Winterizing water heater

[belladonna]

I just finished winterizing the boat for the first time using all of the great advice I've received in these Forums. After connecting the cold water mainfold "water heater out" fitting to the hot water mainfold "hot water in" using a by-pass hose, I have winterized all faucets & showers. Then I drained the hot water tank and left the drain valve and T/P valve open for the winter. BUT what do you do to get antifreeze into the cold water supply line that runs to the heater from the cold water manifold and in the hot water output line from the heater to the hot water mainfold. Both of these lines have been disconnected from the manifolds and are laying in the bilge but I feel like I need to get antifreeze in them!! Help. Jim

[R.B.]

HI Jim, I have not worried about those hoses since they run "downhill" to the bilge. If you are worried, you can disconnect them at the tank and blow through them. Note there is a check valve at the water tank on one of the Whale connectors. ( I don't remember whether it was the blue or red hose).

[lazy dog]

Ralph, What is the check valve for? Mine was leaking so I removed it and just put the hose on without it. It seems fine that way . I couldn't figure out what benefit the check valve had.
Bob Lazy Dog hull 123

[R.B.]

Hi Bob,

I think it was just to prevent back flow (why? I don't know). I had an issue where I wasn't getting any hot water to the faucets, pulled it all apart to find the check valve spring had dislocated and was causing the blockage. I removed the check flow valve and haven't had any issues since.

[belladonna]

Thanx Ralph - If disconnecting those hoses from/to the mainifolds/water heater and leave them lying in the bilge works for you then I'll do the same. When you drain the tank, do you leave the drain valve and T/P relief valve open all winter or what?? Also interestingly, you refer to the inlet and outlet hoses connected to the heater with Whale quick-connects. I don't have those, my hoses are connected to the heater by way of barbed fittings with hose clamps. Your boat is hull # 342 and mine # 368, wonder why the difference? Thanx for all of your great advice. Jim

[R.B.]

Hi Jim,
You are very welcome. Yes I do leave the pressure relief valve and the drain valve open on the tank all winter. The trick is remembering to close them in the spring before you pressurize the water system and wonder why the bilge is filling up
Interesting that you don't have the quick connects.

[KevinMc]

I also have barb fittings connected to the hot water heater with the blue and red water lines attached to the HWH with hose clamps.

What I did to winterize the water lines and WHW was: (a) removed the blue and red lines from the HWH (b) opened the HWH drain fitting and opened the pressure relief valve to drain the HWH then (c) buy two barb-to-screw fittings and a water line to connect the blue cold water (supply) line to the red hot water (return) line. This way I can bypass the WHW and run the pink anti-freeze to all of the hot water faucets via the blue cold water line running to the HWH. The total cost was about $8. (If it sounds complicated basically I attached the blue and red lines together by the HWH.)

In the spring it's purge all the pink anti-freeze from the water lines and then un-clamp the blue and red water lines from my "bypass" and reconnect the two water lines back to the HWH.

[belladonna]

Hey Kevin - I do the 'by-pass' hose also but connect it at the hot and cold water mainfolds in the bilge which is much easier that doing it at the water heater. Due to the installation of the A/P arm in that area I do well just to be able to open the HWH drain and T/P valves, can't reach the actual cold/hot barb fittings. My way doesn't get A/F into the cold water in and hot water out lines to/from the HWH but I leave them disconnected from the manifolds and they justs gravity drain into the bilge. Jim

[KevinMc]

Jim, I like your idea and I'll do the same next year. Getting to the HWH was a chore.

So you are connecting a bypass line between the; (a) manifold blue cold water HWH supply line and (b) manifold red HWH return line?

It makes sense. Do you remember the length of hose? I would think an 18 inch bypass hose would be enough to connect the two manifolds and give you some slack to work with.

[R.B.]

I also by-pass at the manifolds and I use an 18" piece of hose with brass connectors.

[belladonna]

Hey Kevin & Ralph - Happy to hear others doing the bypass at the mainfolds instead of at the HWH. However I made my own bypass hose using 1/2" nylon elbow couplers that screw onto the fittings at the manifolds and also have barb fittings that I attached a length of water hose to with hose clamps and it works fine. Because I am using 'elbows' instead of straight couplers, I don't need as much hose. And I leave those disconnected mainfold hoses to/from HWH laying in the bilge. I've also got a trick for the toilet that keeps me from disconnecting any of the hoses. It is basically another bowl for the in-line raw water filter that I have drilled a 1/2" hole into the top side, glued in a hose barb fitting, attached a hose and funnel to it and pour in the A/F as I operate the toilet flushing pump. It works great. Jim

[MarkElliott]

Winterizing the new to me 2003 hull #71 Mintaka. Turned off water, opened drain valve, and opened the pressure relief valve. The pressure relief has a blue line on the outflow. Disappears down below, don't know where to. When I was done with the water and moved on to the engine I found the sump In the hull below the engine full of what seems to be fresh water. Ideas? From the water heater? Rain water? I did let the water from the heater run into the bilge, or I thought I did. Where does the blue line from the pressure relief terminate? Is there suppose to be a drain in that sump or is it to catch oil etc that you don't want in the bulge? I was not pleasantly surprised to find several gallons of water. Used a manual pump for the dingy to pump it into the bilge. Couldn't get the bailing bucket under the engine.
On another note, several questions about the one way valve in the cold water supply to the water heater. As the water heater gets hot it rises in pressure. That one way valve is to prevent back flow of hot water if you leave the pressure pump off.

[tranquil]

has anyone taken photos or a video of winterizing the water systems they could post?? I've been following the blogs and successful with the cold water but unsuccessful with the hot water system.

Years ago I heard that Catalina provided a cd with winterizing videos with the purchase of each 350 but the previous owner did not provide. I've asked 350 owners in Chicago who claim to have them but have not been able to loan or share them

Thanks
Teri

[jking]

Its hard to winterize the hot water tank as the drain is not at the bottom of the tank. I called both Catalina and the manufacturer of the tank and neither had any empathy for what a pain the … it is to do. Attached is my maintenance checklist. It may help a bit in winterizing.
Jan

[tranquil]

Thanks JKing!

[tranquil]

First my thanks to all the contributors to this blog, it is very helpful! But something is going dreadfully wrong for the 2nd winter in a row and I need your help.

I ran the taps to clear out most but not all the water from the system. My fiancee and I followed directions and bridged a hose between the cold and hot as the blog instructs. I ran hot and cold in the head sink and shower till dark pink ran thru. Next he ran the galley sink and I thought he ran dark pink in both hot and cold, so I ran the cockpit, but only got pink via the cold, not the hot. Then I opened the spigot on the bottom of the hot H20 heater (I need to find a short hose that will screw on to that so it can run into a bucket instead of all over the wood shelf down to the bottom and over to the bilge - any ideas welcomed) and out came clear H20 as expected. But then.....came PINK!!! And more PINK!!!! What the heck? How could that happen if I bridged off the Hot H20 tank? Then the love of my life (met him 2 years after I bought Tranquil (2) and he's the rare male who is ok with following a lady captain but this is causing tsunami's between us!) told me he only got pink out of the hot in the galley sink, not the cold--double what the heck!!

What am I doing wrong????!!! I am trying to attach pictures of my manifold and where I bridged but they are too large---is my manifold mismarked? Did I hook the bridge hose up incorrectly?? Last year after two cases of antifreeze I gave up and winterized the hot H20 heater. (Oh mercy me!) So far this year 8 gallons of antifreeze are in so far......This should be simple, It seems simple for everyone else so I am embarrassed I am in the mess - and for the 2nd time. A video would be so helpful or some pics. It gets cold here in Chicago and we already had an early freeze. Am hoping to go back this weekend to finish up before a longer lasting freeze.

Thanks
Teri
847 209 4075

[R.B.]

Hi Teri,

You want the bypass to go between the cold water manifold tap marked "To Waterheater" and to the hot manifold intake (at the end of the manifold) marked "from waterheater". These hoses that you disconnected and replaced with the bypass hose are the 2 hoses that go to the waterheater. If you have pink in the water heater you have not connected the bypass hose to the correct tap on the cold water manifold. HTH.

From memory (so I could be wrong): If you have the bilge open and are looking down at the manifolds facing aft. On the Blue, cold water manifold the left most tap is to the waterheater, and on the red hotwater manifold, the right side end of the manifold is from the waterheater

[tranquil]

Thanks for the reply

Yep, I hooked up just as you said. When looking down at the manifolds facing aft, On my manifold, spigot to the hot H20 heater is at the starboard end side of the cold manifold and there is only one intake at the port end of the hot manifold (not the side; the hot side has 3 spigots and only 2 are in use; one at the starboard side end and one at the port side end; labeled galley and head. The middle side spigot is not in use and no hose connected to it) I need to figure out how to upload photos that this site will accept

Teri

[bklumpp]

I had installed a bypass kit with a 3 way valve that I got at West Marine a few years ago. The same thing happened to me. After a little digging, I learned the valves on these are prone to failing. May be the case here as well.

[tranquil]

Thank you - I think that is the issue!