[C320-list] Fresh Water Engine Flush

[Angus Henderson]

That’s great. Thanks John

Gus

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 3, 2019, at 3:30 PM, John Meyers <jcmeyers7 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Gus,
> 
> I go to West Marine when they have the best/coldest MARINE antifreeze on
> sale.  This might be the -60, or even the -100 which may be overkill here
> less than 5 miles east of the Lake Michigan "warm" water furnace a.k.a.
> lake effect we experience as the temps on land never get below minus 20 F
> and rarely get below zero further inland . This is the non-toxic stuff that
> can be flushed back into the lake as soon as we start the engine after
> splash. You might have the same lake affect on Georgian Bay. Never a
> problem.
> 
> I use the Yanmar coolant for the engine and that gets disposed of properly
> at the marina.  I use the -50 grade for water systems minus the hot water
> heater that I suck dry every fall.
> 
> John
> 
>> On Tue, Sep 3, 2019 at 2:20 PM Gus Macdonald <rathlyn1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Good discussion on this subject.  As an aside and a question for John—when
>> winterizing, do you use an automotive type ethylene glycol anti-freeze in
>> the “fresh water” cooling circuit or a non-toxic type anti-freeze (usually
>> pink)?  I have asked many people this in the Great Lakes  area and the
>> responses are about 50/50.  Naturally if the ethylene glycol type is used
>> it must be removed before the boat goes back in the water in the spring to
>> avoid pollution.
>> 
>> Gus
>> Hull #999
>> Georgian Bay
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Sep 3, 2019, at 12:23 PM, John Meyers <jcmeyers7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Like Christian, I also have a Tee for antifreeze here on the (Unsalted
>> and
>>> Shark Free) Great Lakes. I put my Tee just after the thru hull and before
>>> the strainer so that the antifreeze is also in the strainer. Not that it
>>> makes much of a difference but my thru hull outputs forward which makes
>> it
>>> slightly easier to attach the short hose to the bucket of antifreeze in
>> the
>>> cockpit.
>>> 
>>> John Meyers
>>> Wind Chime #406
>>> Muskegon, MI
>>> 
>>>> On Tue, Sep 3, 2019 at 11:25 AM Christian <ccaper at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Bob,
>>>> I have done this for winterizing my boat to flush out water and get
>>>> anti-freeze in the system.  I installed the t-fitting last fall.
>>>> 
>>>> Here is the t-fitting I ordered, available at Walmart for $1.67.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>> https://www.walmart.com/ip/LASCO-Fem-Tee-Insert-x-FNPT-3-4-In-PVC-1402007/406982633
>>>> 
>>>> Take this t-fitting to Home Depot, and in the pvc section get the male
>> end
>>>> cap, matched to the threads in t-fitting.  You will want this end cap in
>>>> the t-fitting during normal boat use, and use some teflon tape on this
>>>> threads as well.  Then, go to the plumbing section and get a male PVC to
>>>> male garden hose adapter that will convert the threads to a garden hose
>>>> thread.  This allows you to connect a garden hose to your raw water
>> line.
>>>> Mine was a metal adapter.  Also get hose clamps for 3/4" hose, you'll
>> need
>>>> at least 2. I recommend 4, 2 on each side of the t-fitting, each one
>>>> flipped 180 for redundancy.
>>>> 
>>>> All parts will be less than $15 total.  You'll also need auto hose
>> cutters,
>>>> and a likely a wire cutter at that hose has re-enforced wire you'll
>> need to
>>>> cut where hose cutter couldn't cut through.
>>>> 
>>>> When you want to use the t-fitting, connect the garden hose to the
>>>> t-fitting, pass the hose through a port light opening, have a bucket in
>> the
>>>> cockpit, put other end of hose in bucket, and CLOSE through hull for raw
>>>> water intake.  Start engine, and just mind you don't run out of water in
>>>> the bucket and that hose is at bottom of bucket and hasn't floated to
>> the
>>>> top, only sucking in air.  Nice thing about this is you can also easily
>>>> start engine on land when needed.
>>>> 
>>>> I've included a link to two pictures I took when I did this.  Don't make
>>>> the same location mistake I made, and put the t-fitting right under the
>>>> Racor filter, as now I have a difficult time draining my racor (I plan
>> to
>>>> adjust that this fall during haul out).
>>>> 
>>>> https://www.instagram.com/p/BorFrCCDV3B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
>>>> 
>>>> Hope this helps.
>>>> 
>>>> Christian Caperton
>>>> 1994 C320 "Canuck" #138
>>>> Monroe Harbor, Chicago, IL
>>>> 
>>>>> On Tue, Sep 3, 2019 at 10:00 AM Bob Hoyt <rehoyt at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> A diesel mechanic recommended that I flush the raw water side of the
>>>> engine
>>>>> with fresh water when not using the boat for more than 2 weeks. This
>>>> would
>>>>> require installing a barbed tee piece between the strainer and the
>> water
>>>>> pump. Has anyone done this as I didn't find it in the forum archives?
>>>> Also,
>>>>> I live in Florida so I don't need to do this as part of winterizing.
>>>> Thanks
>>>>> 
>>>>> Bob Hoyt
>>>>> "Ikigai"
>>>>> !994 Hull #58
>>>>> Pensacola, FL
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Robert (Bob) Hoyt MD, FACP, ABPM-CI*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Internal Medicine*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Virginia Commonwealth University*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Richmond, VA*
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> *CAPT (Ret) USN*
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>> *---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Adjunct Associate Professor, College of Allied Health Professions*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *University of Nebraska Medical Center*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Omaha, NE*
>>>>> 
>>>>> *Diplomate, Clinical Informatics*
>>>>> 
>>>>> InformaticsEducation.org  <http://InformaticsEducation.org>
>>>>> rehoyt at gmail.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> robert.hoyt at unmc.edu <robert.hoyt at unmd.edu>
>>>>> 
>>>>> robert.hoyt at vcuhealth.org
>>>>> 
>>>>> Cell: 850-384-5235
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>> 
>>