Ventilator Hoses / Air Intake

[Pitou]

Wondering. There is a blower switch next to the steering wheel. I guess it does not go on automatically, perhaps only "on" after a fuel up or when you need to vent out the engine room?? Or is it on always when the motor is running?

As well, my helm has a blower switch. The switch is dead without any wires leading from it. I was told by Albin that the switch was standard on their panels for those that chose to install gas engines. Not very many gas Albins built. Blowers are not necessary for diesel boats. In a previous post you mention a blower attached to the vent hose ..... are you sure you were not just looking at the air collection boxes which attach to the exterior vents? Being upside down in the bilge with blood ruuning to the head could make one see ... well just about anything! I certainly could be wrong, but I believe it might be worth a second look.

[zinbaad]

Nt the head vents.. My 31 has intake vents below the gunnels and I guess the same vents shown by Dougsea's vessel few replies back. I assume the vents just below the starbord & port windows are the engine room exhaust/blowers for the engine room. Just wonderer if they run auto or manuel?

[Pitou]

Zinbaad

I think I follow you now .... the vents on Doug's boat are air intake vents which I can guarantee there is no blower attached. In the picture below the vent above the rubrail and the one below are termed "intake" vents and are faced forward to collect and force the air into the bilge. An electrical "blower" (fan) is hooked up to the exhaust vents on gasoline engine boats to "exhaust" petrol fumes in the bilge before starting the engine so that any ignition spark does not blow the crew high into the sky. The blowers are turned on manually for a few minutes prior to starting and draw air in through the "intake vents" and exhaust the air through the blowers and out the "exhaust vents" and create a safe environment in the bilge before cranking the engine.This is not necessary with a diesel boat as diesel fumes do not have the high volitility of gasoline and are not installed. Diesel boats are safer for this reason and credit is given on your yacht policy for diesel versus gasoline. If you have blowers you will hear them run when turned on. Give a listen.
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[RobS]

Everything Kevin said plus: Ed, I know you come from an outboard boat. Although the outboard equipped boat is gasoline powered, it would not have bilge blower since the engine (spark/ignition source) is not located within the bilge.

[zinbaad]

Sounds logical, i will take another look tommorrow, been wrong before (many times) but i thought i saw a white plastic inline blower 1 foot below that upper side vent on port side. i will report back ,

[Mariner]

The ABYC, which regulates building standards for voluntarily participating builders, does not require a blower installed in the engine compartment of boats equipped exclusively with diesel engines. However, this does NOT mean that many builders do not opt to install them anyway. If you have a propane system, carry gasoline for a tender, or want to be able to vent gasses from batteries while charging, you should have a blower. Our Albin has one, and I occassionally run it.

No, it does not come on automatically when you start the engine, nor should you generally turn it on when running the engine. Big diesels require a LOT of air. When running at high speed, they will suck air in through all available ducts. If installed propperly, a blower is generally designed to suck air out of the engine compartment. If turned on while running the engine, it will prevent air from backflowing into the compartment, and could restrict airflow to the engine. The case of my friend's SeaRay mentioned earlier is unique. Upon further experimentation, we found that the best results were achieved by leaving the blower off at speed, but turning it on while idling prior to shutodown. I should have clarified this when I made the earlier post.

[Mariner]

Also, I should point out that while it is common for outboard boats to not have a bilge blower, if they have any enclosed area where combustible gasses can accumulate, they should be equipped with one. This is especially true if they are equipped with internal fuel tanks. Sparks can come from sources other than engine ignition.

[jleonard]

Bottom line test to determine if your engine room ventilation is adequate......the engine room temp must be no greater than 30 deg F over ambient air temp. That is the general rule of thumb that most engine manufacturers use. I had to do that test when I repowered my old Maniship with the Cummins. The tech did the measurements and recorded everything. Doesn't matter which way the vents face....a turbocharger will suck more air than you can force in at boat speed.

[zinbaad]

After climbing down in the engine room again to confirm" I HAVE BLOWERS THATS SAY "BLOWER" ON MY DUCT LINES". Cell phone pic to prove it. Blowers in diesel engine room

[chiefrcd]

Someone posted regarding this issue a while ago. I poked a small hole in the hose and the water drains into the bilge, where all the water that goes from my leaking hatches...figured a few more ounces wouldn't matter one way or the other.

[Seasquirt]

I have a 2003 Albin 31 TE with twin Yanmar 315's. I too needed to make adjustments to the vinyl hoses to keep the water from building up in the lower loop at the zip tie. I reversed the stainless fins above the side cleats and this eliminated the water intrusion into the hoses through the vents. I have not noticed any increase in engine temperatures since reversing the fins. I do run the blowers frequently. My issue is with the side vents in the hull below the rub rail that do not have hoses or ducts attached. In rough seas water does intrude these side vents and ends up in the drive shaft tunnels which is difficult at best to remove. I'd be grateful for any suggestions or solutions.