need help with frozen bilge

so i went down to my boat to day that on a trailer in the yard. i have tarp over it and the tarp is in a point to repel the water. well we just have 5" of rain sleet and ice. the boat has water in it and the drain won't drain because it's frozen. is there any way i can keep the bilge form freezing so i can get the work to the boat down outside with out worrying about all the water and ice? also i can't pump the water out because of it's frozen to the floor by ice. iv'e tried to put a pump of hot water in the drain hole but no luck.

Re: need help with frozen bilge

pink antifreeze. next time leave your plug out.

Re: need help with frozen bilge

i left my plug out it froze in the hole. so if i put antifreeze in now will it unfreeze it ?

Re: need help with frozen bilge

I had the same happen to me earlier in the year when I left on business trip w/o closing one of the hatch covers. Threw a hand full of rock salt in there. Problem solved.

Re: need help with frozen bilge

Nope,... It's Waaay to Cold to be Glassin'...

Re: need help with frozen bilge

Bond-o said:

Nope,... It's Waaay to Cold to be Glassin'...

Click to expand...

LOL Good one Bond-o !

Re: need help with frozen bilge

It depends on how thick the ice is.

If it is more then an inch or so, you need to both melt the ice, and have some where for the water to go.

One trick would be to drill VERY CAREFULY thru the ice with out hiting the boat. Start from outside and drill thru the drain plug. (You did say the plug is out). Then apply heat or drill from inside to hit the hole you just drilled.

Then add lots of rocksalt and or heat.

If you do not open the drain hole for the bildge, when you melt the top layer of ice, it will just sit on the ice and refreeze.

If you have a garage, throw the boat in the garage and heat the garage, it will take sone time but it will thaw.

Good luck.

Re: need help with frozen bilge

Hey,

If your boat has the type of bilge that simply won't drain completely even with the drain plug out, you can lift the jack another foot or so by using two blocks. To do this, simply jack it up as far as it will go and find a block tall enough to support the nose of the trailer (right before the tongue), then lift the jack by using another block under the jack wheel to lift the nose another foot for winter.

One thing I should have done is throw some salt and antifreeze in the bilge just before covering it up...

Hope it helps.

E-Man.

Re: need help with frozen bilge

I suggest a 500 watt halogen light to slowly thaw the ice. you can place it under the cover. It should work if the outside temp is above 25 degrees. I dont like salt, it is corrosive. I suggest replacing your cover or treating it. leaky covers lead to soft decks and rotten stringers. A heat gun at the bilge plug will also slowly melt the ice, or a long metal punch heated with a torch will poke through the hole.