Vent Ports

[Uwe]

I just removed and cleaned up the two vent ports on my boat.If you want to know how its done Post this threadThanksUwe

 

[Uwe]

The removal

The old vents have a potmettal base, we need to save that.Remove all the screws by taking the nuts off the bottom.Tap the screws from the bottom up so you can pull them out.There full of dried up putty so this may take a bit. cleaned mine up and reused them during assembly.With a hammer and one inch carpenters chisel ,start at the two front opening corners and slowly tap under the pot metal until it starts to lift. The same with the back. STOP HERE.Look inside the vent, you should now see a small crack in the back and sides of the pot metal. If you do take the chisel and give it a good tap on the side where the seal is not yet broken. The whole thing should now separate. You will now have the pot metal flange broke in half with the bottom part still stuck in the hull and the top part screwed on to the bottom of the vent. Remove those screws now and place them aside.Remove and throw out the broken flanges in the hull. Clean out the old sealer.Take the top section of the flange and cherish it , its not replaceable don’t break it don’t loose it. Slowly file off the rough edges until the are flush with the base of the flange, spray and prime and store away.You may now Finnish the vents as you see fit. If you have the money ,get them refinished. Fur many of us like me I just used some bondow to fill the pot marks primed it and then spray painted them black.Time for a trip to Home Depot This will be next.Thanks Uwe

 

[Uwe]

The home Depot trip Vent supplies

Time for a trip to Home Depot We are looking for 3-inch vent material. This is what your dryer has for venting outside.I n the dryer sections look for 2 3in to 4inch adaptor. I chose to step up to four inches because the hoses for the four-inch connector are better than those flimsy plastic 3-inch hoses. You can now use the 4-inch aluminum hose. You will need 2 of them.Also 2 clamps or tie wraps will work.Now its time to go to the roofing dept. Here you will find 3inch round sofet vents 4 to a bag, 10 pucks buy one pakg. Lets go to the paint dep and find some clear silicone. Or use your own product to seal the vent and components, that’s ok 12 3 to 4 inch adaptors22 4 inch aluminum ducts31 pkg sofet vents 3 inch41 tube sealant

 

[Uwe]

The Vent Installation

The Vent InstallationGet on some dirty clothes and rubber gloves if you don’t want silicon all over your hands. Please follow this exactly as I explain otherwise it will not work and things will turn out quite a mess. I KNOW TRUST MEGet your vent cover and the cherished base plate. Take one of the sofet vents. Make sure it fits into the 3 inch section of your step up collar, you may have to sand it a bit. Place the vent faced up onto the vent and attach the base plate to the vent.Cover the base with your sealant and position the vent. You may reuse the old screws or replace them with new ones. If you use the old, make sure to clean the threads before using them. From here on it gets messy.Everything is now tightened down and you should have a sofet vent floating inside the housingApply a bead of sealant to the ridge of the collar where it goes from 3 to four inches, don’t me shy put it on heavy. Now stuff a rag into the port to hold the sofet vent down. Crawl into the hold and push the 3-inch adaptor onto the sofet vent. It should fit because you took the time to fit it prior to assembly right. If not you’ve got a mess.You may have to use a thin screwdriver on the inside to guide the sofet vent into place. Position the sofet vent so the air will flow properly in or out.At t his point you have to make a choice, weather to leave the collar flush with the pot metal collar or raise it approximately 1 inch. The theory behind raising it is that should water flow into your ports it would have to get up fairy high before it enters the vent. I kept mine high.To do this just remove the rag and push the collator up into the port as high as you can.That’s it. Clean up the mess, go for the second one and your done Where do the vents lead? Good question I’m looking for some answers to that Question myselfIn my boat currently it goes nowhere.I do have a 120v system that I installed and I do have a small bathroom vent left over from my last house project so maybe the two will meet somehow.I hope you enjoyed this and it helpsThanks Uwe

 

[Uwe]

Left over sofet vents

Left over sofet ventsTake one of the two sovet vents you have left over ,cut off aprox ¼ inch off the end to make the collar smaller.Crawl into the cabin bow and insert the vent into the bow air scoop.I know there is nothing there because I have nothing there.You have now managed to keep out all the mud wasps and other critters that love to move in when you move out for the season Thank Uwe