How do you winterize you AC

G

GregR

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Unfortunately I discovered yesterday the AC system is a push, not a pull. Putting the hose in a bucket of antifreeze did nothing.

I did research last night and discovered various ways to winterize the AC. SeaFlush looks interesting.

The one I like the best is to use a drill with a pump attachment and push water thru, in reverse, from the thru hull exit and let it works it's way back through the system, to the seacock, and then out the bottom thru hull.

What do others do? This was never an issue before since I kept my boat in the water and kept a cabin heater in the cabin and an engine heater in the engine compartment. Now my boat goes into a boatel for the winter.

Thanks,
 
I hook up a container of pink and let it pull thru. Turn on both A/C units and it sucks it thru.
I know some pump from outside, but if you have multiple A/C units that could favor one and not the other.
 
CurrentSea, beautiful boat, reminds me of my 2001 3780.

I have one AC, it's in the aft cabin. Pump and seacock thru hull are in the engine compartment. I tried disconnecting the hose at thru thru hull, and inserting the hose into a bucket of antifreeze. Nothing. I tried pouring antifrezze directly into the hose, nothing. There was a mechanic wintering the boat next to mine, he said the AC is a push, not as pull, that I will need to push water thru with a pump or gravity feed water in.
 
Most AC pumps are flooded pumps and have to be install below the water line to work they will not suck water or antifreeze unless it is poured into them.

I pull the exit hose and pump antifreeze back thru the system, I use a hand pump with the AC off.
 
I use a plastic 55 gallon hand drum pump. I put a plastic barb hose reducer that fits into the thru hull outlet with a little Teflon tape on it and a hose clamp on the plastic hose end. Just put the pickup into the bottle hand pump away thru the outlet hole. Make sure the strainer is clean before other wise it pushes the crap back out the hose and clogs it. Definitely easier if some helps you hold the reducer into thru hull outlet
 
Sounds like going from the hull exist reverse back thru to the thru hull entrance is the way to go. I ordered a pump for my drill, I'll give that a try.
 
Gravity feed works just fine.
Just close seacock and let it fill up, then turn it on and it sucks just fine.
I prefer not to pull hoses if I don't have to!
 
Gravity feed how, without pulling hoses? I tried flooding the strainer but that did not work either.
 
I pump it in thru the exit until I have pink come out the pink up. I have two units but only one pump I pump it in both outputs take about 1 gallon and about 1 minute per hole. quick easy and cheap!
 
We had a pump that serviced two compressors. So I disconnected the outlets from the pump and blew air through each compressor. Then I loosened the wing nuts on the pump housing to let the water out and that was it.
 
Mine sucks it.
Never had a boat that didn't.
It will lose prime if air gets in but of gravity fedit will restart
 
My experience has been the only systems that needed AF were the engines, the waste systems (toilets and pumps), sink drains and the washer/dryer. I blew out all of the fresh water input, AC lines, and the ice maker.
 
I too blow out my water lines lines but the ac is just so easy to pump AF thru. I tried one year to bow out the AC and I guess I didn't get all the water out of the pump and popped a freeze out plug I was able to replace with a screw in the Spring but I never tried that again.
I hate the taste and smell of AF in the water system so I blow it out and one good flush in the Spring and I'm good to go.
 
I also winterize with an air compressor, a/c and water system. It's quick and never had a problem.
 
I have "NEVER" used any type of AF for my 2 ACs on my 37C. Compressed air is all I ever used since 1993. Separate the pump ~ 1/2" to allow water to escape. It'll be a little funky. I used to put a plastic bag over pump to catch the gunk.
BTW; the compressed air was shot into the 2 AC discharge outlets in hull.
 
AF left in the water tank can ferment. 'Nuff said.
 
I use the Sea Flush system to winterize my boat. The AC won't pull the AF out of the bucket so for that system I just open the sea strainer and insert the Sea Flush Funnel and pour the AF with the AC system running. Works great.
 
Greg, you did it the easiest way if you back flushed thru the hull discharge site. Nothing has to be opened or disconnected and if you are on the hard, leave the seacock open and it will displace the water from your strainer and fill it with antifreeze also. When you see pink flowing out the bottom of the boat from the water intake, you're done. My AC pump won't pull up antifreeze either so I have to do it your way when on the hard or push antifreeze thru the hose from the strainer thru the pump, thru the AC unit and out the side discharge if I'm in the water. To do that, I hook a portable 12 volt pump up to the hose from the strainer to the pump, other end of the hose in a bucket of antifreeze and push it thru. One gallon does it either way. Either way works fine. No boat I've ever had would suck up antifreeze by running the pump. I have the Seaflush system mentioned above, haven't tried it yet though.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gregory S

Greg, you did it the easiest way if you back flushed thru the hull discharge site. Nothing has to be opened or disconnected and if you are on the hard, leave the seacock open and it will displace the water from your strainer and fill it with antifreeze also. When you see pink flowing out the bottom of the boat from the water intake, you're done. My AC pump won't pull up antifreeze either so I have to do it your way when on the hard or push antifreeze thru the hose from the strainer thru the pump, thru the AC unit and out the side discharge if I'm in the water. To do that, I hook a portable 12 volt pump up to the hose from the strainer to the pump, other end of the hose in a bucket of antifreeze and push it thru. One gallon does it either way. Either way works fine. No boat I've ever had would suck up antifreeze by running the pump. I have the Seaflush system mentioned above, haven't tried it yet though.

Click to expand...


The boat was on the hard, and I left the seacock closed while pouring antifreeze into the strainer, no go, and then pouring antifreeze directly into the hose that connects to the pump, no go.

I now have a pump I bought from Amazon that works with a drill. I plan to take my air compressor with me this Friday, blow air thru the hull discharge, and then pump some antifreeze in from the hull discharge. I'm not a fan of a little bit of water left behind, coupled with air, potentially causing rust, so I'll add the antifreeze as well.
 
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