Ignition alarm

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KJ

KJ

El Capitan
Joined
Dec 2, 2010
Messages
907
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Avalon
Vessel Make
Chung Hwa 46 LRC
When I turn the key(s) to start my engines, before I depress the start button, an alarm bell rings for a few seconds and then stops. The bell is quite loud and other than the safety factor of letting anyone that might have wandered into the engine room, or anyone swimming in the water around the props,
or anyone in the marina for that matter, that the engines are about to be started, I don’t know what other purpose the alarms would have. I’ve heard a buzzer type of sound on other boats, but never an alarm bell.
I was wondering if I would be breaking some fed reg if I disconnected the damn thing. KJ
 
KJ said:
I don’t know what other purpose the alarms would have. KJ
Click to expand...

If your motor(s) overheat the same alarm will ring. If you are on the flybridge or on Auto-Pilot and outside, you will be happy to hear it so you can respond fast.

Elwin
 
It sounds like your alarm system is doing a self test when you power it up.
Check with the manufacturer of the alarm system.
On simple alarm systems the low oil pressure alarm will sound until the engine is running and oil pressure has come up.
 
The alarm indicates a lack of oil pressure since the engine isn't running so as to generate oil pressure. After turning the key switch, I immediately push the engine's start button which turns off the alarm upon the engine's start. Also have a switch that turns off the alarm as when checking the engine hours with the engine off.

Recommend you not disconnect the alarm.
 
markpierce said:
The alarm indicates a lack of oil pressure since the engine isn't running so as to generate oil pressure. After turning the key switch, I immediately push the engine's start button which
Click to expand...

Only problem with that theory is that the OP says the alarm goes off before he starts the engine. If it was actually indicating low oil pressure--- which our alarms do--- they will continue to sound until the engine has started and the oil pressure has come up to the point where it switches off the alarm.

So I would suspect that either the OP's alarm is in fact an "engine about to start" alarm, which would seem to be somewhat pointless, or is a self-test of the alarm system as Hop Car mentioned, or the alarm system on the engine is malfunctioning.
 
Exactly. Aren't we saying the same thing?
 
markpierce said:
Exactly. Aren't we saying the same thing?
Click to expand...

No. Read the OP's post again. His alarm starts when he turns the key but goes off BEFORE he pushes the start button to start the engine. So the alarm is shutting off before the engine even starts, which makes it impossible to be a low oil pressure alarm because that won't shut off until the oil pressure has built and the only way to do that is to start the engine. Which the OP is not doing.

The alarm is reacting to his turning on the key but the alarm is then shutting off before he starts the engine. So it can't be a low oil pressure alarm unless it's malfunctioning.
 
Last edited:
You're right. I'd hope the alarm, unless overwritten, wouldn't quit unless the situation was corrected.
 
KJ said:
When I turn the key(s) to start my engines, before I depress the start button, an alarm bell rings for a few seconds and then stops. The bell is quite loud and other than the safety factor of letting anyone that might have wandered into the engine room, or anyone swimming in the water around the props,
or anyone in the marina for that matter, that the engines are about to be started, I don’t know what other purpose the alarms would have. I’ve heard a buzzer type of sound on other boats, but never an alarm bell.
I was wondering if I would be breaking some fed reg if I disconnected the damn thing. KJ
Click to expand...

Is this in addition to the normal panel buzzers to let the operator know that there is a low oil press or high temp situation?

If it is in addition to the dash buzzers...it may be the "about to discharge the fire extinguisher" alarm that's required on CO2 systems...maybe????

If it's the only alarm and no buzzers...it's normal but if you don't like it, some boats have momentary disable switches installed next to the start switch. You let it sound for a millisecond to let you know the alarms work, then depress it will the oil press comes up.
 
KJ said:
When I turn the key(s) to start my engines, before I depress the start button, an alarm bell rings for a few seconds and then stops.
Click to expand...

As the balance of the posts in this thread should illustrate, nobody really knows what this means, yourself included. If it were my boat I'd figure out why the alarm is sounding - what triggers it and what shuts it down. Federal regs would be the least of my concern. If somebody thought it was important enough to include in the start sequence I'd want to understand their thought process before I decided for myself whether I agreed with them or not.
 
The alarm does stay on for a few seconds after the engines fire up (sorry for not being clearer on that).
Yes, it is the eng/trans oil press alarm.
Thanks for the input, once again you guys are spot on. KJ
 
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