Winterize with ValvTech

Important winterizing information from ValvTect:

As we move from summer to fall, properly preparing your vessel for winter storage is very important to protect your investment and have a trouble free start-up in the spring.

The heart of your vessel is its engine….regardless if you own a sailboat or power boat. Improper winterization of the engine and its fuel can cause unnecessary expense or even engine failure.  The introduction of ethanol blended gasoline, ultra low sulfur diesel and biodiesel have created a significant problems for boat owners that require special attention. 

Ed. note: Here at CYY we have removed hard crystalline deposits from several fuel systems this summer. In all of the cases, the boat owners were using biodiesel blends from land-based stations.

Gasoline Engines

All gasoline in our area is blended with up to 10% ethanol (E10). In some cases 15% (E15) and 85% (E85) may be available. Under no circumstances should you use ethanol blended gasoline with more than 10% ethanol. Since ethanol is very corrosive, can separate from the gasoline and degrade quickly. It is essential E10 always be treated with an ethanol gasoline treatment such as ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment.  This is especially important when storing your vessel over the winter. When storing your boat the gasoline tank should be 7/8 full.  This will prevent condensation from developing in the tank that can lead to phase separation of the ethanol and reduce harmful vapors from escaping.

Additional items that need to be addressed are:

(1) run fogging oil through the carburetor (if so equipped) and cylinders by spraying fogging oil in the spark plug holes

(2) for higher horsepower outboards use ValvTect Marine Motor De-Carbonizer to remove hard carbon deposits on the piston head which can cause powerhead failure.

(3) Be sure to run the engine dry of fuel by disconnecting the fuel line while the engine is running. (4) Change all filters.

Diesel Engines

All diesel fuel is now ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and contains less than 15ppm sulfur.  Almost all USLD available at service stations in our area contain 10% or more biodiesel. While both of these fuels are environmentally friendly they are very “problematic” for use in marine engines. We recommend you DO NOT use a diesel fuel that contains biodiesel.  Biodiesel, and USLD present some of the same problems as ethanol for marine engines. In addition, they are very susceptible to bacteria growth.  Non-biodiesel blended diesel fuel may only be available at marinas. It is more expensive but worth the additional cost.  We recommend all USLD be treated with ValvTect BioGuard Plus 6 to prevent bacteria growth and corrosion, lubricate injectors and fuel pumps and stabilize the fuel.  Change all filters. Fill the fuel tank to 7/8 full.  Do not run the engine dry.

Some of ValvTect's popular products for winterizing are available in our ship's store. ValvTect makes many products to solve many fuel related problems on your engine. If we don't carry the ValvTech product that you want, we can special order it for you. For more information regarding ValvTech products please browse their website, click here.