do folks with fwc systems drain them for winter or rely on a fresh change of antifreeze?
winterizing fwc
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I have winterized a ton of FWC boats for customers back in the day and we just ran antifreeze through the raw water side. We did not routinely change out the anti-freeze unless asked. I would check and make sure it was anti-freeze and not water by eye and with an antifreeze tester to check the strength.
For my own boat this winter I never fill it with anything other than premixed 50/50, so I am good to go. No need to drain it or change it.Joe Della Barba
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
Maryland USA
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I have a cheap plastic Tee in the raw water intake, with a hose fitting. Easy to draw up a bucket of antifreeze into the system if a cold snap is coming. Some expensive seacocks have a fitting right on them for that purpose.
That said, I was out of the country during the last (unseasonal, unexpected) cold snap and did nothing. The boat came through just fine. The same cannot be said for my greenhouse and workshop. Still working on some of the damage.
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Originally posted by joe_db View PostGood thing about FWC is even a bad freeze would only damage the heat exchanger and maybe the raw water pump.
'Bad freeze' in Maine is about November to say May. When the water is that hard, for that long, we ski on it. ;>)
Back to the OP, on my engine (still RWC) it's drain everything as best you can. Block, manifold, pump, strainer, muffler.
In the future, it will be drain and blow out the RWC circuit (strainer, RW pump, RW side of the HX, exhaust) and make sure the block, header tanks, everything on the FWC side look sickly yellow green with antifreeze.Jeff
sigpic
S/V Bunny Planet
1971 Bristol 29 #169
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Originally posted by joe_db View PostForgot about strainers, we had two boats sink at the dock a couple years ago with the bad freeze when the strainers froze and then shatteredNeil
1977 Catalina 30
San Pedro, California
prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22
Had my hands in a few others
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Mine is closed when winterized.
The issue seemed to be that the engine room heater had done fine for many years, but that winter was so cold that the engine room went below freezing when it never had in the past
Originally posted by 67c&ccorv View PostMy thoughts exactly.
Joe Della Barba
Coquina
C&C 35 MK I
Maryland USA
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