Leaking Kohler Generator

[Michael Clark]

Anyone had any problems with an exhaust leak on a gasoline Kohler Genset 5e on a 2004 Searay 420? Mine is setting off cabin CO alarms after about 15 mins of runtime. The sensors are all new and I keep the cabin door shut at all times. Any advice or ideas are welcome.
Thanks in Advance
Mike

 

[bbwhitejr]

I have had gas generators and never had an issue. I will tell you this....believe your alarms! Do you have windows open in the heads/shower? When they go off, are all 3 going off? Do they make a constant noise or is it intermittent? Go to HD and get one that actually reads PPM with a digital read out. Can't say as I have ever heard of an exhaust leak in one.

This is nothing to mess around with. You must find the exact cause and correct it. It seems every year on Lake Lanier there are generator incidents where people die.

Bennett

 

[Stee6043]

I'm not entirely clear how the exhaust leak would cause the alarm? Your bilge is sealed from your cabin. Your bilge blowers should be running. I would expect that a generator exhaust leak should/would be more of a noise issue than anything else. Unless you have some kind of opening between the engine room and cabin that isn't supposed to be there.

I'd bet you're dealing with a wind direction issue and not a generator issue. Have you tried running your mains, with the generator off, to see if the CO detectors will also go off? Are you underway when you experience this or sitting still? Do you have the canvas up or down?

 

[Michael Clark]

I have had gas generators and never had an issue. I will tell you this....believe your alarms! Do you have windows open in the heads/shower? When they go off, are all 3 going off? Do they make a constant noise or is it intermittent? Go to HD and get one that actually reads PPM with a digital read out. Can't say as I have ever heard of an exhaust leak in one.

This is nothing to mess around with. You must find the exact cause and correct it. It seems every year on Lake Lanier there are generator incidents where people die.

Bennett

Thanks Bennett - It's the strangest thing. All windows and doors are closed and the first alarm was in the master stateroom followed by the alarm in the aft salon area followed by the HD portable unit I have lying on top of the salon couch. All the alarm units are brand new and up to date and when they alarm they are constant until the area is properly ventilated.

 

[Michael Clark]

I'm not entirely clear how the exhaust leak would cause the alarm? Your bilge is sealed from your cabin. Your bilge blowers should be running. I would expect that a generator exhaust leak should/would be more of a noise issue than anything else. Unless you have some kind of opening between the engine room and cabin that isn't supposed to be there.

I'd bet you're dealing with a wind direction issue and not a generator issue. Have you tried running your mains, with the generator off, to see if the CO detectors will also go off? Are you underway when you experience this or sitting still? Do you have the canvas up or down?

Thanks for the message and yes I ran the mains yesterday for about 15 mins and no alarms. So I shut them down and turned on the blowers for 15 mins and started the generator and let it run. All cabin doors were shut and windows closed. About 15 mins into the test run, the forward alarm went off followed by the aft alarm followed by a Home Depot portable alarm that I have on the salon sofa. They will reset after I get clear air to them. The weather yesterday was windy but I had bow in the wind so all exhaust would have been trailing off the stern while still moored at the slip with only partial canvas up along the front windshield on the hardtop. The water port is functioning clearly with a good discharge of water but some how exhaust is getting into the bilge.

 

[techmitch]

Thanks for the message and yes I ran the mains yesterday for about 15 mins and no alarms. So I shut them down and turned on the blowers for 15 mins and started the generator and let it run. All cabin doors were shut and windows closed. About 15 mins into the test run, the forward alarm went off followed by the aft alarm followed by a Home Depot portable alarm that I have on the salon sofa. They will reset after I get clear air to them. The weather yesterday was windy but I had bow in the wind so all exhaust would have been trailing off the stern while still moored at the slip with only partial canvas up along the front windshield on the hardtop. The water port is functioning clearly with a good discharge of water but some how exhaust is getting into the bilge.

No matter how much exhaust gets into the bilge, it shouldn't be able to get into the cabin.

 

[Stee6043]

Thanks for the message and yes I ran the mains yesterday for about 15 mins and no alarms. So I shut them down and turned on the blowers for 15 mins and started the generator and let it run. All cabin doors were shut and windows closed. About 15 mins into the test run, the forward alarm went off followed by the aft alarm followed by a Home Depot portable alarm that I have on the salon sofa. They will reset after I get clear air to them. The weather yesterday was windy but I had bow in the wind so all exhaust would have been trailing off the stern while still moored at the slip with only partial canvas up along the front windshield on the hardtop. The water port is functioning clearly with a good discharge of water but some how exhaust is getting into the bilge.

Hmmm....I think you could be getting the "station wagon" effect from your aft canvas being down, front up. Wind off the bow would be similar to being under way. This is very common but should generally also pull your engine exhaust in. Maybe it's just wind direction, position in the slip, etc.

It's a bit weird that your forward CO detector is going off first but I'm betting the exhaust is coming in around your cabin door.

Try it again with your windshield vent open.

 

[copb8tx]

My generator set my firebouy alarms off all the time. If they're the original alarms they time out and need to be changed. I got far fewer alarms with the new ones.

I also added three battery powered independent alarms around the cabin with digital indicators because I'm paranoid about that stuff. I know the gasses "shouldn't" get in the cabin but who's to say a caulk seal doesn't fail, or a previous owner didn't drilled a hole in a bulkhead to get a really cool TV setup in the cockpit???

 

[Michael Clark]

My generator set my firebouy alarms off all the time. If they're the original alarms they time out and need to be changed. I got far fewer alarms with the new ones.

I also added three battery powered independent alarms around the cabin with digital indicators because I'm paranoid about that stuff. I know the gasses "shouldn't" get in the cabin but who's to say a caulk seal doesn't fail, or a previous owner didn't drilled a hole in a bulkhead to get a really cool TV setup in the cockpit???

Hello there and thank you for the message. I have all new FireBoy Alarms throughout the boat and one Home Depot stand alone unit. All of which trigger after about 15 minutes of the genset kicking on. I am suspicious of some duck tap applied to the bulkhead in one area but still concerned because the genset is designed to exhaust overboard and not in the bulge.

 

[Michael Clark]

Everyone - A quick update to those interested. I was able to speak with a local independent Kohler repair tech this afternoon. We are meeting on Wednesday to diagnose my issue but he shared some information I wanted to pass on to the rest of the group in case you find yourself in my circumstances. Again, he has not seen the genset yet but he is familiar with a Kohler recall on exhaust hoses manufactured overseas between 2001 and 2004. According to the tech they have been known to fatigue and crack especially near transitions where they bend or are under stress of some kind. I will know more after we meet on Wednesday and I'll be glad to share the final diagnosis. So, if you have a vessel in that date range be careful out there if you do have alarms triggering, it may be the real deal.

 

[bbwhitejr]

I know that bilges are supposed to be sealed from the cabin….the only time I have ever had CO detectors go off was when we were tied up beside a gas boat and we were in our 44DB-a diesel boat. There are only two openings to the outside on a 44DB, the sliding door and the hatch in the master and both of those were closed. We were tied to the same side of the boat that the gas gen exhausted on. After about an hour, every CO detector in my boat went off. We were outside in the water/cockpit/bridge when this occurred. Boats were repositioned and it took 30 minutes to get the cabin aired out. The CO had to get in through the ER air vents. How it got into the cabin, no clue. Going forward, we always tied the gas boat so the exhaust was not blowing toward a boat.

Bennett

 

[Stee6043]

Everyone - A quick update to those interested. I was able to speak with a local independent Kohler repair tech this afternoon. We are meeting on Wednesday to diagnose my issue but he shared some information I wanted to pass on to the rest of the group in case you find yourself in my circumstances. Again, he has not seen the genset yet but he is familiar with a Kohler recall on exhaust hoses manufactured overseas between 2001 and 2004. According to the tech they have been known to fatigue and crack especially near transitions where they bend or are under stress of some kind. I will know more after we meet on Wednesday and I'll be glad to share the final diagnosis. So, if you have a vessel in that date range be careful out there if you do have alarms triggering, it may be the real deal.

You should ask your guy how this would end up in the cabin if your bilge blowers were on. Still seems a bit strange to me...