Winterization

[chris young]

Pulling the t stat for me is a time saver, it takes so little time and I pull pure antifreeze into both pumps and the intake hoses that may not drain. Yes it's diluted in the block, and manifold, but at least there is diluted antifreeze in the nooks and crannies that may not completely drain.

[docdrs]

Pulling the t stat for me is a time saver, it takes so little time and I pull pure antifreeze into both pumps and the intake hoses that may not drain. Yes it's diluted in the block, and manifold, but at least there is diluted antifreeze in the nooks and crannies that may not completely drain.

Do you drain anything before you do this?

[chris young]

Nope. Pull the T stat suck a bucket of rv antifreeze in, then drain the block and the manifolds. I don't bother with hoses or pumps because they have pure antifreeze in them. I've been doing it this way for 4 years now with many -30 C days and have had no issues.

I do agree that the t stat housing gasket is a pain, but I'm going to try to make a special rubber one to fix this problem.

[SquamInboards]

Nope. Pull the T stat suck a bucket of rv antifreeze in, then drain the block and the manifolds. I don't bother with hoses or pumps because they have pure antifreeze in them. I've been doing it this way for 4 years now with many -30 C days and have had no issues.

I do agree that the t stat housing gasket is a pain, but I'm going to try to make a special rubber one to fix this problem.

So, if you're draining things anyway, why not do that step first? Then replace plugs and pour in a/f through a hose instead of the t-stat. Same result without removing the t-stat?

[docdrs]

Nope. Pull the T stat suck a bucket of rv antifreeze in, then drain the block and the manifolds. I don't bother with hoses or pumps because they have pure antifreeze in them. I've been doing it this way for 4 years now with many -30 C days and have had no issues.

I do agree that the t stat housing gasket is a pain, but I'm going to try to make a special rubber one to fix this problem.

Well , I guess it eliminates draining the j tube , but thats the only thing, assuming no heater or shower .........a whole lot of time and work imo, when its so much easier to undo one clamp instead of the whole tstat...... I would forget the tstat and just drain or suck out the j tube when you drain the block n manifolds...... oh wait, thats what the manual says.......... please do not ever leave diluted plumbing antifreeze anywhere

[docdrs]

So, if you're draining things anyway, why not do that step first? Then replace plugs and pour in a/f through a hose instead of the t-stat. Same result without removing the t-stat?

He will have all his pre tstat hoses winterized but not draining sucking out the jtube puts his circ pump at risk. Water/ diluted p freeze will sit in the jtube and at the bottom of the circ pump leading to earier failure of the pump and or seals......... I def agree , removing the tstat is silly when you just have to pull the j pipe which takes 1 minute

[SquamInboards]

He will have all his pre tstat hoses winterized but not draining sucking out the jtube puts his circ pump at risk. Water/ diluted p freeze will sit in the jtube and at the bottom of the circ pump leading to earier failure of the pump and or seals......... I def agree , removing the tstat is silly when you just have to pull the j pipe which takes 1 minute

But there's a plug for draining the J-pipe, right? Which is one of the points you would drain in the initial drain process. You and I are in agreement, I'm sure. Never in 8 years working at a marina did we pull a t-stat to winterize a boat under normal circumstances. Is it a big deal? Nope.

Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies when it comes to winterizing, that's for sure. Start to finish, I bet hardly anyone follows the exact procedure of someone else in this forum. Oh, you use a funnel? I use a bucket. You drain the heater with an air compressor? I use nitrogen-filled baloons pressurized to 2.7 psi and not 0.1psi more! You use NAPA fogging oil? I use Marvel Mystery Oil, 3 drops per cylinder then rotate the engine 1 revolution by hand after each cylinder. You leave the cover on? Off? You don't have a trickle charger 24/7? You change oil in the spring only? Your heated garage only has ONE backup generator? You don't use dryer sheets? You don't have a video baby monitor of your boat on live feed to your iphone all winter????

Just in case it's not abundantly clear, there is a LOT of sarcasm in the above paragraph. Happy New Year everyone.

[docdrs]

But there's a plug for draining the J-pipe, right?

I wish... at least not on any I've seen.....definitely would be a little time saver...... I knew I never should have thrown that monitor out when the kids were out of the crib.

[scottschmitt]

You don't have a video baby monitor of your boat on live feed to your iphone all winter???? [/I]

Dang ... I knew I'd forget something this year.

[chris young]

You've given me a few things to think about for sure, but I'm not sure why you would say that my recirc pump would have diluted antifreeze in it if I'm pulling pure antifreeze through it.