Winterizing with Antifreeze

[westtx]

Has anyone skipped the block-draining process and used a non-toxic antifreeze instead? They claim to have some lubrication benefits and it sure seems simple if it works...

[Hungry Man]

Yes, they do that here in Edmonton Alberta Canada to all Mastercraft boats.  They have to hook up the "fake a lake" hose to the water intake and add it with a funnel somehow.  They run the engine to do this.  I can't figure out how or where they add the antifreeze but you need to circulate it to make sure it works.  They did say it helps prevent corrosion.  Make sure to use the RV enviro safe/edible stuff so you don't hurt your lake.

Cheers,

HungryMan

[lesman01]

I wonder if you can just connect a hose from the plunger thingy hooked up under the boat into a gallon on antifreeze and let it suck it up in the motor? If so, how much will it take 1 gallon?, 2 gallons. I ghuess if the antoifreeze is coming out the back it's cycled through the cooling system?

[sailtl]

I have a friend with a Malibu he he runs 5 gallons through the system. Remember to take out the thermostat to guarantee that the whole block is flushed with anti freeze. He put a fitting in the bottom of a 5 gallon pail and removes the sea water strainer and puts a fitting in the hose and connects the 2 with a hose and fires up the boat and sucks down the 5 gallons. I suppose you could capture some of the fluid coming out of the exhaust as the bucket empties and verify temperature (freeze) rating with an antifreeze tester.

I do mine the old fashion way and drain everything. Just remember it is cheaper to error with to much anti-freeze than to little.

[Ericks]

I always run the plumbing antifreeze through my toyota it takes aobut 6 gallons to make it through the engine. I only doit after I have drained the block and pulled the thermestat. I do it justi in case I miss something when i'm draining. The real bennifit that I have found is that I can pull my boat out of the garage in the spring and be on the lake 20 min later I don't have to worry about putting my boat back together. Like all buddys do, becouse they leave all the plugs out all winter long.
To answer how you doit! I pull the sea strainer and dump antifreeze down the intake hose that normally connects to the sea strainer as sombody starts the boat, the impeller sucks the antifreeze up as fast as I can dump it in out of gallon jugs.

[ColdNorth]

I did it this fall with my X22. Pulled the intake hose, loosened the clamp by the strainer so I could spin the intake hose 180 degrees to face up and just ran my hose in there for a minute or two to warm it up a bit. Shut off the boat and took a 2 litre pop bottle that I had cut the bottom out of and used it as a funnel. It fit nicely into the intake hose end. I filled it with RV antifreeze and started the engine again. Kept pouring it in till my son, who was standing at the back of the boat catching it in a bucket, said it was running out in a pretty solid pink color. I think after the first gallon it was starting to change color... ultimately we used just under 2 gallons. I then still went and did the drain thing... and while doing so realized I had not taken out the thermostat before running antifreeze (will next year for sure). Antifreeze came out every drain plug... I am feeling pretty safe for winter.

Speaking with another person where the dealer did this for him a few years ago, the dealer did not pay attention to the shower and he had a leak in the spring that ultimately gave him a lot of grief. Make certain you either get lots of antifreeze into the heater and shower or drained well.

We are in central Alberta and it gets very cold here... -30 or even a bit colder and can stay that way for a few days or a week at a time. If it can freeze, it will here.

[boneil]

My local boat dealer sells a 5 gallon container that has a valve and plugs into the fake a lake.  It comes with antifreeze and is $65 bucks.  Too pricey for me.

Seems to me if your going to go through the trouble of removing the sea strainer and thermostat you are just three nuts and one other hose away from draining it out so you can be sure.  And after draining it is fine to hook back up the parts so you can just drop in and go in the spring.  Most dealers leave the plugs out in winter b/c some people have put their boat in too early and messed something up and tried to get the shop to pay for it.  May-be I'm too optimistic will be giving the draining procedure a try this weekend.

Just me personally... but circulating 5 gallons of anti-freeze into the lake each year just doesn't seem right.  Probably just me getting old. 

Lastly you should only have an issue where water is under some amount of pressure and expanding will cause damage.  Why risk the anti-freeze?  And folks have put between 2 and 6 gallons and keep it pressured over winter?  Disaster waiting to happen if you live in a really cold area.   

[ColdNorth]

I don't disagree with what you say... however, while your dealer may sell the bag with 5 gals of antifreeze, when I circulated mine (I don't have heater or shower), antifreeze was coming out the back shortly before I had put in a gallon so the system does not hold that much nor would you be putting 5 gallons into the lake. I only did it because I was looking for a bit of extra protection in addition to the regular routine... and the non-toxic RV antifreeze was about $3. per gallon here... cheap insurance I felt.

I often wish you Americans would not make it so difficult to come live in your country... maybe I would not have to worry so much about this winterizing procedure. I know I would spend more time behind my boat in the summer.

[boneil]

Just trying to flush out the issues.  Literally. 

Fish have an antifreeze running through their viens... may-be that's what's in the new bio-antifreeze...  I don't know... it just doesn't feel right to me.   Not sure if that is the comment you are referring to.  The locals in Kentucky love it... you basically back your boat down into a huge tub of antifreeze and run the engine.  And oh by the way they still charge you $120bucks

On the winterization if some are putting in 2 and some 6 gallons there is some large variation and antitime there is big variation then it potentially leads to problems.   And I would not be comfortable worrying if I put enough in.  To the point of the thread this is sounds great.... I'm trying to find out for myslef because I choose not worry about it during winter. 

Apologize if I make any once else that has winterized worry, but seems to me that with antifreeze and pulling two drain plugs then there is zero chance of problems from the cold.  And since you can now back your boat into antifreeze may-be I'm just behind the times!

But don't be another Boo Bird on America... once I have this figured out if you pull your boat to my house you can stay the night and I'd be happy to winterize it for you on my dime!!! 

[westtx]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'll probably do it the old fashioned way. I live in the desert where it rarely drops below 20 and then for only a few hours, so I'm probably safe either way. I will pull the impeller out this year, though...maybe get an extra year or two out of it that way. Anyway, it's going to be 87 this weekend and the water temp is still in the 80's, so its not an urgent issue. Just burn some gas and keep that global warming going!