vic008 17 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 "Smoke clearly coming from the engine compartment" "my fire t raining from a previous career in Royal Elect & Mech Eng told me that opening the compartment would feed oxygen to the fire" so he left it shut and instead sent a Mayday call. 30 foot yacht a write off.(from PBO 9/16)Is this a bizarre way to react? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Romany 162 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 out of the ordinary maybe, bizarre certainly not. He survived which makes it the correct choice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,234 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yep,opening the engine room can be a bad idea, if the fire properly established. Stop the engine if running. Shut off Fuel and turn off batteries at the mains switch. Close the engine room air intakes at least, better yet, discharge a fire extinguisher into the vent, then close it. If it's only a little bit of smoke, or a burning smell, I'd still look first. Be careful opening the hatch, it can certainly cause a flare up, or even an explosion.... So what he did is not without reason. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 nice to be able to see what all the noises is about put in a window https://youtu.be/gN4uTBCQrIc?t=46 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jon 360 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I've got both a window and a extinguisher with a heat activated head on in installed in the compartment Bloody cheap ass production boats come with everything these days Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yep being able to squirt in an extinguisher without having to open a hatch is a great idea. I have a Co2 bottle I can blast into the Engine room through a vent and then I can close off the vent. Many have found out the hard way opening a hatch. The guy did all the right things. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jim s 34 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I like the idea of blasting Co2 via a vent ...aircraft and some industrial equipment have a similar concept. I've had to put out fires on a few occasions and i've been lucky to have had enough extinguisher(s) to hand - if you need one you don't care what it costs...this thread has reminded me to upsize the one onboard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,234 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I have a BCF extinguisher plumbed directly into the engine room. Shut the vents, turn everything off, pull the trigger. Yeah, I know BCF is bad, and no longer available, but it WORKS GREAT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Battgirl 23 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Speaking of which my 18hp volvo is crammed in behind the steps under the cockpit with maybe an inch to spare all round. I run the engine with the ply side panel in the lazarette off so the engine does get air. I would prefer to put vents and an extinguisher in place. Suggestions please. Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 ^ put in a little hinged door or sliding perspex door behind the steps open for air, view + shooting in extinguisher closed for noise, fire etc. imho multipanel engine enclosures are so leaky you probably don't need to remove panels for running which means leaving them closed in a fire is probably pointless too BUT, being able to see what's happening inside and have an easy way to shoot in an extinguisher still a good idea Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,234 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Diesels need appropriate freely available air to use. They don't like intake air restrictions - it will shorten their life considerably. An 18hp Diesel non turbo of 52 Cubic Inches displacement will use about 12-1300 litres of air per minute. Yep, thats quite a bit. It's important to ensure the engine room has sufficient ventilation to allow the required air in. The engine room should not be too hot - the cooling system should remove the heat. If the engine room is much over 15 deg C above ambient temp, you are likely to getting sufficient air in, and therefore harming the engine and reducing it's power output - especially at higher revs. The engine compartment should be sealed as much as possible - to reduce any fumes leaking into the living spaces, reduce noise, and make vent shutoff and fire fighting easier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,234 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 an easy test of air flow is simply to measure engine room temp with the compartment closed, then again after say 10 mins with it open... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ex TL systems 63 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 a seawater washdown pump and hose in or near the cockpit is a good thing if you have a fire in your cabin. If the cabin is full of smoke you don't really want to go in there . To get close enough to use an extinquisher may not be possible because of thick smoke . With a hose you have a chance of fighting the fire from a safe position in fresh air by directing water through any hatches etc. Be prepared to abandon ship if necessary. An auto extinquisher in the engine room is an excellent idea as KM has said. Plus if you sleep on your boat you should have at least 1 smoke alarm in each cabin, a fire may not wake you before you die of smoke inhalation. And most boats will have more risk of fire than your house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 bunnings today had 10yr smoke alarms for $22 quite a drop in price from a last year Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Battgirl 23 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Thanks guys, as usual lots of good ideas. I will start with checking the engine room air temperature and go from there. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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