Preventing frost damage

[ParaHandy]

If you have a hot/cold water system, can you rely on the relatively warm sea temperature to prevent the system tanks freezing. Boat will be in the water throught this winter and I've never done this before.

 

[Guest]

I always leave a 100W bulb on to stop the dehumidifier freezing up. It might work in your case if you have electric near by.

 

[Greylaguk]

No

 

[pvb]

Yes, most winters...

Unless it's a really vicious winter (eg with freezing sea), the temperature inside the boat is unlikely ever to get cold enough to freeze the water system. For years, I've left my boats in the water over the winter, I've never drained the freshwater system, I don't put a heater on board, and I've never had a problem with freezing. Having said that, if the weather forecast predicted several days of say -5C weather, I'd probably pop a heater inside the boat just to make sure!

 

[VMALLOWS]

Re: Yes, most winters...

Agree totally.....as long as you also live 'down south' (ie somewhere like the Solent). I think the last really bad winter for cold was around the late eightees and even then it was only a case of a boat hook to break the ice enough to get out of the marina (somewhat freshwater).

Warming the calor gas to get enough gas to heat a kettle can take some imagination, but then you should be using propane!

 

[Guest]

No - mine froze last year and rest assured it will be a sod to get at !!

 

[ccscott49]

The tanks shouldnt freeze, but the pipes may, so I would at least drain the pipes and leave the taps open. unless the tanks a brim full, (ice expansion) freezing shouldnt hurt them anyway.

 

[vyv_cox]

Depends very much where you are. In Holland six years ago the temperature never exceeded -10 C for the whole of January. Ice thickness even on sea water was a foot and on fresh even more. At this thickness my boat would have no water in contact with the hull, only ice. I doubt very much whether a small heater in the saloon would have protected my calorifier in a cockpit locker, or probably my water tank next to the hull.

 

[ccscott49]

I was in Holland same time, on the Alkmaadermeer, the ice was 80cm thick! Even lioving on board with heating on, my pipes froze up, burst dumped 200 gals, into the bilges the pumps were already frozen, so the float switcxhes turned them on and I burnt out three expensive pumps aswell. The temp, on the after deck, with wind chill, was -34 deg! My girlfriend used to climb off the boat and go skating! The year they did the 11 cities ice tour!