Halon system

L

Luis

Member
Nov 2, 2020
53
Baltimore, MD
Boat Info
1996 330 Sundance
Engines
Twin mercruiser
I was just taking the boat to winterize, and when I was ten minutes away from the marina, the HALON system alarm started beeping. I slowed to a halt, shut the engines and anchored.
Looked at the engine room, and everything seemed perfectly fine.
No smells, no smoke, the gauges were reading fine up to that point. Both engines were running at 170F, and the oil pressured was good.

‘anyhow, tried to start again, and the port engine started, but the alarm started beeping. The starboard engine wouldn’t even make a sound. Didn’t turn at all. As if it wasn’t there.
Ended up getting towed (BoatUs....totally recommend them).
I’m optimistic and hope it’s a fuse or bad connection...
Anyone have had this issue?
‘wish me luck!
 
My halon system has a "gauge" on the dash which remains green as long as the halon bottle is fully charged. Upon discharge or critical leak down it turns red and a relay box disconnects the ignition and the blower. There is an override switch built into the gauge. Try pushing that! Halon is environmentally suspect and therefore illegal so your replacement is FM-200 which comes in a bigger, heavier bottle.
 
Arminius said:
My halon system has a "gauge" on the dash which remains green as long as the halon bottle is fully charged. Upon discharge or critical leak down it turns red and a relay box disconnects the ignition and the blower. There is an override switch built into the gauge. Try pushing that! Halon is environmentally suspect and therefore illegal so your replacement is FM-200 which comes in a bigger, heavier bottle.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much!
I was towed to the marina, so I hope they get a chance to check it out on Monday. From what you mention, it sounds like a fairly simple fix then. Thanks!
 
Easy to fix, but very expensive because you cannot buy halon and you cannot get a boat to pass a survey unless the bottle has been regularly checked and recertified or replaced if it has leaked down.

From your description it sounds like your halon bottle has just leaked down to where the sender has activated the shut down process in the halon system. This happened to us about 30 ays ago. Disarm the halon system and you can crank up and move the boat, but your automatic fire exstinguisher will not work.

No licensed company will test the halon bottle and they cannot sell or refill your existing system with halon.

But this is one of those good news/bad news things in boating. The Good news: "Sea-Fire", the company that made your automatic fire extinguishing system, sells a replacement bottle containing the newer legal extinguishing chemical that is compatible with the existing fire extinguisher system on your boat. And, they discount the new bottle and chemical 50% if you go thru Sea Rire's Customer service department, and the will sell to you direct. Now The Bad News: The new bottle filled with the new fire retardant costs. The 85# replacement bottle for a 450DA, costs about $3800, so. the 50% discount is helpful.

First, look at the gauge on your halon cylinder, if it is in the red, don't mess with it; stop right there and disarm the system and see if your engines will start normally. If you need to replace the halon bottle, take a cell phone photo of the gsudr showing the reading in the red and then take a photo of the table on the bottle.....you will need to send both photos to Sea Fire's customer service folks when they ask for them. Next, call Sea-Fire customer support at 410-687-5500, and follow their instructions exactly.

It is a painless process........ except the part where you have to write $2000 check !
 
Last edited:
fwebster said:
Easy to fix, but very expensive because you cannot buy halon as it is illegal to sell it.

From your description it sounds like your halon bottle has just leaked down to where the sender has activated the shut down process in the halon system. This happened to us about 30 ays ago. Disarm the halon system and you can crank up and move the boat, but your automatic fire exstinguisher will not work.

No licensed company will test the halon bottle and they cannot sell or refill your existing system with halon.

But this is one of those good news/bad news things in boating. The Good news: "Sea-Fire", the company that made your automatic fire extinguishing system, sells a replacement bottle containing the newer legal extinguishing chemical that is compatible with the existing fire extinguisher system on your boat. And, they discount the new bottle and chemical 50% if you go thru Sea Rire's Customer service department, and the will sell to you direct. Now The Bad News: The new bottle filled with the new fire retardant costs. The 85# replacement bottle for a 450DA, costs about $3800, so. the 50% discount is helpful.

First, look at the gauge on your halon cylinder, if it is in the red, don't mess with it; stop right there and disarm the system and see if your engines will start normally. If you need to replace the halon bottle, take a cell phone photo of the gsudr showing the reading in the red and then take a photo of the table on the bottle.....you will need to send both photos to Sea Fire's customer service folks when they ask for them. Next, call Sea-Fire customer support at 410-687-5500, and follow their instructions exactly.

It is a painless process........ except the part where you have to write $2000 check !
Click to expand...

Holy crap...I figured it would be pricey but not THAT pricey. Wow. I'm going to say a few nice words to my bottle every time I'm in the engine room from now on. Yikes...
 
First what happened to post #2?
It could easily be just electrical, but if it really did leak down or discharge...

Much miss-information about Halon and FM200 (which is not yet "banned") fire extinguishing systems, particularly when speaking of "legality".
It is only "illegal" to manufacture these agents as they have a chlorine component. Quite literally there are millions of pounds still "in use". It is a very effective agent that causes no harm to equipment so very popular in data centers, ships and other large installations. Because they are primarily a closed system that rarely leak there is no "legal" requirement to replace existing systems. It is recovered from decommissioned system and recycled for Halon based systems that need recharging.

The only legal requirement for a US boater is to carry enough extinguishers. The fixed system counts if you have it inspected and tagged. If you need it refilled it can be done just google Halon recharge. You dont have a location listed in your profile so just find one near you.

quoting myself from another thread:
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php...ne-bay-fire-extinguisher.101643/#post-1177649

"The fixed system as has been stated Halon is no longer manufactured, but if serviceable is no problem and is a very effective agent. I have two, one OEM and I added a second bottle bought used in the opposite corner of my ER.

If you have sufficient portables to meet the minimum legal requirements for extinguishers on board there is no law that says you must replace the Halon system or must have it inspected professionally. I simply weigh mine each year and keep them. I have well more than the minimums in portables."
 
Last edited:
Stee6043 said:
Holy crap...I figured it would be pricey but not THAT pricey. Wow. I'm going to say a few nice words to my bottle every time I'm in the engine room from now on. Yikes...
Click to expand...

Your "Halon" system on the 1997 400 parts book shows that it is actually a FE241 - CG2-475 -
which is the new clean agent FE241 for a 475 cubic foot max space. - check your tag your good to go..

The 1996 450DA showed it was Halon 1301 for 800 cubic foot - big engine room,

The 1996 330 (and my 94 300) called for Halon 1301 at 250 cubic foot -
A Fireboy 300 can be had for $760 new
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fireboy-MA...269763&hash=item3f615b80b9:g:t-0AAOSwl9BWG6iu

Case where size really matters...
 
Jamestown Distributors sold me a smaller bottle sized for my single 5L compartment for $205 plus $60 shipping last November. A couple other outfits were cheap like Fisheries Supply in Seattle or something mobile in Bellingham. Mine was a COV-CG2075227, 75 Cu ft. I punctured the old before tossing it and was surprised by the high pressure!
Halon will not put out your diesel although it might kill a gas engine. The halon that goes into a running engine comes out as phosgene gas. The Geneva convention requires a relay box on your diesel.
I thought this was going to be easy but the bigger bottle required a bigger bracket and there is little room for a drill motor between the fire wall and the engine.
 
Last edited:
fwebster said:
Easy to fix, but very expensive because you cannot buy halon and you cannot get a boat to pass a survey unless the bottle has been regularly checked and recertified or replaced if it has leaked down.

From your description it sounds like your halon bottle has just leaked down to where the sender has activated the shut down process in the halon system. This happened to us about 30 ays ago. Disarm the halon system and you can crank up and move the boat, but your automatic fire exstinguisher will not work.

No licensed company will test the halon bottle and they cannot sell or refill your existing system with halon.

But this is one of those good news/bad news things in boating. The Good news: "Sea-Fire", the company that made your automatic fire extinguishing system, sells a replacement bottle containing the newer legal extinguishing chemical that is compatible with the existing fire extinguisher system on your boat. And, they discount the new bottle and chemical 50% if you go thru Sea Rire's Customer service department, and the will sell to you direct. Now The Bad News: The new bottle filled with the new fire retardant costs. The 85# replacement bottle for a 450DA, costs about $3800, so. the 50% discount is helpful.

First, look at the gauge on your halon cylinder, if it is in the red, don't mess with it; stop right there and disarm the system and see if your engines will start normally. If you need to replace the halon bottle, take a cell phone photo of the gsudr showing the reading in the red and then take a photo of the table on the bottle.....you will need to send both photos to Sea Fire's customer service folks when they ask for them. Next, call Sea-Fire customer support at 410-687-5500, and follow their instructions exactly.

It is a painless process........ except the part where you have to write $2000 check !
Click to expand...
As a side note the gauge isn't all telling other than when in the red there isn't enough retardant in the bottle to maintain bottle pressure. The weight of the bottle is the critical factor much the same as a propane tank; pressure will be constant as long as there is some liquid. Cintas weighs the bottle on my boat every two years. This last time I'm at the minimum and will need to replace even though the gauge is well within the green. I did find that there are Halon recovery companies that will refill but the cost is about the same as buying new. Those companies will, however, buy your old Halon at about a penny on the dollar they sell if for....
Thanks Frank for the tip on obtaining a replacement!!
 
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I have to say that reading these responses, I have gone through an emporio al roller coaster! Seeing some of the proposed fixes and prices...
Regardless, it is humbling to see how much everyone of you knows about boats and maintenance. Thanks so much for your input
 
On my last insurance survey the survey noted the Halon system. I asked if it was required and the answer was if you do not have it you are required to be able to have extinguish the fire without entering the engine room. I was given a fire ball that you mount in the engine room that is activated by heat. Elide Fire Ball - Best Portable Fire Extinguisher Ball (getelidefireball.com) The site has a video of it working.
 
My 20' Bowrider has a hole penetrating through storage into the engine compartment that you can stick the nozzle of a conventional extinguisher through and maybe put out the fire without adding O2 by opening the hatch. I decided to go ahead and replace the halon bottle as a powder extinguisher would make quite the mess and I wanted a project. Here's how it went: http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/halon-auto-fire-extinguisher-replaced.95932/
 
Hi all,
It turns out the Halon system was just fine. Upon inspection, the port side generator had come lose from its bracket, and made the system whacky.
A couple of screws and having it secured to its bracket has fixed what could have been a larger headache. Thanks all for the advice.
 
Glad it was just an electrical issue

Always check the simplest things first...
 
Hi again!!! So it has been a couple of long moths, and we finally picked up our boat from the marina.
Everything went well, until I put the boat on plane…that lasted about a minute! The Halon alarm came back on, I turned the engines off, and inspected the engine room.
Just as last time, nothing wrong…
I tried to start the engines, and only the port side engine starts now…the starboard engine turns, but won’t start….
So now I am trying to trouble shoot this at the marina (I had to get towed again). Could it be a fuel issue? I am looking at both engines, and I don’t seee anything different from one to the other. Is there a valve that the marina may have touched when they winterized the boat that the forgot to undo?
Also…if anyone knows of a good mechanic in the Baltimore, MD area, it’d be great if you could share the contact info.

Thanks!!
 
Halon gauge on dash has built in override switch which you should actuate, I believe. Boat mechanics sometimes advertise in Craigslist. Marinas have mechanics and bulletin boards to which mechanics pin their cards. Ask the guy at desk.
 
Arminius,

I have looked for that switch for hours, and have not been able to find it..
Thanks!
 
Look at t he gauge on your halon bottle. If it is in the red or very close, then the halon system could have just shut things down. You can override it with the control switch and operate the boat normally but you won't have the fire protection offered by the Halon system.

The Seafire control should be within reach from the helm seat.
 
Thanks fwebster…I will keep looking…But so far, its certainly more hidden that it should be!
 
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