Universal Fire extinguisher type

[Jerry Woodward]

For engine room fires, what about installing a heat sensitive sprinkler in the engine room, plumbed to the boats pressurized fresh water system?

[a64pilot]

Water is not the best for a fuel fire, now if mixed with foam, then that is different.
Water can spread a fuel fire and actually explode the fire if the flammable liquid is above the boiling point of water, water sinks in the liquid and very rapidly boils and scatters burning fuel everywhere, think kitchen grease fire.
I will soon mount a cheap video camera in my engine room as my B&G plotter will display video. I figure one there and another in the bilge. A port into the engine compartment that you can discharge a fire extinguisher through is better than taking the whole panel off too.

[Jerry Woodward]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Water is not the best for a fuel fire, now if mixed with foam, then that is different.
Water can spread a fuel fire and actually explode the fire if the flammable liquid is above the boiling point of water, water sinks in the liquid and very rapidly boils and scatters burning fuel everywhere, think kitchen grease fire.
I will soon mount a cheap video camera in my engine room as my B&G plotter will display video. I figure one there and another in the bilge. A port into the engine compartment that you can discharge a fire extinguisher through is better than taking the whole panel off too.

Of course, we all know that. But, in the enclosed space of an engine compartment, I'll bet it would fill up with steam and extinguish the fire. I'd like to see Mythbusters test this out!

[Jerry Woodward]

These threads are great. I began to think about the type of fire extinguishing systems used in commercial kitchens where grease fires are common. Apparently, the state of the art systems are "wet chemical" or Class K systems, either as an engineered system, or separate fire extinguishers. The class K extinguishers are basically a solution of potassium acetate, fairly safe and non corrosive. They can be used on burning oil because they "form a crust over burning oil" (Wikipedia). Not cheap, but safe and effective.
https://www.zoro.com/amerex-fire-ext...60/i/G3697687/

So, this should be excellent for discharging into an engine compartment, and equally useful for class A fires since it is essentially water. For electrical fires, they would also be useful if the power were shut off first. It seems like this could be close to a "Universal fire extinguisher type" for boats, no?

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by Jerry Woodward

Of course, we all know that. But, in the enclosed space of an engine compartment, I'll bet it would fill up with steam and extinguish the fire. I'd like to see Mythbusters test this out!

I'll bet it won't. Fuel is lighter than water and spraying water on fuel will spread the fuel out increasing the size and scope of the fire. Once the fire is out then water can help prevent a fire restarting.

Also, think about where water would go. In our boat the water would run along the bilge under the floor boards into the main living space. That could bring the burning fuel out of the engine room and right under where a fire fighting crew would be standing.

Depriving the fire of oxygen until it goes out followed by cooling with water works. Halon is excellent for this as are some modern halon replacements. And they don't destroy the engine.

[Cadence]

I don't know. I am assuming it is the tree huggers that are the problem with Halon. The lack of common sense probably exists. How often would an engine room system be discharged. If one were not, what would be the detrimental effect of a GRP boat burning to the waterline be on the eco system?

[transmitterdan]

Halon is an ozone depleting chemical. Much more than R22 freon.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

Halon is an ozone depleting chemical. Much more than R22 freon.

Thankfully now pretty much banned world wide, apart from the US it would appear

Whatever Happened To Halon Fire Extinguishers? - Fire Protection Online Info

[InTheDish]

O.K. I don't know how many angels can dance on the head of a pin yet.

I have a Lagoon 410, besides a fire blanket, what else should I get without breaking the bank or sinking the boot stripe?

Thanks in advance!

[Privleoplag]

ever heard of these? spendy though. stop-fyre https://www.ake.com/new-standard-sto...fo.description

[Privleoplag]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=-Ex1Remjpl8

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Jerry Woodward

For engine room fires, what about installing a heat sensitive sprinkler in the engine room, plumbed to the boats pressurized fresh water system?

About 3 months ago i replaced our (illegal here) Halon engine room fire fighting system with a water mist one.

The system consists of a 6L Water Mist extinguisher plumbed into the engine room, the extinguisher is outside of the ER compartment and operated manually (non-auto) from there should the alarm go off.

A normal sprinkler system is no good as previous posters have noted, it needs to be mist/fog to be effective and safe. The good thing about these extinguishers is they are safe around electrical equipment, ideal for fuel fires, disperse oxygen, cool the area, safe around humans, environmentally friendly and easy to clean up with little or no damage.

As an addition, 99% of new build ships are fitted with mist/fogging systems because they are perfectly safe to activate with personnel in the engine room, you don't have to wait for the space to be evacuated and sealed as you do with CO2 and other such gasses (although these are still fitted) I was in the engine room of one of our vessels in Singapore when a test was done, the cooling effect was amazing, even chilling....

There are a number of suppliers around, the below link is just to one of them, lots of YouTube demo videos to...

http://www.safelincs.co.uk/ultrafire...extinguishers/

[tkeithlu]

OK, but we're talking about a small space (designers don't waste space) that can be confined by turning off the blowers. The fire is likely to have only a small Class A component, a very large Class B component, and maybe some Class C, which is just A or B with electricity added. It's not likely to be Class K (heated cooking oil) or Class D unless you have the only magnesium engine in existence. My Plan A is a piped in CO2 "sprinkler" system, 40 pounds in my case. It's cheap, you can design your own system with the tank valves in safe places, and it doesn't damage your engine or destroy your electronics (ever seen what a dry chem does?). Plans B and C involve very expensive Halon and then water. CO2 doesn't cool Class A fires very well, but if you can keep them deprived of air for awhile they'll cool themselves.

But then the real problem, if you (very likely) own a fiberglass boat. You've got to stop this sucker before it ignites the structural resin. That stuff burns like an oil refinery, the smoke will plastic coat your lungs, and the only good news is that other boaters will see your unintended distress signal from many miles away.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

About 3 months ago i replaced our (illegal here) Halon engine room fire fighting system with a water mist one.

The system consists of a 6L Water Mist extinguisher plumbed into the engine room, the extinguisher is outside of the ER compartment and operated manually (non-auto) from there should the alarm go off.

A normal sprinkler system is no good as previous posters have noted, it needs to be mist/fog to be effective and safe. The good thing about these extinguishers is they are safe around electrical equipment, ideal for fuel fires, disperse oxygen, cool the area, safe around humans, environmentally friendly and easy to clean up with little or no damage.

As an addition, 99% of new build ships are fitted with mist/fogging systems because they are perfectly safe to activate with personnel in the engine room, you don't have to wait for the space to be evacuated and sealed as you do with CO2 and other such gasses (although these are still fitted) I was in the engine room of one of our vessels in Singapore when a test was done, the cooling effect was amazing, even chilling....

There are a number of suppliers around, the below link is just to one of them, lots of YouTube demo videos to...

www.safelincs.co.uk/ultrafire-water-mist-fire-extinguishers/

John
Did you just plumb in the hose from the 6L handheld extinguisher into your engine compartment? Do they offer any system that can be automatically triggered?

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Paul L

John
Did you just plumb in the hose from the 6L handheld extinguisher into your engine compartment? Do they offer any system that can be automatically triggered?

Hi Paul

I got a local guy to fit it, it's got a soft hose from the extinguisher to a through bulkhead fitting into the ER, In the ER it has S/S piping to the mist/fog head.

Yes they have an auto release, in fact it's the same as my old Halon system which i still have, but i figured i'm going to be on board anytime the engine is in operation so shouldn't be a problem, boats dead when i'm away, everything off.