[Public-List] Blowers

[Gordon Laco]

Yes: if you have a gasoline engine you need to use a sealed spark proof blower built for the purpose.  You wouldn’t want to blow yourself up while evacuating fumes against the possibility of an explosion (small humour there)

Which brings to mind a true story.   A friend experienced an incident involving a bilge which became flooded with gasoline due to a stuck float in their engine’s carburetor (and forgetting to turn off the fuel line before leaving the boat).

Thinking swiftly, they decided they needed to evacuate the bilges of the heavy gasoline vapour that was very evident in the boat.  Rather than use the sealed spark proof blower fitted to the boat specifically for this purpose, they put a regular shop-vac work shop vacuum device in the cockpit and thrust the inhale hose down into the bilge.  Then they switched the vacuum cleaner on.

No, there was not a subsequent explosion resulting in hideous fatal burns for my friend.

When she told me this story I was horrified.  She was surprised at my reaction and does not understand to this day that by using a vacuum cleanser she was sucking gasoline vapour out of her bilge and blowing it through the very sparky electric motor of the shop vac.     I told her she’d have been a Darwin Award Honourable Mention winner.  Not an outright winner because she has produced offspring.

I suppose the gods really do look after fools and drunks, as the ancients used to say….


Gordon Laco
426 Surprise


> On Jul 18, 2023, at 9:58 AM, Michael Connolly via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello all,
> Are the blowers that you are using equiped (for lack of a better discription) to not produce sparks (or other) which might ignite the fumes they are exhausting?  Is there something which designates this type of protection?  Sparkless blower?  Induction motors which are brushless? What is the scoup? Thank you.
> Michael #133
>> On 07/17/2023 6:35 PM EDT Jonathan Bresler via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> *Constance* #262 has a Jabsco Model 35115-0020
>> <https://www.xylem.com/en-us/products-services/pumps-packaged-pump-systems/pumping-accessories/jabsco-accessories/blowers/35115-0020-dc-105-cfm-2.9-m3min-flangemount-3-blowers>
>> engine room exhaust fan 105 CFM 12V 4.4A
>> since before 2015.  Fan works well and is far quieter than the engine.
>> Can hear it when the
>> engine is not running, which is good, helps me to remember to turn it off.
>> The fan is mounted in the
>> port cockpit locker with the outlet facing a hole in the divider between
>> the locker and the lazarette.
>> 
>> Jonathan
>> 
>> On Mon, Jul 17, 2023 at 3:02 PM Greg Hounsell via Public-List <
>> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>> 
>>> Afternoon
>>> 
>>> Wondering what people use for their bilge blowers and where do they mount
>>> them? Mine is in the aft lazerette (attwood) and competes in volume level
>>> when the engine (A4) is running. Wanting to make it much more quiet if
>>> possible.
>>> 
>>> Greg
>>> #592
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>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> Jonathan M Bresler
>> S/V Constance Alberg 30 #262
>> Annapolis/Eastport MD
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