Qick Qustion re. Gulper and Frost

[Guest]

My newly installed Gulper is on the bottom plate of the boat held down by magnets. I leave the boat unheated for a few weeks at this time of year. Is there a need to tip some kind of antifreeze down the bath plughole in severe frosty weather to stop the dregs from freezing in the pump? If so what should I use?

Many thanks.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Guest

[blackrose]

Any pipe or vessel filled with water is at risk of damage if the water freezes. Being attached to the baseplate with magnets sounds like an odd installation, at least one I'd never heard of, but on the other hand it may be slightly less likely to freeze down there.

 

I'm on shore power so I just leave a thermostatically controlled oil filled rad set on medium power at 5C in the centre of the boat. That's in addition to isolating the freshwater tank, switching off the pump and opening a couple of taps. I also drain the auxillary gas water heater. I block all the vents when I'm away in winter too.

Edited December 6, 2016 by blackrose

[cereal tiller]

My newly installed Gulper is on the bottom plate of the boat held down by magnets. I leave the boat unheated for a few weeks at this time of year. Is there a need to tip some kind of antifreeze down the bath plughole in severe frosty weather to stop the dregs from freezing in the pump? If so what should I use?

Many thanks.

Hi Stan,can you get the the Nozzle of a Wet Vac. to the Pump outlet?

 

You could remove every last drop of Water that way

 

CT

[blackrose]

But are you going to wet vac out the entire freshwater system too，drain the calorifier, etc?

Edited December 6, 2016 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

My newly installed Gulper is on the bottom plate of the boat held down by magnets. I leave the boat unheated for a few weeks at this time of year. Is there a need to tip some kind of antifreeze down the bath plughole in severe frosty weather to stop the dregs from freezing in the pump? If so what should I use?

Many thanks.

I put a table spoon of salt down mine usually, but forgot when we left the boat last month. Fingers crossed.

[Sea Dog]

Mine's always been OK after just a good pumping. Remember that the bottom plate is a couple of feet underwater where the canal water remains above freezing point.

[Boat&Bikes]

Shower pump and ceramic loo are the places i pour some antifreeze into..safe type obviously.

 

Ian.

Edited December 6, 2016 by ianali

[Chewbacka]

Shower pump and ceramic loo are the places i pour some antifreeze into..safe type obviously.

 

Ian.

Same here, shower waste and ceramic toilet & chopping mechanism, I bought a 5l tub 5 years ago and I used the last of it a few days ago.

 

http://www.leesan.com/shop/leesan--leefreeze-non-toxic-antifreeze-5l.aspx

[Guest]

Cheers folks, will get something suitable. Better to be safe etc.

Any pipe or vessel filled with water is at risk of damage if the water freezes. Being attached to the baseplate with magnets sounds like an odd installation, at least one I'd never heard of, but on the other hand it may be slightly less likely to freeze down there.

I'm on shore power so I just leave a thermostatically controlled oil filled rad set on medium power at 5C in the centre of the boat. That's in addition to isolating the freshwater tank, switching off the pump and opening a couple of taps. I also drain the auxillary gas water heater. I block all the vents when I'm away in winter too.

I find myself using magnets more and more for fixing stuff to the steel shell. So cheap and powerful now. All tools/storage boxes etc now hung in engine hole with magents. One day my boat will stick to a steel piled embankment and refuse to move

Edited December 6, 2016 by Guest

[Mac of Cygnet]

Where do you get your magnets from?

[Guest]

Where do you get your magnets from?

Mostly Ebay. The trays and screwdriver holders are intended for going on the side of mechanics metal boxes. Machine Mart have them too. Loose magnets are two a penny on Ebay now, available with holes in etc.

[blackrose]

But for mounting a pump I'd have thought you'd want it "floating" on its rubber mounts to reduce vibration and noise rather than having a pump mounted with any metal to metal interfaces?

[Guest]

But for mounting a pump I'd have thought you'd want it "floating" on its rubber mounts to reduce vibration and noise rather than having a pump mounted with any metal to metal interfaces?

Sorry Mike, I should have been more specific. I used timber to mount the feet to, then in turn the timber fixes to the shell with magnets (magnets Araldited to timber in this case.) Seems OK to date, just fits nicely where the old sump thing used to be. Before anybody shouts at me, the choc blocks will be replaced with crimps, and the wood needs tidying up somewhat! It's on my "to do" list

Edited December 6, 2016 by Guest

[Tony Brooks]

Its a single diaphragm pump is it not? I agree that it is unlikely to freeze down there but even if it did as long as it was not operated frozen I think all would happen is that the expanding ice/water would flex the diaphragm a bit and push it out of the way. I can't see the diaphragm splitting.

 

Now the shower mixer is a different matter. They trap water and mine is now off its mountsand drained.

[Guest]

My newly installed Gulper is on the bottom plate of the boat held down by magnets. I leave the boat unheated for a few weeks at this time of year. Is there a need to tip some kind of antifreeze down the bath plughole in severe frosty weather to stop the dregs from freezing in the pump? If so what should I use?

Many thanks.

 

I never did anything to ours other than give it a good run before I left the boat in winter (not over the entire winter) - it never suffered any harm and we had two really bad winters in the time we had the boat.

[FadeToScarlet]

But are you going to wet vac out the entire freshwater system too，drain the calorifier, etc?

I do- it's the easiest way to drain it. Pump off, run taps, then attach wet vac to the valves at the lowest point of the hot and cold sides in turn and suck out the rest. Done in about 5 minutes tops, including putting out and putting back the genny for the vac!

[blackrose]

I do- it's the easiest way to drain it. Pump off, run taps, then attach wet vac to the valves at the lowest point of the hot and cold sides in turn and suck out the rest. Done in about 5 minutes tops, including putting out and putting back the genny for the vac!

Yes, I know lots of people drain down their entire system and that's why I was asking whether Catweasel intended to do the same. I didn't understand the focus only on the gulper.

[Phoenix_V]

 

I do- it's the easiest way to drain it. Pump off, run taps, then attach wet vac to the valves at the lowest point of the hot and cold sides in turn and suck out the rest. Done in about 5 minutes tops, including putting out and putting back the genny for the vac!

what do you do with the calorifier?

[cheshire~rose]

During the winter months we turn off the water pump and open the taps and shower valve.

 

We never drain down the calorifier

 

We have never used any form of antifreeze or added salt to the cermaic toilet bowl or the shower drain.

 

We have never suffered any problem with these items at all. I would be wary of adding any chemicals to either the toilet (because it could affect the tank) or the gulper (as whatever you put in there will end up in the canal) a little salt may not be such a problem unless it sits against your hull for weeks on end and your blacking is not good!

 

Remember if you have a pump out the decomposition of the matter in there generates some heat anyway and will probably help keep the macerator forst free

[Athy]

Gulper & Frost would be an ideal name for a firm of estate agents, or perhaps boat brokers.

[Guest]

Gulper & Frost would be an ideal name for a firm of estate agents, or perhaps boat brokers.

I claim the copyright to Gulper and Frost Edited December 7, 2016 by Guest

[Guest]

But are you going to wet vac out the entire freshwater system too，drain the calorifier, etc?

I did used to do this as I

could borrow the compressor from work a d blow the lot out. Retired now so no can do. Just protect what I reasonably can. Our cal. Is a pita to drain own g to a built in nrv.

[dor]

Whist I sometimes completely winterise the boat (by disconnecting the inlet to the pump and let it pump air through) I have never done more with the gulper than let it suck air for a minute or two. It is mounted under the sitbath, on the floor. I've never had a problem with it, even during two very cold winters when the ice was six inches thick around the boat.

 

The calorifier is mounted on the swim under the semitrad stern. I usually just drain about a third or half of it out so there is room for any ice to move. It is well insulated (lots of extra spray foam above and behind it) except for underneath and it has never been a problem. Being on the swim probably helps.

[PaulG]

The temperature of the baseplate should not fall below 4 deg. C., unless a layer of ice forms that is deep enough to reach the baseplate.

 

I think the Gulper is probably fairly safe, but the pipework might be another matter.