Lost the prime in my freshwater system

[Bill_N]

I drained my freshwater system today till it was just sputtering out then shut the pump off and put 3 gallons of anti freeze in the tank. Can't get it to run thru the faucets so I put another gallon in. Raised and lowered the front end a few times but it still won't pump thru the faucets. According to the manual I didn't have to put the antifreeze in and run it thru the pump and lines but it seems like the safe thing to do. Any tips on getting the system pumping agin before I wrap it? Everything else is done...

Thx, Bill

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Fill the hose between the tank and pump with water or antifreeze

 

[MRT]

Try adding more antifreeze. My fresh water system seems to like a few gallons of water/antifreeze in the tank or it starts to get finicky.

 

[Bill_N]

Fill the hose between the tank and pump with water or antifreeze

Anyone know where the pump is on a 265? Maybe I'll do that tonight, but was hoping someone had a trick to get it primed without disassembly. I have 4 gals in the 20 gal tank now.

 

[Hookup1]

Pump Priming

You must get the pink stuff to pump out of every faucet to winterise the system.

To prime it try opening up a faucet or two and restart the pump.

Do you have a water heater on this boat? If so you need to drain and bypass it.

I did my 268 Islander yesterday with 1 gallon.

I've never ventured to find my pump but its probably not in a easialy accessable place. Go to http://www.gradywhite.com/customer/manuals/ for the owners manual.

 

[Bill_N]

I have the manual. All it tells you to do is drain the tank by running the faucets until empty. It states that the little bit of residual water won't harm anything if it freezes. So it seems that the antifreeze is an extra precaution. It's just frustrating that I can't get it to pump thru the system.

I can't see how anything can freeze if there's no fluid in the lines.

I called GW. They said I'm fine but will have to prime the hose in the spring. I think it's under the hatch in the starboard seat.

 

[Hookup1]

Winterizing freshwater system

The problem is there is water in the lines. There are high/low spots in the lines that will hold untreated water and freeze over the winter. You must get the antifreeze to pump through all the fixtures or use air to blow it out.

I checked the manual on your boat. Page 70 shows the pump and filter under the helm deck. It also shows a optional water heater. The water heaters fill from the bottom and exit out the top. You either have to put enough antifreeze in to fill it or bypass it. I bypass it by taking the IN and OUT connectors off and joining with a short grey connector.

I would take a shop vac and connect the blower side to the fresh water fill. The pressure may help the pump prime and/or allow you to blow all the lines in the system out.

 

[seasick]

Can you hear the motor pumping? Sometimes, there is sludge in the tank that gets stirred up and plugs the input screen (assuming you have one). The screen may need to be cleaned.

 

[Bill_N]

Yes, the pump is running. It was pumping fine until it ran out of freshwater. I suppose it could be plugged up but it seems more likely that I ran it dry and it needs to be primed.

 

[seasick]

I think those pumps are self priming but if not just open the line at the pump input. Hopefully liquid will flow into the line. BY the way, when I drained my freshwater system and added antifreeze, it took a bit of a while for the fluid to reach the nozzle and the tank is only 2 feet away. My point is that the pump will pump air but very slowly. I ran it for 30 seconds, let is sit for a minute, ran it again, etc. I had to do that about 5 times.

 

[eppem]

The pump is easy to access..its behind the drawers inside the cuddy..(as you walk inside, to the right). Take the screws out and the whole unit slides out..reach in and thepump is to the left (or the starboard side)....the filter is there also. You might want to clean the filter? We bought our boat used and it was hardly used, there was a lot of sediment in the tank that made its way to the filte....took a few fill ups and drains to get it all out.

dont forget to drain the hot water heater and run the by pass around it...

 

[Bill_N]

I took the panel off in back of the head first and pulled off the line there. It had water in it so I took off the access plate in front of the helm chair and I was able to reach down and remove the in line and strainer. Once I took it apart and cleaned the screen it pumped antifreeze within seconds.

My hot water heater is disconnected. The prior owner never used it and rarely used the freshwater system so I'll probably have to clean the screen again next year. But at least I know what it is now.

Thanks for the advice!
Bill

 

[eppem]

Glad to help! Its a great boat...tim "fishfinatic" has the same make and model. He is another good source for fix it info (as well as offshore info!).

 

[tiderunner]

You guys need to get away from antifreeze. It costs money, bad for the environment, and stains your sink and gel-cote too.

For the fresh water system I use compressed air . I installed some shut off valves then put in a air fitting for my compressor. Open faucets one at a time to bleed off water when no more water I shut it down return the valves back to normal and forget about it. come spring time all I do is fill up system. I don't have to play around bleeding off pink stuff wondering if I got it all out.

After I made my modification to the lines I can winterize in less than 10 min.

Lawn sprinkler company's have been doing exactly this for years .