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View Full Version : How To Prevent Engine Freezing in Moderate Temps?



Ron in Atlanta
10-18-2011, 08:04 AM
Down here in Georgia, we get some below 32 degree weather in the winter, yet some days are in the high 60's or 70's. I do not want to winterize and store my new Donzi Sweet Sixteen but I don't want to crack the block either! Other than park it in the living room (Laurie loves the boat but vetoed that plan) how can I accomplish this?

Some ideas I've heard:

1) Leave a light bulb on in the engine compartment.

Does that throw enough heat? Light bulbs burn out (in the middle of a 20 degree night, that could be a costly mistake).

2) Get an engine compartment heater/dehumidifier. Cost $250 or so.

Sounds good. Anyone have any experience with such a unit?

Any other ideas???

Thanks

MOP
10-18-2011, 09:01 AM
My 16 was raw water cooled, I liked to push the season as long as I could. What I did was to install 1/4 turn ball valves in place of my drain plugs, I have the same valves on the raw water side of my current system. On my 16 after I flushed in cold weather I would open the valves which would drain the the entire block & manifolds, you will need 4-5 valves depending on where your oil cooler is mounted the cooler is one of the first things to go when it gets cold. My cooler was mounted on top of the bell housing and did not need a drain, I had a valve on each side of the block and on each manifold. On my current setup I have valves on each manifold, my seas strainer and oil cooler. My entire system including my sea pump drains, it takes a couple minutes not to have any worry of freezing. I am up in NY it gets quite a bit colder up here. One year I did a Christmas day ride, I near froze but it was neat ripping around the vacant bay. The beauty of the valves is it only takes a few minutes to go for a ride on a nice day!

MOP
10-18-2011, 09:03 AM
P.S. anything relying on power can let you down, a power outage can be costly!

VetteLT193
10-18-2011, 09:46 AM
My boat has the quick drain system from merc, just unscrew one plug. I still do the light bulb trick as well.

On the old boat I'd put a light in the bilge and check it on cold nights. you have to realize it takes far colder than 32 to make an engine freeze plus a covered boat won't have much air movement AND I stuffed towels in the air intakes. Even if the bulb goes out half way through the night you'll be fine. I'm a bit south of you though so it may be extreme enough where you are to warrant just doing it right and winterizing.

silverghost
10-18-2011, 10:14 AM
I have used a Golden-Rod electric heater strapped to the side of my engine's cankcase. I am still using one that is 15 years old.
They work very well indeed.

J C Whitney sells magnetic stick-on engine oil pan heaters & dipstick style heaters that also work well & are very inexpensive.

biggiefl
10-18-2011, 01:17 PM
I was thinking the same thing about a cheap block heater or dip stick heater or both. I know the block heater on a F250 will keep the block over 60 degrees in teens weather. A cover does a lot as well, look at your plants.

Ron in Atlanta
10-18-2011, 03:13 PM
Well, thanks everyone. Some good ideas here and not all too expensive as well. I'll bounce them off my engine builder and see which he likes as well.

I should point out that I'm not, "doing it right, winterize" for any reason other than I plan to use the boat throughout the winter. Lake Lanier can be torturous during the summer - many unschooled boaters zipping to and fro, Rodney Dangerfield types in big boats and even bigger wakes - not to mention the swarm of lake lice. Off season, just a few hardy and often, more knowledgeable folks in boats, lots of Common Loons (yes, you guys from Canada, this is where they spend the winter) and an occasional Bald Eagle flyby.

Thanks for the ideas, I'll most likely try them all.

The Hedgehog
10-18-2011, 03:21 PM
Grab one of those radiant oil-filled heaters at Lowes. It should fit down in the bilge next to the firewall pending on what kind of boat you drive. If you have the room, they work much better than a light bulb. You dang sure won't freeze anything unless you have a power outage. They cost around $40.

I started using those as supplemental heat for the Roamer engine rooms during cold times. WAY cheaper than running the block heater. It keeps my ER's warm and when I want to run, all I have to do is kick on the block heaters for a half day.

Fishermanjm
10-19-2011, 08:37 PM
why not a FWC system for the engine? you would just have to suck up a half gallon of coolent after flushing, Ga doesnt get a real hard freeze, a 50/50 mixture is good to zero degrees