www.iFourWinns.com

Hello all,


I'm a new 248 owner. I'm starting to figure out how I am going to winterize this year and after checking some prices, I wanted to see just how hard it really is to do it myself.

Can anyone tell me the difficulty in winterizing the water system? I have the head holding tank and water heater to worry about along with all of the lines.

I'm thinking about paying to have the engine done but doing the water system myself.

Thoughts?


Thanks,

This will be my first winterization with a cruiser .... hence, full fresh and waste water systems. So I'll be in training mode as well.

Your Four Winns manual covers all of the winterization steps for the systems. I scanned the sections earlier this year, but have not gone back to start the steps yet (still boating days available!).

If you do not have the manual for the boat, you can download it at http://www.fourwinns.net .

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

I recommend, and this is what we do at my marina, is draining the hot water heater, then by-pass it for the antifreeze(this way you need a lot less antifreeze). drain the water tanks, add -50 non-toxic antifreeze, about 3-4 gallons should work on your boat, then run the sink, shower and transom shower until the pink comes out. then hook the hot water heater back up or remember to do it in the spring.

Thanks for the info. Would bypassing the hot water tank and not filling it with Anti - freeze increase my chances of problems with it come next year?

How exactly do I bypass the water heater?


Thanks!

basically take the line in and connect it to the line out...working at a marina it is easy because we have quick connectors made up to do so, it might not be so easy unless you can find something to connect the lines together with. the whole purpose is to not use so much antifreeze in the winterizing process and to make it that much faster to flush it out in the spring. when you pop the drain on the hot water tank you get out 99 percent of the water, nothing left in there will cause a problem.

Camco sells a kit for bypassing the water heater. It basically re-routes the water to the heater, bypassing the inbound cold right over and out through the hot outbound line. Then you can drain the water heater and leave it empty (not full of several gallons of expensive antifreeze). It's an easy thing to install as it's just basic plumbing connections (no special 'boating' knowledge required).

You need to make sure ALL places water goes are fully drained, or have been run-through with antifreeze. This includes ALL faucets (sink, shower, sink), the toilet and anything extra like an icemaker. If there's any water left in those the plastic in them will break once the water freezes and expands.

Camco also sells a kit with a hose that allows you to use the existing water pump in the boat. Essentially it's a tee valve that fits ahead of the water pump (between it and the tank) and a hose. You put that hose into a bottle of antifreeze and use the water pump to deliver it through the system.

This gets to everything EXCEPT the shore water connection. That you can clear by using an air hookup. This is a fitting that attaches to the shore water connection and has a nipple on it for an air pump. USE LOW PRESSURE there, you do not want to blow out any lines. And BE SURE you have at least one faucet (be safe, open 'em all) when you apply the air. You want the air to push the water out of the system. If you're in a mild climate some folks think this is 'enough' of a winterization effort. Me, I prefer being sure and I do both the air and then the antifreeze.

If you've got a fresh water setup, doing the engines is a whole other effort. I believe I've posted about it here before. Basically I made a trashcan that has a large hose fitting on it. I use that to let the engine pickup the antifreeze from the can instead of the through-hull fittings. It's amazing how quickly the engines guzzle the coolant. You just want to make sure you do it once the engine is already hot so the thermostat is properly open and passing coolant.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I use my handy dandy Tempo hand pump to pump RV antifreeze into the Air Conditioning system from the overboard discharge thru hull (it will go through the system backwards) I also pump antifreeze from under the boat in the RAW water intake, drain the engine block and probe out the lower block drains with a screw driver to remove sediment, I remove the thermostat housing and remove all the lines from the housing, I fill the block and all the hoses with antifreeze. I pour a gallon down the shower sump, I pour a couple gallons into the black water holding tank via the toilet, I pour some down all the sink drains.

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Brett DiMichele

I too recomend installing the camco water heater by-pass kit. I have installed on camp trailer and boat, very easy and only $13 (approx).
I can just about get away with only using 1 gallon of antifreeze, need just a bit more to do a/c unit.

As far as motor, I only drain, I recomend doing this a couple times a year also. You will find it very easy and see just how much sediment collects in motor/manifolds.
Pull plugs and shot in a bit of fogging oil, turn motor over and your done. Worth my hour of time vs. Paying $300 or so!

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Hey ohiolakerat,

I too am a first year Vista owner [258], and I struggled with the idea of winterizing because I am basically a do-it-yourselfer, and know it is not rocket science, and it would save a bundle to do it on your own. However, as you can see from the replies, it is not that simple, as there are a lot of "little things" to worry about, not to mention the intake for the head, AC unit cooling system, and water heater.
I chickened out this year and had it done at my dealership. I was whacked with a big bill, but at least [I hope] it was done right.

Anyway, two things. After all those replies, did you do end up doing it yourself or have it done professionally?

Another general question for the all Vista owners: Has anyone heard of hiring a volvo penta/Four Winns mechanic privately on a per hour basis to show an owner the ropes on how to maintain, winterize, summerize their boat? I believe in the long run, this would be worth the money.
Thanks.

With a little time studying the manual and spending a little time on the boat checking everything out, drains, plugs, intakes, hoses, pipes, ect... You will find you really don't need to hire a FW mechanic. You know that at the dealership, its not there top paid mechanic doing oil changes/winterizing, same at car dealer, top mechanic does techincal jobs. So the likelyhood of someone at dealership missing something is higher than the boat owner that takes pride in doing job right himself. MHO, of couse.

Go to any RV supply store and buy the water heater bypass kit along with 3way valve antifreeze winterizing water system kit, (to install between fresh water tank and water pump, flip valve to draw from antifreeze jug vs water tank) this will have water pump do all the work for you, turn pump on and open each faucet til the pink stuff flows out, of course you have by passed the drained water heater.
For the A/C, I pull the intake hose, add extetion hose into antifreeze jug, turn system on til pink is discharged. For the toilet, again pull intake supply hose, install hose to go into antifreeze jug, cycle toilet pump couple times, reinstall raw water supply hose, then dump anti freeze down shower drain to fill sump, continue til pink is pumped overboard.

Here is a photo of camco waterheater bypass


If anyone wants/needs better photos I would be glad to go get some, after this mornings snow melts! Would need a day or so.

One other thought, it boils down to peace of mind. If you feel better about having a "marine" machanic do the job vs yourself.
My peace of mind is me KNOWING what was done, not hoping the mechanic didn't forget something.

I found (for me) the most easy way to do the AC was to back flush it with pink. I pump the pink in the discharge thru hull till it comes out of the intake through hull (don't take any force or pressure to do this). For the toilet I put a gallon jug under the boat and run a garden hose from the intake into the jug and just use the head pump to suck a gallon through the system.

I do need to install one of those bypass kits. I made the mistake of putting pink in the hot water heater last winter and it made the water smell awful until I flushed it out many times.

As far as the block goes, I won't take any chances.. It's so easy to remove two gooseneck bolts and drain the block then pour straight pink directly down the thermostat housing and use a funnel to pour pink down all the hoses. Then I simply scrape the gasket surfaces and install a new gasket (I paid about $7.00 for four gaskets at the local gas station).

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Brett DiMichele

I did that on my first boat, but if and when I wanted to use it during the winter, I was using/going through alot of antifreeze. So for the last 4 boats I just drain.

I will try pumping antifreeze backwards through a/c next year, your method would be much simpler. Thanks for that info.

I use a Super soaker water gun to pump anti freeze in the A/C. Just shot it through the return thru hull.

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Inboard, outboard, onboard never bored
KUT 'N LOOSE
'99 258 VISTA

Thanks everyone for all of the replies. I plan to do the water system myself (of course with everyone's suggestions) and let a FW dealer do the engine this time.

I would be interested in seeing some pictures of exactly which hoses to disconnect to drain the block. Like the poster before, I would be more comfortable if I had someone with knowledge standing over me the first time I do this.

I do have some (probably silly) questions about the water system winterization.

I used my fresh water pump to drain my tank. There is a little bit remaining that I think the pump can't get out. My plan to winterize this system was to just pour in marine pink into the tank, install the water heater bypass, open all sinks until the fresh water pump move the pink. Then I would pour some pink in all drains.

My main concern now is the head/waste tank. I just bought the boat and have no idea if there is anything in the tank. I do not have any facility nearby that can pump out the tank. I attempted to use a pump and 1 1/2 hose adapter to pump anything out, but could not get it to work.

Does anyone have any suggestions to pump out the waste tank at home? Once I get it pumped, I assume I should just pour some pink down the waste tank line. Then I would suck some pink up through the thur hull fitting.

Anything I am missing here guys?

I recomend just draining the fresh water tank, any water left in there won't hurt any thing. If you put pink in fresh water tank, it will take forever to get it flushed out.

If you install the camco winterizing kit (3 way valve) between the fresh water pump and fresh water tank, you can draw anti freeze directly from jug.

I don't have a photo of my set up, but could get one if you would like.

Plumbing is quick connect fittings. To drain tank I just diconnect a fitting before water pump and let tank drain into bilge. I should install another 3 way valve someday to do this.