Halon auto fire extinguisher replaced

[Arminius]

This is a repost in a new thread because the project was successful and dealing with halon is not boat model specific.
The optional Halon bottle on my 2003 Bowrider 200 needs replacement. Needle is at bottom of green and light is out when boat is cold. Halon is N/A. SeaRay part is $550.00. Replacement for Halon is FM 200. I will leave the helm unit although technically I should use the one that comes with new bottle: SeaFire or FireBoy. The 1st issue is the size of engine compartment as they sell by volume to be extinguished. Got the old one out and it is rated at 75 cu ft, a 3" x 12" cylinder. An expansive measurement of the compartment results in 60 cu. ft so 75 should do. FM200 is bigger than Halon. Looks to cost around $250.00 but having an auto-extinguisher that makes no mess sounds good. CO2 does not seem to be an option. There is a toxic transport charge if shipping. Got a Fireboy shipped to me by Jamestown Distributors for total of $275 including an added $13 in mystery tax after I paid. Local Fisheries Supply was $323 + 10% tax. Good prices available from Rex Marine or Marine 2 Go. Should be able to fit this 4.3" x 15" cylinder in existing bracket.

Later: The Fireboy extinguisher just fit where the halon bottle (on the left with blue tape) had been. It was substantially bigger and required installation of the new bracket which came with it. Crimped, soldered and shrink insulated leads to fit. Only tricky part was screwing the new bracket to the transom. I had extra screw holes after I cleared the footprint of a couple wire/hose restraints. Placed the bracket in position and one hole lined up. Made a stencil and drilled the bracket to match the existing holes because there was no clearance for the drill motor although I did have room to drill one hole higher up. Ended up with 4 screws as required by installation instructions. It would be better to install a relay board cutting the ignition and blower upon discharge as this MPI engine has an electric fuel pump charging the fuel lines to 42 psi whenever the ignition is on. But that is another project.

 

[Captn TJ]

Nice install. I had mine replaced last year - it failed the inspection even though the arrow was border line green. I had my marina replace it since you need to be the size of a six year old to get to it..

 

[Arminius]

Automatic Marine Engine Shutdown Systems
Bought a new FireBoy ESRS box which is the acronym for the engine and blower shutdown relay board. Cost $55 on Ebay as it had a Viking Yacht parts number and that was confusing. I see that new discharge indicator lights combine the override switch which is good. One model has a horn but I think engine shutdown would probably be warning enough to look at the dash. Throwing the override switch in a panic would be the wrong thing to do. Maybe wait 15 minutes before peeking into the engine compartment if it is not smoking. Opening it would admit O2 for a rekindle. Maybe call the boat cops and ask them to observe. Shut off the blower before throwing the override to keep from vacuuming away all that suppressant gas. Turning the ignition on starts the high pressure gas fuel pump for the injectors with a bad result if a line is compromised. You see at least one column of dark smoke on the Lake every year as they burn down to the waterline and sink.

 

[Arminius]

Installed the ESRS box at: http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/engine-shutdown-on-extinguisher-discharge-esrs.96217/