Cowl Vent
June 13, 2009 by Chris Wethered
Filed under Boat Engines And Sailboat Hardware
Passive ventilation?
Passive ventilation is what cowl vents are set up to provide. So what's passive ventilation?
If you have one unaided access path for air exchange on board then that's passive ventilation
Active ventilation
Active ventilation uses a fan to assist the exchange of air to the below deck area of the sailboat. The difference is demonstrated by the following scenario:
Two sailboats are moored on the quay. One has passive ventilation (PV) and the other active (AV). It's a still day, nothing is moving. Over time the boats will have quite different environments inside.
Concern?
On board PV the air is stale, as there has been no breeze, damp has not been removed from the sails that are stowed. The air cannot exchange. So the sails begin to grew mildew. That's a concern.
However on board AV the air is sweet in fact because of the constant exchange of air it's fresher than outside. There is no problem with damp. The difference in this simple story is clear.
If your cabin area does not have an hourly exchange of air, you will have damp problems.
Active ventilation will remove any damp
How To Avoid Damp Problems
Depending on your sailboat plan, you may be limited in your ventilation strategy. In other words places to position vents could be difficult to find. This is a list of things you can check in order to stop damp:
- Look at locker and see that they have slotted vents to allow air to circulate
- Look the cabin doors for similar slots
- Measure potential placement locations around the cabin
- Determine what kind of system you have already and decide whether damp is a concern
A thirty foot yacht has an average interior, cubic capacity of 800 cubic feet. That's 800 cubic feet of air that needs to circulate each hour. Ideally you should have two active ventilation units.
One to bring fresh air into the cabin and the other to remove the older air. However if your sailboat does not have the space for such vents, then at least check the cowl vent you have and assess whether it is up to scratch.
Size Matters
If your cabins smell musty and stale frequently, it's advisable to upgrade the vent. At the least get a bigger vent. Standard three inch vents have half the capacity of four inch vents. So check your on your next boating trip.
The cost to do this one off job is very much off set against endless mildew problems and damp. West Marine have a range of ventilation solutions. Both passive and active. You can see them below. So buy today with a hassle free money back guarantee.
Did you know about the 10% discount at West Marine right now?
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