winterisation

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Not asking for myself mind. 

Just thinking if it were me leaving the boat, with a hook up that’s what I’d try.

 

My worry living aboard is leaving the boat for a short period of a few days or a few weeks in the winter and finding something else living aboard when I get back.

I’ve had a rat move in

And I’ve had mice

 

The rat moved out as soon as I came back

And the mice moved out after I lit and stoked up the fire making it too uncomfortable to live in the ceiling where I’d hear them running around. 
 

 

 

[cuthound]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Trouble is with the level of ventilation required by the BSS you are trying to dehumidify the whole world

 

That is why I close the windows, block up the high level mushroom vents and cover the low level louvre vents before switching the dehumidifier on.

[haggis]

We leave the windows open on KELPIE all year round and we never have any dampness inside the boat. We did have an invasion of wasps last year though and when the boat warmed up when we went down for Christmas they woke up. The water system and calorifier are drained and taps left open in case of very hard frost and so far all has been well. We don't leave the shore power on but there are mutterings about leaving a solar panel on the roof to keep the batteries charged. 

[Crewcut]

On 03/11/2022 at 13:40, cuthound said:

 

That is why I close the windows, block up the high level mushroom vents and cover the low level louvre vents before switching the dehumidifier on.

 

Absolutely right, I wish people wouldn't trot out the old chestnut that says unless you can hermetically seal your boat you'll be attempting to dehumidify the planet. If on board do as you say and a dehumidifier makes a huge difference to comfort, as anybody who uses one will testify. If left well ventilated especially at either end there shouldn't be too much of an issue with damp when returning to the boat, simple...

[GUMPY]

No problem on my boat without a dehumidifier.

We leave one hopper open and two rads set at 5degC to prevent frost damage.

We fire the diesel heating up 5hrs before we arrive so the boat is warm when we arrive means no cold surfaces for condensation..

[frahkn]

4 hours ago, Loddon said:

No problem on my boat without a dehumidifier.

We leave one hopper open and two rads set at 5degC to prevent frost damage.

We fire the diesel heating up 5hrs before we arrive so the boat is warm when we arrive means no cold surfaces for condensation..

I've perhaps been spoiled by my 11 years of sharing ownership of a boat.  As it was in more or less constant use, I never had to winterise it.

 

So when I bought my own boat, I did the same; no winterisation except a couple of electric greenhouse heaters set to turn on at 5 degree C.

 

I have owned the boat for 9 winters and have had no problems with this approach.

 

I am not suggesting that anyone else does this, merely that it has worked for me.

 

[Momac]

We have had relatively mild winters for so many  years its easy to forget that frost damage is a possibility.

I can recall 4 inches of ice on the marina water and the boat locked solidly in position. I think that must have been around 2012 but could have been earlier . We we lucky and the only loss  to the frost was a shower head. 

I had a macerator pump broken in the winter of 2020/21  that was most likely frost damage.

 

It's been another mild autumn this year with relatively mild temperatures forecast next week but there is no certainty that damaging frosts will be absent over the next few months.

 

 

 

 

[Proper Charlie]

One other thing that we do (and in fact have just done) is to remove our centre ropes, bring them home and give them a 30 degree quick wash in the washing machine. This means that they're clean for next Spring and also that they're not sitting damp and mouldy on the boat roof for four months, which can cause staining.

[ditchcrawler]

20 minutes ago, Proper Charlie said:

One other thing that we do (and in fact have just done) is to remove our centre ropes, bring them home and give them a 30 degree quick wash in the washing machine. This means that they're clean for next Spring and also that they're not sitting damp and mouldy on the boat roof for four months, which can cause staining.

I get mine in every time I leave the boat

[haggis]

14 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I get mine in every time I leave the boat

Same here. They catch dirt if left on the roof

[Norm55]

Poss a daft question, but how do i drain the calorifier?   I understand about draining the system down via the taps but will this drain the calorifier ?  I assumed it did but from some posts above it appears to be a separate task ? 

Also have a pump out, tank is empty but is it wise to drain WC bowl and put cloths in it to prevent smells coming back up ?

[Alan de Enfield]

18 minutes ago, Norm55 said:

it wise to drain WC bowl a

 

Yes, or pour a load of salt into the water.

[Slim]

40 minutes ago, Norm55 said:

Poss a daft question, but how do i drain the calorifier?   I understand about draining the system down via the taps but will this drain the calorifier ?  I assumed it did but from some posts above it appears to be a separate task ? 

Also have a pump out, tank is empty but is it wise to drain WC bowl and put cloths in it to prevent smells coming back up ?

I have a horizontal calorifier that feeds cold in from the bottom.. In the feed I have an isolation valve and between this and the calorifier I've teed off to a small diaphragm pump (also isolated) Come winter I close one valve, open another and pump it out. (open a hot tap to allow air in0. You can't normally empty via a hot water tap.

As far as the pumpout toilet is concerned I drain the bowl and cover the pan with clingfilm. Remembering all the practical jokes of old I leave a note strategically placed to remind myself. 🤣

Quote

.

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Slim

[jonathanA]

Just opening the taps won't drain down the cauliflower and indeed still leaves water in the pipework.

 

Various options for draining the cauliflower the only guaranteed way is to access the drain off point on the thing (assumes their is one and it's accessible). Other people use pumps to empty, which either needs plumbing skills or valves and pipework to facilitate it. 

Frankly I don't bother as mine is under the bed and well insulated.

I do have a drain off point at a low level in the cold pipework.  

 

Some people use non toxic anti freeze in their toilet bowl.

 

A lot will depend on whether you have a shoreline and can leave some small tube or oil filled heaters on a timer or frost stat or indeed have diesel/gas central heating that can provide frost protection 

Edited November 16, 2022 by jonathanA
Added heating

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Yes, or pour a load of salt into the water.

That is what I do in my shower drain, filter pump

[Norm55]

Thanks for all your advice. Will go to the boat over next few days and see of there is a drain off to calorifier.  It is alongside engine, ( cruiser stern ) seems daft place to put it, you dont put airing cupboard in the garage but anyhow.

 

Noted about WC bowl.  

[ditchcrawler]

Mine drains into the shower emptying pump because I plumbed it that way. on lots of boat fitouts you can't drain them without modifying the pipework

 

[Norm55]

Visited boat yesterday and looked at calorifier.   Could not see any obvious drain point.  See photo.  Am thinking a greenhouse heater may be the answer but as it is under rear deck the heater may be expensive option as it is as good as outside the boat. 

[Alan de Enfield]

24 minutes ago, Norm55 said:

Could not see any obvious drain point

 

I have never seen a drain point on a 'cauliflower'.

You need to disconnect the pipes to drain it.

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I have never seen a drain point on a 'cauliflower'.

You need to disconnect the pipes to drain it.

Mine has one, not part of the calorifier but immediately adjacent to it on the cold feed so no need to disconnect pipework.

However I never use it just have a frost heater next to it.

 

 

 

[RAP]

My Surecal 55 litre calorifier has one. See drain cock at lowest point in in the pic.

 

 

[tree monkey]

13 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

I have never seen a drain point on a 'cauliflower'.

You need to disconnect the pipes to drain it.

I have one on mine and in fact had one on the previous cauliflower 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, tree monkey said:

I have one on mine and in fact had one on the previous cauliflower 

 

The pictures so far show an external (in the piping) drain, and presumably fitted as part of the plumbing installation. I meant I had not seen one actually built into a cauliflower.

 

[tree monkey]

23 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The pictures so far show an external (in the piping) drain, and presumably fitted as part of the plumbing installation. I meant I had not seen one actually built into a cauliflower.

 

Yup and both of those fitted to mine had a drain tap fitted to the bottom of the cauliflower, not part of the plumbing attached to the tank

[haggis]

I smile every time I read cauliflower for the big thing which holds water 🙂 The first time I recall seeing it was when the female person who lived on a boat which she painted black with bitumen was looking for help. Any one know what happened to her ?