Blower or no blower?

Groucho

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2008
1,614
Albany/Lake George NY
Boat Info
2004 320 DA
Engines
6.2 V-Drives
Well...The boat is out till Spring now, so I figured I would ask the question, I know it is recommended but in reality who uses the blower for 4 minutes...or at all....??when first starting or underway. With the fuel injected motors of today they do not expel the gas vapors of the past. Frankly the SR blowers are so noisy I will have to replace mine with something quieter for next year..
 
On four minutes before starting the genny - genny runs the entire time away from the dock - back into the dock and shut down genny, and shut down blowers four minutes later.

I also confirm air is coming out both port and starboard blower vents. If a blower takes a dump, who cares - easy to replace, inexpensive, and cheap insurance.
 

Gas.. without exception ..I always did a smell test by opening the engine hatch before putting the blowers on.... always. A person made your fuel system. People make mistakes
 
S.O.P for me:
Raise hatch/smell test
Blowers on for a full 4 to 5 minutes.
Start genset.
Start Engines.
Lower Hatch.
Blowers stay on until we return to the dock and are the last things off.
The fumes from 1/4 cup of gasoline are equal to 15 sticks of dynamite...
 
4 minutes minimum before every start and sniff test i do not run blower while underway. One of my peeves is when gas dock attendants try to rush you off the dock well before 4 minutes.
 
Yes, use your head but also use your nose. I do a quick check of the ER using the day hatch looking for oil leaks or the smell of fuel before firing the engines. Blowers on when less than planing speeds too. Got rid of my noisy blower by swiping it out for a squirrel cage type - much quieter and can be run continuously is desired. It's a good item to have for running the genny on the hook.
 
Unfortunately, most of the guys and gals who didn't run their blowers can no longer tell us why they made that decision. RIP.

Is 4 minutes of a subtle "whine" really that much of an inconvenience to prevent an explosion?

Gasoline vapors are explosive, period. There's a reason ABYC makes blowers a required equipment item on boats with an inboard gasoline engine.

Please be responsible and use your blowers, or get a diesel-powered boat.
 
IMG_4230.JPG
Yes. I do run it as well as sniff before turning the keys. Also at the fuel dock even telling the kids pumping gas to slow down and not rush the process. Many of them do not seem to read the signs posted about fueling safety procedures.
 
Well...The boat is out till Spring now, so I figured I would ask the question, I know it is recommended but in reality who uses the blower for 4 minutes...or at all....??when first starting or underway. With the fuel injected motors of today they do not expel the gas vapors of the past. Frankly the SR blowers are so noisy I will have to replace mine with something quieter for next year..

I do. Replaced the Atwood inline blowers with Jabsco squirrel cages. Can barely hear them.
 
Gas or Diesel - it changes how I use a blower.

When I had a Gas boat (340 DA) I ran the blower for 4-5 minutes before starting the engines. Maybe overly cautious, but a friend I grew up with spent a month or so in a burn unit and carries permanent scars from a flash that occurred because gas fumes had accumulated.

Diesel, somewhere around the time I start the engine I turn on the blowers. Usually when I start the genset the blowers go on, switches are together and it is an easy reminder.

Blowers run the whole time the mains are running. After shut down of the mains and the genset, usually run the blowers another 10-20 minutes at least. Depends on how hard we have been running and the ambient temp. Very hot weather and long hard runs, I don't mind the blowers going for 30 minutes after shutdown.

My opinion, heat in the engine room significantly impacts battery life. I really do not want batteries sitting in the heat any more than they have too.
 
I turn in on a few minutes before I start it and let it run the whole time.

This plus I have a fume detector in the engine room. Every boat with an enclosed engine and/or fuel tank should be required to have one.
 
When I had an inboard I would start the blower during my engine checks (oil, transmission fluid, etc.) and leave them on until I was putting the boat away for the day. My engine was so loud that once I started the engine no one could hear the blower! :D
 
I always open the hatch on the ER and check fluids and look for anything our of the ordinary first startup when getting to the boat if I smell no vapour I dont usually bother,I do run them before a hot start and I do run the blowers 4 min and idling away from fuelling
 
I run my blower. Easy to do.

We had a boat blow up in a harbor near me last year. Just fueled up. VERY experienced boater, hard core recreational fisherman. Probably got complacent. He died, his buddy was seriously injured.
 
When I am heading out on the boat, as soon as I get on board I flip the blower switch. Then it runs while I get the canvas off and stow gear etc and untie the extra lines and disconnect shore power. Then I sniff the air coming out of the vents before starting the engines. SOP for me. Doesn’t add any time. I do turn them off while running though. Probably should rethink that. At the fuel dock, as soon as they finish fueling, the blowers go on again while paying etc. So they run about 4 or 5 minutes before restart. Again, smelling the air coming out the vents before.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
112,873
Messages
1,420,838
Members
60,871
Latest member
cbrcassio
Back
Top