Winterising fresh water system

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Oscarpop

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We are leaving the uk for a couple of three months and are putting the boat to bed for winter.

Any suggestions as to what to do with the fresh water?

I always leave it unpressurised with the taps ope.
However should I fill the tank or empty the tank?


Also if I leave water in the tank, should I add anything to it? If so what? And how much?


Cheers
 
Hi,

Empty the fresh water tank completely and drain the hoses if possible. Not knowing your boat but sometime you can drain the hot and cold hoses at the very bottom of the boat. Then disconnect a possible water heater (make sure it is empty) and disconnect also the hoses around the pump so you know nothing is trapped at the expensive parts. Hereafter you should be good to travel :-)
When you come back in Spring connect hoses again. Fill water to the tank and apply some 'tank cleaner' (many different possiblities - ask your local boat pusher what he suggests). Then let water through the full system and let it sit for a few days with the tank cleaner in all hoses/ water heater. Then empty the full tank and fill of with clean fresh water and you are good for the season.
Safe travel :-)
 
Empty the water tank completely (open the taps and pump them dry).
Disconnect the pipes at the lowest point to drain the pipes too - this saves any water freezing in the pump, strainer, accumulator, pipework etc
I also drain a bit off the calorifier so if the weather gets really subzero there is some ullage in the top of the calorifier for it to expand into and doesn't split it. No need to completely drain the calorifier though.

You can sterilise the system with Milton on recommissioning at the start of next season.

Also, if you have an activated carbon filter for your galley cold water outlet, disconnect and remove it. Turn it upside down and drain it. You might just save yourself the £40 or so replacement cost of it freezing and splitting.
 
It makes an important difference if your boat is in or out of the water.

If out, then Trundlebug is right and you've got to drain as much as you can.

If it's in the water it's less risky if you're prepared to gamble on the sea temperature not getting too low.

I once laid up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, afloat but where the sea freezes. We put food grade anti-freeze (www.elsan.co.uk/anti-freeze.aspx) in everything a no damage even with no draining.
 
[QUOTE I once laid up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, afloat but where the sea freezes. We put food grade anti-freeze (www.elsan.co.uk/anti-freeze.aspx) in everything a no damage even with no draining.[/QUOTE]

I thought food grade antifreeze was for cooling equipment associated with the food industry and not to go directly into the water supply. What do you flush it out with afterwards?.
 
D&T said:
[QUOTE I once laid up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, afloat but where the sea freezes. We put food grade anti-freeze (www.elsan.co.uk/anti-freeze.aspx) in everything a no damage even with no draining.
Click to expand...

What do you flush it out with afterwards?.[/QUOTE]
Yes, it's harmless. It's made for putting in drinking water tanks etc. It's very common in the northern USA and Canada. You just flush it through the following spring with fresh water, but it's tasteless and can be drunk in small quantities without harm. One flush of the tank did the trick. Not to be confused with car anti-freeze!
 
You can buy drinking water antifreeze at just about every caravan shop.

I would always drain the calorifier if there is a risk of it freezing, rather than partly draining. It has to be drained from below, running the hot tap until the pump has drained the tank doesn't do it.
 
I bring my boat out about every third year and then the only thing I do is run the taps until dry and disconnect and drain the F/W pump, which is at the greatest risk of damage.
 
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