fire supression system

[workingonadream]

i have a 1979 46c with a kidde co2 system on board. i was told that when the system fires , my engine solenoids are to shut the engines down. my didnt. I finally figured out with the help of a friend after running some tests, that when my pressure switch is activated, it shuts down power to the starters so that you cant start the engines until you turn off the switch. does anyone else have a system set up like mine. i have since wired it to also shut down the engines. i can tell from the wiring that it looks like it was wired from the factory to kill power to the starters and trigger an alarm on the bridge to tell me something is wrong in the engine room. just curious if anybody has seen or heard of this set up thanks

 

[Genesis]

CO2 systems typically are not wired to diesel engine shutdowns because the CO2 will shut the engines down on its own. They are frequently wired to interrupt current to the starter solenoids, however, preventing an engine restart once triggered. This is how my 45C was set up when I got it.

Halon (and "Clean-agent" replacements) require engine shutdown systems because they will not stop a diesel engine (they will shut down a gas motor, but not a diesel one) and as such the diesel will simply consume the agent and remove it from the engine room either preventing it from putting the fire out or allowing the fire to re-ignite. In those cases a relay box is required and with Detroits you want a relay box that has timed relays (engaged for ~10 seconds or so, then they drop back out) as the stop solenoids are intermittent-duty and if "locked on" they will burn up.