No spark fan

Liberty44140

My boat has a system called Eplex that controls all of the outside lights, blowers, and bilge pump overrides. It’s kind of a computer with a motherboard in the engine room and touch screen in the cabin. Monitors battery voltage too. The motherboard seems to fail every 5 years according to the PO records and it failing on me now, it should last 10+. We think heat is making it fail pre maturely as it’s mounted 3 ft from my engines. Right now it works in the evenings and mornings but not during the day. Hard to think it’s a coincidence that we just took a trip with 5 hr runs. New board will arrive in a couple of weeks.

im planning to install a fan on the motherboard  that will be on any time the Eplex system is on, to help keep it cool. Maybe even temperature activated, we will see. 

Any recommendations on an ignition protected fan? I’m diesel but I still want ign protected. I’d rather not install a bilge blower as they can be loud but that may be my best option. Picturing a computer like fan but struggling to find ignition protection. Maybe just go brushless?

PickleRick

I my opinion you are overthinking it, especially with a diesel.   Today's fan motors are "nearly" all ignition protected as they are nearly all brushless. 

You can get two small fans on Amazon in the 10" range for 20 to 30 bucks or one ignition protected 9" fan from fisheries supply for $230 bucks.   One has the marine rating on it. 

Guys with large solar/battery set ups use similar fans to help cool their system.  Since the gases given off by batteries can give off a boom, searching what others have used might get you some good sources that don't break the bank and see equally safe 

Liberty44140

Thanks Rick, a couple of 12v brushless computer fans would be perfect. Wire in to Eplex power and then they just blow when the system is activated which is any time I am aboard. 

Guy on my dock just told me that he’s tracked his engine room temp. Sea ray 41 with twin 8.1s. He runs with blowers always on. He swears he engine room has never gone over 95 F which I find hard to believe. That’s not that hot. Sensor is apart of his battery monitoring system. 

PickleRick

That's a seriously low temp.  

LaRea

Air temperature doesn't tell the entire story.  Heat radiation from all those hot engine surfaces will also heat the board, like when you're standing around a campfire in cold weather.  But even a small low-speed fan will probably cool it enough if it's blowing directly onto the motherboard.  

oscar1

Can you move out from the engine bay 

Liberty44140

Good point on the radiating heat vs the constant heat LR. Would be a really easy add.
oscar it has over a dozen wires running to it along with main power. I’d rather buy a new board every 5 yrs than deal with relocating it 

oscar1

Good point, Then In my case I will buy the "right"  fan for the job.