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Fire at Pine Harbor


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LPG cylinders cannot explode. Even in a fire, it takes a long time to create the pressure for the rupture disc to finally give out. At that point, the gas vents in a controlled manner till empty. There is no oxygen inside the tanl that can allow the Gas to ignite internally.
Gas explosions on Vessels are usually always from Gas that has leaked from some point in the system and settled to the lowest point of the boat and then an ignition source has ignighted it.

Once Lithium Batteries do catch fire for what ever reason, it is pretty much impossible to put them out. Lithium reacts when in combustion to create oxygen and thus making it near impossible to extinguish. This is going to be a big problem for many Electric Vehicles in the future.

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What I find funny is that "Are you wearing your life jacket" is a mantra of a lot of boaties,  but they then allow a bomb on their boat in the form of a gas cooker.

Much like people that buy Bavaria mono's and Condo Cats - I just don't get it.
But hey, just my opinion.

And if it proves to be lithium, then that raises all sorts of questions about competency of installs....there are probably some rubbish lead acid installs, but who has really heard of major fires and explosions from them?

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1 hour ago, Zozza said:

And if it proves to be lithium, then that raises all sorts of questions about competency of installs....there are probably some rubbish lead acid installs, but who has really heard of major fires and explosions from them?

Yes me. I have had two batteries explode over the years. 3 actually as one was a bank of 2x 6V tractor batteries. The bang was defening and left my ears ringing for days. There was nothing left of the batteries apart from some lead cells. Brand new and huge things. Yet not one drop of acid or battery had touched me, yet the explosion had bent the bonnet of the Tractor.

I watched a guy in the yard I worked in, hook up huge jumper cables to a big dozer and he got them around the wrong way. There was a huge explosion of "stuff" and the cable clamps had cut clean through the Terminals.

Years ago now, I Nearly lost my boat not long after we bought it. It could nearly have also been my life. I had 1800A @ 12V for engine start. Shorting 1800A makes short work of even large Battery cables. I can't actually remember what caused thew short, but I think it may have been the failing of the Starter. An old CAV design and a pain in the A of a thing. I was doing something down below and suddenly caught a wiff of smoke. I lifted the engine hatch to billows of harsh smoke pouring out. I proped up the  hatch which is a large solid teak floor and very heavy, then reached down into the smoke and fumes and found the battery disconnect switches and turned them off. I then opened up the boat and let all the smoke expel.
I walked away and left it all for about 10 to 15min and came back to find to my horror, the cable had melted through everything like a hot knife. Eventually coming to rest on the fuel lines which were Hydraulic hose, with internal steel braiding. The cable run going to the disconnects melted through the jacket and shorted to the braid which was earthed and still connected to the batteries and live. The Fuel lines had now become heaters and were boiling the Diesel till it was escaping in jets of fumes out through the chard hoses. I was expecting at any moment for it to all erupt into flames.
I then did what can only be described as the most stupid thing, but I was desperate. I climbed down into the engine compartment and into the fumes while holding my breath and got to the battery bank and with side cutters, went about cutting through the Battery cable. The battery bank was radiating heat they were so hot and I was worrying they would explode in my face. I got through the cable and as I stood, the hatch came crashing down and the latch bolt struck my head and caused a large gash. Blood instantly streamed down my face and over my glasses and I had to scramble out of the engine room blind.
That part of the drama was over. But I was feeling really sick and had blood all over me and my head sure hurt. I decided I needed to get home and cleaned up, so then drove the 35mins back to Home, where my wife took one look at me and gasped in Horror.

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32 minutes ago, Ex Veladare said:

Saw a video of it yesterday, boat was on fire before the gas tank blew itself off the boat... fire was then took off.

Well, thats how I saw it anyway

That sounds more like what I would expect.

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6 hours ago, wheels said:

Yes me. I have had two batteries explode over the years. 3 actually as one was a bank of 2x 6V tractor batteries. The bang was defening and left my ears ringing for days. There was nothing left of the batteries apart from some lead cells. Brand new and huge things. Yet not one drop of acid or battery had touched me, yet the explosion had bent the bonnet of the Tractor.

I watched a guy in the yard I worked in, hook up huge jumper cables to a big dozer and he got them around the wrong way. There was a huge explosion of "stuff" and the cable clamps had cut clean through the Terminals.

Years ago now, I Nearly lost my boat not long after we bought it. It could nearly have also been my life. I had 1800A @ 12V for engine start. Shorting 1800A makes short work of even large Battery cables. I can't actually remember what caused thew short, but I think it may have been the failing of the Starter. An old CAV design and a pain in the A of a thing. I was doing something down below and suddenly caught a wiff of smoke. I lifted the engine hatch to billows of harsh smoke pouring out. I proped up the  hatch which is a large solid teak floor and very heavy, then reached down into the smoke and fumes and found the battery disconnect switches and turned them off. I then opened up the boat and let all the smoke expel.
I walked away and left it all for about 10 to 15min and came back to find to my horror, the cable had melted through everything like a hot knife. Eventually coming to rest on the fuel lines which were Hydraulic hose, with internal steel braiding. The cable run going to the disconnects melted through the jacket and shorted to the braid which was earthed and still connected to the batteries and live. The Fuel lines had now become heaters and were boiling the Diesel till it was escaping in jets of fumes out through the chard hoses. I was expecting at any moment for it to all erupt into flames.
I then did what can only be described as the most stupid thing, but I was desperate. I climbed down into the engine compartment and into the fumes while holding my breath and got to the battery bank and with side cutters, went about cutting through the Battery cable. The battery bank was radiating heat they were so hot and I was worrying they would explode in my face. I got through the cable and as I stood, the hatch came crashing down and the latch bolt struck my head and caused a large gash. Blood instantly streamed down my face and over my glasses and I had to scramble out of the engine room blind.
That part of the drama was over. But I was feeling really sick and had blood all over me and my head sure hurt. I decided I needed to get home and cleaned up, so then drove the 35mins back to Home, where my wife took one look at me and gasped in Horror.

Lucky to get away with that!

There have been lots of Lead Acid Battery fires, caused by internal and external shorts, poor/old/damaged cables and terminals, and other stuff. A battery is a fuel tank, no fuel tank is 100 % safe.

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20 hours ago, wheels said:

Yes me. I have had two batteries explode over the years. 3 actually as one was a bank of 2x 6V tractor batteries. The bang was defening and left my ears ringing for days. There was nothing left of the batteries apart from some lead cells. Brand new and huge things. Yet not one drop of acid or battery had touched me, yet the explosion had bent the bonnet of the Tractor.

I watched a guy in the yard I worked in, hook up huge jumper cables to a big dozer and he got them around the wrong way. There was a huge explosion of "stuff" and the cable clamps had cut clean through the Terminals.

Years ago now, I Nearly lost my boat not long after we bought it. It could nearly have also been my life. I had 1800A @ 12V for engine start. Shorting 1800A makes short work of even large Battery cables. I can't actually remember what caused thew short, but I think it may have been the failing of the Starter. An old CAV design and a pain in the A of a thing. I was doing something down below and suddenly caught a wiff of smoke. I lifted the engine hatch to billows of harsh smoke pouring out. I proped up the  hatch which is a large solid teak floor and very heavy, then reached down into the smoke and fumes and found the battery disconnect switches and turned them off. I then opened up the boat and let all the smoke expel.
I walked away and left it all for about 10 to 15min and came back to find to my horror, the cable had melted through everything like a hot knife. Eventually coming to rest on the fuel lines which were Hydraulic hose, with internal steel braiding. The cable run going to the disconnects melted through the jacket and shorted to the braid which was earthed and still connected to the batteries and live. The Fuel lines had now become heaters and were boiling the Diesel till it was escaping in jets of fumes out through the chard hoses. I was expecting at any moment for it to all erupt into flames.
I then did what can only be described as the most stupid thing, but I was desperate. I climbed down into the engine compartment and into the fumes while holding my breath and got to the battery bank and with side cutters, went about cutting through the Battery cable. The battery bank was radiating heat they were so hot and I was worrying they would explode in my face. I got through the cable and as I stood, the hatch came crashing down and the latch bolt struck my head and caused a large gash. Blood instantly streamed down my face and over my glasses and I had to scramble out of the engine room blind.
That part of the drama was over. But I was feeling really sick and had blood all over me and my head sure hurt. I decided I needed to get home and cleaned up, so then drove the 35mins back to Home, where my wife took one look at me and gasped in Horror.

It took my apparent ignoramus comment,  to bring this all out..
You should. write a book,  Wheels, you have been through and seen a bit in your maritime life.

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On 14/03/2022 at 6:58 PM, aardvarkash10 said:

"Hello is that Grabbit and Runn Insurance Brokers?  I'd like to buy some public liability insurance please, today.  Like, this afternoon...."

No problem sir, sign here and then take your vessel to our approved  repair yard, Bodge and Leggit

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On 14/03/2022 at 6:06 PM, Zozza said:

Another tick for alcohol cookers

I have a Seven Seas Marine pressurized alcohol primus stove on a Carpenter 29 been using it for 30 years, just rebuilt it recently, quite attached to  it actually. If you do get a fire (not yet) you can put it out with water. I'm not knocking gas though, its fine so long as properly installed and maintained as with everything. On  the camper van I'm building  we are using LiFePO4 battery and an induction cooker. 

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15 hours ago, Island Time said:

Lucky to get away with that!

There have been lots of Lead Acid Battery fires, caused by internal and external shorts, poor/old/damaged cables and terminals, and other stuff. A battery is a fuel tank, no fuel tank is 100 % safe.

Absolutely. It's weired that in that state of Panic, I did everything I shouldn't have. If this story was from anyone else, I would be saying, no you idiot, you don't ever put yourself in such a dangerous situation.

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This is the resulting damage to the wiring after having to handle 1800A. Much of it is wiring the the main cable melted into and shorted out.
After this, we installed Breakers and the battery isolators no lnger lived down in the engine room. They were moved to above floor in the Pilot house so I had instant easy access to isolate banks in an emergency.
image.thumb.png.65bd975281f3fac9285a7115cfa053e9.png

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I always used Optimus /Primus ones and Fred Andrews stoves had these fitted too as they were the world standard, used to be able to buy kero from the old Downtown service station -off the pump 40c a litre . No before you ask this was not in the 50's about 89.

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1 hour ago, waikiore said:

I always used Optimus /Primus ones and Fred Andrews stoves had these fitted too as they were the world standard, used to be able to buy kero from the old Downtown service station -off the pump 40c a litre . No before you ask this was not in the 50's about 89.

$6.0lt mitre10

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I have a MSF kero stove :), and no sorry not selling it. Without besmirching Freds memory (RIP) it seems like a direct copy of a Taylors 030.  Anybody know where I can get parts/servicing?

 

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