Fireboy fire extinguisher system

All system's sensors will be break down. The point is I don’t know when. The Fireboy ES system suddenly shut down the two engines (no fire occured) ,which means it is dangerous during sailing. The captain doesn't know where the problem is.
 
I know there are tag instructing how to resume operations, but please understand that there are many, many tags and many, many sensors in a 60' vessel. It is difficult for the captain to find out the problem in a short time.
 
It s part of the responsibility one takes when stepping to the helm. Boats are not like cars, you have to be familiar with the systems and upping loosing power on both engines, as well as generator and blowers, flipping the override switch should be instinctive after verifying that there is no actual fire

The risks of loosing power at a critical time are far lower than the engines sucking in the extinguishing agent in a fire.

In 30 years I be never seen one these boxes fail

But unfortunately when the engines are in the same compartment, you don’t have any option

I installed a new Fireboy system on my 53 which has split engine rooms and the gen in another compartment. I have 3 bottles, one in each compartment and instead of using 3 shutdown boxes to keep the redundancy, I setup my own using basic relays override switches and the FB indicators. Been working very well so far.
 
We all know that captains are vastly more experienced and proficient. Like the one that nailed the fuel tanker in the Bahamas and sank it.
Don't take that personally!
I just think that you grant a bit more faculty to boaters than is justified.
 
We see professional captains running boats here in Miami and you can tell they have very limited experience… often much less than many non professionals
 
PascalG said:
We see professional captains running boats here in Miami and you can tell they have very limited experience… often much less than many non professionals
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We have seen it in the Bahamas. Captain of a large 'Mutt could not figure out why their water maker was toast. Another one hammered the membranes by starting it with the valves set to production when starting the pumps. That was two captains on different boats in a very short span of time. Then there was the one that left a beautiful Flemming with the bilge breakers off. I heard an alarm since it was next to us and called the owner in Ireland. He said go aboard and check things PLEASE! Resolved the issues and dumped the responsibility on the marina tout suite. Then there was the Marlow that ran us off the Rhume line going to Compass Cay. At least when we met he gave us a couple of bottles of wine if I didn't lay into the owner. BTW he grew up boating in NJ LOL. Ya think?
The incompetence is all over the place. Watch your back.
 
I put a dashcam in the pilot house of the 116… just to cover my ass…. Miami is insane.
 
PascalG said:
It s part of the responsibility one takes when stepping to the helm. Boats are not like cars, you have to be familiar with the systems and upping loosing power on both engines, as well as generator and blowers, flipping the override switch should be instinctive after verifying that there is no actual fire

The risks of loosing power at a critical time are far lower than the engines sucking in the extinguishing agent in a fire.

In 30 years I be never seen one these boxes fail

But unfortunately when the engines are in the same compartment, you don’t have any option

I installed a new Fireboy system on my 53 which has split engine rooms and the gen in another compartment. I have 3 bottles, one in each compartment and instead of using 3 shutdown boxes to keep the redundancy, I setup my own using basic relays override switches and the FB indicators. Been working very well so far.
Click to expand...
"It's part of the responsibility one takes when stepping to the helm" is a textbook term, but in fact it may be a pre-owned boat, or a new captain, it is not easy to understand all the operations. No matter what, make your own decision! I only provide my personal opinion.
 
raylee said:
"It's part of the responsibility one takes when stepping to the helm" is a textbook term, but in fact it may be a pre-owned boat, or a new captain, it is not easy to understand all the operations. No matter what, make your own decision! I only provide my personal opinion.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t matter if it s a just bought boat ran by the owner… you have to get familiar with a boat systems right away. Every time I ve bought a boat, I spent time looking for every thru hull, breaker, battery switch, bilge pump etc. whatever you are operating, you have to be familiar with the systems. And this even more true for a professional captain.
 
Continuation of my story: My boat was towed back to the shipyard due to engins shut down. Several technicians with 30 years of experience inspected it and could not find out what the problem was, including Cummins technicians. Do you think an ordinary captain has more experience than them? ? Unless you installed the Fireboy by yourself, it's easy to miss this device on a 60-foot yacht.
 
Continuation of my story: My boat was towed back to the shipyard due to engins shut down. Several technicians with 30 years of experience inspected it and could not find out what the problem was, including Cummins technicians. Do you think an ordinary captain has more experience than them? ? Unless you installed the Fireboy by yourself, it's easy to miss this device on a 60-foot yacht.
 
I disagree. If there is one device or system which is pretty standard on most diesel powered boat it is the fireboy shut down. It is inexcusable for a captain or a mechanic not to know to check it first after a double engine + generator + blower shut down.
 
Since we are on the topic of Fireboy, it will be easy for you to identify the problem.
In another scenario, if the engine shuts down right now, but it's not a fault with the Fireboy system, can you immediately find out why? No. Technicians need time to verify one by one.
Maybe you are a Fireboy agent or fans, so you remind yourself that you have a Fireboy device every time you board a yacht. Otherwise, who would remember a device that they won’t use in ten years?
It’s easy to discuss on paper, but reality is not.
I believe you are a senior captain or technician, but I am not. I believe you are smart, but I am not. Sorry, you and I are not on the same level! So this discussion is meaningless.
Or I need a few years of mechanical knowledge before I can enjoy boating?
 
PascalG said:
It s part of the responsibility one takes when stepping to the helm. Boats are not like cars, you have to be familiar with the systems and upping loosing power on both engines, as well as generator and blowers, flipping the override switch should be instinctive after verifying that there is no actual fire

The risks of loosing power at a critical time are far lower than the engines sucking in the extinguishing agent in a fire.

In 30 years I be never seen one these boxes fail

But unfortunately when the engines are in the same compartment, you don’t have any option

I installed a new Fireboy system on my 53 which has split engine rooms and the gen in another compartment. I have 3 bottles, one in each compartment and instead of using 3 shutdown boxes to keep the redundancy, I setup my own using basic relays override switches and the FB indicators. Been working very well so far.
Click to expand...
What? The shutdown time I'm talking about is "No fire", not "on fire". Please read carefully before replying.
 
Doesn’t matter whether it s a real fire or a system malfunction. The captain or operator needs to understand that if the entire boat shuts down, again we we not talking just main engines but generator and blowers, the most likely culprit is the fireboy.

I ll say it again since you obviously didn’t “read carefully before replying”: an owner or his captain needs to be familiar with the basic safety systems incl the fire system, thruhulls and seacocks, emergency equipment incl life rafts and EPIRB etc. boats are not like cars, you dont have the luxury of pulling over on the side of the road and figure it out.

And again, 99% of diesel powered boats will have the same fireboy shutdown and override switch.
 
yes troubleshooting an engine failure can be time consuming but there can be only one reason for two engines, a generator and the blowers to shut down: the fire system

We all started as new boater at some point. I did too when I bought my first bought 40 years ago and yes there was a learning curve, made steeper by the fact that there was no internet back then. Personally I started boating after I was already flying so I came to boating with the habit of checklist and understanding systems.

The purpose of forums like these is to share knowledge and learn. For anyone getting a new to them boat, the first thing you need to do is read the manuals and familiarize yourself with the systems.
 
Again, it is naive and unrealistic to expect every operator or captain to remember/know how to use this Fireboy ES device in an emergency.
The safety rule is that each engine has independent operation/systems/wiring/fuel tube to avoid simultaneous shutdown of both engines. But the Fireboy device is designed to shut down both engines at the same time, which is a joke.
Fireboy company should find the best way to solve it. For example, installing two independent ES devices in one engine room can control the two engines to shut down independently.
Why argue about whether the captain should be familiar with Fireboy device before he can board the yacht and drive it? If every captain knew all the equipment /devices /mechanical /electronic systems well, there would be no need for this forum.
 
Thank you for sharing. I can say is that I don’t have as much experience as you, nor am I as old as you are.
As said before, I already knew the problem and solved it.
I'm talking about why the Fireboy unit shuts down both engines without any fire.
The safety rule is that each engine has independent operation/systems/wiring/fuel tube to avoid simultaneous shutdown of both engines. But the Fireboy device is designed to shut down both engines at the same time (incase no fire), which is a joke.
Fireboy company should find the best way to solve it. For example, installing two independent ES devices in one engine room can control the two engines to shut down independently.
Why debate how familiar a captain should be with all the equipment required for sailing? An good suggestion is better than preaching!
 
You can’t have separate shut down systems on a single engine room. In case of an actual fire, both engine and generator need to shut down immediately or the remaining engine would suck the gas and the fire would not be extinguished.

Basics physics and common sense.

Again, almost all diesel powered boats have the same Fireboy shut down system with the same round indicator with the same over ride switch. Even boats equipped with other brand fire system, like SeaFire, usually use the fireboy shut down. There is no way for a professional captain not to be familiar with it
 
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