Marinas and bilge blower usage

rcflyyer1

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Jul 6, 2020
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Hello,

First post here so (very) sorry if this is in the wrong section. I have a Sea Ray 280 Sundancer with twin Merc 4.3s that I keep in dry storage. The boat stays in a building, so a fork lift drives out and puts the boat in the water.

I've read on here the importance of using a bilge blower fan for 4 minutes before starting the engines to ventilate any fuel vapors. I've observed a few times at my marina that the guys moving the boats after they get put into the water want to save time and just start the engines without touching the blower. I get that moving the boats out of the loading slip quickly makes sense but for the small amount of I/O boats at my marina, should extra care be given?

I was thinking of installing a fuel vapor detector alarm that would turn on my bilge fan automatically, but still doing some research.

Thanks
 
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cptbill

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Oct 6, 2012
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A vapor alarm sounds like a great idea and you won't here me saying don't do it, but make sure the insurance is up to date just in case. Marinas have been going that forever and I'll bet there are very few if any instances that something bad has happened
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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roffey

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I was told that just moving the boat will vent the fumes as the side vents will get air flow over them... having said that I sure would not trust it just to save a few minutes...
 

racerone

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Dec 28, 2013
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Speak to the marina manager !!------There is no excuse for not running the blower before cranking.-----If they have a boat go ----" boom " ----in the marina then likely the policy / attitude will change.
 

mr 88

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Nov 3, 2010
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Hello,



I was thinking of installing a fuel vapor detector alarm that would turn on my bilge fan automatically, but still doing some research.

Thanks
Boat I recently sold had a fume detector that would disarm the ignition switch if it detected fuel vapors, was always on when battery was turned on.. I switch my blower on before ,during and after filling up. What happens if you turn it on after that and you have a short/frayed wire or anything else that can cause a spark. Usually if its running you won't get a stray spark like you might if you hit the on switch. Also before leaving my dock or fuel station I stick my nose in the engine compartment , just for peace of mind if nothing else.
 

JimS123

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Jul 27, 2007
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If my marina was that sloppy I would fire them and go elsewhere.

If you ever had an idiot blow up their boat right next to you because they didn't follow simple common sense directions, your opinion would be just like mine.

(I been doin tat for 45 years and nevr had a problum cuzin (imagine with a redneck accent))
 

roscoe

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Oct 30, 2002
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Are you sure they aren't turning the blower on before they transport the boat?
 

Texasmark

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Dec 20, 2005
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I never turned my blower on till after fueling. Reason being, if wind was blowing the right direction it might suck in fuel fumes....I mean, if you can smell them and you are sitting on the gunwale with your nose up where it is and vapors are heavier than air.......

I too stuck my head down in the hatch and smelled before starting.
 

JASinIL2006

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Feb 10, 2012
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I never turned my blower on till after fueling. Reason being, if wind was blowing the right direction it might suck in fuel fumes....I mean, if you can smell them and you are sitting on the gunwale with your nose up where it is and vapors are heavier than air.......

I too stuck my head down in the hatch and smelled before starting.

Yeah, I thought turning the blower on while fueling was a big no-no.
 

rcflyyer1

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Jul 6, 2020
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Great info from everyone! I will contact the manager and have a chat about their policy. Currently, when I stick my head down in the bilge, I do smell a little bit of fuel (I think) odor. Nothing strong but definitely has a distinct "bilge" smell. People have told me that fuel vapors seep out of the hoses but I'm not sure. My bilge blower intakes are situated pretty low in the bilge below each engine so that gives me enough confidence, but have to make sure they use them.
 

mr 88

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Yeah, I thought turning the blower on while fueling was a big no-no.

So what's the difference if you turn the blower on 10 seconds or so after your fueled up or while fueling ? Vapors may will still be there and a spark from a bad connection or frayed wire while turning the blower on will have the same deadly results.
 

mr 88

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I never turned my blower on till after fueling. Reason being, if wind was blowing the right direction it might suck in fuel fumes....

I
The blower will.suck out any fumes and force them out the vents regardless of wind direction ,unless it's a hurricane.. If anything on a windy day more fresh sir is finding it's way to the engine compartment and that along with the blower should disperse any vapors more quickly than with no air entering the engine bay. Please explain your last sentence.
 

roffey

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When I start up my boat after a few days of rest, I open the dog house for a minute or so... and run the blower.
 

Texasmark

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The blower will.suck out any fumes and force them out the vents regardless of wind direction ,unless it's a hurricane.. If anything on a windy day more fresh sir is finding it's way to the engine compartment and that along with the blower should disperse any vapors more quickly than with no air entering the engine bay. Please explain your last sentence.

I had a Starcraft 18' Holiday I/O. i don't remember the location of the fill port. I do remember the scoops and connecting tubes and do remember what I said. I did what I did because it made me sleep better at night!

I never disassembled a blower but I would assume, being what they were, they would be sealed such that DC brush arcing wouldn't ignite bilge fuel.

I found that leaving some Bilge Wash in the bilge helped to control bilge odor which always had a tad of fuel smell.
 

JASinIL2006

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I have four vents on the rear of my boat; three are passive vents and one is connected to the blower. The gas fill spout sits only a couple of feet away from them. If I were to run the blower while fueling, I almost certainly would be drawing in gas fumes thru the passive vents because air discharged by the blower is replaced with fresh air via the vents. If there are concentrated fumes around the boat, the last thing I want to do create a situation where those fumes are being sucked back into the bilge.
 
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