Bladestall
New Member
Hi all.
I’m a long time lurker but new recruit. Reason for thread is because as the title eludes, I have something to share that may help someone.
I spent considerable time on the ‘wide web world’ trying to find a solution to the dust ingress issues that plague many dual cab owners with a fibreglass or ABS canopy on a tub. “Buy a wagon” was/is not a realistic solution just for dust prevention.
I found copious info about vents on canopies and the varied success they brought to owners. I wasn’t sure if installing a vent or two would work for my application as I felt that the varied success was directly related to vent position, canopy/cab design plus roof rack placements etc. I have a RTT that spans the canopy and some cab roof space so that too was an aerodynamic consideration.
I found buried in a couple of threads, a mention of bilge blowers but no images or ‘how to’s’. I found a mention of running a flexible pipe between the canopy and cab to pressurise the canopy area but the gentleman didn’t engage that concept.
So I thought I would combine the two ideas to achieve the result I was after- 100% dust free canopy.
A BuyNow on EBay saw an electric bilge blower on its way for $56. I also required a flexible pipe to run between the cab and tub so another EBay purchase saw a 76mm ColdAir flex pipe that is used to connect an air box to an inlet on an engine on its way for $25.
I have a set of 1300mm drawns in the canopy with wings so I thought the best place to install the bilge blower was under the left-side wing and run the ducting along the draws and into the cab on the left side, protruding a little past the rear cab wall behind the rear seat. The pictures explain more than I can.
I ran the 12v wiring round the front of the tub to a switchboard I made up for external lights and compressor so is turned on from there. Ideally I’d like to run a switch in the front where the driver can switch the blower on or off but that would require more wiring I just wasn’t prepared to get into just yet.
Before drilling two 86mm holes in the rear tub wall (a holy sh*t moment) and adjacently into the back wall of the cab (even bigger holy sh*t moment), I did some ‘very’ rough calculations to make sure the hole making was going to be worth it. The bilge blower moves 90 cubic feet per minute which the canopy volume is....thereabouts. I did say it was rough. But in any case, would exchange the air in the canopy within two minutes. Plus with a fridge and other camping gear reducing the canopy air volume further, I was working to the worst case scenario.
I also wanted to make sure the blower wasn’t going to create a vacuum in the cab, drawing dust in to the cab past the door seals because the cab ventilation couldn’t keep up. Some tests with the cab fan running low plus opening and closing a door, I could feel a solid pressure as I closed the door. The small vents in the back of the cab are open so I know the cab system puts out a large volume of air and should deal with the extra canopy volume just fine.
The pipe was secured with some density foam around the pipe, also protecting it from the sheet metal edges. Then I siliconed around that for a perfect seal on the tub and cab internal sides (can’t get to the outsides due to narrow tub/cab clearance).
Tub and cab flex is taken up by the flex of the pipe.
There is a phase one to all this. Over a year ago I spent time sealing up all the holes and gaps one finds in a ute tub plus made up a tailgate seal kit which cut the dust ingress down to a minimum. Only a slight dusting mainly around the tailgate jam was evident after driving around 60-80kms/hr. This was coming in through the drain holes in the tailgate.
I believe the success of the bilge blower comes down to how well ‘phase one’ can be implemented.
Despite all the effort to seal the tub and with the blower on, I can hear air escaping from a couple of points around the tub. Predominantly from the front upper corners plus out of the drain holes in the tailgate.
I figure this is ok as I want to exchange the air in the canopy for cooling purposes (ie fridge and/or dogs), not just dust elimination.
Why did I go for cab air instead of external air? I considered running the flex pipe up to the roof of the canopy, cutting the 86mm hole through the roof and installing a pod filter on the outside. I wasn’t keen on this because of aesthetic reasons mainly but on a 40oC day, the cooling aspect wouldn’t be achieved.
By taking air from the cab, it’s already filtered and already cooled (or heated in winter).
I did buy a good quality pollen/dust filter for the cab ventilation system. These filters are often forgotten at service points (I’m guilty of this) and end up very restricted after filtering dust, bugs and detritus over time.
One of the fortuitous points is that with the cab ventilation running (without the blower) the canopy is still being pressurised. I can feel air coming out of the tailgate drains. If driving with cab windows open, the blower will pressurise the canopy.
This system is designed around having the cab ventilation on Fresh Air. If on recirculation and blower on, a vacuum will/could be created in the cab, potentially drawing in dust to the cab. My thoughts here that on dusty roads we want the cab on fresh air, not recirc.
I built this system for under $100 (Ozzie) but even if I had to purchase wiring, a switch plus other sundries, we are still looking at under $200. When looking at Aeroklas vents for my canopy I found they were pricey for what they are. Around $80 for one. In saying that though, you can buy scupper vents and pop up vents for around $40 but then one is back considering the aerodynamic variables surrounding vents.
I hope this helps someone in their quest for a dust free canopy. The only anxiety I had was cutting the holes in the tub and cab but to be 100% dust free in a dual cab tub canopy was well worth it.
I’m a long time lurker but new recruit. Reason for thread is because as the title eludes, I have something to share that may help someone.
I spent considerable time on the ‘wide web world’ trying to find a solution to the dust ingress issues that plague many dual cab owners with a fibreglass or ABS canopy on a tub. “Buy a wagon” was/is not a realistic solution just for dust prevention.
I found copious info about vents on canopies and the varied success they brought to owners. I wasn’t sure if installing a vent or two would work for my application as I felt that the varied success was directly related to vent position, canopy/cab design plus roof rack placements etc. I have a RTT that spans the canopy and some cab roof space so that too was an aerodynamic consideration.
I found buried in a couple of threads, a mention of bilge blowers but no images or ‘how to’s’. I found a mention of running a flexible pipe between the canopy and cab to pressurise the canopy area but the gentleman didn’t engage that concept.
So I thought I would combine the two ideas to achieve the result I was after- 100% dust free canopy.
A BuyNow on EBay saw an electric bilge blower on its way for $56. I also required a flexible pipe to run between the cab and tub so another EBay purchase saw a 76mm ColdAir flex pipe that is used to connect an air box to an inlet on an engine on its way for $25.
I have a set of 1300mm drawns in the canopy with wings so I thought the best place to install the bilge blower was under the left-side wing and run the ducting along the draws and into the cab on the left side, protruding a little past the rear cab wall behind the rear seat. The pictures explain more than I can.
I ran the 12v wiring round the front of the tub to a switchboard I made up for external lights and compressor so is turned on from there. Ideally I’d like to run a switch in the front where the driver can switch the blower on or off but that would require more wiring I just wasn’t prepared to get into just yet.
Before drilling two 86mm holes in the rear tub wall (a holy sh*t moment) and adjacently into the back wall of the cab (even bigger holy sh*t moment), I did some ‘very’ rough calculations to make sure the hole making was going to be worth it. The bilge blower moves 90 cubic feet per minute which the canopy volume is....thereabouts. I did say it was rough. But in any case, would exchange the air in the canopy within two minutes. Plus with a fridge and other camping gear reducing the canopy air volume further, I was working to the worst case scenario.
I also wanted to make sure the blower wasn’t going to create a vacuum in the cab, drawing dust in to the cab past the door seals because the cab ventilation couldn’t keep up. Some tests with the cab fan running low plus opening and closing a door, I could feel a solid pressure as I closed the door. The small vents in the back of the cab are open so I know the cab system puts out a large volume of air and should deal with the extra canopy volume just fine.
The pipe was secured with some density foam around the pipe, also protecting it from the sheet metal edges. Then I siliconed around that for a perfect seal on the tub and cab internal sides (can’t get to the outsides due to narrow tub/cab clearance).
Tub and cab flex is taken up by the flex of the pipe.
There is a phase one to all this. Over a year ago I spent time sealing up all the holes and gaps one finds in a ute tub plus made up a tailgate seal kit which cut the dust ingress down to a minimum. Only a slight dusting mainly around the tailgate jam was evident after driving around 60-80kms/hr. This was coming in through the drain holes in the tailgate.
I believe the success of the bilge blower comes down to how well ‘phase one’ can be implemented.
Despite all the effort to seal the tub and with the blower on, I can hear air escaping from a couple of points around the tub. Predominantly from the front upper corners plus out of the drain holes in the tailgate.
I figure this is ok as I want to exchange the air in the canopy for cooling purposes (ie fridge and/or dogs), not just dust elimination.
Why did I go for cab air instead of external air? I considered running the flex pipe up to the roof of the canopy, cutting the 86mm hole through the roof and installing a pod filter on the outside. I wasn’t keen on this because of aesthetic reasons mainly but on a 40oC day, the cooling aspect wouldn’t be achieved.
By taking air from the cab, it’s already filtered and already cooled (or heated in winter).
I did buy a good quality pollen/dust filter for the cab ventilation system. These filters are often forgotten at service points (I’m guilty of this) and end up very restricted after filtering dust, bugs and detritus over time.
One of the fortuitous points is that with the cab ventilation running (without the blower) the canopy is still being pressurised. I can feel air coming out of the tailgate drains. If driving with cab windows open, the blower will pressurise the canopy.
This system is designed around having the cab ventilation on Fresh Air. If on recirculation and blower on, a vacuum will/could be created in the cab, potentially drawing in dust to the cab. My thoughts here that on dusty roads we want the cab on fresh air, not recirc.
I built this system for under $100 (Ozzie) but even if I had to purchase wiring, a switch plus other sundries, we are still looking at under $200. When looking at Aeroklas vents for my canopy I found they were pricey for what they are. Around $80 for one. In saying that though, you can buy scupper vents and pop up vents for around $40 but then one is back considering the aerodynamic variables surrounding vents.
I hope this helps someone in their quest for a dust free canopy. The only anxiety I had was cutting the holes in the tub and cab but to be 100% dust free in a dual cab tub canopy was well worth it.
