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How Do you use your blower?


spinxt

Blower Use  

316 members have voted

  1. 1. When do you use your blower?

    • Before every start
      125
    • Only before the initial start of an outing (cold engine)
      89
    • When I remember
      72
    • What's a blower?
      30


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I heard a story yesterday of a boat blowing the engine hatch off on our stretch of the river several years ago due to an explosion in the engine bay. The root cause was never found, but some think that the guy put in a non-marine alternator. This makes me really think about how I use/ do not use my blower. I'm very good at turning the blower on for 2 minutes before the initial start of an outing, however between ski sets I never use it. Sometimes the boat can sit for 10-15 minutes between sets. I taught my wife to use it and she always turns it on. Perhaps I should follow her lead....

What's everyone's thoughts/ practices?

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I'm really OCD about turning it on before we put it in the lake for the weekend and after I gas up on the water. I'm a little more lax in between sets, usually still run it but only for 15-30 seconds.

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I'm really OCD about turning it on before we put it in the lake for the weekend and after I gas up on the water. I'm a little more lax in between sets, usually still run it but only for 15-30 seconds.

Ya, about the same here.....we trailer to our river, but in the rare event I do filll up on the water, I always run it before starting.

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I very seldom use it... Maybe I should. I sort of figure after trailering it a few miles to the launch and opening the hatch to put in the plug things should be clear.

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We ALWAYS run the blower. Cover comes off at the dock, open all compartments, including engine. Run blowers for 3-4 minutes before starting. Typically leave them on while skiing/boarding. It's just easier and no harm done. Gas fumes are heavier than air, so opening the cover isn't failsafe. We usually have at least one lack of blower related incident every year on the lake. There's plenty to do while the blower clears the fumes - wipe down, load up gear, wait for stragglers to finish coffee...

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We use the blower before every start. 5 years ago one of my Fire Academy Instructors was blown out of a boat along with a buddy from a non vented motor compartment explosion. Resulted in a couple weeks in the hospital and some scared skin. The boat was not his he was just a passenger in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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I run the blower while in the prep lane getting things ready for launch. I always flip the blower on before turning the key, but don't wait the recommended 3-4 minutes before cranking, unless it has been sitting for more than a half hour (usually its just a couple of seconds before cranking). Once underway I rarely remember to turn the blower off so it usually stays on until the key is turned off. So the hour meter basically indicates the same for the blower run time; at least as long as I have owned it (30 hours or so). I suppose I could wear out the blower prematurely but I don't loose sleep over that.

Has anyone worn out a blower motor prematurely or frequently? Dontknow.gif

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EVERY start!! I don't know about you but I like my family & my boat too much to risk it.

Edited by beast
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yeah, you need to modify the poll to include, constantly run the blower. I have seen what is left of a ski nautique after an explosion, along with what the driver's condition.

we turn ours on before the first start of the day, and shut it off when the boat is back on the lift.

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Just before the first start. I thought I read somewhere that you shouldn't operate the blower while underway. I don't remember where I saw it, but it sticks in my head.

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MalibuNation
I'm really OCD about turning it on before we put it in the lake for the weekend and after I gas up on the water. I'm a little more lax in between sets, usually still run it but only for 15-30 seconds.

Ditto ... I also lift the engine cover at times to cool that bad boy of an engine off ... and it airs it out too.

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Just before the first start. I thought I read somewhere that you shouldn't operate the blower while underway. I don't remember where I saw it, but it sticks in my head.

don't know why that would be the case. any circulation of fumes is good, whether stopped or underway. and it prevents from forgetting to use it. i have been on large inboards (and if i am not mistaken a couple of the other ski boat manufacturers) where the blower comes on automatically at key on position, and stays running until a certain RPM is reached.

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If you just finished towing the boat, isn't that more than equivalent to the boat moving on its own (it ventilates itself)

Not to discount the safety aspect, but I think it makes much difference.

Have you seen the Mythbuster episode, where they tried to fill a box with gas vapors, and see if they could get an explosion with a cell phone, or static shock, or just plain ol big spark.. it was really difficult for them to get any sort of explosion.

I'm not going to tell anyone not to use it - some people just like that security... like following the suggested break-in procedures. Whistling.gif

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I voted every start, but that is a bit shy of the truth. We usually turn it on if we stop for a short bit, like changing skiers, then turn it off underway. I usually lift the cover off the engine room before the first start of the day to check things out, but still use the blower. Mine is noisy, so we don't run it continuously.

IIRC, my manual says to run blower if underway at less than 15 mph. Also, a multiport EFI engine is pretty much a dry induction system gasoline engine, creating negligible fumes.

Edited by electricjohn
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Before every cold start for sure. But between skiiers not so much. I dont think I could listen to that thing run the whole time....

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we run it a few minutes before we start and it stays on anytime we're under ~5 mph. But i do forget sometimes about it, however normally i'm forgetting to turn it off, not on

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I run it be for each cold start not very often between ski's. (MHO) is it is not a critical with injected boats I also run it during fueling.

With 40% overdrive on top of the intake manifold but it kept getting in the way of the ski rope so I had to go back to it just sucking the bilge. Tease.gif

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definitely run mine for a couple of minutes prior to a cold start. Always run at idle and in no wake zones. Try to remember prior to cranking all other times.

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I run it be for each cold start not very often between ski's. (MHO) is it is not a critical with injected boats I also run it during fueling.

With 40% overdrive on top of the intake manifold but it kept getting in the way of the ski rope so I had to go back to it just sucking the bilge. Tease.gif

Carb or injected won't matter if you get a leak in your tank or fuel line and fill the bilge with fuel.

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I would think it would have to be strong enough to "smell" like gasoline to be enough to ignite. (I would "think").

I open the engine compartment to check the oil at the beginning of the weekend and may run it a few minutes. On the second day I may run it a few minutes on initial start but never after that.

I can see how it would have been more important on carb engines.

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I, of course, always use the blower for at least 5 minutes before each start up of the engine.

Now my good friend, Johnny Schultz, never uses the blower and has never used the blower on any fuel injected engine in his life. He wonders if you put a fan under the hood of your car in the morning (before you start it) when your car has been parked in the garage with no air movement to disperse fumes away from the engine. He wonders how many times that happens in a day in america without an issue.

Edited by Cervelo
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If you just finished towing the boat, isn't that more than equivalent to the boat moving on its own (it ventilates itself)

Not to discount the safety aspect, but I think it makes much difference.

Have you seen the Mythbuster episode, where they tried to fill a box with gas vapors, and see if they could get an explosion with a cell phone, or static shock, or just plain ol big spark.. it was really difficult for them to get any sort of explosion.

I'm not going to tell anyone not to use it - some people just like that security... like following the suggested break-in procedures. Whistling.gif

Have you seen any of the multiple mini-mart gas station security camera videos floating about where someone lights off the gas hose while they are filling up due to what ever static charge they happend to discharge at the wrong time? You're right, generally it's not so much an explosion as a big fireball. Blowup.gif

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