Ballast Freezing While in Slip

[npatterson]

Just got our new 26M into a slip on a freshwater lake. I leave the Ballast full, but someone said I should empty it through the winter while it's docked? Is that true? The lake never freezes? I've just noticed it's very hard to handle when the ballast is empty; we even ran into the dock doing that last weekend!

[bubba]

Keeping a heater going inside the boat will help the freezing and condensation problem. I use a flat heater sold by West Marine they don't turn over too easy.

[NiceAft]

Where are you located npatterson How cold does it get wherever you are

Ray

[npatterson]

Oh, we are in Nashville Tennessee. Winters get down in the low 20's sometimes, but not much below that temperature. We tried to empty the ballast however the boat doesn't respond well without the ballast tank full....

[NiceAft]

We tried to empty the ballast however the boat doesn't respond well without the ballast tank full....

I assume you are referring to bringing the boat back to the dock. Did you make certain that the daggerboard and rudders were all fully down? If the ballast is empty while at the slip, you can fill it once out on the lake, and then empty it again when near your marina.

If the temp. can get down to the low 20's, I would not keep any water in the ballast while slipped. While sailing, fill the ballast. The constant movement when underway would help stop any freezing from happening, but staying still in a slip on a lake is too risky for my thinking. I just don't think it's worth the chance. This is a situation where if there is an error in judgement, OOP's just won't hack it.


Ray

[puggsy]

I am not sure if this will help, considering I am in an area where midwinter gets no colder than -5 but more usually about 8-15....The word 'snow' means nothing.
To stop the freezing, just add lots of salt to the water...even if seawater.
Or even METHYLATED SPIRITS...
Leased a shop once with old fashioned long benches fitted with cylindrical tubs, into which went the bulk icecream containers. The water jacket [ like in an old car] was filled with a water/ methylated mixture that froze the icecream but always remained liquid, and was cooled by the compressor.
It is the solidifying that is the danger. Ice expands and will crack anything. It sunk SHACKLETON 's ship.
The trick is to keep it liquid.
Puggsy....

[c130king]

Just to clarify from the original question.

If the lake never freezes, then the ballast would not freeze....right?

I mean in the south it will go below freezing 5-6 times each winter...rarely for more than a day or two. And occassionally you will get a VERY thin layer of ice on some lakes. So it seems to me that if that happens you might have a very thin layer of ice in your ballast tank...which is never completely full...at least I can always hear a little "gurgling" so I am assuming there must be a little air space in there.

So is there a problem with leaving the ballast in? Doesn't seem like there would be.

But all those other ideas to keep ballast from freezing...including emptying the ballast before you get to the slip...are still valid. In fact, when I do leave my ballast in (did once for 8 weeks in a slip), I put in some Clorox to keep any critters from growing in there. What effect would Clorox have on freezing?

Jim

[NiceAft]

Ice cubes with a clean, fresh scent

Ray

[Kelly Hanson East]

What effect would Clorox have on freezing?

ANy solute in the water depresses the freezing point (so called colligative properties) and it turns out the amount of freezing point depression doesnt depend on the choice of solute (bleach, salt, gel coat, leftover political ads, whatever) but only on the

"molal freezing point depression constant" which is a constant for each liquid

You probably couldnt put enough bleach into the ballast tank to protect from freezing without gassing yourself out.

0 degrees F is actually set by the freezing point of a salt saturated solution interesting enough.

(Scientists may note I have taken some liberties with the truth in this post, for the purpose of minimising verbosity..)

[c130king]

Now I know why I dropped Chemistry in college...

[Love MACs]

Pardon my lack of chemistry, but couldn't u just put a gal of antifreeze in the ballast tank and that would take care of the freezing At least in the mid-west or further south.



Allan

[Kelly Hanson East]

Ill run the calc and tell you how much EG you would need....standby....

[Kelly Hanson East]

Okay I get ROM 20% solution by volume - I think the ballast tank is about 400l or more??

So to get protection to -20F you would need about 80 liters (20 US Gallons) of EG at 7 USD a gallon.

a bit dear.......

[Love MACs]

Whew OK I am ready for the next solution. But even trying to empty your ballast before winter will leave some residual water, so wouldn't a gal or so take care of that???

Allan

[Kelly Hanson East]

Those few gallons of water have plenty of room to expand, so you can just let them freeze...just like I do in the GWN...