taste of RV antifreeze out of the fresh water tanks. Repeated fills and flushes are required, and some chlorine followed by baking soda, and more fill and flushes.

The best winterization I have found, is to take the boat to the Florida Keys for the cold weather months.

Brent
 
Brent - I'm curious about you putting anti-freeze in your water tanks (for drinking) over the winter. Can't you syphon enough water out of your tanks and hoses to negate the problems of freezing? I have just the simple foot pump and once the syphon action is completed, there is not enough water left to freeze and expand anything. But I'm not familiar with your water system
 
Yellowstone":86vu0h10 said:
Brent - I'm curious about you putting anti-freeze in your water tanks (for drinking) over the winter. Can't you syphon enough water out of your tanks and hoses to negate the problems of freezing? I have just the simple foot pump and once the syphon action is completed, there is not enough water left to freeze and expand anything. But I'm not familiar with your water system
Click to expand...

The problem is not the tank as long as it's mostly drained but the water hoses and pumps fed from the water tank.
 
On our loop trip our Chack Chack spent the first winter at Sheplers in Mackinaw City, Michigan, indoors but no heated storage. We diconnected the water heater and emptied it by forcing compressed air in the inlet line. We ran RV antifreezed through the entire water system and all the pumps. No damage and all was good to go that spring. After coming down the rivers we left the boat in Apalachicola this past winter indoors on dry stack. We thought it would be warm enough to not worry about the water system and didn't winterize, which was acutally kind of dicey as it was cold down there last winter, but still no damage. This year we left the boat at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, indoors but not heated and repeated the same process we had used when leaving the boat in Michigan. Hopefully all will be well when we get back this spring.

Eric
 
Thanks for the posts, everybody. Live and learn. Or better yet, just listen to the advice given right here.

A mild winter is on my Christmas list. 8)
 
My wife suggests that at the end of the seasonn to fill the fresh water reservoir up with pretty good 100 prooof vodka. I, Myself would prefer Irish whiskey, but,,hey,,ya cant win em all, can ya?
 
alanc":1hnhlkro said:
My wife suggests that at the end of the seasonn to fill the fresh water reservoir up with pretty good 100 prooof vodka. I, Myself would prefer Irish whiskey, but,,hey,,ya cant win em all, can ya?
Click to expand...

I generally like to use a good quality gin but have found it hard to get the olives back up out of the tank! :roll:

Charlie
 
Had to replace rear bilge pump hose on my CD22. It had cracked, but not from freezing. Mechanic said exposure of a section of pipe to direct sunlight over the years had caused the cracking. The 2005 CD22 has two bilge pumps--a good idea, imho.
 
Aside from doing the RV anti freeze in our water tank and pumping it thru all of our water lines. I take a five gallon bucket add a gallon of RV anti freeze. I put the bucket on our swim platform and put a hose in the bucket with the anti freeze the other end of the hose I added a hose barb and gave a couple wraps of tape so I can stick the hose barb wrapped with tape into my raw water intake and turn on the pump and run the RV antifreeze thru the raw water washdown lines.
D.D.
 
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