Drained the boat off, can we still go out in it?

[Zayna]

This might be the dumbest question ever, but we've winterised the boat and drained off all the water. Can we still take the boat out or will the calorifier blow up?

 

I'm so useless. My chap will probably know the answer to this but he's not here and I'm bored and finding stupid things to worry about.

[alan_fincher]

Yes,

 

You can use the boat with the calorifier drained.

[Zayna]

Thank you Alan. I'm ashamed I had to ask that but like I say, my chap understands the boat and I do the cooking.

 

[cheshire~rose]

Thank you Alan. I'm ashamed I had to ask that but like I say, my chap understands the boat and I do the cooking.

 

 

 

Why be ashamed of asking? The more you ask, the more you get to understand the boat as well.

 

Also by asking there will be loads of people who read your question, and it's answer, who were not brave enough to ask themselves and so now, thanks to you they also have a greater understanding of their boat.

Edited December 26, 2012 by cheshire~rose

[matty40s]

Absolutely agree with Chesh, with one slight caveat.

 

If you have winterised by adding antifreeze etc to engine, yes,

if you have drained engine too, (and I have heard of at least 2 people who do this) then no, add water/antifreeze mix to engine system first.

[ditchcrawler]

This might be the dumbest question ever, but we've winterised the boat and drained off all the water. Can we still take the boat out or will the calorifier blow up?

 

I'm so useless. My chap will probably know the answer to this but he's not here and I'm bored and finding stupid things to worry about.

It only takes a few minute to refill ours and then we can use everything when we go cruising.

[comfortably numb]

 

 

Also by asking there will be loads of people who read your question, and it's answer, who were not brave enough to ask themselves and so now, thanks to you they also have a greater understanding of their boat.

 

 

That's me

[Alanji]

Why be ashamed of asking? The more you ask, the more you get to understand the boat as well.

 

Also by asking there will be loads of people who read your question, and it's answer, who were not brave enough to ask themselves and so now, thanks to you they also have a greater understanding of their boat.

 

 

That's me

 

And me, although I cannot see why you would not put a bit of water in the tank if you are going out, as someone else has said.

 

EDIT It had never occurred to me it might be dodgy to go out with a drained down system so, yes, lesson learned.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Alanji

[Zayna]

How kind of you all to not make me feel like a numpty.

 

I'm all for re-filling the boat and going off for a week but I don't think my chap has the same thoughts.

 

The engine is antifreezed up, we just drained the water tank, taps, shower, calorifier and emptied the kitchen cupboards of everything that might freeze. And the weather stuck two fingers up and it's not been below about bloody 10 degrees since we did it.

 

It took a while to drain everything off and I don't think he fancies doing it again, although we've learned what to do now so it wouldn't be such a pain next time.

 

Thanks again friends, I appreciate all your help, always.

 

[ditchcrawler]

How kind of you all to not make me feel like a numpty.

 

I'm all for re-filling the boat and going off for a week but I don't think my chap has the same thoughts.

 

The engine is antifreezed up, we just drained the water tank, taps, shower, calorifier and emptied the kitchen cupboards of everything that might freeze. And the weather stuck two fingers up and it's not been below about bloody 10 degrees since we did it.

 

It took a while to drain everything off and I don't think he fancies doing it again, although we've learned what to do now so it wouldn't be such a pain next time.

 

Thanks again friends, I appreciate all your help, always.

 

I think it probably takes my just under half an hour to drain down at the end of the trip. To put it back all I do is to open the main isolation valve from the storage tank and switch the pump on, then just close the taps as the water appears.

[Zayna]

I think it probably takes my just under half an hour to drain down at the end of the trip. To put it back all I do is to open the main isolation valve from the storage tank and switch the pump on, then just close the taps as the water appears.

 

This sounds simple enough, does everything fill up including the calorifier, with no air bubbles or anything?

[ditchcrawler]

This sounds simple enough, does everything fill up including the calorifier, with no air bubbles or anything?

Yes

[John Holden]

Why be ashamed of asking? The more you ask, the more you get to understand the boat as well.

 

Also by asking there will be loads of people who read your question, and it's answer, who were not brave enough to ask themselves and so now, thanks to you they also have a greater understanding of their boat.

 

I never even thought of it as a question to ask - but I'm happy now to know the answer!

[Dyad]

This might be the dumbest question ever, but we've winterised the boat and drained off all the water. Can we still take the boat out or will the calorifier blow up?

 

I'm so useless. My chap will probably know the answer to this but he's not here and I'm bored and finding stupid things to worry about.

 

Better to ask a "silly" question than make a silly mistake.

 

Happy boating

[Mac of Cygnet]

Better to ask a "silly" question than make a silly mistake.

 

Happy boating

 

I don't think it's a silly question at all (although it's been asked before so I did know the answer!). After all, if your calorifier has an immersion heater too (as mine has) then it would be a no-no to use it with the calorifier drained, wouldn't it?

[Dyad]

I don't think it's a silly question at all (although it's been asked before so I did know the answer!). After all, if your calorifier has an immersion heater too (as mine has) then it would be a no-no to use it with the calorifier drained, wouldn't it?

 

Hence the speech marks

Edited December 27, 2012 by Dyad

[Zayna]

I don't think it's a silly question at all (although it's been asked before so I did know the answer!). After all, if your calorifier has an immersion heater too (as mine has) then it would be a no-no to use it with the calorifier drained, wouldn't it?

 

This is what I thought. It does have a switch to use the immersion heater when you're on shore power but otherwise the engine heats it and I didn't know if it had to have water in while the engine was running. I still don't really understand that bit.

 

I'm just grateful the folk don't say 'you shouldn't own a boat if you don't know how it works'. Sometimes, that's how I feel. I'm learning so much about it but I'm not very mechanically minded. Fortunately my chap does know about engines and systems and inverters and all the other things I'm fairly clueless about. I love that boat and I really do want to get to know everything about it. But it's big, and it's taking me ages to learn stuff.

[Guest]

That's me

 

and me - two and half years into boat ownership and there is still stuff that you learn on here - not always by asking the question yourself but by reading other posts too...

 

'Long live silly questions'

[Alanji]

This is what I thought. It does have a switch to use the immersion heater when you're on shore power but otherwise the engine heats it and I didn't know if it had to have water in while the engine was running. I still don't really understand that bit.

 

If there is no water in the calorifier and you switch on the immersion it is likely to overheat and burn out. If water is going through from the engine it just flows through the heat exchanger (pipes) in the calorifier and comes out at the same temperature.

[jonathanA]

I agree no harm in asking questions, although there are exceptions - (this isn't one of them)

 

one comment why would you drain down the water tank ? I never do I just make sure it isn't full right to the top to leave room for any expanding ice and turn off the isolating valve.

 

I fitted a drain off point on the cold water system and so draining the pipe work once the pump and main isolating valve at the tank are turned off takes a few minutes.

 

I don't drain the calorifier as its insulated and in a sheltered position under the bed. to be fair we are on a shoreline and so I leave a small electric oil filled heater on a timeclock to come on a couple of hours a day which helps keep things a bit warmer and drier.

[OldGoat]

Calorifiers are a pain to drain, and as the drain cock - even is fitted is below the waterline - how do you (as an "ordinary boater") get the water out? I'm sure that no boatbuilders make provison for the calorifier to be emptied.

So that's Zana's S.O. is reluctant to repeat the process.

I've made an arrangement of multiple valves to divert the pump intake to the bottom of the calorifier and run the taps to empty it. Somewhat of a pain.

 

Wharever folks do, it is important to attempt to clear ALL the pipes to a low level. THEN LEAVE ALL THE TAPS OPEN (water pump off, of course). The only problem I've had was in two single lever taps that froze and the ceramic insert shattered.

 

The problem with boats - and narrow / broad boats in particular is that there are no standards, each installation is different, so the owner has to develop some technical sense to deal with routine and minor problems. (I'm now so glad I built my own boat - so that I can fix most problems on my own....)

[blackrose]

If it's a stupid question then I asked the same stupid question only a couple of months ago just to make sure - and I've been living on boats for 10 years. It wasn't completely obvious to me because I was thinking of the (false) analogy of boiling an empty kettle.

 

Better to ask a stupid question than end up with hundreds of pounds worth of damage because you didn't.

 

Calorifiers are a pain to drain, and as the drain cock - even is fitted is below the waterline - how do you (as an "ordinary boater") get the water out? I'm sure that no boatbuilders make provison for the calorifier to be emptied.

So that's Zana's S.O. is reluctant to repeat the process.

I've made an arrangement of multiple valves to divert the pump intake to the bottom of the calorifier and run the taps to empty it. Somewhat of a pain.

 

Wharever folks do, it is important to attempt to clear ALL the pipes to a low level. THEN LEAVE ALL THE TAPS OPEN (water pump off, of course). The only problem I've had was in two single lever taps that froze and the ceramic insert shattered.

 

The problem with boats - and narrow / broad boats in particular is that there are no standards, each installation is different, so the owner has to develop some technical sense to deal with routine and minor problems. (I'm now so glad I built my own boat - so that I can fix most problems on my own....)

 

The problem on my boat is that the 15mm plastic domestic water pipes run along the floor, which means that the only way to gravity drain them at the stern is into the bilges.

 

The calorifier is easy enough. I just take a joint apart in a plastic washing up bowl and then use the PRV at the top to allow the water out a bit at a time, pouring the washing up bowl down the sink until the calorifier is empty. With the PRV closed the vacuum holds the water in.

 

I wouldn't even bother draining the water tank. I can't see how that's ever going to freeze.

Edited December 27, 2012 by blackrose

[Idunhoe]

If the boat is in the water then it is very unlikely that the water in the tank will freeze. Even if the canal freezes over there will be water above freezing point under the ice so your water tank will be protected to some extent. If the boat is out of the water then I would certainly recommend draining the tank.

[ditchcrawler]

I agree no harm in asking questions, although there are exceptions - (this isn't one of them)

 

one comment why would you drain down the water tank ? I never do I just make sure it isn't full right to the top to leave room for any expanding ice and turn off the isolating valve.

 

I fitted a drain off point on the cold water system and so draining the pipe work once the pump and main isolating valve at the tank are turned off takes a few minutes.

 

I don't drain the calorifier as its insulated and in a sheltered position under the bed. to be fair we are on a shoreline and so I leave a small electric oil filled heater on a timeclock to come on a couple of hours a day which helps keep things a bit warmer and drier.

I drain ours because we don't have any heat in our boat when she is left and prolonged low temperatures like we have had over the past couple of years are quite capable of freezing a copper calorifier and causing damage

 

Calorifiers are a pain to drain, and as the drain cock - even is fitted is below the waterline - how do you (as an "ordinary boater") get the water out? I'm sure that no boatbuilders make provison for the calorifier to be emptied.

So that's Zana's S.O. is reluctant to repeat the process.

I've made an arrangement of multiple valves to divert the pump intake to the bottom of the calorifier and run the taps to empty it. Somewhat of a pain.

 

Wharever folks do, it is important to attempt to clear ALL the pipes to a low level. THEN LEAVE ALL THE TAPS OPEN (water pump off, of course). The only problem I've had was in two single lever taps that froze and the ceramic insert shattered.

 

The problem with boats - and narrow / broad boats in particular is that there are no standards, each installation is different, so the owner has to develop some technical sense to deal with routine and minor problems. (I'm now so glad I built my own boat - so that I can fix most problems on my own....)

I have a connection via a valve between a T in the cold bottom inlet feed to the calorifer and a T between the bath waste and the empting pump. Open the valve and the hot taps and the water drains into the bath or put the bath plug in and turn on the emptying pump which sucks it out.

[Laurie Booth]

That's me

And me, I was also afraid to ask.