Proof (?) that you should winterize in colder climates...?

[MidnightRider]

Most northern owners I've asked don't use anti-freeze to winterize and most northern dealers I've asked DO use anti-freeze with the reasoning "better safe than sorry." For me there is enough northern dwellers on this forum with a large amount of combined winters without using anti-freeze to convince me that it is unnecessary.

Having said that, its really hard to teach a old dog new tricks and as much as I told myself I didn't need to, when it came down to it 30 years of boat winterizing won out and I ended up flushing with some RV anti-freeze at the end of this season. Already had the setup of a 5 gallon bucket and a small sump pump so was pretty painless. Just couldn't do it guys! - kudos to those who aren't dealing with an old engrained brain like mine though!

 

[Gym]

So for all the "water in your water box" commenters. . . . . . Does water not freeze just because its in the water box?

It sure does freeze and 99 times out of 100 there won't be any problems. I also use pink antifreeze for that 1 time there could be a problem.

As the theory goes, if there is room for expansion there won't be any damage. However, about 7 years ago I winterized my 3 season house on Cape Cod. I drained & blew out the water & baseboard heat lines. The following spring I had two water freeze problems. One was a copper elbow in my baseboard heat. The other was a glass vase that had some water in it. The copper pipes were empty & blown out but I surmised water droplets inside the pipe section coalesced and collected at the elbow which froze and split. The glass vase was about a quarter full of water but froze and broke. Both the pipe and vase had plenty of room for expansion but both broke. Why you ask?

A fast freeze freezes the top of the water which created a tight seal in the pipe and the glass vase. As the cold continues to freeze the rest of the water there was NO room for expansion causing the containers to fail.

The argument that the manufacturer doesn't recommend antifreeze making it unnecessary is as valid as the manufacturer not recommending replacing the plastic scupper valve. I will not attempt to proselytize anybody who believes this process is unnecessary but color me pink.

 

[2kwik4u]

........ proselytize.......

What a great word. I love it.

I'm a "no antifreeze" guy myself. Never ran it in my old I/O's either, just opened up the drain plugs and let all the water out of the block.

 

[Renod]

Maybe, just maybe. . . . This is why your tower attacked you. The boat was mad at you for not properly winterizing her. . . . #justsayin

That one had me LOL!

First winter for our 242 but we have owned two 2012 Yamaha FX HO PWCs for 6 years. We winterize by doing the following:

1. Dump one full can of Sea Foam treatment into each machine's fuel tank
2. Top off tanks with fresh gasoline
3. Run machines 3-4 times for approx 10 seconds to blow out water and circulate treated fuel
4. Inspect lines and connections
5. Remove battery, attach battery to Battery Tender over the winter
6. Call shrink wrap guy

Maybe I am jinxing myself but we have had ZERO problems here in Michigan. The machines sit on a lift all year long, exposed to the elements and outdoor temps. A few years ago we had a several week period where the morning lows were consistently between -5 to -15 below (F). I was worried about the machines but when Memorial Day weekend rolled around we installed the batteries and the engines turned over with ease. Just my two cents...

 

[swatski]

I think of these, basically, the same as outboards.
I’ve never winterized an outboard.

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