• Welcome to this website/forum for people interested in the Morgan 38 Sailboat. Many of our members are 'owners' of Morgan 38s, but you don't need to be an owner to Register/Join.

Bilge Blower?

B

bobclark

Bob Clark
On all the boats I owned that had gas engines the bilge blower
was used to remove lingering fumes. That and a good sniff before
hitting the starter button made sense. Why do we have a bilge
blower on a boat with a diesel engine? What is the proceedure for
use?
Thanks,
Larry
 
Larry. I'm not sure but, I believe that the USCG requires all boats with a below deck engineroom that is located adjacent to living quarters(regardless of the fuel type) to have a blower.
 
Read the article on www.yachtsurvey.com on Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Apart from this, running the blower also reduces engine room temperatures.
 
I REALLY like that web site you directed us to. It has LOTS of good stuff about boat systems. Everyone on this BB should take a look at it. Thanks.
 
Last night I had dinner with a friend who owns an Ericson 35 with diesel. The Ericson did not come equiped with a bilge blower.
Ventilation in an engine area (also any area)is always a good idea. While motoring we keep the small hatch above the ice box open allowing additional air to enter the engine area. We also keep the most aft small wood hatch that is on the stern deck open, allowing the hot air to vent out along with excess heat and fumes.
Is there a need for the two holes in the aft cockpit coaming and the bilge blower???
 
<div>Larry. The small wood hatch on the stern deck is isolated from the engine room on Njord, 1986 vintage 384. Any fumes that enter it are from the exhaust and have migrated up from the drain plug in the bottom of the locker which I have foolishly forgotten to close with the provided plug. This hatch in no way vents the engine room. I never open up any hatches when motoring and rely totally on the water cooling to control engine temp. I have, on occassion, motorered continuously 24 hours, at 6.3 knots and was able to maintain less than 170 degrees water temp. My prop and bottom were both clean on this occassion. In addition to exhausting the engine room, the vents also provide a conduit to allow fresh air (oxygen) to reach the engine. Although, there are other avenues for it to enter. Concerning your Ericson friend's blowerless boat and since it appears that you may be considering removing your blower and vents please realize that; most older boats will not meet some of the current standards so don't conclude that just because a vessel doesn't have a blower that one is not required. As an examle, Njord was built with Type B fuel hose (OK in 1986 for diesel) which I upgraded to Type A (the current standard) to keep both my insurance company and the surveyor happy. The surveyor had cited, on the survey, a USCG Code which required that Type A was to be used.Hope this helps

</div>
 
<div>I re-routed my blower to blow fresh air on my air cooled refrigeration unit. Works great.</div>
 
<div>Jay,
Sorry If I mislead you. My engine remains the same temperture (under 170) with the hatch open or closed. The plywood bulkhead that seperates the engine area from the aft compartment is not airtight. I have snaked my radar and loran wires under and over this divider. Keeping the hatchs open only helps change the air more frequently, and less heat lingers in this area.
Southerly (1979) powers with the same result as Njord.
Actually, I was not really thinking of removing any of the venting or bilge blower. I was just curious as to why a bilge blower was installed, and while I was not using it, perhaps I should be. Which of course lead to the question of why.
Interesting about your survey and hose replacement. I think I wll look into it when we get back from vacation.
We are leaving for Block Island, The Elizabeth Islands, Hadley Harbor, Cuttyhunk, and the Vinyard tomorrow morning.
Thanks for the input,
Larry
</div>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top