[toddneedham]

I just purchased a 99 Shabah 182. I've had it out twice now, and realized the blower is not operating (good thing I'm still here to talk about it)! The light on the switch does not come on, and I assumed the motor went bad. I just got done installing a new Attwood 3000 and it still won't work.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks,
Todd Needham

[SEMIJim]

Neither our bilge pump nor our courtesy lights worked when we took possession of our boat. Turned out to be corroded fuse holders. I removed all the fuses, carefully brushed each contact with a small solder brush, then treated each with DeOxIt (oxidation remover/neutralizer), then ProGold contact conditioner. Problem solved.

Jim

[midwest mariah]

Originally Posted by SEMIJim

Neither our bilge pump nor our courtesy lights worked when we took possession of our boat. Turned out to be corroded fuse holders. I removed all the fuses, carefully brushed each contact with a small solder brush, then treated each with DeOxIt (oxidation remover/neutralizer), then ProGold contact conditioner. Problem solved.

Jim

exactly the same here, tough to get at, but cleaned and put back together, works perfectly now

[toddneedham]

Did you guys also find the light on the switch wasn't working? As I think about it, the front navigation lights don't work either, but I wasn't real worried about it as we don't have any night outings planned. Hopefully it is a fuse issue...that would be a relief.

Thanks for your help!!

[abillmann]

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but here goes:

My blower doesn't work either. So before each use, I open the engine hatch, give the engine and bilge a once-over, look for water or fluid leaks, check for a gasoline smell, etc. After that, I close the hatch and fire her up.

I've had two different mechanics tell me they do the same thing. Since the whole point of the blower motor is to clear potentially explosive gasoline fumes, opening the hatch for a few minutes accomplishes the same thing. (And some would argue that it's more effective.)

For fueling, it's a bit different. I fuel the boat myself, and after fueling, I have a five-minute walk back to my vehicle, a five-minute walk back to the boat, and then I lift the hatch, do the usual inspection, and start up the engine.

Not once have I felt this isn't safe.

[ShabahZ280]

I can't believe these stories I've been seeing recently about not using bilge blowers!

Seriously, if the blower isn't working, why not replace it? It's probably one of the cheapest things to replace on your boat. It's the Attwood Turbo series, and I picked one up for $20 brand new... I think it's also time to find a new mechanic. I wouldn't let one around my engine if he wasn't willing to replace a $20 part.

Gas vapor collects in the bilge because it's heavier then air. Opening the engine hatch will bring a small amount of air in on top of the engine, but it's not enough to remove the vapors that sit in the bilge.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by toddneedham

Did you guys also find the light on the switch wasn't working?

Yes. That's a clue that it may be a fuse or fuse block problem, rather than a device problem. Could also be the switch, too.

Jim

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by ShabahZ250

I can't believe these stories I've been seeing recently about not using bilge blowers!

I'm kind of surprised, myself.

Originally Posted by ShabahZ250

Gas vapor collects in the bilge because it's heavier then air. Opening the engine hatch will bring a small amount of air in on top of the engine, but it's not enough to remove the vapors that sit in the bilge.

Correct. Well, unless it's a breezy day, probably. And I wouldn't close the hatch until the engine was started, anyway.

Here's another thing: Make a mistake and burn your boat to the waterline, it's later discovered you had no functional bilge blower and you knew it, and the blame can by any stretch of the imagination be placed on that lack, and your insurance company will likely tell you to take a hike on the claim. If, God forbid, anybody's injured or killed in the process, you'd have a difficult time defending yourself in a civil suit. One might even find one's self criminally charged.

Not worth the risk, I'd think. Besides: It drives me nuts to have non-functional stuff on my boats.

Jim

[s.a.charlie]

mine stoped working in the spring bought a new blower moter went to change it out and found a drier sheet in the blower pulled it out and it worked fine.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by s.a.charlie

mine stoped working in the spring bought a new blower moter went to change it out and found a drier sheet in the blower pulled it out and it worked fine.

Before someone asks "Dryer sheet? How the heck did a dryer sheet get in there?" Well, here's one possible explanation: Some boaters feel that dryer sheets repel spiders. There was a box of them that came on our sailboat and dryer sheets were stashed here-and-there on the boat.

Jim