Bypass heater question

villain style

villain style

Well-Known Member
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Oct 10, 2006
1,710
Safe Harbor Marina Kent Island, MD
Boat Info
2006 44 DA
QSC 8.3s
Engines
Cummins QSC 8.3s 500HO
Years past I would drain water tank. With valve open I would then connect air compressor to shore water inlet and blow out all faucets. When done I close heater drain valve.
Then i would add antifreeze thru strainer for engines. I never had antifreeze fill heater back up that I’m aware of.
Based on what you see do you see any issue with what I’m doing? And if I bypass cold and hot water lines which cold line based on what you see?
FCCFB645-8967-4C12-A395-2BE4AA87BC39.jpeg
 
villain style said:
Then i would add antifreeze thru strainer for engines. I never had antifreeze fill heater back up that I’m aware of.
Based on what you see do you see any issue with what I’m doing? And if I bypass cold and hot water lines which cold line based on what you see?
Click to expand...

Mark.....I'm having a hard time following what question you are asking. The way you are purging fresh water is fine and will work.

For most of the boats I have worked:
1) we drain the fresh water system by disconnecting the supply hose at the fresh water pump which empties the fresh water tank.
2) We drain the hot water heater by opening its drain then we remove the supply and return hoses to the heater and connect them together (there are a couple of aftermarket valves you can buy so you don't have to disconnect the hoses) . At this point the Hot water heater is empty and bypassed.
3) Finally, we run two gallons of pink antifreeze through a hose connected to the supply side of the fresh water pump to the head, sinks and washdown. Basically, cycling the facets to hot and cold until the water color turns a solid pink.

That's it.

If you use pressurized air through the shore connection. It should work fine if you drain the hot water heater to start with and cycle the hot and cold at the faucets.

Winterizing the engines has no impact on the hot water heater. What you may be referring to is a problem with the process I have described above if you don't bypass the water heater by connecting the hoses together. Failing to bypass the water heater prior to feeding antifreeze to the fresh water pump will mean the entire water heater would be required to be filled with antifreeze which makes no sense.

Your approach eliminates this problem.
 
I do the following after draining the main water tank and the water heater:

1. I bypass the water heater by disconnecting the cold in and hot out lines to the heater, and connecting the cold line in to the hot line out with a hose and clamps on the lines. Here is a picture. I open the pressure vent and drain valve on the tank to let it drain as much as I can.
IMG_1121.JPG


2. I put some-50 plumbing antifreeze into the water tank (a bout 4 gallons) and turn the pump on to run it through taps and toilet and flush the toilet a few times to get some antifreeze in the lines (and into the empty holding tank).

3. I wait about 20 min or so to allow the ice maker to cycle one set of pink slush cubes. The icemaker can't be blown out without removing it to bypass or open the water valve on it.

4. Once the ice maker is done, I reconnect the water heater hoses and close up the drain and vent, and let the water pump push the remaining antifreeze in the water tank into the water heater. After that is done, I shut it all down again and open the drain valve on the waterheater to let the antifreeze drain out again. The reason I drain it is because I have noticed that the pink that comes out at this step is not as dark pink as what went in the tank. That tells me that there is still water in the heater after it is drained with the valve. So this is a bit of a flushing out of the water/pink mixture that is no longer full -50 strength. I want as little fluid in the heater as possible.
 
I stopped using pink antifreeze in the potable water lines years ago. It left a terrible taste in the lines that was very difficult to remove. If the yard did it, they would use (and charge me for) like 10 gallons of AF and just fill up the HW heater.

Instead I would bypass the hot water tank, open the bottom drain and let the water drain out. Then use my air compressor to blow out each water outlet. I would use a blow gun attached just downstream of the fresh water pump. Worked great, no AF used, no bad taste.
 
b_arrington said:
I stopped using pink antifreeze in the potable water lines years ago. It left a terrible taste in the lines that was very difficult to remove. If the yard did it, they would use (and charge me for) like 10 gallons of AF and just fill up the HW heater.

Instead I would bypass the hot water tank, open the bottom drain and let the water drain out. Then use my air compressor to blow out each water outlet. I would use a blow gun attached just downstream of the fresh water pump. Worked great, no AF used, no bad taste.
Click to expand...
I agree that using pink in the water lines means a lot of spring flushing to get the smell out, particularly in the water heater where I think it does not drain fully with the drain open. But I don't want to take the ice maker apart to get the water out and blowing past the water valve requires quite a bit of air pressure that may pop fittings elsewhere. If I did not have an icemaker, I probably would use the air blow out method.
 
Creekwood said:
I agree that using pink in the water lines means a lot of spring flushing to get the smell out, particularly in the water heater where I think it does not drain fully with the drain open. But I don't want to take the ice maker apart to get the water out and blowing past the water valve requires quite a bit of air pressure that may pop fittings elsewhere. If I did not have an icemaker, I probably would use the air blow out method.
Click to expand...
I would check on the winterization instructions for your ice maker. Some specifically state not to use any type of antifreeze.
 
b_arrington said:
I would check on the winterization instructions for your ice maker. Some specifically state not to use any type of antifreeze.
Click to expand...
Yes, mine does say that. Its been 11 years now i have been doing it. Not sure why they say that.
 
b_arrington said:
I stopped using pink antifreeze in the potable water lines years ago. It left a terrible taste in the lines that was very difficult to remove. If the yard did it, they would use (and charge me for) like 10 gallons of AF and just fill up the HW heater.

Instead I would bypass the hot water tank, open the bottom drain and let the water drain out. Then use my air compressor to blow out each water outlet. I would use a blow gun attached just downstream of the fresh water pump. Worked great, no AF used, no bad taste.
Click to expand...
I would like to use the blow out the line method instead of filling the water tank with pink but. Not sure where I should introduce the air. At the pump, the dock hookup or both?
 
Irie308 said:
I would like to use the blow out the line method instead of filling the water tank with pink but. Not sure where I should introduce the air. At the pump, the dock hookup or both?
Click to expand...
On my AJ I used to disconnect the cold water line from the output side of the pump and put the air in there.

My last boat was configured a bit differently. I connected to the shore water inlet via a valved adapter. This made it much simpler. One end screws to the water inlet, one clicks into the air hose.
upload_2020-10-7_21-56-51.png
 
b_arrington said:
On my AJ I used to disconnect the cold water line from the output side of the pump and put the air in there.

My last boat was configured a bit differently. I connected to the shore water inlet via a valved adapter. This made it much simpler. One end screws to the water inlet, one clicks into the air hose.
View attachment 93275
Click to expand...
how do you regulate the pressure to not blow apart your fittings?
 
b_arrington said:
On my AJ I used to disconnect the cold water line from the output side of the pump and put the air in there.

My last boat was configured a bit differently. I connected to the shore water inlet via a valved adapter. This made it much simpler. One end screws to the water inlet, one clicks into the air hose.
View attachment 93275
Click to expand...
Do you have the link to the attachment above?
 
Irie308 said:
how do you regulate the pressure to not blow apart your fittings?
Click to expand...
A typical multi-purpose shop-style compressor has a dial to adjust the pressure. Mine ranges from 0-125 psi. I keep it fairly low for this purpose, 25-30 psi to start. Once most of the water is out you can raise the pressure a bit. The higher volume of air will help flush our the water, but will less water in the lines (and an open valve) there's far less risk of damaging the plumbing. Don't leave the compressor set on high with the water outlets closed though.
 
b_arrington said:
I stopped using pink antifreeze in the potable water lines years ago. It left a terrible taste in the lines that was very difficult to remove. If the yard did it, they would use (and charge me for) like 10 gallons of AF and just fill up the HW heater.

Instead I would bypass the hot water tank, open the bottom drain and let the water drain out. Then use my air compressor to blow out each water outlet. I would use a blow gun attached just downstream of the fresh water pump. Worked great, no AF used, no bad taste.
Click to expand...
Works for me also
 
scoflaw said:
Your local RV store would have a much simpler version of that. No hose or ball cock just a shrader valve attached to the first fitting.
Click to expand...
I've see those, and had one. Yes, they can cost less. Ones I've seen require you to continuously press the compressor hose against the fitting. It's better than nothing, but the has some downsides.

The benefit of the one I linked to is that it screws into the shore water port and you can go about opening and closing the water taps without having to hold the air hose on the fitting. Second, the valve shuts off the air supply hose so you can easily turn off the air pressure without disconnecting anything. This helps assure you don't over pressure the water system. Third, you get a larger passage way for air flow vs. a shraeder valve for higher volume of air. I found all of these of these functions very helpful when winterizing. They made the job easier and shortened the time to complete. I'd say it was worth the $15.
 
They still make the air chuck with the lever that locks onto the shrader valve threads, so no holding. When the water is done draining disconnect it. Simple stuff. Dial the compressor down before this event begins, nothing is going to over pressurize. Plenty of volume can pass through that valve.
 
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