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MG MGA - Bilge fan in heater duct.

Steve G..just installed bilge fan in the air duct (adjacent to radiator ). I have one already on the other side to blow cooler air to my Judson Su carb. .it has worked well and is just switch controlled.
I recollect you did thie former and were pleased with the extra air achieved. How did you wire it in? I was thinking of just wiring it in parallel with the existing heater fan and possible putting a relay to reduce watts going through the panel control when both running.
Neil Ferguson

Neil

I think I wired it in to the Fuse junction block on the bulkhead, mounting the switch under the dash on a plinth I made that also has my electric washer switch and mob charger socket - I have often given myself a squirt of water instead of air boost! I will go and trace what terminal point I used if you really want to know.

To be honest, though, I have rarely had cause to run the extra boost. With my car permanently open top I get all the air I need. In fact I seldom run the standard fan either. It's just a case of knowing it's there should I need it.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Steve..dug back to your original post on this and you seemed pleased with the boost. I am tending to leave my newly fitted hard top on ....like the look and it does keep the sun out of the eyes .....so I am after cool air flow. I think I will hook up the bilge fan in parallel as the existing fan delivery is pathetic . Will see how it performs and how it works with the butterfly damper and how much current combination takes etc....latter to decide on relay or not.
Neil Ferguson

Of course, the next logical development of this would be to mount the bilge fan inside the heater unit...... Or, remove the existing squirrel fan and mount the bilge fan in the ducting just before it connects to the heater box. I think the squirrel fan will foul up the airflow from the bilge fan.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

Neil

Yes I was very impressed by the increased flow but as I said I have had no great need to use it yet either blowing cool or hot, such has been the UK temperatures of late. Colin makes a very valid observation and that unless you have both blowing you probably do not get maximum value, the 'idling' fan being bit of a flow restricter.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Colin..agree with your comment. ..I will be experimenting in the near future .
Neil Ferguson

Neil

I made a point of turning it all on this afternoon during my 30 min 'keep the wheels turning during winter'. I had the passenger seat tonneau drawn across and got pleasantly warm in the leg department. It was warm. it will be interesting to hear of opinions from the warmer climes.

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have a mental picture of you ...don't forget to keep the garage door open.
Neil Ferguson

......I do whenever the temp is above zero! I try to keep the air circulating. We had a 10 degree rise in temp overnight a couple of days ago (-7 to +3). When I opened the door in the morning the car disappeared in mist and condensation. Mind you I got plenty of water from my dehumidifier for coolant during my radiator out and in paint job!

Steve
Steve Gyles

What exactly is a bilge fan? Does one get it from a boat shop?
H L Davy

HL

See photo. It's a high powered little fan that blows a lot of air.

I understand it was produced for ventilating the bilge area of boats of dangerous vapours before firing the engine.

Steve


Steve Gyles

The bilge blowers are a crucial piece of equipment on a boat and should be built to last a long time, and move a lot of air. My neighbor was running his boat in his yard while preparing to take it on a fishing trip and neglected to run his blower before starting. See attached for the result... He lost all of his gear which he'd already loaded up, but his insurance paid for it and the boat eventually. Scorched his fence and the nearby tree a little bit, but he was able to keep his house from catching fire by running the hose on the corner. Fire department showed up in a few minutes and put the boat out.

Knew a guy once who was a commercial fisherman, and he didn't air out his engine compartment. He got blown up but survived with some injuries.

-Del


D Rawlins

Wow.
Steve Gyles

Del
Now thats what I call overheating! No original core rad?
Graham V

HL

A lot in the archives. Type in Attwood. You can get them on Ebay. 3" fan fits snuggly in the trunking.

Steve

Steve Gyles

HL Davy,
Although called bilge blower in the US, they are more commonly called Bilge Fan in the UK. They are used, before engine start, to suck air out from the lowest point of the bilge where any volatile fumes are likely to have settled whilst not in use.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

This thread was discussed between 21/01/2016 and 01/02/2016

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