De-winterization question

[jamisjockey]

Okay I'm pretty confident that our days below freezing are done for the year. Filled and flushed the fresh water so that the sink and shower are usable. Filled the head and flushed it and it doesn't go anywhere.....giving me the imrpession it was already full......I pumped it out last fall. Hasn't been used all winter. Professionally winterized. Do they fill the holding tank with antifreeze solotion?

Also, is that pink antifreeze stuff toxic? I was thinking of just running the livewell next time I splash to flush it out, as well as the raw water washdown.

[Boz]

Do you mean that the water in the toilet bowl doesn't go down when you operate the flushing mechanism? If so, assuming the boat is still "high and dry", that wouldn't surprise me unless your head uses water from the fresh water tank. Most marine heads (like your household toilet) rely on incoming water pressure to cause the flushing action, unlike an RV toilet where a "trap door" arrangement allows the bowl's contents to drop into the holding tank. If yours uses seawater, drawn in through a thruhull, nothing is going to happen until the boat is in the water.

The boatyard would not normally put more than a gallon or so of antifreeze in the holding tank; just enough to protect the macerator pump (if so equipped).

The pink antifreeze is nontoxic, and can be safely and legally pumped overboard once you're in the water. It may give the fresh drinking water a slightly funky taste until the entire system is flushed a few times. I used to dissolve a box of baking soda in water and dump it into the tank, let it slosh around a while, then flush out the tank three or four times to remove the taste.

[jamisjockey]

Do you mean that the water in the toilet bowl doesn't go down when you operate the flushing mechanism? If so, assuming the boat is still "high and dry", that wouldn't surprise me unless your head uses water from the fresh water tank. Most marine heads (like your household toilet) rely on incoming water pressure to cause the flushing action, unlike an RV toilet where a "trap door" arrangement allows the bowl's contents to drop into the holding tank. If yours uses seawater, drawn in through a thruhull, nothing is going to happen until the boat is in the water.

The boatyard would not normally put more than a gallon or so of antifreeze in the holding tank; just enough to protect the macerator pump (if so equipped).

The pink antifreeze is nontoxic, and can be safely and legally pumped overboard once you're in the water. It may give the fresh drinking water a slightly funky taste until the entire system is flushed a few times. I used to dissolve a box of baking soda in water and dump it into the tank, let it slosh around a while, then flush out the tank three or four times to remove the taste.

Mine flushes from a holding tank on the back of the toilet, portapoti style.

[mattttt25]

I assume your water pump is operational and water tank full since you mentioned the sink and shower. Maybe separate pump for the head? What type of head, vacuflush? If so, is that energized?

It took me 8 gals of antifreeze to winterize mine last year, lots of sources to run and protect. I did flush my vacuflush and pour a little extra antifreeze in toilet. But not enough to make it full, and I doubt yours is.

Unless the professionals really screwed up, the antifreeze used is non-toxic.