Winterizing Checklist

[Jort]

Aren't you sailing around the world, not sailing in the Southern hemisphere or not always sailing in warm sunny weather? Autumn just arrived and not long untill winter. You would rather spend more days on the water, but all good things come to an end and that includes this boating season. The boat has to be prepared for winter again.

We made this practical checklist for you to help you winterize your boat without forgeting the essential parts of it. Please download the Winterizing Checklist on the DIY Yacht Broker link below.

Do-it-yourself Yacht Broker -

[Jort]

West Marine has pretty good videos about winterizing your boat. If you start with the introduction video you can find the following steps on the right of your YouTube channel.

Winterizing Your Boat: Introduction to the 5 Step Process - YouTube

Also be sure to download our winterization checklist so you have a written summary on what to do.

Do-it-yourself Yacht Broker -

[barnakiel]

There is also good winterizing part in every VP manual. These refer to winterizing engines only though.

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[Jort]

Always good to have a more detailed guide when it comes to the engine. Our list is a general list that covers most of winterization, but you can never be thorough enough when dealing with the engine.

[Vahana]

Dear college, unfortunately I could not find in the owner manual some instructions what liquid I can used for winterization my desolator. May be you help me with some advice what liquid is possible to use for fill my desolator. I have Dessalator D60.
Thanks in advance.

[Jort]

Hi Vahana. I would always contact the manufacturer about this, because this is special equipment. I have no experience with watermakers at all. This is what I found on the internet:

"I winterize the system by first "pickeling" the membrane and then removing the pressure vessel with the membrane and biocide inside. I carefully cap the fittings to keep the biocide in the pressure vessel to keep the biocide from spilling out and then take it home -- storing it horizontally in a warm space. The key is not to let any part of the membrane dry out during the winter.

Winterizing the rest of the unit is pretty simple. The filters are removed and drained (new filters are installed on recommissioning) and the pumps and lines are winterized with non-toxic antifreeze. I make sure that on recommissioning all the anitfreeze is flushed from the system before installing the pressure vessel and membrane. This can make a mess, especially when you flush the HP pump, so you want to make preparations to contain the flushing water. To flush the system on recommissioning, use clean seawater if you can. If not, use distilled water. Don't use tap water as it may contain chlorine which will harm the membrane.

It's my understanding that the biocides in the membrane will hold up for only six months, so it's possible that the membrane might need cleaning when you recommission the system."