Yes, you do need to keep them running, not negotiable! It's not really any louder than the sound of the genny, and the blowers are further away from the sleeping quarters, so my guess is you would hear the genny vs the blowers.

 

Ours are run when on the hook, but are very quiet. We never sleep with a genny running because CO can be drawn into the cabin by the AC on calm, still evenings when the boat moves around on its anchor. This can set off the CO detectors.

 

DQ,

On the 310DA the blower housings are screwed to the mid-cabin bulkhead. If you sleep in that berth, they roar. I have been meaning to loosen the screws and put a rubber pad under the housings to see if it helps. I don't know when I'll get around to it, but if you try it first, please let us know if it helps.

The other possible solution, that I have heard about, is to replace the blowers with squirrel-cage units that are supposed to be quieter.

 

Thanks guys both very good things to know. I don't think we will be running the genny while sleeping. That is just too scary!!

I am also glad someone told us, we ran it without the blower running a couple of times!! YIKES!! Not sleeping thank god!!

I think I need to read the idiots guide to boating or something!!

 

If that is the case any time we cove I will be needing aLOT more wine.

Never heard the verb form of the word cove before. Is this a regional thing? I realize that we all boat on our boats and dock at our docks, but I anchor or moor in a cove - I never cove in a cove. :huh:

 

It probably is more of a regional thing or a "lake" thing as we go back in a cove off of the main channel. ...but that is the word that is used..."to cove out" or we "coved-out" last weekend. Probably not the best use of the english language...:lol::lol:

Also...if our genset is on...the blowers are on.

 

SeaGull,

It's not an official boating term, but when we talk about going coving or coving out it basically means to anchor or moor in a cove. I am not sure if it's regional or maybe just between me and my other boating friends that don't use the nautical terms!!

In other words, perhaps it's just made up or maybe it's a girly term. I will have to research this and find out now.:lol:

 

I don't remember, so I can't say for sure, but I thought that on my last three gas boats with generators that the blower went on automatically with the genie....:smt017...this getting old thing is really starting to take a set...

 

I am so glad you chimed in, I was waiting for the other TR's!!! I was starting to think we were crazy and just made it up. Well, we are kinda making it up as we go along, but that one came from long ago!

 

Not sure where you "cove" Drama Queen. One of the things we do is cool the cabin down to about 55 degree until we are ready to go to bed. Then, everything is turned off and a hatch is cracked about the main berth. Our climate usually drops temps into the 50's at night so this works well for us. I'm sure Florida and the SE is a completely different story.

 

I love learning new things. Now I can chillax while I am coving over the holiday weekend.

 

:smt038:smt038Now you got the Idea!!

Missouri Summer nights are hot and very HUMID. If we need to have air, we will just go back to the dock and plug in. No CO2 is gonna get me.

 

Watch the blowers that you're running. Not all bilge blowers are rated for continuous duty. If your boat's blowers are not so rated, they can overheat and melt down or burn up. It's happened and there was something about that in, I think, Boat/US's Seaworthy publication.

Best regards,
Frank C

 

Watch the blowers that you're running. Not all bilge blowers are rated for continuous duty. If your boat's blowers are not so rated, they can overheat and melt down or burn up. It's happened and there was something about that in, I think, Boat/US's Seaworthy publication.

Best regards,
Frank C

Yeah, then they'll catch on fire and you will breathe in the carbon monoxide and toxic fumes from burning plastic and fiberglass. You can't win. That diesel boat keeps getting higher on my list.

 

I'm curious as to what running the blower does? If there is an exhaust leak INSIDE the engine room, it might help, but if there is an exhaust leak, you have much bigger problems.

I realize it is contrary to what a lot of boaters on CSR do, but we've always run the genny (on gas boats too) all night. We need AC. I am religious about sending my CO detectors in every 24 months. It's $25 per detector. We run 2-3 of them.

VERY few blowers are rated for continuous use.

 

VERY few blowers are rated for continuous use.

I've only found Jabsco blowers to be rated for continuous duty. Rule claims "near continuous duty" for some of their blowers, whatever that means. Attwood, Sea Ray's brand, doesn't mention duty cycle at all.

BTW, the Jabsco blowers aren't cheap. But they do last a long time and are quieter than the Attwoods. The 3" Attwood in the cabin would wake the dead. The Jabsco replacement is hardly audible.

Best regards,
Frank

 

When we bought this boat I had every intention of sleeping on the hook with the A\C running all night. Then my salesman who's been in the business probably 30 years now said he recommends to never leave the genny on all night. (He had 3 people die in a boat he sold last year to that) As someone earlier said he mentioned to crank it up before bed and it should stay cool most of the night.

 

It seems logical to me but very LOUD. I couldn't imagine having your blowers running all night long and trying to sleep much. Do you actually have to do this?

You must run blowers.

Solve blower noise problems completely by mounting blowers to a 10 inch piece of 1 3/8 inch diameter reinforced rubber hose and then mount the hose to the bulk head. Easy upgrade and you wont here your blower motors again, just the air flow.

Example of hose: westmarine part #4477063

 

You must run blowers.

Why must I? I've never heard a reasonable explanation of why running the blowers would be any safer.

 

When I cove I dont drink soda I drink pop.

 

What's a blower?

 

You run the blower with the gen for the same reason you run it with the mains. It is to evacuate any gas fumes that may occur.

 

But you run the blowers to eliminate gas fumes PRIOR to starting and then turn them off. HIFI seemed to imply that running the blower for the duration was somehow safer, but he offered no reason to back it up. I remain puzzled as to why running the blower while running the genset would be safer.

 

As well as heat.

 

Thank you all for your info. I really appreciate it. I think that the gen is not for continous use. I was wondering about the blowers burning out after all that use too. I don't want to chance it, with this choice the stakes are too high. We will just have to go back to port and plug in or something.

 

FWIW, my manual says to run the blowers the entire time the gen is running.

 

Baa. Baa. Even though the manuals 'says so', I remain puzzled as to WHY it would be safer.

 

I used to run the blowers on my 380 DA all the time when the generator was running because the manual did say to do that... Just by the generator running, it is going to evacuate the air out of the engine room over time from the air intake. However, it won't evacuate any fumes that get sucked in and sink to the bottom of the bilge. Blowers on a gas boat are plumbed to the bottom of the bilge to remove those heavy than air vapors. It kinda opens up the question if it would desirable to plumb the air intake of the generator to the bottom of the bilge to suck out those heavier than air gases just by the thing running.

On the diesel boat though, I don't run them... the only time I run the blowers on the diesel is after I've made a run somewhere and need to cool the engine room down. Other than that, blowers on a diesel are useless... Sea Ray plumbs them to the top of the engine room so they wouldn't even remove fumes that sank to the bottom of the area (like propane, gasoline or CO).

 

If you develop a fuel leak while runnig a gen or main, you will be pumping fuel into the bilge. The idea of the blower is to remove the fumes. Also, even though ignition protected, a running motor still presents some spark possibilities. So it is even more imperative to keep the bilge fume free. That's it.

I would agree it is very cautious, but I abide by it. I know it is actually very unlikely I would get struck by lightening if I held a golf club in the air during a distant T-storm, but I still don't do it.