T_S
Well-Known Member
The boat I have recently purchased does not have one! So whats the best buy?
Engine Compartment Auto Extinguisher!
- Thread starter T_S
- Start date
FullCircle
Well-Known Member
Oi Dave - did you pick up the inflatable?
I have seen them advertised at Marinestore £87.99 for your size of engine compartment.
Aldi and Lidl often have 1kg and 2kg units as well, which are very cheap. You have seen them on FC.
I have seen them advertised at Marinestore £87.99 for your size of engine compartment.
Aldi and Lidl often have 1kg and 2kg units as well, which are very cheap. You have seen them on FC.
ColinHuggins
N/A
I obtained a quote from a local specialist who measured the space and produced a spec THEN went to Firemaster who always do a good deal if you are on their books.
The end result? I'll look tomorrow if I'm on the boat. Suggest you PM/e-mail and ask again.
CJH
The end result? I'll look tomorrow if I'm on the boat. Suggest you PM/e-mail and ask again.
CJH
enterprise
Well-Known Member
Watch the dry powder types, I know it's the last thing on your mind if there is a fire but the powder (baking soda) if ingested by the engines can cause all sorts of damage.
Best to get the Halon replacement FM200.
Best to get the Halon replacement FM200.
T_S
Well-Known Member
No JD....But I should be down there on Tuesday weather permitting!
Roberto
Well-Known Member
T_S
Well-Known Member
So I take it you went for the 'inert gas type then'?
Roberto
Well-Known Member
well not yet mounted as I have to measure exactly the engine compartment and see where I can place the extinguisher away from the air outlet fan, and will be to the boat again in february march only..
in any case inert gas yes: no powder and no water (too much electricity in there, two alternators+ cables to 500Ah batteries)
also planning to put shutdown gates to pipes bringing air inside the locker
cheers r
in any case inert gas yes: no powder and no water (too much electricity in there, two alternators+ cables to 500Ah batteries)
also planning to put shutdown gates to pipes bringing air inside the locker
cheers r
jerryat
Well-Known Member
Don't even THINK of using the dry powder type. The stuff can wreck your engine and I know, 'cos it's happened to me!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Go for the replacement halon gas type only. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Go for the replacement halon gas type only. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
pcatterall
Well-Known Member
Just been on my camper van site and they are saying that halon is very dangerous. Is it ok for boats if confined to the engine compartment??
ms1
Well-Known Member
Halon is a banned substance .
No its not OK to have halon extinguishers ,, caravan or boat or home for that matter
No its not OK to have halon extinguishers ,, caravan or boat or home for that matter
Koeketiene
Well-Known Member
The navy has halon on warships.
Warship compartments can be made airtight - in which case a halon shot will extinguish the fire in less than a minute.
I very much doubt you'd be able to make the engine compartment on your boat airtight.
So, no, halon on a yacht is not a good idea.
Yes, powder or water will most likely f*** up your engine; but which would you rather loose: your engine or your boat?
Before you go down the fire extinguisher route - a wet blanket is always a good idea.
But then again - what do I know?
Warship compartments can be made airtight - in which case a halon shot will extinguish the fire in less than a minute.
I very much doubt you'd be able to make the engine compartment on your boat airtight.
So, no, halon on a yacht is not a good idea.
Yes, powder or water will most likely f*** up your engine; but which would you rather loose: your engine or your boat?
Before you go down the fire extinguisher route - a wet blanket is always a good idea.
But then again - what do I know?
Bajansailor
Well-Known Member
It is a real pity and shame that Halon has been banned, because I understand that it is a truly excellent extinguisher of fire.
One of it's main advantages is that a person can breathe it for a while if necessary, and it shouldnt cause lasting damage (I hope I dont have to be corrected on this).
Hence it was very popular on ships, because if they had a fire in the engine room, they could still drench it with halon, and the engineers had a good chance of escaping.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is pretty good at extinguishing fires - drench an engine room with the stuff, and it should 'put out the lights' of whatever is down there - including engineers - very rapidly...... Hence engineers are less enthused with CO2......
To my way of thinking, what is the point of banning and scrapping existing halon systems? How is the halon going to be disposed of? Surely it will contribute to greenhouse gases in some form, no matter what it is converted into. Would it not be better to keep it in the extinguishers, at least until the end of the working life of the extinguisher?
Because halon and CO2 are both gases, they both rely to a certain extent on the air intakes to the engine room being shut pretty quickly. Small commercial vessels have dampers over the intake and exhaust vents, and very often these can be closed remotely. However very few private yachts seem to have systems like these in place.
A fairly new invention is 'Flexi-Fog' or 'Hi-Fog' - these are particular brand names, and there are other manufacturers - but the basic principle behind this Fog is that the engine room (or anywhere on the ship really) is drenched with a fog comprised of millions of microscopic water vapour droplets. The cooling ability of a water mist system is directly proportional to the total surface area of the water that comes into contact with the fire, hence 1 gallon of water mist / fog has an enormously enhanced fire fighting capability when compared with eg 1 gallon of water chucked at the fire using a bucket (or even a fire hose).
I don't know if the Flexi-fog systems are available in small sizes yet suitable for 'small' yachts - probably not. But if not, it is bound to happen soon! I have heard only very positive reports about Flexi-fog from engineers on passenger vessels.
I am only a surveyor, but I know that there are quite a few Master Mariners and Marine Engineers on this forum who can shed more light on the above - and correct my mistakes (I hope I havent made too many!).
PS - I have been re-assured that these Flexi-Fog systems can be used in the vicinity of electrical equipment quite happily - the water droplets are so small that they do not 'wet' anything as such in the conventional manner.
More about water mist fire protection systems at http://www.marioff.com/. OK, these are for big ships, but I hope they will still be of interest to forumites for background reference.
One of it's main advantages is that a person can breathe it for a while if necessary, and it shouldnt cause lasting damage (I hope I dont have to be corrected on this).
Hence it was very popular on ships, because if they had a fire in the engine room, they could still drench it with halon, and the engineers had a good chance of escaping.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is pretty good at extinguishing fires - drench an engine room with the stuff, and it should 'put out the lights' of whatever is down there - including engineers - very rapidly...... Hence engineers are less enthused with CO2......
To my way of thinking, what is the point of banning and scrapping existing halon systems? How is the halon going to be disposed of? Surely it will contribute to greenhouse gases in some form, no matter what it is converted into. Would it not be better to keep it in the extinguishers, at least until the end of the working life of the extinguisher?
Because halon and CO2 are both gases, they both rely to a certain extent on the air intakes to the engine room being shut pretty quickly. Small commercial vessels have dampers over the intake and exhaust vents, and very often these can be closed remotely. However very few private yachts seem to have systems like these in place.
A fairly new invention is 'Flexi-Fog' or 'Hi-Fog' - these are particular brand names, and there are other manufacturers - but the basic principle behind this Fog is that the engine room (or anywhere on the ship really) is drenched with a fog comprised of millions of microscopic water vapour droplets. The cooling ability of a water mist system is directly proportional to the total surface area of the water that comes into contact with the fire, hence 1 gallon of water mist / fog has an enormously enhanced fire fighting capability when compared with eg 1 gallon of water chucked at the fire using a bucket (or even a fire hose).
I don't know if the Flexi-fog systems are available in small sizes yet suitable for 'small' yachts - probably not. But if not, it is bound to happen soon! I have heard only very positive reports about Flexi-fog from engineers on passenger vessels.
I am only a surveyor, but I know that there are quite a few Master Mariners and Marine Engineers on this forum who can shed more light on the above - and correct my mistakes (I hope I havent made too many!).
PS - I have been re-assured that these Flexi-Fog systems can be used in the vicinity of electrical equipment quite happily - the water droplets are so small that they do not 'wet' anything as such in the conventional manner.
More about water mist fire protection systems at http://www.marioff.com/. OK, these are for big ships, but I hope they will still be of interest to forumites for background reference.
jcmmarine
Well-Known Member
Yes the RN still has halon, but only untill if has been used or the system/ship is refitted. They are not allowed to re-charge it.
Piers
Well-Known Member
You will probably find your insurance demands an extinguisher in the engine compartment. If so, you will also probably find their small print demands it is correctly sized and of the correct extinguishant (FM2000?). If so, you will need someone who is qualififed to say what it should be, such as Firemaster. Skimping on getting it done right might well invalidate your insurance.
neale
Well-Known Member
Yes powder might damage your engine and of course if it is on fire anyway who cares, but a powder extinguisher or any other for that matter, could activate when there is no fire. Then you have a knackered engine for no good reason For that reason I would be wary of putting powder in the engine room.
Also the wet blanket may work, but the one thing you really don't want to do when there is a fire in your engine room is to open the hatch. At that point you'll let a load more air in and whooosh /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Also the wet blanket may work, but the one thing you really don't want to do when there is a fire in your engine room is to open the hatch. At that point you'll let a load more air in and whooosh /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
jerryat
Well-Known Member
""Yes powder might damage your engine and of course if it is on fire anyway who cares, but a powder extinguisher or any other for that matter, could activate when there is no fire. ""
This is precisely what happened to us. The damned powder extinguisher went off for no apparent reason - we assume a faulty glass phial - while the engine was ticking over as we anchored. The powder was ingested by the engine and seized the rings solidly in their grooves. Result, no compression and no engine! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Luckily the anchor was well dug in by this time, but we still had to remove the engine, strip, clean the rings/grooves and reassemble. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
NOT FUN I assure you, so definitely NO POWDER extinguishers. In fact, my personal view is that companies advertising dry powder units for engine rooms are acting in a totally irresponsible way. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
This is precisely what happened to us. The damned powder extinguisher went off for no apparent reason - we assume a faulty glass phial - while the engine was ticking over as we anchored. The powder was ingested by the engine and seized the rings solidly in their grooves. Result, no compression and no engine! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Luckily the anchor was well dug in by this time, but we still had to remove the engine, strip, clean the rings/grooves and reassemble. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
NOT FUN I assure you, so definitely NO POWDER extinguishers. In fact, my personal view is that companies advertising dry powder units for engine rooms are acting in a totally irresponsible way. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
FWB
N/A
Would anyone like a Dry Powder Auto Fire Extinguisher free? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
