Is engine room insulation required?

[cas206]

I have a Volvo MD7B. I recently removed all the old and crumbling engine compartment insulation. Is putting new insulation back in a priority for safety considerations, such as flame proofing? It seems that most of the posts I could find only consider the insulation for sound dampening. The oyster boats that leave before first light are way louder than I could ever be without the sound insulation. I'd rather move new insulation down the todo list and put up with the extra noise for now.

[Pete17C]

I don't think the insulation in any engine compartment I've seen would do much in the way of fireproofing.

I know it takes 3" (2 layers of 1.5" w/ staggered seams) of firewrap on kitchen exhaust ductwork to meet NFPA code for commercial kitchens.

[hellosailor]

Usually engine compartment insulation on a small craft is just there for soundproofing, and the "fire resistant" foil facing on it, is just there to prevent the flammable foam insulation from being set on fire. Never heard of a builder or certification agency requiring soundproofing on a small boat.

But if the engine compartment is properly insulated, it certainly can be kinder on any crew sleeping while it is running.

[Sailmonkey]

We had no insulation around our engine until 6 months ago. The boat had survived 41 years without insulation.

[bletso]

My engine room insulation is lead sheeting. It seems to do a good job, though not as good as some of the high tech stuff out there now.

Anything with foam will of course deteriorate in time as you have found out. It's just the nature of the the product.

[Greg Mason]

Foil faced foam can provide 2 benefits. Sound and heat. For fire or flame suppression, there are systems for that.

[deblen]

Not needed-if you don't mind some increased noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0DnPMvutSQ

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by Pete17C

I don't think the insulation in any engine compartment I've seen would do much in the way of fireproofing.

I know it takes 3" (2 layers of 1.5" w/ staggered seams) of firewrap on kitchen exhaust ductwork to meet NFPA code for commercial kitchens.

We just recently rebuilt a complete wheelhouse for a tugboat and we insulated the walls and the floor with 2" Roxul insulation. Installing insulation was mostly for sound and secondly for fire. Wow!!!, was I impressed with the sound reduction. I had to wear ear protection before and now we can talk in the wheel house. And for testing it for fire, I took the torches to a piece of that insulation and it does not even hold heat. And of course it had to meet the Transport Canada requirement for commercial vessel. My 2 cents worth...

[fish53]

I had sheet stainless steel on standoffs with a one inch gap between it and the soundproofing, don't believe it was fireproof but with an installed fire extinguishing system I think it may have helped buy time and mitigate damage in the event of a fire.

[Fore and Aft]

Cas206 on a boat your size it would be an easy job to do. Foil insulation comes in sheets so measure up, cut it with a Stanley knife, slop on some contact glue and stick it on, then cover the joins with insulation tape. I bet you would be done in 2 hours. The other good thing with foil insulation is your engine room looks so much cleaner and is easier to clean.
Cheers

[cas206]

Eh... What?!?


Oh.. thanks for the replies so far. Seems the consensus is I can get away with it for a bit (or years). Also have noted the various suggestions on what to replace it with.

[Compass790]

Don't know what your engine box is made of but mostly it's soundproofing as others say.
Our 1980 engine has never had it but I require earplugs in cabin. Would like to have sounddune or wavebar insulation but we usually have enough wind to shut the noisemaker/polluter off thankfully.
Don't sweat it unless yr engine box is celluloid or some other highly flammable substance

[Snore]

IF YOU DON’T MIND THE NOISE YOU CAN SKIP THE INSULATION.

I plan on replacing mine as the noise finally got to me.

[Maka]

I don't have insulation in my engine room, but my Perkins 4-108 isn't very loud.


I DO have an automatic marine fire extinguishing system in there though.
As well as all the required fire extinguishers scattered throughout the boat, a couple of them oversized, like in the galley and next to my diesel fired heater.
Fire on board terrifies me more than sinking.