On gasoline powered boats, when should the blower be operated? The answer is, you should turn the blower on at least 4 minutes before starting the engine, and right after refueling.
By doing this, you’re preventing potential hazards like boat explosions caused by gas fumes. Read on to find out more about safety on the boat!
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When Should the Blower Be Operated on Gasoline-Powered Boats?
You ought to run the blower on the boat at two points: before starting the boat and after refueling.
1. Before Starting The Boat
If it’s been a while since the last time you used your boat, it would be a good idea to exhaust the potential gasoline fume accumulation by having the bilge blower on. Moreover, ensure to inspect through the hidden corners to look for gasoline spillage, mold build-up, insects nesting, etc.
A properly-working bilge blower should be able to prevent mold and mildew while keeping fuel-related accidents on the low.
So, you operate the exhaust blower before starting a boats inboard gasoline engine. When else should the blower be turned on, though? Another time to have the blower up and running is when the engine works at low output.
In these situations, gasoline vapors accumulate much quicker due to the shortened air intake, resulting in more leftover fuel left with the motor exhaust. The bilge blower can be left on for some time, but not continuously as it wasn’t designed for this purpose.
2. After/Before Fueling
As said, using the ventilation blower after fueling helps clear any flammable gasses that may still be around, lingering in the enclosed hull. You may also run the blower before fueling, just to make sure. You know what they say, one can never be too careful.
4 minutes is how long after fueling you should wait, but honestly, we feel like it is not sufficient to exhaust the gas entirely.
Take a smell test after having the blower on; if the gasoline smell still lingers, we recommend you continue ventilating until you cannot smell any fuel vapors.
3. The engine runs at a low output for an extended time
As your engine runs on the low-output operation for quite some time, it is advised to utilize the blower for clearing the fume accumulation.
As the air intake drops considerably during this operation, unburned gasoline is combined with the engine exhaust; hence, that’s when to use blower on boat.
FAQs
Do You Need To Run A Blower On A Boat?
Yes, but the blower doesn’t always need to be on. It is not designed for constant use; a ventilation blower should be operated at times mentioned above.
Nonetheless, there are blowers that are made for extended use, so if you wish to have your engine on at a low output, it’s a good idea to opt for such blowers.
Why Do You Use The Blower?
The blower motor boat helps eliminate the excessive gasoline fumes, which sink to the bottom of the engine compartment as they’re heavier than air.
The engine on a boat is cramped with limited air circulation, and gasoline fumes trapped in a confined space can cause explosions. That’s why you need a proper ventilation system (an exhaust blower) to execute these vapors.
How Many Minutes Should The Blower Be Operated?
Ultimately, you should allow the blower to work for at least 4 minutes before you turn on the motor.
However, sometimes 4 minutes is not enough, and you can still smell gasoline fumes. What you can do is to take a whiff and see if the smell is still around; turn the blower off when there’s no gas odor left.
Conclusion
On gasoline powered boats, when should the blower be operated? You must have the answer to yourself by now. There’s no such thing as being too careful when it comes to taking boat safety precautions, as the potential hazards that come with flammable fumes are extremely dangerous.
It’s also essential to keep the exhaust blower well-maintained for it to be working properly as time goes on. The majority of boat explosions occur after fueling, so make sure to take good care of your blower.
Thank you for reading!
Ten years of enjoying countless trips on boats never made me love them any less! So I am here to put all those experiences into good use for other boaters who want to have a safe and fun trip with their friends and families.