AF or Blow-out Water Lines?

J

JoeTallyHo

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Jan 1, 2000
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2435
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I have always run AF, but wanted to use my portable air compressor. The problem was finding the right adapter and then removing a waterline connection to connect the compressor. I was surfing last night and saw a CAMCO adapter with a compressor quick disconnect on one end and a male garden hose on the other. This baby just connects to my easily accessible dock water line, open all faucets, and done. Cost only $6.83 on Amazon. Since I usually 2-3 gal of AF for the waterlines. I breakeven in one season. I will still pour some AF in FW tank to make sure the pump is covered.

All I have to be careful about is controlling the air pressure. This setup I should be able to drain the hot water heater better and quicker and blow if overboard instead of the bilge.

Thoughts?
 
Joe, I do basically the same thing. Re water heater I just drain it with hose running over to open hull plug while dry docked. I also have by-pass hook-up on water heater. I've read; it's not good to get any A/F in heater. Re compressor.....I also do air conditioner this way. I slightly open (1/8") top of a/c pump and blow air into discharge fitting. No A/F needed. Been doing it this way on this boat for 17 years w/o a problem. I can't believe where some boaters are buying cases of a/f for their winterizing. I've never used more than 3 gallons of pink stuff in my 37C.
 
"3 gallons of pink stuff in my 37C"

What are you putting in the motors?

I use 6 gallons per motor, 4 for genny. 1 gallon in toilet and drains, 3 gallons for a/c.

Air for water lines.

May try air for a/c this year.
 
Dave, I don't use pink stuff in my engines; only Sierra Propylene Glycol a/f. 2 gallons (50/50)with water for each engine = 4 gal. total. Also 1 gallon of blend for genny = 2 gal. total. Previous post was just adressing the pink stuff.
 
We blow thru the dock/water supply every yr. for past 15. I use a setting of 60psi on my compressor, and the Admiral goes from outlet to outlet, draining water, until air comes out. I drain and bypass water heater. I use some AF in the waste tanks and AC. I use 2gal of vodka in my fesh water tank, and just bump my pump on and off once to circul. thru pump. Never have had a problem, but don't forget all outlets//wash downs/trans. shower etc.
I run AF thru the engs. and genny. 8gal usually handles the entire boat.
 
What is a good air pressure setting so that I can connect at the dockside water connection and just go from faucet to faucet? I think the Whale water system I have is rated to 90 psig, but does the dockside connection pressure regulator reduce air pressure too?

I was thinking of adding the A/C too as I have one of those filter strainer brass hose adapters that replace the strainer cover.
 
Joe,

You can set it at 40 psi and be good there. Dockside water pressure can go to 55 psi.

What type of compressor do you have? Not a tiny one for bike tires? If you have a mid sized one with a tank I think that would work best.

The Camco adapter is like a tire adapter. Just go to home depot and buy the brass fittings to connect directly into the dockside inlet and go from there.
 
Walmart sells the blowout adaptor for about $2.00
 
This is a new plug new blowout plug.jpg/img], not the tire inflator type. If photo does not show, on Amazon, search for Camco 36143. It has a standard air compressor brass quick disconnect and a standard male water hose fitting. I would think with the tire inflator type, you would need to hold it down - at least that is how my air compressor tire inflator works. A hand tire pump locks down on the tire valve, but I don't think an air compressor one does. With the one I just bought, you would reduce the compressor pressure to 40-55#, connect your air hose to the quick disconnect and then just go to all the faucets one by one - you don't have to go back and forth like I think you would need to do with the tire inflator type. Or have your First Mate do the opening and closing.

I am usually solo for winterizing, so the 36143 would be faster and I can see when all the water is out. I think for the hot water heater, I would just turn on the hot water valve on the transom shower until air comes out. Doing it this way, I guess you would not need a water heater by-pass (which I proudly made with Sea Tech T-connectors and an in-line valve).

I see that Sea Tech now has a bypass kit with a two new 3-way valves which would replace my current setup of 4 connectors and one inline valve.

Thanks all for the advice!

Joe
 
icon_speech_oops.gif
. I just did a "show all" on this Forum and saw this air blowout method was addressed last year and I do remember I have seen it several times in the 11 years as a BoaterEd member.

Should have looked there first. While I had my 5 gal tank compressor for 3 years now, was reluctant to try this method because the water pump is hard to get to. And this new adapter (new to me at least) did not require putting together a bunch of conversion adapters.

Robyn's Nest - good gouge last year.
 
I do both. First I drain and blow out the fresh water system, and then I dump some pink in it and turn on each faucet until pink comes out.
Overkill, but I don't mind the extra few bucks for the AF and the extra 5 minutes.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Robyns Nest

Joe,

You can set it at 40 psi and be good there. Dockside water pressure can go to 55 psi.

What type of compressor do you have? Not a tiny one for bike tires? If you have a mid sized one with a tank I think that would work best.

The Camco adapter is like a tire adapter. Just go to home depot and buy the brass fittings to connect directly into the dockside inlet and go from there.

Click to expand...


Why would psi on compressor be of any concern if spigots are open ? I've never lowered psi on compressor when blowing out lines. Never had a problem using tire valve adapter in fresh water inlet.
 
What if the spigots aren't all open?

I do mine one at a time closing them as I go.
 
Not sure if it works for air but the connection on the back of the boat is a pressure regulator valve.
Most say:

Protects your boats water system appliances and pumps from unregulated marina water pressure. Reduces pressure (up to 100psi) down to 35psi.

So it will control pressure.
I have a valve on it and I let it build up pressure.
Then I go inside, open the faucet.
Come outside open valve.
Close valve.
Close faucet.
Move to next one.
No direct air in!
 
quote:
I'll third the compressor approach. Ive used this approach for better than 14 years. I hook one up to the shore water supply and crank up the pressure to 40 psi. By what ever fittings are required from H.D.. Then I systematically move through the boat farthest out to closest in a number of times. Let the pressure build up, then quickly open the connection and let it blow out. Three or four cycles works for us. The washer is set to warm/warm so both valves open. By the way, remove the restrictors/screens from all the faucets/spigots. You get a much better "pop" that way and this will move more water out quickly.
I have a permanently installed switch to allow me to open the icemaker water supply solenoid (easy to figure out just parallel in from the 120v line) and the icemaker is merely included in the cycle through the boat (above). You will know when the job is done when the pipe stops rattling/barking due to puddles in the pipes here and there.
Once all done with the water, put a few gallons of pink into the washer and run the spin cycle.

With a jabsco, I guess you have to pump enough pink to ensure you get all the way to the tank. With vacu-flush I use a gallon of pink per head so make sure I get a good dose of it into the pumps and any low lying pipes.

Click to expand...


http://www.boatered.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=120905

I also jumper out the hot water heater and pump. I merely drain the heater, and put some pink through the pump.
 
I'll say this one more time, I've seen air work and not work, depends on the plumbing in the boat. This is in 35 years of boating, want to take the chance go ahead, your boat not mine, I use the pink.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JimPend

I'll say this one more time, I've seen air work and not work, depends on the plumbing in the boat. This is in 35 years of boating, want to take the chance go ahead, your boat not mine, I use the pink.

Click to expand...


When you saw it fail, what failed?
Was it done right?
I have seen pink fail too!
Guy forgot to run the pink into his transom shower. So it goes both ways.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JVM225

I do both. First I drain and blow out the fresh water system, and then I dump some pink in it and turn on each faucet until pink comes out.
Overkill, but I don't mind the extra few bucks for the AF and the extra 5 minutes.

Click to expand...


You are wise grasshopper. I did only the air last year and VA had one cold winter. I'd never done air before. The air gets most, but not necessarily all the water out of the system. I ended up with a leak. Thank God it was easy to get to and at a joint i.e. no ruptured lines.

This year is iffy in VA regarding winter coldness. The 15 minute solution is to drain the water tank and lines via the FW pump. Drain and bypass the water heater. Blow the system as described above. Pour a few gallons of pink in the tank and run each faucet/head until pink comes through.

For those averse to pink, cheap vodka works, but I don't know how it affects the seals!

I have the RV blow out adapter. I bought it from the local RV parts shop for about $6. I've seen the Walmart one. Mine is metal. Theirs is plastic. To me the extra $4 was worth it. Metal to metal threads mated well. No worry of cross threading. My FW hookup is in a bizarre position and difficult to get to.

My 2 cents.
 
If you have a long vertical run and a short turn going up from the bilge, the dip froze and burst. Yes it was done right. The guy that did it had done several that did work. I don't take the chance, it took a long time to find and fix it.
 
Here is what I ended up doing:
1. My 4.5gal Thomas compressor kept tripping my AC outlet breaker even though it was designed for 15Amp outlets. I bought a Marinco 30/15A adapter and hooked that up to one outlet on my splitter. No more tripping.
2. Set compressor to 60# and opened up stern to bow faucets. Did this 3x as there was always some "spitting".
3. For blowing out the HW heater, the outlet is about halfway up the heater and opening just the hot water valve of the transom locker was not enough. Had to use the HW heater drain valve under air pressure. I did not have a hose long enough so had to drain in the bilge - this is what I was hoping to avoid.
4. Air Conditioner - I think my compressor does not have the volume air flow to get out most of the water because of the A/C hose size. I was concerned with using the full 120# of my compressor to compensate.
5. I ended up following up the 3x blowing cycles with antifreeze. The "spitting" worried me as others have offered. Except as soon as I saw pink, I shut the valve instead of letting it run longer. This method still allowed me to use about 2 gals less antifreeze. This covered the cost of the dockside water/air hose adapter.

Thanks for the discussion.
 
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