Hot Water Foaming Every Spring Launch

[Midnightsun]

Ok, I have been boating for most of my adult life and finally I will ask this question since I am stumped. Every spring when we fill the water tank it seems like there is all kids of ait mixed in on the hot water side. Seems to "foam" up for several tanks before it eventually disappears.

Question, does anyone know why it does this and if so is there an easy way to commision the system to minimise this. I asked a few people around the docks and everyone says it is normal so I cannot be the only one not to mention this was common on the last 3 boats I had including this Carver.

Finally launced her Saturday by the way. All snugged up in home port and ready for another season.

[mjk1040]

I always assumed there was a lot of air in the system and tank and thus the foaming until you got every bit of the air out of the systems and tanks!

[Midnightsun]

I assume the same so I guess that makes asses out of both of us. Seriously, really would like a solution to a quick no foam commissioning if it exists.

[tomschauer]

I haven't had the problem, so maybe I am doing something different.
For winterizing, I turn the water heater to bypass, shut off breaker, open drain and relief valve to drain the tank. Then winterize the rest of the system.
For spring commissioning, I pass a few tanks of water through the system before opening my water heater bypass. I close the drain valve, keep the relief valve open and fill the heater until water flows steady from the relief valve. Close valve, turn on breaker and wa la. No antifreeze ever enters my water heater.

[Midnightsun]

Source of the post I haven't had the problem, so maybe I am doing something different.
For winterizing, I turn the water heater to bypass, shut off breaker, open drain and relief valve to drain the tank. Then winterize the rest of the system.
For spring commissioning, I pass a few tanks of water through the system before opening my water heater bypass. I close the drain valve, keep the relief valve open and fill the heater until water flows steady from the relief valve. Close valve, turn on breaker and wa la. No antifreeze ever enters my water heater.

Hmmm, to late now but will try the bypass remains intact and vent through relief valve thing next year. Maybe this corrects the issue as opposed to selecting hot water on a faucet to fill the water heater.

[tomschauer]

My guess would be that some anti freeze is getting into your heater and foaming when heated. Water shouldn't foam, even with air in the tank.

[Midnightsun]

Nope, heater is alway bypassed when adding pink stuff. Foam is maybe the wrong word, more like highly aerated is maybe more appropriate. Then again I removed the bypass prior to flushing so some pink maybe got into the heater.

[bud37]

Sometimes the pink stuff gets caught in the dead ends and from experience I can say that it takes very little of it to create the foam.....does it have that odor or ....I bypass our tank , it never sees AF ...in the spring we fill the tank and flush every line both hot and cold, then and only then do we fill the water heater tank, we dont seem to get the foaming. Now the first heat cycle is going to move a fair bit of air out if the heater setting is quite high.

I had a previous boat that had gotten pink in the tank and it took years to get it all out....

[Midnightsun]

Definately going to try a full flush/fill in bypass mode before filling the heater next year. Thanks for the input. Mucho appreciated.

[tomschauer]

Yep, a bit of the pink will make a stink! make sure you fully flush your entire system, don't forget the transom shower, anchor wash down, showers you don't use etc. or whatever you have before adding water to the heater.