freeze damage!

[dpiano]

Our new 29 Ranger gave us an exciting moment several weeks ago. We were out of the country for a few days, during which we had a rare spell of freezing weather in Portland OR, down to about 12F for a couple days. I had low electric heat on in the salon with the engine room hatch open. After returning I checked on the boat and found water pouring out almost steady from the bilge through-hull. Very exciting! In the engine room water was pouring in from under the white step beside the prop shaft. I shut off the raw water valve, but water continued to pour in. Even more exciting! I called Ronnie (he answered, bless his heart...... 8:30pm on a Thursday eve) and he helped me through the crisis. The deck wash pump had apparently frozen enough to break the clear plastic cover on its strainer and river water was gushing in, draining into the well under the stern thruster. That well has a drain molded into the hull which empties under the white step. There was enough water built up in that well so that it took some time for the flow to stop after I shut off the raw water valve. Also I later discovered the cockpit sink was running a steady stream of water when the fresh water pump was turned on. Turns out there is a little ceramic disk in each faucet which cracks when frozen, though the line was not pressurized during the freeze.

The factory is great; they are sending a couple of pump strainers, and a new cockpit faucet on warranty. Obviously I need more heat in the engine room. But it seems to me that, with the deck wash pump located below water level, the boat is dependent on the integrity of that strainer cover and is therefore a rather weak point in the boat's safety. Ronnie suggested closing the raw-water valve when away from the boat which is no doubt a good idea. Beyond that I think it's prudent to install ballcock valves with a freeze drain on the lines for the deckwash pump and cockpit sink, which I have done. We use the boat year-round and these valves will let me sleep better at night in cold weather.

 

[Spinner]

I didn't think about the raw water wash down system, but I did have Ranger Tugs install a valve that let's me shut off and drain the cockpit sink, while still keeping the rest of the water system operational.

I temporarily put in an "engine room heater" that kicks on at 45 degrees, and shuts off at 55 degrees. It sits on that while shelf that is aft of the engine. I removed the hatch that is just inside the cabin door to both circulate the warmer air and give access to a 110 outlet.

Before next winter I plan on having a proper wet environment 110 outlet installed somewhere in the bilge, for just that purpose.

I have had the boat out twice since the cold abated, and have seen no issues...

 

[Todd]

Ranger should offer a cold weather option which should include disconnects and drains for the cockpit sink and wash down pump. I kept my boat in the Hudson river until late november and was worried these could freeze if we got a cold snap. When one was forecast I went and winterized the water system. Figured I could use bottled water and flush with antifreeze. Would also be nice to have a disconnect/bypass for the water heater so this could be drained instead of filled with antifreeze.

 

[Gin]

Sorry the blast of arctic air came while you were out of town! And that you had some damage. Sounds like you can fix the problems with relative ease. Always good.

We survived the same cold air wave at our moorage in Portland without harm (knock on wood). We had done as Sue on Spinner has -- we put in a bilge heater that kicks on at about 40 degrees. That in addition to a cabin heater. We too want to keep boating through the cold season. So we winterized everything but the engine -- that is, we drained the fresh water system, put pink stuff in the lines, in the head and holding tank, through the raw water wash down, the bilge, and left the raw water strainer full of the stuff. We keep the raw water valve closed when away from the boat. The catch, of course, with the bilge and cabin heaters is that we would lose that protection with a power outage. With notice of the power outage (which our marina would probably send out the instant it occurred), we could get to the boat within an hour or so and quickly winterize the engine. But of course, if we were out of town, we'd have an issue. The solution probably will be tot winterize the engine if there is a chance of being away at a critical time.

We are working, by the way, on installing a three way valve off the seacock that will let us winterize the basic systems easily, and easily with one person (i.e., close seacock, open three way valve, stick hose from that valve into large container of pink stuff, and one person can then winterize everything single-handedly). Not trying to do that for this season. It will be an improvement for next winter. Will post pics once we have it installed. But the same sort of thing could be part of a factory "cold climate package" or something of the sort. What a great idea Todd!

Meanwhile, glad your damage is easily remedied and that you will be enjoying the off-boating season without skipping a beat (or much of one).

Gini

 

[daviduphoff]

We are just are not used to this much cold here in Portland. Thank your lucky stars we don't get it often!

Everyone that had minimal damage is lucky. The harbor master at Salpare Bay called me during the cold spell to ask where the seacocks were on the 21 as the other 21 at the marina was underwater up to the mast. They brought in a crane to raise it. The raw water strainer cracked and that 5/8" hose lets in a lot of water once it thaws.

On another note my bilge discharge hose froze where it makes a loop before it goes into the through hull. I used a electric heat gun on it for a minute then all of a sudden water came out. I then dumped a couple gallons of RV antifreeze into the bilge. Problem solved. People with a 21 should keep this in mind as there no way to heat under the seat in the rear of the cockpit very well.

On the recommendation of someone I bought an electric foot warming pad. The company that made it is called Bird Mat I believe. It uses 90 watts of electricity. It fit just great right in the forward part of the engine compartment where the raw water hoses are. Amazingly even when it was icy out the area the front of the engine cover on the 21 was not frosty. The nice thing is it has no moving parts and does not get hot enough to burn anything. I slid it out today when we took a run into Downtown Portland. On our little cruise the only other boat on the river we ran into was another RANGER TUG! It was gorgeous out and both the Columbia and Willamette were like glass.

 

[Irish Mist]

Just a couple of things . I have read some put an electric blanket over their engine.. I thought this was a neat idea.. The other point is on my 29 there were two lines for 110 volts already ran and were by rear thruster for BBQ and something else I just connected to a GFI receptical and hooked the other end up to a spare breaker . I put the receptical in the rear cabnet so I can access with out opening the hatch to engine.. You can easily run a cord up to it from the engine room or leave it in the engine room Depends on your needs you will find the other end behind the breakers .. Is easy if you remove microwave

 

[Gin]

Love the idea of an electric blanket over the engine. Or, I've wondered about the best way to keep batteries warm, which I understand can extend their life. Maybe an electric heating pad for batteries. The only problem is the electric heating pads and blankets I've seen in he last several years all have auto shut offs -- none stay on longer than 10 hrs . A nifty idea otherwise!

Gini