When should I run my blower?

[Mason78]

I recently read this article on another thread
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_n...to-marina-fire

When should I run my blower?

We ski/wakeboard for hours at a time and the engine is constantly being turned on and off as skiers climb in and out of the boat. Should I be running the blower?

I gas up about 5 miles from the launch ramp so I have never ran the blower after fueling.

This is only my second boating season so I am still learning. Any suggestions/advice is appreciated.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: When should I run my blower?

I run my blower all the time for similar reasons that you stated about stopping, etc. That way you do not have to remember to turn it on/off if idling for a while, etc.

 

[Philster]

Re: When should I run my blower?

If you don't want to run it all the time, try to do so when running at idle speed (no wake speeds) and when you are doing a lot of starting/stopping it might as well just stay on. This in addition to using it at all other times when you start the boat.

Of course, it makes zero sense to use it to draw in dangerous fumes at a gas dock while you are filling up. When done pumping gas, this is probably the time to really look and smell around while the blower runs.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: When should I run my blower?

I run it any time I'm not on plane, and always for 2 minutes prior to starting if it has been shut off for any length of time.

 

[shrew]

Re: When should I run my blower?

If you have to ask, then it's time to take a Boaters Safety Course. You should be running your blower for 5 minutes PARTICULARLY after you fuel up. This is the most important time to run the blower. Even if you don't spill fuel, gas vapors will escape during the filling process. Gas vapor is heavier than air and will find the lowest portion of your boat. This is typically the engine compartment.

I run it for 5 min. if the boat has sat. If I'm just stopping hte motor to allow a swimmer/wakeboarder/skier to embark/disembark and it's been stopped for only a few minutes, then I wouldn't bother. Sitting for a few hours, such as the dock of a restaurant........blower.

 

[southkogs]

Re: When should I run my blower?

I've started running mine pretty constantly. 2-5 min before start up, couple of minutes after shut-down and almost always while underway. BTW - the blower (I think) is the original one from '72. You probably can't over-run it.

 

[BoatDrinksQ5]

Re: When should I run my blower?

Was turning off while cruising the first few times out this year.... forgot it off a couple times... :facepalm:

Now i just leave it on all of the time while underway!

My exhaust gas from the blower is clean and fresh like a new car... pretty much no point in running it IMHO... but I do because i like my boat and my passengers lives

 

[Ned L]

Re: When should I run my blower?

Proper use of a bilge blower is good practice. However you need to keep in mind that a bilge blower will only address a symptom and not a problem. A bower will remove the fumes which shouldn’t be there in the first place, and if there are fumes that are removed by a blower the source of those fumes is not going to be fixed. It is as important to stick your nose in the bilge and do a ‘sniff test’ as it is to run the blower. You will never know if there is a problem (like a bilge full of gas) if you only run the blower, and you can easily smell gas fumes LONG before they get to an explosive concentration. With that in mind my personal thoughts are that it is more important to actually check and smell the bilge than it is to just arbitrarily run the bilge blower.

 

[aerobat]

Re: When should I run my blower?

gents, i fail to see any use in running the blower with a running engine ! the blower sucks the air out the compartment and simultany the running engine tries to suck air in .

so they work against other and thats not a good blow job !

 

[H20Rat]

Re: When should I run my blower?

gents, i fail to see any use in running the blower with a running engine ! the blower sucks the air out the compartment and simultany the running engine tries to suck air in .

so they work against other and thats not a good blow job !

no they don't and almost all manufacturers recommend running the blower when the engine is at idle speed. The engine is doing the EXACT same thing as the blower, they compliment each other. The engine is sucking in bilge air, and spitting it overboard (the exhaust) Same thing the blower is doing.

At idle speed, there isn't much air going through the engine, so running the blower is advised. Above idle speed, the engine is sucking air in faster than the blower, so there is no longer a reason to, but running the blower won't hurt. There is no constriction on the air inlet into a bilge generally, so the blower is not taking away air or causing any amount of negative pressure.

 

[Alumarine]

Re: When should I run my blower?

It's also a good idea to make sure that the blower is actually blowing air out the vent.
I discovered the hose on mine came off and it was doing nothing but making noise.

Mine is from 1974 and has almost as many hours on it as the motor, so they certainly last a long time.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: When should I run my blower?

no they don't and almost all manufacturers recommend running the blower when the engine is at idle speed. The engine is doing the EXACT same thing as the blower, they compliment each other. The engine is sucking in bilge air, and spitting it overboard (the exhaust) Same thing the blower is doing.

At idle speed, there isn't much air going through the engine, so running the blower is advised. Above idle speed, the engine is sucking air in faster than the blower, so there is no longer a reason to, but running the blower won't hurt. There is no constriction on the air inlet into a bilge generally, so the blower is not taking away air or causing any amount of negative pressure.

I think he was joking. Hence the winking smiley, lol.

 

[rednecktech00]

Re: When should I run my blower?

I know the recommendations about only running it a few minutes before start up and at idle. However, for me, remembering to turn it on and off is one more detail I would rather not have to worry about.

The consequences of a senior moment are too great to take a chance.

I turn mine on as soon as start my pre-launch. Never turn it off until back on the trailer. The draw on the battery is just not that great for the hours we are out.

I also question the point above about both the fan and the engine taking air out of the compartment. My fan blows out on one side only. The design is to force air out one side and bring fresh air in from the other. Right?

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: When should I run my blower?

Guys, no one here has mentioned the "MAIN" reason the blowers are there to start with.

The blowers are there to remove fumes that occur mainly from carburated engines. When you have shut your motor off, there is burnoff that accures from the carburator. This causes gas fumes! The blower is suppose to be turned on for (4) minutes before restarting the motor each time the motor has been shut down. Doesn't matter if it was shut down 15 minutes ago or yesterday or last week. Run the bllower before starting the motor.

Now if you are running the blower while cruising, you are basically doing it for nothing. The air vents should be evacuting and inhaling air all the time while on the move. It is good to still run the blower while ideling out of a harbor until there is good air flow around the boat or until you are on a higher rpm than idel. In other words, good air being circulated into and out of the boat by the air vents. This is there job after all.

The blower is not suppose to be run at the fuel dock while fueling. You are suppose to run it for 4 to 5 minutes after fueling is done not while fueling.

 

[Mason78]

Re: When should I run my blower?

If you have to ask, then it's time to take a Boaters Safety Course.

I have taken a safety course instructed by local Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel. There was no mention of engine compartment blowers.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: When should I run my blower?

I have taken a safety course instructed by local Coast Guard Auxiliary personnel. There was no mention of engine compartment blowers.

Go back and look at the handbook/books they gave you. I bet you it is in there. It is also in the coast gaurd regs and also in most boat owners manuals. the coast gaurd coarse I took, though it was many years past, always covered blowers, fumes, fueling, and fire extingishers including how many is required.

 

[Augoose]

Re: When should I run my blower?

As said, its cheap insurance. I run mine before starting, after stopping and at any speed below plane.