How cold is too cold?

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by boatbrain

Just to be clear, if you've got regular anti-freeze and run it through the heat exchanger and exhaust system, no harm is done to the system is it?

It would be responsible to catch the exhaust in a bucket and make sure a cat, dog, etc does not drink it, and do that again in the spring to make sure none gets in the water - but you are not saying it hurts the engine, right?

Ethylene glycol will not damage the engine; it is an environmental/ accidental poisoning hazard.

I can't really say it is responsible to catch ethylene glycol from the exhaust as it's sorta irresponsible to use it for this purpose. I've seen way too many boat yard exhaust catchment spills and first of season engine starts in the water, to be able to recommend it's use in engine seawater system freeze protection.

[Dymaxion]

Out of curiosity, how much would you charge (Ramblin Rod) for winterizing costs, say for a 34' mono, one water tank, galley and head sinks, head, holding tank, shower and a 2GM diesel. Fluid systems only, no battery maintenence. This may help the OP if they haven't done something yet. Tx.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Dymaxion

Out of curiosity, how much would you charge (Ramblin Rod) for winterizing costs, say for a 34' mono, one water tank, galley and head sinks, head, holding tank, shower and a 2GM diesel. Fluid systems only, no battery maintenence. This may help the OP if they haven't done something yet. Tx.

Too many variables and I can't speak on behalf of other service providers.

Frankly, it isn't very much. Meanwhile, the liability risks are huge.

Really, winterizing is a loss leader.

For a 3 hour winterizing job, order processing, invoicing, and payment processing, eats up any profit. Most service providers only do it to make and maintain customer relationships as an investment for the potential of more lucrative (boat improvement and restoration) jobs in the future.

Ramblin Rod
Marine Service Provider
About Sheen Marine

[seabreez]

Do y'all think we need to worry about frozen pipes etc. we have a monitoring system on board and can monitor the temps just not sure if we should get the yard to set the heater up for continuous operation.
Thanks in advance.

10 degrees below freezing is the cold limit. when pressure gets in the pipes or anything, you might get away with it for one night... then it's bust. And for what 10$ of a/f and you get piece of mind. Get with it and winterize and you have piece of mind. You do not have to take numerous trips to the boat and the worrying... and then the repairs... not worth the risk...

Roger just across the river and the border in Summerstown Ontario

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by seabreez

10 degrees below freezing is the cold limit. when pressure gets in the pipes or anything, you might get away with it for one night... then it's bust.

Roger just across the river and the border in Summerstown Ontario

Are you saying..-10C which is about 14F. Or 22F?

I think you mean 22F.

[nicholson31]

Clipper4730 hasn't responded since initial post, wonder if he took anyones advice??

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Are you saying..-10C which is about 14F. Or 22F?

I think you mean 22F.

You read it right I wrote 10 degrees below freezing which is 32f - 10 degrees is 22f....

[Paul J. Nolan]

Originally Posted by hamburking

Whatever the reason, you cannot negotiate with physics or nature.

Wise words. Applies always and everywhere.

Paul

[hellosailor]

Relying on the yard to get aboard, even the bestest of yards, is still relying on something that may or may not physically be possible. Someone slips, calls in sick, has car trouble, a sick family member...and all of a sudden some of the "sure, this afternoon" work doesn't get done till tomorrow.


If you can engineer a system so that human intervention, fallacy, and action are totally unneeded...you've just made a greatly more reliable system.


Winterizing can be a PITA, but wouldn't it be nice to just KNOW that you won't have freeze damage?

[Clipper4730]

Hey y'all still here,

So the cold snap came and went, didn't get as cold as was anticipated. Lowest interior temp was 44.6F with an outside temp of 31F. Thanks for all the good advice, had we known about the cold snap earlier before we left for Colorado we could have done a bit of winterizing but it is what it is. The yard did go out a drain the freshwater system and dump a few gallons of cheap vodka in the tanks for good measure so that was something. Our heating system did its job and we are out of the woods. Bottom should be done soon and the boat will be back in the water where she belongs.

Anyway thanks again
Will

[Dymaxion]

Just curious, what's the working temperature range for paints etc used for a bottom job? Seems to me that if it's cold enough to worry about freezing, then is way colder than the temperature ranges on the paint tins......

[Clipper4730]

The Interlux rep drove down from NC to inspect the bottom a few weeks ago. The yard was trying to shift the blame by blaming the paint. He said not to apply paint in anything less than 50F with a max temp/dew point spread of 5F. Pretty sure the yard ignored the humidity issue and that is what caused the blisters.

[hellosailor]

"The yard did go out ...a few gallons of cheap vodka in the tanks for good measure..."
Ah, Vodka as a tax deductible business expense!

WRT paint, usually if you have to ask, it is already too cold. But the NWS does have an incredible number of weather stations, including thousands of home contributors, and somewhere on line you can access the logs from them to confirm local weather conditions, sometimes in the oddest places. Unless someone is a 'weather geek' the phrase "dew point" is likely to just go right past them. (That would include any yard crew I've ever met.) Ever seen one actually take out a sling psychrometer to actually measure it?


Nope, they're all busy testing the vodka.(G)