12 Point System Monitor

[SKYCHENEY]

Ang,
BE CAREFUL when messing around with those pods and the tubing. You could set the Co2 cannister off if you don't unhook the head first. And, if you have a tube that has a leak (corroded off qualifies here), then you cannot active it automatically until that leak is fixed. Doug Shuman posted a great thread last year about how to test those pods, the lines, and the control head. MikeP added to it as well, I believe.

[Angela]

Thanks, Sky. I think I'll defer to fixing the corroded one until I get someone in to re-certify the system and make sure I know what I'm doing. There are two in the genny room that have loose screws that hold them to the ceiling and I was just thinking about re-securing them which is just a matter of pushing it back up to the ceiling (which I've already safely done) and then putting the screws back in. I won't mess with much more than that, and in light of what you just said, I won't try to fix the corroded one until someone else looks at it. That bad one is in a compartment where there is nothing to start a fire anyway, unless my holding tank explodes. LOL

[Dustoff44]

A holding tank can produce methane which is explosive, Not likely because most holding tanks have liquids in them etc. Hey you are dealing with the government there. They just don't do logic very well.....

[doc g]

The fwd holding tank was probably a fuel tank originally,thus the sensor there. Alot of Hatts had the fwd fuel tanks converted to holding tanks and vice versa,depending on the use of the boat If you disconnect the head ,the firing mechanism, at the big tank you can work on the sensors without worry of setting it off. Those sensors are easily re-plumbed with soft copper and the right tools. Anyone with some plumbing expirience should be able to do it.......................Pat

[Angela]

UPDATE: Two of the red pod things I had questioned are not part of the fire suppressant system, and while they are about the same size as the red pods that do go to the fire suppressant system, they are attached to the holding tanks rather than the CO2 system. They are hockey puck shaped and sized. These are the things that have the tube corroded off of them, not the fire suppressant things, so no more worries that I'm going to extinguish myself by accident!

Now, that said, what are these red puck shaped things that go to the holding tanks. [Pardon my terminology, but I just don't know what to call these things!] They are screwed into the ceiling with a small copper tube going into the holding tank. This solves the mystery of wondering why Hatteras put a fire sensor in a non-machinery area - because it's NOT a fire sensor! LOL What do these things do? Are they a part of the holding tanks' sensors? I'd like to fix them, whatever they are, since they are not in good working order. Thanks for any advice you can give me on these things.

[SKYCHENEY]

Those red pods are a diaphram that gets pressurized when the holding tank reaches 3/4 full. This diaphram pushes a little micro-switch in there that turns on the 3/4 full light. The problem is that most of the older systems used copper line that corroded through inside the tank and then they no longer work. I still have one of those old "pods" if you need it. I converted my tanks to the Snake River gauges.

If you want to fix those, you will first have to remove the fitting on the top of the holding tank and see what the little drop tube looks like. It is probably gone and you will need to braze a new one on there. Next you will have to make sure the line from the tank to the sensor is okay. And you will also have to test the switch itself and make sure it works. To test the switch, just remove the red rubber cover and you can stick a small screwdriver in there and click the microswich on and off and see if the light comes on in the head. You should also check the bulbs in the head as well.

I went through all this and then they still were not very helpful since they don't come on until the tank is almost full. So, I installed another gauge system instead.

[Angela]

Thanks, Sky. You know, I think I'm going to go with the Snake River sensors. I had that on my prior boat and I was pleased with it. Since mine don't work anyway, I'll replace them with a more modern, reliable system.

[SKYCHENEY]

That is probably a good way to go. You will need to unscrew that fitting on top of the tank where the old line goes in. That is not easy. I used a big socket on a 3/4" rachet and a 3ft pipe for additional leverage.

Once you have the fitting out, stick something rigid down to the bottom of the tank and measure the depth for the new sensor. Once you have those numbers, call Snake River and they will make up a PVC tube with the sensor in it to screw into that hole.

[Angela]

You will need to unscrew that fitting on top of the tank where the old line goes in.

I'm saving that nasty little chore for Ed. In all honesty, though, I have tried to crack that open and I'm out muscled, even with a cheater bar.

[Genesis]

Yeah, they're fun to get off. I bought the socket that fits those fittings, and it made it tolerable. Oh, and a BIG piece of pipe for a cheater. Use a Craftsman wrench handle - if you bust it, they'll replace it free - even if its in pieces