[C320-list] Alternative Fresh Water System Winterizing

[Dave Hupe]

I am using a combination of pumping out water remaining in the tanks, sucking out water with a shopvac from the lines leading from the tanks to the pump, using a small oil-less air compressor to evacuate all water in the lines after the pump, and drawing antifreeze only through the pump to winterize. It is very easy/quick!  I don't need to crawl under the sink and do not unhook any lines. What simplifies this for me compared to others is that the previous owner had removed the hot water heater and linked together the cold and hot water lines going to the faucets which made it easier.  However, maybe this will foster some thought on your parts about how to simplify your approaches.  I do not understand concerns expressed about blowing lines out. 
For my "winterization system", I installed 6 valves, several t-joints, and 2 hoses under the sink (my pump is now there).  The 2 hoses are ones that I can temporarily trail out from under the sink (one with a quick connect air fitting).  My procedure involves:
1. pump out tanks
2. close a valve just before the pump, vacuum out water between the tanks and fresh water pump using a hose that is located inline just before the pump and is trailed temporarily out from under the sink
3. vacuum out any free water in the tanks via the access ports, leave the caps off and tape paper towels over the openings to allow ventilation/drying
4. close a valve just after the pump discharge, open a valve on another hose that is located inline just after the pump and is trailed out from under the sink,  connect an air compressor to the quick connect fitting, inject air (regulated to about 60psi so as not to rupture  the lines) through the hose and sequentially open faucets to evacuate all water from the hoses 5. disconnect the air compressor
6. close/open valves to create a loop just through the pump and the 2 hoses trailed out from under the sink, put the loose hose before the pump into a bottle of antifreeze, then use the boat's fresh water pump to run antifreeze (only about 1/2 bottle needed) through just the pump itself and out of the other loose hose into a container  7. return valves to normal operating position and stow the loose hoses back under the sink
Dave Hupe
1994 Cat320 "Mayan Sun" (#32)
Holland, MI