Blower vent tube

[dwna1a]

The other day I used fake smoke in my bilge to check my ventilation system...I know it's just the fireman in me. Everything was going great till I found that none of the smoke was coming out my Starboard vent, a closer look found it coming out from behind the cockpit siding. The tube had ripped somewhere along the side wall. No real biggie, new tube. Question is , would it do any good to install another blower mid line in the tube to boast exhaust ventilation? I seems as if it is a very long run from the front of the engine to the stern of the boat.

 

[eweise]

How do you make "fake smoke"? That sounds like a good idea to test the blowers.

 

[kaz911]

The other day I used fake smoke in my bilge to check my ventilation system...I know it's just the fireman in me. Everything was going great till I found that none of the smoke was coming out my Starboard vent, a closer look found it coming out from behind the cockpit siding. The tube had ripped somewhere along the side wall. No real biggie, new tube. Question is , would it do any good to install another blower mid line in the tube to boast exhaust ventilation? I seems as if it is a very long run from the front of the engine to the stern of the boat.

The losses in tube LENGTH are small compared to bends. So no need for more noise unless the tube bends around everywhere at > 45 degrees. If you have a lot of 45+ degree bends - see if you can straighten them out. That will increase efficiency more than adding another blower.

 

[dwna1a]

Thanks, I didn't think about the noise from the blower. There's only two sharp bends one where the tube moves from the engine room into the side of the boat, the other where it enters the vent box. Neither can be straightened out.

Fake smoke can be made a couple of ways, a smoke generator or canned smoke (to test smoke detectors) I used a small generator made for Halloween. I used a small fan to act as the intake air and the blowers for exsaust. I had seen to many posts this year of boat fires due to poor ventilation after fueling. I know it was silly, but it did find this issue

 

[Ten Years Gone]

I know it was silly, but it did find this issue

I don't think it was silly at all...in fact a brilliant idea! I'm going to do that in the spring before first launch. I have a small fog machine for stage lighting that should do the trick. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Gary Hill]

I don't think it was silly at all...in fact a brilliant idea! I'm going to do that in the spring before first launch. I have a small fog machine for stage lighting that should do the trick. Thanks for the idea.

+1 Me Too

 

[kaz911]

If you are going to make smoke - then find someone with a medical "grass" license. They would have a "trip" doing it in a closed engine room

 

[eweise]

Thanks, I will look for the canned smoke. I thought it was a great idea!

 

[dwna1a]

Great idea is to find a neighbor with a big Halloween set up and borrow the smoke gen... It hangs in the air longer and can easily be seen when it comes out. It doesn't take a ton of smoke for as small of a space as I have and vent before plugging it in. Mine has a tube that comes off the machine, I just put that tube near the blower fans so that I didn't fill the engine room with the fake stuff.

The canned smoke will work but it would take two people, one at the blower the other at the vent. I didn't go that route due to the fact my slip neighbors thinking I was going a little overboard to check the system.