Engine Blower

[Ken Juul]

On the engine Panel thread "Crows Nest" says he runs the engine blower alot.  I seldom if ever use it.  I thought its purpose was to remove fumes from the engine/aft cabin bilge.  If I go onboard and I don't smell fumes I don't run it.  It's been a while since I read the owners manual, did I miss something?

[Mike Lofstrom]

It's always a good idea to run it prior to starting the engine to make sure there are no combustibles in the bilge.  This is true even on a diesel boat.  You never know when the LP system or even a can of stored paint or varnish may have leaked into the bilge. ( OK, maybe the paint and varnish is a strech, but I have seen some amazing stuff packed into the bilges over the years  :)) Mine is wired through the start switch so it runs whenever the key is on.  This may be a little extreme, but I do it more for comfort than safety.  All engines will produce unpleasant odors and heat as a normal byproduct of running.   Running the blower really keeps the interior of the boat smelling better, and keeps the boat cooler when underway.  If the exhaust system ever fails, which does occur with some frequency on these boats, you are much more likely to notice it with the blower running than without.

Mike

[rirvine]

btw - it is Crew's Nest.  I run my engine blower for the same reason as Mike plus is sucks the engine heat out of the bilge when the engine is running keeping the aft cabin somewhat cooler.

[Ken Juul]

Sorry Ray.  Thanks for the input, I'll give it a try this weekend.