Hot day working in the engine room? Crank up some air conditioning!

LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,751 mod
in Rinker Express Cruisers Forum
I can't believe I never thought of this before today.  Are you tired of working in a hot engine room?  Run a cheap piece of 4" dryer ducting from your cabin AC vent into the engine room!  

Today, I worked in the engine room from 6AM until 10AM.  It was already miserable at 6AM.  I got back around 2PM to start the task of replacing my 4" blower hoses.  Said to myself, "Self, what if you used a binder clip to connect this ducting to the HVAC?"

My life as a boat mechanic will never be the same.  And I hate the world for never informing me that this could be done.  
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Comments

  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This sounds like cheating 😂😂😂  
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  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Go on... how exactly did ya do it? I have never looked stern from the AC location !
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  • TonyG13TonyG13 Member Posts: 1,329 ✭✭✭✭
    On my to-do list is to tap into the duct running to the helm and branch off a small line to the head. It's amazing how hot it gets in there with the door closed.
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  • aero3113aero3113 Member Posts: 9,044 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TonyG13 said:
    On my to-do list is to tap into the duct running to the helm and branch off a small line to the head. It's amazing how hot it gets in there with the door closed.
    My ‘08 330 has an ac vent in the head, it’s a huge plus to have! Sometimes I’ll leave the door open to get that air into the cabin also.




    2008 330EC
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,751 mod
    To attach the duct to the AC vent, I used a regular teacher-grade binder clip stolen from a bag of chips.  Lotsa ways you could do this.  It doesn't take much to hold it in place.   

    The air flow wasn't perfect, but it was enough to make an awful day tolerable.  I cleaned a major spill of hydraulic oil, changed both raw-water impellers, and took care of some other deferred maintenance.  All on a 103-degree day.  

    I am permanently adding this to my bag of tricks.  Gonna keep a 20-foot section of 4" duct on the boat at all times.  


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  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭✭✭
    If I could run my air...dont trust the fake lake especially moving  around on the boat...
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  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,661 mod
    Where did you connect on the AC?  Right at the vent?  I don't think it'd work very well on my setup.  I usually just put a fan down there to make it tolerable.

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @LaRea how are going to make $130 an hour as a marine mechanic if you don't sweat. Awesome idea I will try this.
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,751 mod
    I used the main AC vent in the cabin (circled below).  It has metal vanes that direct the air flow, and I clipped the duct to one of the vanes.  It's not like I was trying to capture all of the air coming out of the vent.  I just clipped it on there.  It took me maybe 60 seconds to set it up. 

    I normally use a fan, but having actual cold air was a huge improvement.  


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  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭✭✭
    man, to have that kind of room in a boat....
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  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The cabin of that boat is immaculate.  
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  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Im sorry the cabin of that yacht!
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I need a ride Labor Day weekend
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  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Come on to the Carolinas handy!  
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  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    PickleRick said:
    Come on to the Carolinas handy!  
    Stopping in Fayetteville but that’s it
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  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,014 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2020
    That's nowhere near my local lake.   My sister sent me some beautiful pics from radio island nc yesterday.   Makes me want to fish for some blue crab and flounder.
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  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,405 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Mmm, blue crab...
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  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2020


    Works pretty nicely... Also realized that this could come in handy on the 270 to get the cold air to the rear bed room at night... 

    One other thing is that with the vent redirector thing pulled off it barely makes any noise and seems to blow a whole lot more air.. might have to just 3D print something that would make the edges look nicer and leave almost a complete hole in the center... Don't need that junk in there that allows you to slow down the air flow at all...
    Post edited by J3ff on
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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,751 mod
    edited August 2020
    Well, you knew this was coming.  The air-conditioned engine room was so nice that I worked out a permanent solution.  Yes, I had to LaRea the crap out of it.  Cost was $15 plus 10' of leftover 4" duct from when I recently replaced my blower ducts.  

    My 370 has an AC vent in the mid-cabin.  It's on the port side right above the vacuflush pump.  There's easy access by removing a service panel attached with velcro:



    It turns out to be immediately below a settee in the cockpit, and behind the settee is a straight shot to the engine room.  So I got a 4" y-fitting and a 4" blast gate normally used for sawdust collection systems:

    Y connector $8  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VRJIW8
    Blast gate $7  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VRPQ92  

    I screwed them to a piece of scrap plywood:



    Then I mounted it to the bulkhead next to the vacuflush pump.  Boom -- AC in the engine room whenever I want it.  Just close the mid-cabin vent, open the blast gate and get to work.  


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  • YYZRCYYZRC Member Posts: 5,111 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2020
    “Blast gate” - I always wondered what those dampers were called!
    Post edited by YYZRC on
    2008 350 EC on Georgian Bay
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  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,661 mod
    Very nice @LaRea.  I have a vent that comes out in the cockpit that I had thought about using for that same thing.

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

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  • SpyderwebSpyderweb Member Posts: 915 ✭✭✭
    @LaRea Wow, can you patent that idea to the boat manufacturers?
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  • Michael TMichael T Member Posts: 7,227 ✭✭✭✭✭
    ......now to direct A/C to the cockpit! :-)
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