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Halon does not displace the air in the er like co2 but instead mixes with it. It stops the combustion process and when evacuated you can restart the engines.
That's why the bottles are so much smaller than co2 systems. They both perform the same function with different chemistry.
Kind of like hard vs ablative bottom paint.
The point being, you need to get the concentration of Halon below 6 or 8% to have a chance at combustion following a flooding of the engine room with the Halon. The suggestion this can be done in 10 seconds or so, seems totally unrealistic to me. But only a test will provide the answer. Meanwhile, why bet your life on it or anyone else's?
Pete
That's why you install a properly sized tank. The tanks are for a certain number of cubic feet of engine room. Too much will take longer to clear. Too little and you keep burning.
Scott, I read the chart at the link provided. Did not see any reference what so ever to being able to restart the main DD engines after 10 seconds of running an undefined blower or blowers in the engine room. That chart was useless for purposes of providing substantiation of your opinion. Our discussion is your claim that after 10 seconds or so you can restart. My opinion is that is not going to happen. Neither of us have any test results to prove our opinions. Therefore, I say until the test results are available I recommend no one bet their life or anyone else's on a 10 second restart. Let's agree to disagree in our opinions as there are no facts.
BTW, you do realize that chart is not for Halon, which is what we are discussing? The chart is for HF227ea which has a totally different mechanism for extinguishing fires than Halon.
Pete
My G-d do you ever take someone's word from experience or do you question everything to be difficult. You could teach my wife.
Put in a system and test it if you don't believe it.
I'm not the only one to install these. Many manufacturers include them in new boats.The manufacturer has engineered the systems and included the override BECAUSE the engines can be restarted. It would be dangerous and foolish to disable the engines without being able to restart them. Diesels engines will be able to restart and could even run with the halon at certain concentrations therefore the need to shut them down during the fire event.
Again most diesel engines will run with the halon in the compartment which is why there is a shut down needed.
Scott, you are simply incorrect. Diesel engines will not run with an air intake of 10% Halon for sure, maybe even an 8% concentration of Halon in the air intake. The override will work once this concentration has been reduced. The override is provided for multiple purposes, anything that reduces the pressure in the tank, even while the tank is having annual service, or was discharge yesterday. You have already stated that you have never seen a restart within 10 seconds of an engine room flood, but insist it will work with some undefined blower operational for 10 seconds. And yes empirically derived knowledge is valuable, but you do not have it on this subject. And I will add there are definite limits on the value of empirically derived knowledge, where science is required.
And if you consider not agreeing with you when you are incorrect difficult, so be it.
Pete
Eric, if by chance you can salvage your Halon tank with the charge still in the container, you might consider having a new custom faceplate made and include both the light and a small 12 volt alarm. You will need to add under the console a relay since the Halon tank sensor is a NC contact and you want the alarm to sound when the sensor contacts open. You could get extra fancy and include a simple toggle switch in one of the wires to the alarm so you can shut it off manually.
Pete
PLEASE CALL FIREBOY XINTEX.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete
Heres the number.
616-735-9380
Get technical support on the line and ask the question.
Then please post the results along with the apology.
http://www.fireboy-xintex.com/automa...tdown-systems/
I think the statement at the top of the page is pretty clear and while it doesnt mention the now defunct halon, the requirements for an engine shutdown module were identical.
No shut down and the agent gets blown out the exhaust... whether it's 10 seconds or 30 is irrelevant. There is no worst event than a fire on a fiberglass boat.