Generator Auto-Start

[psneeld]

You have a sound enclosure on your genset?


You do hourly checks when away from the boat all day with the genset running?


You do hourly checks in the middle of the night with the genset running?


You do hourly checks in the middle of having guests over with the genset running?


Something going wrong with the genset is always possible...but that is a different argument than autostart.


If you never leave the boat and always do hourly checks when the genset is running...then your point is a bit more valid.

 

[Ski in NC]

It might just be me, but I get queasy leaving my boat with gennie running. Not like walking down the dock for a visit, but going away for a matter of hours. In that case I unload it and shut it down.

I know it will shut down if it sucks up a bag and overheats, because that has happened and it did shut down. But what if temp shutdown switch fails?? Or whatever.

 

[psneeld]

It might just be me, but I get queasy leaving my boat with gennie running. Not like walking down the dock for a visit, but going away for a matter of hours. In that case I unload it and shut it down.

I know it will shut down if it sucks up a bag and overheats, because that has happened and it did shut down. But what if temp shutdown switch fails?? Or whatever.

I agree...but look at what the people who say it might be a good idea are relating to....

Not being able to get to the boat for a variety of reasons, people who live in climates where air or heat have to be on (at least to them "has to be on") and they run the gensets while away.....

I don't need one, but I can see where people do.....but they shouldn't fear auto start as this possible catastrophic event creator...it is just a trigger that does the same thing as the rest of us do with one or two fingers.

I understand your point about many small boat gensets not getting great maintenance...but also in many yachts, they have not only auto start but as a friend who works with yacht gensets .....

" will synch with shore power and seamlessly transfer the load to gen or back to shore, start and synch a second or third generator if the load demands, and shut down the second or third when load drops. All of this is done smoothly with no drama or fear. This is not rocket science or pushing the boundaries of technology."

So while a bunch of us don't like or need autostart, those that are thinking of it should press on without unwarranted fear....as long as they do understand why some of us have reservation for our situations.

Murphy doesn't count or none of us would ever go out on anything that will float...or not forever.

 

[Ski in NC]

Many of those big yachts with systems like that have an engineer on board when the generators or mains are active. Not sure if insurance requires it or not.

 

[Art]

Yachts with attendants are different than what I am accustomed to regarding marine doings. My relatively small sized pleasure boat is a boat... it is just a boat... it has no attendant other than me or occasional service tech I hire to accomplish something.


Yachts with attendants can have all the auto start or other high tech activators/auto-controls a wealthy owner may like to power up or down any number of gen sets or propulsion engines aboard. When I leave my boat and go 100 miles to our home, sometimes for up to three month away - I do not want anything running, ever. Except an auto start bilge pump if necessary.

 

[psneeld]

The point is that they are auto start and with or without attendants they regularly work fine with high reliability from those that deal with them...otherwise, they wouldn't be as popular.


I'll double check to see if ALL or the majority of these yachts are manned full time.


if the generator has a problem 10 seconds after start, it isn't the auto start that is the issue.


And again the one point that may be germane is being missed....it's about those who feel they DO need/want the genny running without them...at least in their minds and that is good enough to overcome the fear of something going wrong that may actually be way less of an issue.


Even if you start or stop it over the internet because the monitoring system is giving you a reason too.

 

[Art]

The point is that they are auto start and with or without attendants they regularly work fine with high reliability from those that deal with them...otherwise, they wouldn't be as popular.


I'll double check to see if ALL or the majority of these yachts are manned full time.


if the generator has a problem 10 seconds after start, it isn't the auto start that is the issue.


And again the main point is missed....it's about those who feel they DO need the genny running without them...at least in their minds and that is good enough to overcome the fear of something going wrong that may actually be way less of an issue.

I understand what you say, in general... however... the following quote exemplifies my point, irrespective if the auto start is working correctly or not, Murphy can still burn down your boat by other means - that the auto start correctly initiated.

"If the generator has a problem 10 seconds after start, it isn't the auto start that is the issue."

Therefore, using an auto start while away from boat can lead to any number of issues. Insurance paid in full is always a good idea, auto start or not!

 

[psneeld]

It actually negates it if you are trying to say the autostart is the issue...and not just running equipment in general.

 

[Art]

It actually negates it if you are trying to say the autostart is the issue...and not just running equipment in general.

Running equipment in general could always develop into an undesired issue. No matter how/why/when the equipment was started

Being aboard to have self started a piece of equipment and remaining long enough to make sure it is acting correctly (watching/listening to it closely and/or having well inspected it within the last a day or so), as well as not leaving boat for more than short time (30 min or less) while equipment is left running, provides what I feel is the most proactive way to "try" and not let a running equipment issue turn into a calamity. However... if no where near a boat for long period of time (like a few months) and lets say it's a gen set that gets automatically started and the gen set has some sort of major failure, such as cracked or loose fuel/gas line... then the boat goes down because I had an auto start wired in.

I'm not saying an auto start is bad thing to utilize... just saying that I believe close personal surveillance [by owner or paid attendant] should be some portion of the auto start program. Wealthy people can afford to have all the surveillance ever needed. When I leave our comfortable, sea worthy, self contained 34' tri cabin pleasure boat for weeks to a few months there is no surveillance offered; therefore I opt out of any auto start usage - simply for the sake of long term safety reasons.

 

[Ski in NC]

Seems like the discussion is mostly about loss of AC power during storms, and then bilge levels getting high.

Instead of an autostart gennie, seems like best protection is a good high water alarm. Could even have it send you a text. Alarm could be tripped by a number of things: Loss of AC, DC volts low, high bilge, bilge pump run time, high/low cabin temp, etc.

Just a loud bilge level alarm is probably sufficient. I know in my area if some alarm is squalling, folks go investigate. Storm or not.

 

[ksanders]

Guys, this idea of having a generator running with nobody there being unacceptable is just not reflected in the commercial and industrial world.

There are tens of thousands of generators in service that run all by themselves every day. I have done installations at sites that NEVER have anybody there except once every couple of weeks to check on the generator. I know of sites right now that have generators runnig where they are only visited every three months. Yes every three months, and the generators run 24X7.

Before you say "not in the marine world" think again. I can walk down the dock at my harbor and will guarantee that at any given time there is a fishing boat or two with nobody aboard that has a generator running 24X7.

Just because TF members are uncomfortable does not mean that the rest of the world operates the same way.

 

[Art]

Seems like the discussion is mostly about loss of AC power during storms, and then bilge levels getting high.

Instead of an autostart gennie, seems like best protection is a good high water alarm. Could even have it send you a text. Alarm could be tripped by a number of things: Loss of AC, DC volts low, high bilge, bilge pump run time, high/low cabin temp, etc.

Just a loud bilge level alarm is probably sufficient. I know in my area if some alarm is squalling, folks go investigate. Storm or not.

Hmmmm - High bilge alarm. Good idea for extra protection, especially when docked where others could board if needed or call for assistance in another way. We're docked under roof with 20 + other boats. Never lock our slider [if thieves want in during 3 AM time span they just break glass or pry door open] . I'm never upset if in emergency others board my boat for safety/protection reasons. I'll google that for bilge alarm.

Currently, while 100 miles away... I have trusted local mechanics back and forth doing new heat exchangers on both mains. Also new impellers and oil changes [gen set too]. Hope to in near future (pre or post summer) get time for haul and bottom paint as well as thorough go-overs/restorations on thru hulls and shaft-cutlass/rudder-posts. Of course new anodes too! Thinking about trying aluminum, we are in fresh water only.

 

[Art]

Guys, this idea of having a generator running with nobody there being unacceptable is just not reflected in the commercial and industrial world.

There are tens of thousands of generators in service that run all by themselves every day. I have done installations at sites that NEVER have anybody there except once every couple of weeks to check on the generator. I know of sites right now that have generators runnig where they are only visited every three months. Yes every three months, and the generators run 24X7.

Before you say "not in the marine world" think again. I can walk down the dock at my harbor and will guarantee that at any given time there is a fishing boat or two with nobody aboard that has a generator running 24X7.

Just because TF members are uncomfortable does not mean that the rest of the world operates the same way.

IMHO - For me and many like me who spend much time away from relatively old and small pleasure boat with no way for any direct surveillance procedures scheduled = safety first. In Other Word's... Personally Starting equipment on-site!

 

[ksanders]

Seems like the discussion is mostly about loss of AC power during storms, and then bilge levels getting high.

Instead of an autostart gennie, seems like best protection is a good high water alarm. Could even have it send you a text. Alarm could be tripped by a number of things: Loss of AC, DC volts low, high bilge, bilge pump run time, high/low cabin temp, etc.

Just a loud bilge level alarm is probably sufficient. I know in my area if some alarm is squalling, folks go investigate. Storm or not.

Thats how I do it. If the shore power goes out, or any other alarm comes in I am notified immediately. My batteries will last a couple of days, so if shore power goes out I've got some time to deal with it.

If I ever get in my cruising style where I choose to leave the boat for more than a day or two at a time at say a transient dock with no power then I'll probably put an auto start module on the generator, and not think twice about it. I like the monitoring capability of the generator controllers, and the only reason I don't have one right now has more to do with time based priorities on my part than lack of confidence in the equipment.