do you run the engine blower all the time ?

A

aerobat77

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Aug 12, 2014
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germany
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i did it in the past because beyond gas fumes i believed to reach an overall better engine room ventilation with more fresh air for combustion, but now i,m not sure about it.

technically the blower sucks out one side and so forcing fresh air into the compartnent the other side. but the engine by itself sucks much amounts of air inside the compartnent thru the inlets , and so -especially at high speeds- a blower sucking air out acts against the engine sucking air in - at least at that inlet where the blower is installed.

what do you think ?
 
From memory Searay instructions advise to run blowers at slow speeds. I run mine all the time so I don't have to think about switching them back on when I slow down.

The blower draws air out of the lowest part of the bilge and the engine effectively draws air out of the bilge as well. At then end of the day it is replaced by fresh air which is the aim. As previously mentioned above it is not necessary to run the blowers at higher speeds so the blower wouldn't be acting against the engine in the way you described. To this end I don't think a couple of 12 volt blowers are going to starve an engine of air.
 
I generally run mine all the time but my fan is obnoxiously loud so I will cycle the blower on and off regularly if I'm running at conversation speed just reduce the noise. I'm paranoid about fumes so it's on more often than it's off.
 
I turn mine on when I get on the boat while prepping to get underway, and don't turn it off unless the engines are off. This has been my habit over the last 20 some years, mainly because I run a lot at slow speeds, and don't want to think about turning on and off. A few years back, after fueling, I returned 50 miles to home at various speeds, and after tying up and shutting down, when entering the cabin I started smelling strong gas fumes. Long story short, I found I had a leak in my starboard fuel tank and had fuel filling my bilge from the time I fueled. I hate to think what may have happened had I not been running the blowers the entire trip to prevent the buildup of fumes!
Rob
 
juggernaut1 said:
From memory Searay instructions advise to run blowers at slow speeds. I run mine all the time so I don't have to think about switching them back on when I slow down.

The blower draws air out of the lowest part of the bilge and the engine effectively draws air out of the bilge as well. At then end of the day it is replaced by fresh air which is the aim. As previously mentioned above it is not necessary to run the blowers at higher speeds so the blower wouldn't be acting against the engine in the way you described. To this end I don't think a couple of 12 volt blowers are going to starve an engine of air.
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#2 on the slow speeds and before start up.
 
I run them all the time. More air being exchanged reduces the chance of fumes and in theory lowers engine room temp which makes the engines run more efficiently. No down side except for a little more noise.
 
You only need to run it at low speed, the vents scoop in more air than the blower itself can displace unless they are clogged or incorrectly installed. the system is designed to remove fumes from lower bilge and displace it with fresh air.. turn on 5 min before starting if at all possible sniff test is best way to know for sure.. I have always opened engine compartments before starting engines especially customers I don't know..we have had several boats in our area burn to water line some in tensional oh yah they got caught..
 
It's only really "needed" before start-up and at slow speeds. Once you're moving faster, there's more than enough natural ventilation. Running the blowers doesn't, realistically, give any better ventilation. BUT, you're not hurting anything by doing so. Other than, of course, shortening the lifespan of the blower - but they're inexpensive and tend to last pretty long, anyways.
 
I am very conscious of the blowers and run them when needed but mine are so obnoxiously loud that I can hear them on plane so they go off when on plane and immediately back on when coming off plane even if it's just for a couple minutes. Sea ray (on my model) says run them below cruising speeds. That could be 7knots for some people so since its not clear, they stay on until I hammer the throttles. I turn the blowers off just before I accelerate so I can listen to the engines very clearly but once off plane I hit the switch again. Everyone on board knows this is protocol.
 
AFD said:
I am very conscious of the blowers and run them when needed but mine are so obnoxiously loud that I can hear them on plane so they go off when on plane and immediately back on when coming off plane even if it's just for a couple minutes. Sea ray (on my model) says run them below cruising speeds. That could be 7knots for some people so since its not clear, they stay on until I hammer the throttles. I turn the blowers off just before I accelerate so I can listen to the engines very clearly but once off plane I hit the switch again. Everyone on board knows this is protocol.
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glad im not the only one who thinks our 290s blowers are ridiculously loud. I thought about trying to get a quieter blower and mount it on some kind of dampening, but it might just be the design of the blower vents on these boats.
 
Strecker25 said:
glad im not the only one who thinks our 290s blowers are ridiculously loud. I thought about trying to get a quieter blower and mount it on some kind of dampening, but it might just be the design of the blower vents on these boats.
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They are so loud, I feel lime it's in the hollows of the radar arch next to my head. They ramp up too like turbo lag in an old diesel
 
I run my blowers from before the engines and generator start until after they are shut down. My blowers were loud as well until I replaced both with squirrel cage blowers. They are MUCH quieter. Some of the best money I spent so far.
 
I can't speak for boats other than our 280, but having replaced a blower (mount broke while I was changing water heater) I know ours are not rated for continuous service. I wouldn't recommend running them other than at start up.

Henry


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On my 250, I ran the blower before startup and when running below planing speeds. I hated that blower for being so loud. On the 390, you can barely hear the blowers run, and after last weekend's fuel filter leak at the gas dock I'll be leaving the blowers on all the time for safety's sake.
 
thanks much for your opinions gents !

blower for safety readons of course - no exeptions.

but what about performance at wot with blower on vs off ? i never tried if there is a difference .

common sense dictates that the blower sucking air out the compartment acts against the engine sucking combustion air inside the compartment.

of course on the other hand sucking out the one side of inlets forces new air being sucked in the other side of the inlets...
 
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