Fire Exstinguishers

J

jmeirhofer

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The automatic extinguisher in the engine room expires last fall.

In looking at the best way to get it re-certified, I have come up with some questions. The bottle itself is 1995. If I understand correctly that exceeds the 12 year hydrostatic test requirement and the tank needs to be retested. This would require removing the Halon and inspecting and testing the tank.

Since it is Halon and Halon is no longer available does this mean I have to purchase a new tank? Would it just make more sense to purchase a new bottle with the new desiccant?
 
John, if it were me I would have a ABYC certified installer bring it up to spec with the new material. If, God forbid, you have a fire that's probably the first thing the insurance company will look at. Why risk it to save a few bucks.

Bob
 
Bob - That is what I am thinking too. Believe me, it is not about saving a few bucks. However, I don't want to throw away a perfectly good bottle either. I plan to take it to a fire extinguisher shop and have it looked at to let them make the determination. I have a couple hand helds that expired last fall too. Those are not cost effective to recert so I will have some hands on training with them later this spring.

Until I started looking into it, I did not realize that you are supposed to have the tanks emptied, looked at inside and out and pressure tested before refilling. I also do not remember reading that Halon is no longer available. Sort of like the CO detector thing below.
 
I went through the same thing when I did my repower. My old Halon was out of date and the bottle needed static testing and visual inspection. I found it about the same amount of money just to have a new bottle installed as to have the old one tested and refilled with the new stuff.

I also have the ABYC guy's signature to show if anything ever happens. I also replaced all 3 of my other extinguishers at the same time but that was no big deal and, as boats go, a minor expense.

As Gilda Rander said; "It's always somethin'!"

Fire suppression systems come under the heading of "Stuff I Don't Screw Around With". :)

Here's a link I found with the explanation about Halon. Apparently it is not totally banned.

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/firex.htm

Bob
 
Fixed systems are not mandatory So as long as you have the requiremed minimum handhelds, you don't have to rush to do anything especially I'd the bottle is cleaned and corrosion free. I d just have it weighted and reinstalled.

That said, if it's old it may be worth considering replacing it. Beware that there is a huge price difference between agents, you dont need the twice expensive safe stuff in a boat like yours
 
"you dont need the twice expensive safe stuff in a boat like yours"?
What does that mean is it the size the age the value what reference? being I have the same boat in curious.
I need to check mine as well I don't recall the date on it yet another Spring project I guess.
 
Dave - it is not something I had considered either. I new mine needed re-certified so I looked online for a place locally t do that. That is where I learned the rest. When I was at the boat this weekend I looked at the manufacture date and found it to be 1995. So I pulled it and it is in the back of the tuck now. I should knows what I am going to do by the end of the week. I know it is not totally banned as you are allowed to keep you cylinder if it is fit..
 
When we had the survey done before we bought our boat in 2010, the surveyer noted that the tank on the automatic system had had the Halon replaced with the updated material and that all we needed to do was weigh it once a year. Before we launch this season, I'm going to pull the tank and check it. I understand that a replacement charge runs hundreds of dollars so that many people either leave their present tank if the weight is within limits or simply replaces the tank completely because a new one is almost the same cost as a recharge. This is all new to me also. Just another thing to check. Hy
 
""you dont need the twice expensive safe stuff in a boat like yours"?
What does that mean is it the size the age the value what reference? being I have the same boat in curious.
I need to check mine as well I don't recall the date on it yet another Spring project I guess."

Should have been clearer... I was talking about the agent type. On bigger boats where you may need to enter the ER, or if there is an adjacent crew quarter without a watertight bulkhead, the more expensive "safe" agent may be needed. Not in an express.
 
It sounds like it would not be much more expensive to ADD a second system. On all my boats up to 40 feet, its a matter of hanging a second "stand alone" bottle.

If there is a fire in the engine room, where the bottle is located, I ain't goin' in there anyway no matter how much or what type of extinguishing agent is used.
 
Pascal - It was my understanding that the reason for doing away with the Halon 1301 was because of it ozone depleting characteristics not because it was a healh hazard.
 
quote:
Originally posted by jmeirhofer

Pascal - It was my understanding that the reason for doing away with the Halon 1301 was because of it ozone depleting characteristics not because it was a healh hazard.

Click to expand...


John, I think he was talking about the 2 new agents, FE-241 and FM-200. FE-241 is a lot cheaper but it isn't as safe for humans as the much more expensive FM-200.

In your boat, since the ER is removed from and space where people eat/sleep then the FE-241 would be OK. If your boat was of a type where the ER was next to crew quarters or work spaces then FM-200 would be much preferred.

Bob
 
I have the old Halon 1211 on my boat. The gage shows 'green' and the idiot light shows green too. I've thought about doing the inspection, but I don't want to loose the old Halon. I've seen that stuff work and its almost magical how effectively it puts out a flame. I don't think the newer agents are any better if as good as the old Halon. I may add another system as a backup but I'll keep the Halon as long as it is still under pressure. I also have a 10lb size hand held Halon 1211 bottle on board and am keeping that also. I'd hate to have to use dry chemical for any thing minor as it will make a huge mess. Halon just evaporates and no residue. I used a small portable to put out a fire in a car engine and just a one second burst doused a gas and grease fire on the manifold. Great stuff.
 
How do you know it "expired". A lot of people will tell you it needs a 12 year hydro test, but that is not always the case. Some units do not need a hydro test. The older Sea-Fire units are that way. All you have to do is weigh them and you are good to go. If you are in doubt, contact the mfr.
 
I believe that the 12 year hydrostatic pressure test requirement only applies to an employer not to private use of the extinguisher. I just checked with the Dept of Labor requirements.

Also I believe individuals may self-certify their extinguishers by simply weighing them and noting that their weight corresponds to the weight printed on the certification label
 
I had my system "recertified last year, not exactly sure what it entails, but i was told the tank was " recharged ".

Last time it was checked was probably when it was installed in the boat.

The yard made a point of saying I was the only one they knew of who had it done in along time, must people jst hope for the bet, i guess.

This was when i added the crash bilges, hi water alarms, and a coastal liferaft last season.

Guess i was feeling overly safety conscious last year?

Post edited to add the it cost me $300 for whatever they did to recertify it.
 
Anyone have an idea as to the cost of installation of new fixed system for diesel? My understanding is that with diesel you must have the automatic engine shutdown, which is the principal reason I would consider professional installation. If it were just the tank, I'd add this myself.
 
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