firstlight
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New vessel, 36' Tiara Open, anyone with a tiara boat that can give any advise on how to winterize fresh water system? Thanks Frank
winterize fresh water
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Drain all water from system, isolate water heater. Open drain on water heater and allow it to empty.
Either blow out water system through city water inlet with compressed air, or add several gallons of pink and pump it through system until it comes out of every faucet, shower and toilet (both hot and cold).
Either blow out water system through city water inlet with compressed air, or add several gallons of pink and pump it through system until it comes out of every faucet, shower and toilet (both hot and cold).
I use the blow-out method then add approx 1 gallon to the tank to run pump and verify there is pink at pump as my lines are clear. I'm not sure where the city water inlet "meets" the pump so I want to protect the pump.
And when running pink thru it make sure you let it run until the color is the same as in the jug to ensure intended protection. This tends to take more pink than you might expect. I use about 4 gallons for that.(Just a 27'er with no hot water system.)
But I don't blow out as compressed air at the boat at the winter yard over in America is not convenient, ...I just run the FW supply dry then add pink to the FW tank fill & run out sequentially through every FW outlet until each flows dark pink which can take quite a while. (Just a 27'er with no hot water system.)
But I don't blow out as compressed air at the boat at the winter yard over in America is not convenient, ...I just run the FW supply dry then add pink to the FW tank fill & run out sequentially through every FW outlet until each flows dark pink which can take quite a while. (Just a 27'er with no hot water system.)
Once you drain the water heater, leave valves open and tie the hot and cold lines together to bypass the tank with a length of rubber hose and 2 hose clamps. Do this before you add pink antifreeze or you'll be filling your water haeater with antifreeze.
Bypass the hot water heater by connecting the in and out lines together and open the drain in the hot water heater to let it empty
Empty the water system of all water by running the faucets dry... every one of them hot and cold
Add pink to the water tank and run every faucet (I start with the farthest away first) until pink is a nice solid color... do so for both hot and cold
I then use a compressor just on the hot water heater to get rid any residual water in there... and there is usually quite a bit
You will use several gallons of pink... at least I do... do be sure you have no water left.
Nice boat by the way.
--Rick
Empty the water system of all water by running the faucets dry... every one of them hot and cold
Add pink to the water tank and run every faucet (I start with the farthest away first) until pink is a nice solid color... do so for both hot and cold
I then use a compressor just on the hot water heater to get rid any residual water in there... and there is usually quite a bit
You will use several gallons of pink... at least I do... do be sure you have no water left.
Nice boat by the way.
--Rick
firstlight
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I guess I should have been more specific. I was looking for a Tiara owner with similar vessel, don't want to run pink stuff thru water tank or hot water heater. Want to know best place to feed non toxic into system. Vessel has many out lets and two water pumps.
Prospective
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There's nothing specific to Tiara. Bypassing hot water heater depends on what brand you have but always amounts to disconnecting hot and cold and connecting together in whatever way possible.
As for puting pink in, once all the water is drainned and hot water heater bypassed,you can just pour it down the deck fill. From there you'll to run every outlet, both hot and cold until pink comes out.
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All boat usually have the same plumbing system installed and the process to decommission is the same. It does not matter how many faucet openings you have.
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I would have said the same thing until I tried to help Ben (Knot Flyin) try to winterize his Formula. I was really surprised at how different and difficult some can be. Who would have thought that adding pink to the fresh water tank would prove to be the hard part! I got an education for sure, it seems some boats require the water to be pressurized in order to fill the tank. This system while I have know idea if the Tiara is similar it could be the reason for this question. The system on the Formula is ingenuous there is one hose hook up for both city water as well as the holding tank filler inside the boat there is an electronic switch that allows you to select your intent this is simply effective and works great however if you select fill tank and then try to pour pink into the hose it will not go in unless to use a pump to pressurize the input. Once you understand this and have a pump of course, this works quick and easy.
Again I only mention this not because I believe this is how the Tiara works but so that many others don't insist that all boats are the same because they are not! I was guilty of believing this too until recently.
Again I only mention this not because I believe this is how the Tiara works but so that many others don't insist that all boats are the same because they are not! I was guilty of believing this too until recently.
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Why would you fill the tank? I alway bypass the water tank.
First drain the water from faucet
Next turn off your pump
Drain water heater
Bypass water heater by connecting hot and cold
Disconnect water line from pump
Connect hose to water pump with pink in 5 gls bucket .
Turn on pump
Open faucets one at a time slowly to let air out and build pressure, and dispense pink. Turn faucets off
When all faucets, and vacuflush toilet are complete turn off pump.
First drain the water from faucet
Next turn off your pump
Drain water heater
Bypass water heater by connecting hot and cold
Disconnect water line from pump
Connect hose to water pump with pink in 5 gls bucket .
Turn on pump
Open faucets one at a time slowly to let air out and build pressure, and dispense pink. Turn faucets off
When all faucets, and vacuflush toilet are complete turn off pump.
There is no owners manual? You can't ask the dealer?
There's no guaantee an owner of a similar boat will know the best way to winterize the water system.
You will get several different opinions here so how do you know which is best?
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Easy, the one who's pipes don't freeze or burst over winter.
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Just curious for my own learning process here but why do you disconnect the in and out of the water tank and connect them together? I am trying to figure out if I am doing something wrong or making more work for myself than necessary.
My process is to drain the water system, Including the tank and hot water tank. When no more water comes out any faucet I close all the faucets and connect my air compresser set at 40psi. Then open/close each faucet twice starting with the closest one. Finally drain the hot water tank one more time. I leave the drain on the water tank open, the water pump disconnected and all the faucets open.
That is what I did last year (my first year) and planned to do this year. No pink. Of course it does not get super cold here either and I stay in the water. But it does get and stay below freezing. I know that there are probably a couple gallons of water in the bottom of the water tank as there is no way the discharge line is going to get every last drop out of a 100+ gallon tank.
My process is to drain the water system, Including the tank and hot water tank. When no more water comes out any faucet I close all the faucets and connect my air compresser set at 40psi. Then open/close each faucet twice starting with the closest one. Finally drain the hot water tank one more time. I leave the drain on the water tank open, the water pump disconnected and all the faucets open.
That is what I did last year (my first year) and planned to do this year. No pink. Of course it does not get super cold here either and I stay in the water. But it does get and stay below freezing. I know that there are probably a couple gallons of water in the bottom of the water tank as there is no way the discharge line is going to get every last drop out of a 100+ gallon tank.
I haven't winterized yet. Seems like when I used the blow out method, bypassing the water heater wasn't necessary. Hook the compressor to the dock inlet, then turn on the farthest cold water faucet and let er blow. Then shut off the cold and do the same for the hot side. Probably alternate several times, remembering to turn on each faucet, swim deck shower, and the vacu flush to rid all fresh water lines of water. I installed a T with a valve at the fresh water pump to be sure it was empty. After ice maker lines are all drained I let it run for a few hours so everything gets cycled, as per the owners manual. In the past I have blown out the A/C system, this year will be the shop vac on the outlet tube, easier to do, more room on the dock than in the engine room. Vacuum water out of A/C strainer. Flush a gallon or two of pink down the vacuflush . . . .or maybe regular anti freeze, without diluting to the 50-50 mix just in case there is a little water left in the system. Although I wouldn't think there would be any remaining after 2 or 3 flushes. In fact I think we have used the head a few times in the winter and used pink in place of fresh water flush since it had been winterized. Closed cooled engines get pink sucked thru the strainers. (installed nipple and shut off in the lid of both strainers) be sure sea water valves are closed. Water filter for the cockpit drinking water & ice maker comes home. From experience I can tell you they don't gravity drain, and will be ruined if left to freeze.
Refrigerator gets emptied. In all the years that I have removed stuff from cabinets and put them in the sink just in case they burst, I can't remember ever finding anything frozen, except maybe a bottle of water. I still do it. (canned soup, Italian dressing, few gallons of drinking water, and a few condiments).
Anybody care to add to this winterizing list other than some pink everything & some don't ?
Refrigerator gets emptied. In all the years that I have removed stuff from cabinets and put them in the sink just in case they burst, I can't remember ever finding anything frozen, except maybe a bottle of water. I still do it. (canned soup, Italian dressing, few gallons of drinking water, and a few condiments).
Anybody care to add to this winterizing list other than some pink everything & some don't ?
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Bobalong,
You mentioned that you keep your sea cocks closed. Is this because you are in the water all year? If so, I understand, however if you are on the hard, the recommendation is to open your sea cocks just a little big so it cannot freeze and crack the seacock. This happened to someone I know, of course he found out when they launched him in the spring and water was coming in throughout the side of the seacock.
You mentioned that you keep your sea cocks closed. Is this because you are in the water all year? If so, I understand, however if you are on the hard, the recommendation is to open your sea cocks just a little big so it cannot freeze and crack the seacock. This happened to someone I know, of course he found out when they launched him in the spring and water was coming in throughout the side of the seacock.
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Bob I don't know anyone that would "fill" the water tank but most simply add pink to the tank after bypassing the water heater this way the tank and the output hose have been winterized as well, frankly it the easy way to feed it into the system. I don't know of any yard that would take the time to locate the pump and disconnect it to feed it directly even still on some boats this too would prove to be difficult to do.
I happen to disconnect my hoses from the pump to bleed any water out from there as well. I don't use any pink in my fresh water system I blow it out. I hate the taste and smell of pink in the spring.
I happen to disconnect my hoses from the pump to bleed any water out from there as well. I don't use any pink in my fresh water system I blow it out. I hate the taste and smell of pink in the spring.
ff - I have a 36 Tiara, but the Sovran, not the Open. As everyone has mentioned, not really different than any other boat. I don't know about yours, but mine has a water heater bypass installed from the factory. It's pretty self explanatory, but the manual is actually pretty decent and tells you what to do to winterize. I still do it "my way", just as I have with my previous boats. Like others have said, I drain tank and all lines by running the water system until it's empty, drain the water heater, and then blow out the system with low pressure, including the water heater. I then bypass the water heater and add very little pink to the water tank through the deck fill and run it through all faucets with both pumps turned on. I'm sure it's overkill, but it's way cheaper than having a problem in the spring.