One of the most common places for a fire to start on a boat is in the engine space, and if that happens the last thing we want to do is open an access panel to fight it, and thereby get a face full of fire, not to speak of accelerating the fire by giving it oxygen.
The answer is a fireport like the one I just installed on our J/109.
Amazing to me that Tillotson Pearson did not install one when they built the boat comparatively recently in 2004, particularly considering that the first fireport I ever saw was on a brand new Beneteau back in the 1980s!
Do you think in that same setup if you were missing the nozzle on that Halotron fire extinguisher (it unscrews) it would still be effective in being able to us charge it into the engine box?
Hi Jorge,
I’m afraid I don’t think that would work well at all. Best to get a new nozzle, or failing that, a new extinguisher, I’m thinking.
An extinguisher with a small enough diameter flexible hose that can actually fit through the fire port was recommended to me by a surveyor. Those flared nozzles typically won’t fit.
Hi Brian,
I agree a hose would be good, but the only extinguishers I have ever seen with them are dry powder or water, which are not good for engine fires. Also, I checked and the nozzle on the one shown fits fine in the port.
We have a reasonably priced Amerex Halon extinguisher, 3 lbs. Not sure if still available… but look here https://fireextinguisherdepot.com/3-lb-halon-1211
Uses “recycled Halon”. Probably not the most environmentally responsible solution, but…that decision to be made by each individual boat owner.
Hi Brian,
As I understand it, in most countries, including Canada, only the military are can legally install recycled Halon. The good news is that there are less environmentally destructive agents with the same properties: https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/b00021959/
This is the agent we changed to on the McCurdy and Rhodes and the one we are using on the J/109.
We were told that the Halon from our old units would be recycled and used by the military since there is no way to actually destroy the stuff and render it harmless.
John- looks great. Is that fireport “sealed/airtight” and you break the edges when needed? Or are the flaps already free?
ALso, looks like a 2.5 lb Amerex, is that correct? They sell 5 lb also but larger, more expensive, and difficult to store