Propane Control - Trident or other?

I currently have an older lpg controller on my boat that doesn’t have a sniffer/detector on it. As part of my galley Remodel I want to swap it with a new one, Trident is what I currently have on the boat but reviews seem mixed. Is there a better brand that wouldn’t require me to swap the solenoid?

Thanks!

following...thx

Propane Detectors and Controls | Fireboy-Xintex

No long term experience but these have been on some nice boats we've chartered.
I had their CO and smoke detectors on board my Hatteras.

It's not directly related to their safety controls, but still speaks to Trident. I called them about their regulators and hose systems to find out how much of a BTU load they can support, and over how long a hose run. These are the most fundamental aspects of a propane delivery system, and are not addressed in any of their specs. They couldn't answer ANY of my questions, which I found quite astonishing. In fact the guy clearly didn't even understand the issues at hand. I was incredibly disappointed.

In sharp contrast, I then called Sure Marine in Seattle to ask then the same questions. They understood exactly what I was asking, why I was asking, and had all the answers I needed.

That would certainly backup my concerns with them. Maybe I’ll call sure tomorrow and see what they recommend.

We have had one of these on our last three boats, a company from Victoria BC. Never had an issue, works like a charm and no affiliation with them just a very satisfied customer.
GS7: Propane Detector with Propane Shut-off

The solenoid should not have to be replaced assuming you have a 12 volt solenoid and the controller is for 12 volts.

Xintex 2 sniffer with lights, test and alarm.

4 years and perfect.

Everytime I spray paint in the bilge, the alarm goes off after just a few swipes.

I put a sniffer in the compartment right under my stovetop and one in the bilge.

Belt and suspenders, one where the leak would be, one where the prooane fumes would collect.

psneeld said:

Xintex 2 sniffer with lights, test and alarm.

4 years and perfect.

Everytime I spray paint in the bilge, the alarm goes off after just a few swipes.

I put a sniffer in the compartment right under my stovetop and one in the bilge.

Belt and suspenders, one where the leak would be, one where the prooane fumes would collect.

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do all of you have an approved propane locker? it seams it would be very difficult and expensive to add one to my boat. I do have a sniffer and valve .I have not had the gas on yet . sorry for the highjack.

mine is mounted on the bridge rail aft, open air.

I consider any other install to be more dangerous given the boat design, so it meets the ABYC exception rule in my mind.

Some may disagree but they havent though through it enough.

I haven't had great luck with the Xintex...two S1A units have failed, one after about 10 years (ok, everything breaks...) and the other after just 18 months. Xintex offered to repair the 18 month old unit for about the same price as a new one, but when I tried to actually have it repaired they stopped responding to emails.

I wanted to have the old one repaired because Xintex stopped making the S1A. The new units don't use the same sensor and the control panel itself is now round instead of square. So a relatively quick drop-in replacement became a much bigger job...removing the range, running a new cable to the sensor and installing a new sensor, making a cover for the old holes...

When I asked Sure Marine about this, they said Xintex changes the design about every 10 years for no apparent reason, and they new stuff is never compatible with the old stuff. Frustrating for the consumer...

I used xintrex SA-2 on my last two boats. I never had any real issues with either of them. The nice thing about the SA-2 is that it lets you know if a sensor has failed.

psneeld said:

mine is mounted on the bridge rail aft, open air.

I consider any other install to be more dangerous given the boat design, so it meets the ABYC exception rule in my mind.

Some may disagree but they havent though through it enough.

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I would agree yours is safe.

Island Gypsy 32

I just installed a Trident controller, sniffer, and solenoid. I agree that their specs are wanting. But it was readily available on Amazon and I wanted to get the job done. Not problems so far.

Propane locker: I have the original propane tank and mount in a vented cabinet on the fly bridge. The aluminum tank is circa 1982. Just had it recertified for $10 at the local propane distributor. Would have been $400 to replace. Sorry for the tangent.

Seems like there was no one clear winner so went with trident, one sniffer in the bilge, one under the stove.

rochepoint said:

We have had one of these on our last three boats, a company from Victoria BC. Never had an issue, works like a charm and no affiliation with them just a very satisfied customer.
GS7: Propane Detector with Propane Shut-off

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I have the same one and has two detectors. Work great so far.

The trident instructions state to mount sniffers with wires down. The best fashion for my mounting is under the toe indention in the cabinet directly below the stove in the galley. This would mean I would need to mount the sniffer sideways with wires coming out of sides. I can’t imagine that this would be an issue. Thoughts?