Alarms

[Phil Herring]

Smoke alarms, CO2 alarms, propane alarms, bilge alarms, not to mention ELCI and GFCI circuit interrupters... there's a lot to check, test and maintain on your boat.

What kind of alarms do you use aboard and how often to do you check and test them?

 

[jmce1587]

Propane sniffer. Turn it on and wait before lighting cook top to be sure all is clear.

 

[NotCook]

We have 6 bilge alarms, which go off when a bilge pump operates. We have engine oil pressure, engine temp, low battery voltage, drive temp, generator temp, and water in fuel filter alarms. We also have an automatic Halon fire suppression system in the engine room, with an alarm.

We’ve had the engine temp go off recently just when entering a marina (!), which resulted from a broken accessory drive belt, and an aft bilge pump go off because of a leaking shaft packing.

Do those count as “tests”?

I do lift the float switches periodically to assure that at least the pumps start and the alarm sounds.

 

[Bruce Conron]

Carbon monoxide alarms (that's CO - not CO2) are vitally important to me. The factory-installed, hard-wired one adjacent to the engine compartment had an expiry/replacement date of 2015, which I only realized last season, so I'm installing a battery-powered one this season in the aft cabin. The Yanmar engine temperature alarm has saved my diesel (not to mention my pocket book!) on two occasions over twelve seasons. I involuntarily "test" the smoke alarm factory-installed under the coach roof over the galley every time I make toast. It's a pain, but it's reassuring to know that it's OK.

 

[RoyS]

Any of you older sailors, like me, find that you can no longer consistently hear audible alarms?

 

[DayDreamer41]

Phil thanks for posting this subject a very important one at that and one that receives absolutely no attention for most owners.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

none aboard the boat. No propane aboard, no heat that stays on when asleep. Also no AC power led aboard

 

[Justin_NSA]

I just started to replace my bilge float switch with an Aqualarm Smart switch. It comes with a small piezo alarm that sounds off after the pump has run for more than 2 minutes. I haven't decided yet where the best place to install it is.

Any of you older sailors, like me, find that you can no longer consistently hear audible alarms?

I think I would add some flashing lights if/when I get to that point. My 93 year old father-in-law is deaf as a post, but my 90 year old mother still hears everything. Men are probably more affected by a lifetime of noise. (not implying wives).

 

[Will Gilmore]

https://goodforgas.com/hazardous-gases-associated-lead-acid-battery-charging-stations/
Battery off gassing is a concern. I've heard of live aboards having health issues from poor battery placement and ventilation. My plan is to maintain good ventilation in the tiny cabin of Dragonfly. Haven't gotten to that point so haven't looked into gas detection devices yet.
A bilge alarm seems like a good idea with an automatic pump, if the boat is kept in the water.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Scott B]

After getting my Insurance renewal couple years back, with a separate warranty stating, the Owner shall maintain ALL safety equipment as required, otherwise Insurance will be null and void, I went through and thoroughly checked everything on the boat. I now have all new CO, propane, smoke alarms, as all had expired. The "ouch" was 3 CO marine rated detectors.

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

none aboard the boat. No propane aboard, no heat that stays on when asleep. Also no AC power led aboard

Also should note- the boat has zero openings below water line- so no thru hulls to leak

 

[Boomer54]

An alarm story. We were asleep on our new e33Hunter one evening. At 0400 a horrible screeching alarm woke me from a dead sleep. My immediate thought was “oh &@&/, the high water alarm is going off and we are sinking”. I grabbed my glasses and flew into the main salon expecting to be sloshing in water and I wasn’t! Now I’m wondering in the ;&@ was that ? Just then, I noticed the screen on my cell phone go dark. Now I’m really confused. I open my cell phone and there on the screen, was a freaking amber Alert at 0400 90 miles away. I found out it woke half the marina at 0400. It was a new feature added and auto configured to all Amber Alerts with an audible screeching alarm. That alarm has now been “disconnected.

 

[Justin_NSA]

This happened a long time ago but I never forgot reading about it. Tragic
Officials Confirm That Gas Was Killer of Six in House
https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/09/...firm-that-gas-was-killer-of-six-in-house.html

 

[DArcy]

The "ouch" was 3 CO marine rated detectors.

Where do you install 3 CO detectors on a 33 foot boat? I can see perhaps one near an aft cabin, one forward, or perhaps one for the engine, one for the galley. Is there an accepted minimum quantity or list of locations?

 

[TomY]

I've got some of the standard alarms, oil pressure, coolant temperature and exhaust temperature and high level bilge alarm but I guess some are a little different and or, my use of them is different.

I have an electric bilge pump and float switch located at about the 5 gallon mark in a deep bilge. I use the manual bilge pump to clear the bilge keeping that always working. Wired into that float switch is a red light mounted in the companionway.

No horn as the float switch can close under boisterous conditions and hosing out the bilge.

I like it especially sailing or powering at night. 5 gallons will alert us to a broken hose on the water tanks before you lose too much; raw water coolant leak, hot water heater letting go, and of course a hull leak.

It's nice to know the light will be unmistakable above or below decks.

The oil pressure and coolant alarms give peace of mind at night, especially if I'm not at the helm(gauges).

The exhaust alarm I especially added for eel grass or debris clogging the raw water strainer. I suppose it might come in handy for not turning on the raw water as well.

With CNG I skip the gas alarm (but have a solenoid switch we use always).

I don't have a CO alarm but never burn anything overnight.

I've been told by my family we have a low voltage alarm on one of our gizmo's,...but I've never heard it.

 

[Terry Cox]

At the moment I'm working on an anchor alarm; the most important to the safety of our boat, IMHO. Not to dismiss or discount the other alarms covered in this thread, I want an alert in the middle of the night if whatever pressure on the boat is causing it to move.

Our boat came with a Loran that has an anchor alarm feature. It came in handy until some obscure government agency shut it down a few years ago. Some talk about reviving it, but until then my Garmin 178C Sounder has an anchor alarm feature. All I need now is a door buzzer that will operate under 100 milliamp.

 

[Dalliance]

Just the basics; Engine temp alarm, smoke detector and bilge pump alarm on the secondary (higher) bilge pump. The primary bilge pump is on a cycle counter, which I would say is a silent alert.
I check the smoke alarm monthly and the bilge pump alarm weekly during the sailing season. Now that I think of it, I don’t really know how to check the engine temp alarm.

 

[riggy001]

Maybe cut the ground wire and solder a strobe or other bright light to the bitter ends of the ground lead so that when the alarm sounds the light also illuminates.