Well, now that the summer is past, fall is upon us, and we are facing the winter months, it’s time to think about winterization of your boat.
One of the most common problems that boaters experience as they bring their boats out of winter storage is damage from freezing. You can prevent this very costly damage by following some simple guidelines, or better yet taking your boat to your Authorized Fountain Powerboats Service Center.
Physics 101: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit under normal atmospheric conditions. And don’t forget to take wind chill into account as well. Even though the thermometer may not show 32 degrees or less, it is very likely that towing the boat will generate lower temperatures due to the wind chill factor as the boat is moving on the trailer. As water freezes, it expands with incredible force capable of fracturing iron, steel, plastic, etceteras. This can and does cause catastrophic damage to powertrain components, fresh water systems, sanitation systems, generators and even air conditioning systems. Remember that this damage is not covered by any of your manufacturer warranties, so the best action is prevention. We recommend a certified service facility that is familiar with complete winterizing, such as an Authorized Fountain Powerboats Service Center.
There are 2 schools of thought on winterization, not counting keeping your prize possession in a heated garage. One is to drain all of the systems completely of water, and the other is to introduce anti-freeze into all of the water systems.
Let’s start with the powertrain. Mercury has made it easy with their new systems. The engine block itself (on the closed cooled systems) is a sealed system with antifreeze for freezing and corrosion protection. In the case of the 496 package, there is a “blue” pump mounted on the front of the engine to “pump” the water out of the heat exchanger and exhaust systems. The 525MPI also has a closed cooling system with antifreeze; but, to remove the “raw” water from the system, plugs need to be removed from the headers, oil cooler, fuel cooler, and heat exchanger. Refer to your Mercury-MerCruiser manual for specific detailed instructions to winterize your powertrain components.
Option 2 with the powertrain is to run the engine using an antifreeze solution as the cooling medium for the boat. This typically requires the use of a large tank that allows the drive water pick-ups to be completely submerged in the antifreeze solution. This method provides complete protection from freezing as well as corrosion by keeping an antifreeze solution in contact with all of the internal cooling systems, including the headers; but is difficult for the “do it yourself” owner.
Now that the powertrain is taken care of, DON’T forget all of the other systems in the boat that have water in them. These all need to be addressed or you will face water leaks and system failures in the spring.
The generator and air conditioning system can be drained of water, but will benefit from a “flushing” with an antifreeze solution just as the power drain does.
All of the sanitation systems and fresh water systems also need to be addressed with an antifreeze solution that is appropriate for drinking water systems. Run the water systems with the proper antifreeze mix until the systems is completely flushed with the mixture.
- Refer to the various antifreeze products for appropriate applications.
- Refer to the antifreeze product for proper ratios depending upon the desired temperature protection.
Refer to your owner’s manual, the individual component manual, and your Authorized Fountain Powerboats Service Center for more information on the proper procedures.
This service is an insignificant expense compared to the cost and frustration of thousands of dollars in damage.
Don’t wait until the first freeze, and protect your investment! Contact your service center early to schedule an appointment.
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