Funky Electrics

[Nautoncall]

Hello all: I am in the process of cleaning up the electrical on my trawler and removing all the old dead and unnecessary wires etc.
I have come across this "Funky" array attached to the two bilge blowers. Does anybody have any idea what they are for? My best guess is they are resisters used to slow down the blower motors. They do run quite slow and quiet.
Also I have been told on a diesel boat the blowers should blow in to bring fresh air into the engine room instead of exhausting air because you are not concerned about explosive gasses. Is this the case? The blowers do blow in but not into the engine room, into the empty spaces under the salon and aft deck floor.

Thanks in advance

Don

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Dude! Very interesting!

We've worked on wire clean up off and on since we've had the boat (two and a half years) and still aren't done. It's amazing how many "wires to nowhere" we've run across.

 

[Northern Spy]

Looks like C4 to me. What ever you do don't cut the yellow wire. Or wait, is it the black wire? Ah, just pick one.

 

[Northern Spy]

Actually, it looks like resistors to make the fan run slower. Wonder why they didn't use a potentiometer?

 

[RickB]

Actually, it looks like resistors to make the fan run slower. Wonder why they didn't use a potentiometer?

Probably because a pot that could handle the power would be the size of a saucer, weigh over a pound, and cost a fortune new.

It may not be the yellow wire, it may be the button labeled "Push to Arm - Release to Detonate"

 

[FF]

Most boats choose to exhaust the engine space , as pressurizing drives the engine stench into the rest of the boat.

Attempting to force air into the living space to drive the smells out of the ER and cool it to a rational temperature will require a HUGE air supply.

If fixing up the boat I would rig the ER to be power vented, with good unpressurized intake ports.

If the existing blowers are too noisy , get better units.

The engine space is mostly vented with the engine operating , so the blower noise may be hard to hear.

 

[Northern Spy]

Probably because a pot that could handle the power would be the size of a saucer, weigh over a pound, and cost a fortune new.

Well, that would be a good reason then!

Guess I was actually meaning a motor speed controller (which uses a potentiometer plus a whole lot of other electronic crap to pulse width modify) that has a knob that you turn and would be cheap.

It's always the yellow wire...

 

[Northern Spy]

Actually, now that I've had a coffee a shower, an 8 hour work day and two commercial flights (and waiting for my third), what I really meant was " something with a knob".

And I'm not so sure about the yellow wire either.