tpbrady
Guru
Since the discussion over propane pretty much ended up a discussion about cooking (I eat chicken with my fingers so you know what side I am on), I thought I would relate my discussion with the insurance company on a survey of a recently purchased trawler. We got into the propane discussion and I agreed with them even before they told me to fix it. Something about a 10 lb propane bottle not tied down with 8 inches of regulators, valves, solenoid and piping hanging in the air in the enclosed area of the upper helm with an exposed DC distribution panel did not make me feel good.
The rest of the survey was little things here and there, but the one that got me was the recommendation for the engine room fire suppression system as "required by ABYC standards". I had already put on the potential list of things to consider something for engine room fire suppression, but I thought being instructed to comply with it as a condition of insurance was a reach. My response to the insurance company, "Not required by the USCG on this vessel" satisfied them and they dropped it.
I won't go into a long discussion of engine room fire suppression, but I thought the most important action I could take was preventing the fires in the first place. Since most engine room fires in diesel powered boats are electrical in origin, the first logical step is fusing the positive cable of the battery banks to prevent direct shorts or a seized starter motor in the engine room from starting a fire. It is not hard to do and not terribly expensive. I would have thought the surveyor would have mentioned that but he didn't. He didn't like the wooden box around the start battery bank and I can understand that since a fire caused by start battery bank problem would then have more to burn.
So the question is, what should I really do about engine room fire suppression?
Tom
The rest of the survey was little things here and there, but the one that got me was the recommendation for the engine room fire suppression system as "required by ABYC standards". I had already put on the potential list of things to consider something for engine room fire suppression, but I thought being instructed to comply with it as a condition of insurance was a reach. My response to the insurance company, "Not required by the USCG on this vessel" satisfied them and they dropped it.
I won't go into a long discussion of engine room fire suppression, but I thought the most important action I could take was preventing the fires in the first place. Since most engine room fires in diesel powered boats are electrical in origin, the first logical step is fusing the positive cable of the battery banks to prevent direct shorts or a seized starter motor in the engine room from starting a fire. It is not hard to do and not terribly expensive. I would have thought the surveyor would have mentioned that but he didn't. He didn't like the wooden box around the start battery bank and I can understand that since a fire caused by start battery bank problem would then have more to burn.
So the question is, what should I really do about engine room fire suppression?
Tom