[C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit & Water System Winterization Steps

[Rick]

Jeff, 
Granted, there is water below the hot water tank drain spigot because a gravity drain will only  leave  about a gallon and a half  in the hot water tank below the drain spigot. However, if one attaches a hose to the drain spigot it is possible to extract the water under the drain valve if your wet vacuum is strong enough to draw out the remaining water left in the tank below the drain spigot. I always place a strip of tape on the hot water tank switch to eliminate the mistake of accidentally turning on the hot water element when I have removed all of the water or antifreeze from the hot water tank. 

I will explain for the benefit of any newbies on this list what I did when I winterized my water system this morning. 

 I first ran both tanks dry by opening up the main sink valves. I  then gravity drained the hot water tank by attaching a hose to the drain spigot to direct the water into the bilge. Opening up the pressure release valve on the upper starboard corner of the tank allowed the tank to rapidly drain. (don't forget to close the pressure release valve before you leave the boat).  I got 4.5 gallons from the hot water tank drain valve that was gravity fed and with the pressure release valve open. I then immediately/rapidly got another 2 plus gallons out of the hot water tank and the plumbing system by attaching the hot water tank drain hose to a 2 gallon wet vac and filling in the gap between the drain hose and the wet vac hose with a clean rag to make a tight fit when squeezing the rag as the vacuum pressure seals the connection. Then  the water that remains at the bottom of the  hot water tank is drawn into the wet vac ( over a gallon plus another half a gallon or more because I had to empty the 2 gallon wet vac once before proceeding to extract all of the water from the lines that feed the aft shower as well as the head sink lines. I  opened up the aft shower valves and the head and main sink valves to clear all of the lines. I could hear air being drawn from all open valve spigots under the hot and cold valves while having the vacuum attached to the hose on the hot water tank drain spigot.  

I surmised that I got at least a gallon plus from the hot water tank plus water from the feed lines including the pump plumbing. 

 I then pickled the entire system with a total of just 7 gallons of antifreeze added to the water tanks. I opened the aft tank valve and closed the forward tank valve. Only about a half a gallon is necessary to clear the aft tank lines of water and running that water out of the system followed by antifreeze out from cold side of the main sink. I then opened the forward tank valve and poured in the remaining antifreeze to the forward tank. The forward tank filled the hot water tank first followed by running antifreeze out of the aft shower (hot and cold side lines to see antifreeze following the water that is driven out first).  Then ran antifreeze out of the head sink valves and lastly the main sink valve. No need to run more antifreeze out of the line once the solid deep antifreeze color is evident.  I ran both tanks dry and by running antifreeze out of each hot and cold valve and spigot, including the stern shower hot and cold valves and lines, I know that the system is safely winterized. However, instead of leaving the antifreeze in the lines and in the water tank over the winter, I extract all of the antifreeze in the fall to be ready for filling the water tanks in the spring.  I  recover about 4.5 gallons of very strong antifreeze  from the hot water tank using  the original bottles marked with tape on the cap to denote recovered antifreeze. The antifreeze remaining in the bottom of the hot water tank ( about a gallon  and a half) was extracted into the wet vac and discarded not to be used again.

I used the same drain and vacuum process to remove the antifreeze that was explained to remove the water from the water tanks, the water lines and from the hot water tank .  

Now with the antifreeze removed from the system I am ready to flush the tanks in the spring with a couple of gallons of water in each fill tank that will end up in the hot water tank first, along with any residual antifreeze that will be driven and isolated into the hot water tank. Then I will remove that antifreeze tainted water from the hot water drain and then vacuum out the remaining mixture from below the hot water tank drain spigot.  That process will ensure I have no antifreeze smell or taste when I refill the entire system and run some water out of each spigot and vale.

I am pretty certain that I got all of the  water out of the hot water tank before I filled the hot water tank with antifreeze poured into the aft and forward tanks.  I got most all of the  antifreeze out of my hot water tank and the entire  plumbing system given the amount of measured antifreeze I placed in each tank and the amount I recovered into bottles  from the hot water tank drain hose that was placed in the empty antifreeze bottles. I threw out all of the antifreeze that was extracted with the shop vac.  I will use that recovered antifreeze next fall along with a couple of gallons of fresh antifreeze since with most all of the water removed before I added the antifreeze to the water tanks I know that the antifreeze was not severely diluted. In fact testing the recovered antifreeze indicates the strength is about -25 strength and will add several gallons of fresh antifreeze to the recovered antifreeze next fall  to raise the strength. With the water first removed from the water system followed by antifreeze that is also removed, I am assured that I will not have a spring surprise.

When the boat hauls out next week I will draw about a half a gallon of antifreeze into the head by pumping the pink stuff  up thru the head with a hose tightly stuck into the head inlet seacock hull fitting and the other end of the hose in the antifreeze bottle suspended from the stanchion while I enter the head to pump the antifreeze up into the head plumbing to displace the water that is trapped in the head's internal channels and pump. I will also pour several ounces of antifreeze into the shower sump drain and run the pump with that seacock open to displace any water in the sump pump and drain system.

The last winterizing steps include running two gallons of -100 green antifreeze through the seawater side of the engine by placing the seawater  intake hose removed from the strainer filter and placing that hose into five gallon pail containing the 2 gallons of -100 antifreeze. By running the engine  for a  short time until all of the antifreeze is sucked out of the pail and then shutting down the engine I will be running the antifreeze into the sea water cooling system to displace the seawater with antifreeze that will exit from the exhaust port. 

Next, I remove the AC/Heat water exist hose from the hull side fitting and blow the water out of the system exiting from the opened AC intake seacock first, and then followed with about 8 ounces of -60 purple antifreeze poured into that exit water line and then blowing that antifreeze through the system with the antifreeze also exiting from the AC intake port/seacock.  Then reattached the water exit hose to the hull exit fitting.

Lastly, remove empty the AC strainer and empty the seawater strainer and leave all the seacocks open for the winter.
 
Rick
95' C320 hull #277

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Hare
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2016 3:49 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit

Rick,

Right, the tank has that valve.  BUT you cannot empty the tank with that!  I guarantee that there is at least a gallon or 2 still in the tank when you can get no more out of that faucet-valve.  I believe that the drain faucet leaves a gallon or two in the tank to ensure that the heating elements are always covered with enough water to prevent damage.  Instead, you should be sucking the water out of the cold water inlet.  That inlet extends to the bottom of the tank so that cold water enters at the lowest level in the tank.  

You will have to remove the copper cold water check valve that's inline with the cold water line.  Attached with Whale fittings.

See this picture in the C320 technical photo gallery to understand what I mean.

http://tinyurl.com/DrainWaterHeater

I think you will be surprised how much water you were leaving in the tank the other way.  I know I was.

-Jeff Hare
#809 Woodbine II (Signing the petition to get Allan Field to sell his new 387 and go buy another 320 so he can't leave the association)

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Rick
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2016 9:04 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit

Jeff, 
On my hull #277 I have a hot water tank drain valve accessible by removing the drawers. I can remove the remaining water in the hot water tank by wrapping a rag around the valve to temporarily seal tightly the vac hose to pull all of the water from the tank as well as from all of the tanks and lines if I keep the water taps open in the head and stern shower. I can suck out well over a gallon from the water tank alone using this method.
Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Hare
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2016 8:15 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit

If you were to install a T valve with a shutoff in between the check valve and the water tank, you would have a single spot you could hook up your shop vac and drain the water tank quite easily.

I am seriously thinking about doing that this year instead of removing and reinstalling the check valve every year when draining the water heater.  The check valve is the main thing that keeps you from really drying out the tank.  You cannot suck or drain the water out using the little faucet thing.  It'll leave a gallon or two still in the tank.

More details later if anyone is interested.
-Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Rick
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2016 7:33 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit

I agree with Ted that using a wet vac as small as 1 gal works really well. It is important to get out that last gallon or more of water that remains in the water tank beyond (lower than) the tank drain valve.  A one gallon dry/wet vac costs about $30 and is also handy addition to the boat locker tool set.

Not intending to start an extended thread about winterizing the water system by using or not using pink antifreeze, but here in the Great Lakes region where we may experience temps  below zero I have found that using as little as 8 gallons of inexpensive antifreeze ensures that I will never have an expensive and time consuming spring surprise.  Using the vac to eliminate the remaining water in the hot water tank as well as removing antifreeze from the lowest portion of the water tank only takes a few minutes during the winterizing process. The wet vac saves a lot of time and money if that last gallon or more of water had remained in the lowest portion of the water tank when hard freezing temperatures may cause the water tank to rupture. 

The trick is to vacuum the water from the hot water tank before adding antifreeze and then also draining the antifreeze from the tank and then vacuuming the residual  antifreeze from the hot water tank before having the tank ready to be refilled with water in the spring. In the spring I simply flush away residual antifreeze from the lines and water tanks when refilling the tanks by draining the hot water tank only once in the spring and then vacuuming out that first flush residue from the bottom of the water tank  to eliminate any antifreeze taste or smell from subsequent water fills.  
Rick Sulewski
95' C320 hull #277

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Ted Harrison
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2016 12:37 AM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] CAMCO Water Heater Bypass Winterizing Kit

I j don't think you have to buy it. Just vacuum it out with dry vac 

I do

Hill 424 
Whitby Ont 

Ted Harrison

> On Oct 13, 2016, at 6:57 PM, Louis Spitz <aronella at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Has anyone used the Westmarine Camco Water Heater Bypass winterizing kit?  I want to winterize the water heater without using antifreeze.
> Any suggestions?
> Thanks
> Lou Spitz
> 1995 #195 ‘Merry Chase'
>