Bilge Blower/A4

[mattstamour]

Should I leave the blower on when the motor is running? Or is it used only to insure gas vapors haven't built up prior to starting?

[CalebD]

Let's put it this way: you can leave it on while motoring and it will not hurt anything. In fact it might help getting some fresh air into the engine compartment for the engine to breath. If there is any fuel vapor buildup the fan will help dissipate that which is also a good thing.
You can also turn the fan off after the engine starts. This assumes there is adequate ventilation in your engine compartment and there are no explosive gases present.
Would you have guessed that we leave the fan on when the motor is running?

[jaschrumpf]

There was a long discussion about this over on the Moyer Marine forums a while ago. I also run my blower while the engine is running -- anything that helps get the old girl some cool fresh air while she's working is a good thing in my book.

I also run it for several minutes after I shut her down, just to blow more of the hot air out of the engine compartment. Keeps below decks cooler, too.