LucG Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Just a quick question...Someone suggested I run a bit of windshield washing fluid through my live wells and bilge pump to avoid any issues with freezing as I store my boat in an unheated garage all winter. Has anyone ever done this? I know it would probably do the trick just fine, but I was worried the chemicals may deteriorate any rubber seal/gaskets etc that may be withing the pump or system. Any tips or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 No Use plumbers antifreeze And I don't leave it in. I just run it though the system to replace the water in low spots and pumps But that's just me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 I do the same as Terry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanD Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 No the washer fluid will likely hurt your system, if left in or it may also jell as it evaporates. RV anti freeze would be the safest bet; most hardware stores sells the stuff. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 RV antifeeze in our rig as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucG Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Great! Thanks for the tips guys! I will go with antifreeze instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Yep i would go with the rv storage antifreeze. You can drink it apparently. I wouldnt but sens fan could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 What i used to do is takr the screen off and jam a hosd and a funnel it then turn the pumps on and pump ot til it comes out. Run it full strenght.you wont need much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 RV antifreeze and plumbers antifreeze are the same thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_fishburn Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 20 yrs with my boats and I have never put anything in my livewells for winter storage and never any issues. Just take the drain plug out and make sure everything is void of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioFisherman Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) RV antifeeze in our rig as well. That would be my choice as well, but like fish, never did use it and never had a problem. Edited October 29, 2014 by OhioFisherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 (edited) 95% of you will get by just fine with pulling the boat out and putting it away... however be damn sure to have a look at how your pump outlet lines feed your livewell from the transom thru hull pump before you take the gamble. Many drop down from the pump to the hull bottom and then up to the livewell (trapping water there). I'd rather waste an hour and $5 on antifreeze than have your boat sink in the spring. The marina put a Lund 1950 Tyee in out of storage this spring for a customer... he arrived shortly after it had hit the water, loaded his family and all their belongings and headed up the lake to their island. Tied up, unloaded and went about getting their place in order. He went down to the dock the next morning to find it hanging tight on the ropes, floating level flotation. Gas powered pump to float it again, tow to marina, extract from lake and we found his front livewell pump had almost cracked off completely. As I've shown before... I feed both of mine (as well as the power washer) with a hose and funnel and then cap the intake ports so the system is water tight for late fall Muskie fishing. Then when it's finally storage time I pull the caps to make sure no water did get back in. Edited October 29, 2014 by irishfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captpierre Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Did mine yesterday as mentioned. Was surprised how much water came out the front livewell valve before the pink Antifreeze did. Likely enough to damage plumbing when frozen Have never done the bilge, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 (edited) http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12271&st=0&p=125046&hl=livewell&fromsearch=1entry125046 Edited October 30, 2014 by irishfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexmedic Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 5 years of strong my boat and never used antifreeze. My thoughts are if you have 15+ feet of live well hose and maybe a 6inch low spot in there somewhere holding water, let it freeze and the water would just expand up the line a bit. It not like these are copper pipes - no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 That's why it's the elbow and pumps that break and not the rubber parts In all my years I only had one pump freeze and break in a bass boat. Access to repair it was almost impossible. A bit of antifreeze would have been easier Lesson learnt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aplumma Posted October 30, 2014 Report Share Posted October 30, 2014 I replaced both pumps in a 1989 Ranger due to water freezing and I am way South of you'll. I anti freeze all of my boats because for the cost of doing it VS not is huge. Art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 95% of you will get by just fine with pulling the boat out and putting it away... however be damn sure to have a look at how your pump outlet lines feed your livewell from the transom thru hull pump before you take the gamble. Many drop down from the pump to the hull bottom and then up to the livewell (trapping water there). I'd rather waste an hour and $5 on antifreeze than have your boat sink in the spring. The marina put a Lund 1950 Tyee in out of storage this spring for a customer... he arrived shortly after it had hit the water, loaded his family and all their belongings and headed up the lake to their island. Tied up, unloaded and went about getting their place in order. He went down to the dock the next morning to find it hanging tight on the ropes, floating level flotation. Gas powered pump to float it again, tow to marina, extract from lake and we found his front livewell pump had almost cracked off completely. As I've shown before... I feed both of mine (as well as the power washer) with a hose and funnel and then cap the intake ports so the system is water tight for late fall Muskie fishing. Then when it's finally storage time I pull the caps to make sure no water did get back in. Yes sir Wayne...last year I was wondering why my boat always seemed to have a little water in it... it turns out the livewell pump had cracked over the winter...the auto bilge looked after it but if the battery died it could have sunk!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokestackLightnin Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Plumbers A/F from now on. Had to replace livewell pumps 3 years ago due to crack from freezing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshS Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Great info, thanks. I ran car antifreeze last year, hoping I didn't do any damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted October 31, 2014 Report Share Posted October 31, 2014 Only damage there Josh would be to your wallet and any animals that lick up the spills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now