Summerizing water tank

[Keith7481]

Hi folks,
my first year with my boat and I'm attempting to get the antifreeze out of the water tank. I've run the water pump and best it does is to get it down to the last 1 1/2 inches of the pink stuff still in the tank. I can't see a drain anywere on the tank, but haven't crawled to the very stern end to check back there. Is it likely there is a drain back there? If not, are there other ways to get the stuff all the way out of the tank? I was thinking about raising the jack which would move all the fluid toward the stern and the pump outlet line, other than that, I'm clueless. Also, how often should the water separator be changed? Is that a seasonal item, or something done with more frequent use?
Thanks in advance, Keith.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Summerizing water tank

How big is the tank (gallons)?

 

[Keith7481]

Re: Summerizing water tank

Its about 15 gallons.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Summerizing water tank

Fill the tank with fresh water and drain it again. Repeat two more times, then fill it up for good. After filling it up the 4th time, add 1/4 cup of household bleach. Finally, run all faucets for a minute to sanitize the entire system.

 

[pmillar]

Re: Summerizing water tank

Next winter fill it with cheap vodka and you will be all set

 

[Keith7481]

Re: Summerizing water tank

I was thinking the dilution method would eventually work, wasn't sure how many times I'd have to fill it and drain. I'm having a small problem with the water pump. It says on the pump it is rated for 3 GPM but it is running much slower out of either the galley or bath faucets.. Not sure if it is a problem with the pump, it sounds like it is running fine, or a plugged filter which is just upstream of the pump. Running as slow as it is, it would take a long time to empty the tank, any ideas as to whether or not the filter could be plugged coming from the fresh water tank or other viable explanations about why the pump would push water so slowly?
Thanks for the dilution suggestion.

Keith

 

[JimS123]

Re: Summerizing water tank

If you have a filter in the line, by all means clean it out. Even if you do have a drain, the fitting is probably at the same level as the pump fitting, so you will always have some residue. 3 flushes is what works for me. The only time I ever had slow pumping is when I inadvertently forgot to drain one of the lines and it froze and burst. So, maybe check your blige for pink stuff as well. Maybe you're pumping out a hole in the line.

If you still can't get the 3 gpm, replace the pump.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Summerizing water tank

Fill the tank with fresh water and drain it again. Repeat two more times, then fill it up for good. After filling it up the 4th time, add 1/4 cup of household bleach. Finally, run all faucets for a minute to sanitize the entire system.

That'll work. Next year, empty the tank (siphon it into the bilge if necessary), then bypass it when you winterize the lines.

Pull off the hose that runs from the tank to the inlet side of the pump. Get a piece of hose long enough to run from the pump inlet to a bucket. Put some antifreeze in the bucket, run the pump, and open the faucet(s). You'll winterize the lines without having to put the antifreeze in the tank. Only takes a gallon to do that job.

You could also use compressed air to just clear out the lines, and not bother with antifreeze there at all.

My .02

 

[Keith7481]

Re: Summerizing water tank

Thanks Jim and John. I'll definately clean the filter to see if thats plugged, and replace pump if necessary. I like both ideas for winterizing without putting the antifreeze in the tank, quite the pain to get it out. I think I'm going to try the compressed air method. I assume that when doing that, I'd take the hot water heater out of the system, and drain that separately, then blow out the rest of the lines? Just an FYI, no pink stuff in the bilge so no lines leaking, but I do need to check the connection at that tank to make sure I'm not getting any air in the line right there. THanks much for your input.
Keith

 

[Burtonair01]

Re: Summerizing water tank

The boat I just purchased had the same problem, slow pump action, I took the clear filter off that's hooked right before the pump and it was majorly clogged,I gave it a good rinse and now it works great.