Sundeck Bilge Blower Replacement

[tompkin]

The bilge blower on my '03 Sundeck 220 sounds like a shop-vac. I have read that blowers tend to get loud towards the end of their life.

Can anyone recommend a quieter blower, and/or a mounting technique involving some sort of dampening that could quiet things down a bit?

The model currently installed is a Rule model 240 4" Blower

Also, as far as wiring goes for the replacement- what is the best way to connect the wires? ( using a soldering iron in the engine bay seems a bit dangerous..)


much appreciated!

 

[In Two Deep]

I like a load blower It is the only way I remember to turn it off! :grin:

 

[Lazy Daze]

Unless you are very skilled at proper soldering techniques (most use too much), I would avoid that. Improper technique can cause the connection to get brittle and break. Plus, you would also have to mechanically support the connection so it doesn't flex.

Simple butt connectors are sufficient. A step up would be using heat shrink tubing or adhesive-lined shrink or even butt connectors with the adhesive heat shrink built in.

It won't totally make the sound go away, but you can dampen it a bit by mounting the blower to some short lengths of rubber hose (1-1/2"-ish), then mount the rubber hose to the boat.

 

[SteveRuss]

I just changed one of mine. I replaced what was already there so I could use the same mounting holes. Atwood Turbo 4000 series II. About 28 bucks on Ebay. Very quiet compared to the other one that is still running. To install I just cut the wire from the current one, installed two waterproof push connectors and mates to the new blower and remaining wire then shrinkwrapped them (probably not necessary).

 

[tompkin]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I ordered the Atwood 4000 series II, and will use the rubber hose mounting technique with the butt connectors. Will report back next week with it all set up.

 

[JimT]

This is the hot setup.

http://www.hodgesmarine.com/Jabsco-4-250-Cfm-Flexmount-Heavy-Duty-Blower-1-p/jab35770-0092.htm

 

[tompkin]

I can't stand it when there is no resolution to a thread..so here it is!

I installed the new Atwood blower yesterday and, drumroll please.........YES. it is quieter than the old one. (thank god)

Though it is not necessarily quiet, it definitely beats the obnoxious drone of the old one which was often louder than the sound of the engine.

I also read somewhere on another forum that if your vent hose bends 90° immediately before or after the blower, it will be noisier...I experimented a bit by pulling the extra hose length straight for several inches and then having it bend 90 degrees. This also has a pronounced effect on the noise so I will probably rig something up to keep the hose straighter near the blower.

Here is a photo of it installed on the rubber hose mounts I made.

Overall, I am pleased, thank you for the replies.

 

[LawyerMan]

While we're talking bilge blowers, I have this problem: When I turn mine on I get an electrical-interference whining noise that comes through the boat speakers. How can I fix that?