Replace Sea-Fire Fire Extinguisher

[dennisp]

Sea-Fire Fire Extinguisher:
Boy, I thought when I searched the forums, I’d see a lot about fire extinguishers and Se-Fire. Nearly nothing (or I’m searching the wrong way.)
ISSUE: I have a 2003 Hunter 306 that I’ve owned since 2007. It originally had a Halon extinguisher from Sea-Fire that in 2010 had the extinguisher pressure slip beneath the green. I contacted Sea-Fire and found my local distributer was in Baltimore, and calling and finding that Halon was no longer used, was told the replacement agent was now FE-241, and I bought a new replacement for $112.50. Avoiding the charges for a HAZMAT shipment was only a slight problem – driving from Alexandria, VA to Baltimore, MD (less than 50 miles) for the pickup. Now, I see that my Sea-Fire is again just under the green! I went online and saw the replacement for my Sea-Fire now has an FM-200 agent, and so I looked for my nearest marine dealer for Sea-Fire and find that it is in Panama City, FL and I am only about 50 miles away, so I planned again on driving to get a replacement. They had to check for the cost for the right size (it’s an FG-25A), and today I was quoted a cost of $232.20, to which I would have to add FL taxes (OK) as well as HAZMAT FedEx shipping costs from Sea-Fire to THEIR facility, which they couldn’t quote me, but said I’d just be billed the cost when it arrived. Yikes! From just over $100 to over double that in 5 years.
QUESTION 1: Do I really need a tiny engine compartment fire extinguisher for a diesel Yanmar 2GM20F-YEU engine?
QUESTION 2: It’s “just below the green.” What’s my risk to just ignore it and not replace it at this time?
QUESTION 3: Is anyone out there – over-maintainers like me that worry about these things – choking on this kind of price increase? (I’m just looking for sympathy here, really.) Any suggestions or comments? Should I just quit whining, shut up, and order the thing and pay the price for owning a boat?
Thanks for the attention.

 

[Ron20324]

Probably to reduce the boat's production costs, I think the trend is to put a pop-out "access port" in the engine cover that you can just stick a regular ext. into. You do have a spare ext., don't you? I'd have to believe the bigger boats still have them, though.

 

[njlarry]

Ouch! Maybe fire trucks should now have large hazmat warning signs!
While diesel engines are less risk for fire from fuel, electrical fires
are a real worry.
A local welders supply store should be able to recharge it for you for cheap.

 

[Capt jgw]

Check with the local companies that do industrial extinguishers. Every commercial building out there has to have them and they don't pay those kind of prices. If it can be recharged that will be cheap, if not they can replace the bottle for way less than the costs you have been quoted. Also, before Halon came along we used CO2 for this, and most commercial boats still do. Works almost as well, is non toxic, non hazardous, and way, way cheaper.

 

[dennisp]

Thanks for the reply Capt jgw

Check with the local companies that do industrial extinguishers. Every commercial building out there has to have them and they don't pay those kind of prices. If it can be recharged that will be cheap, if not they can replace the bottle for way less than the costs you have been quoted. Also, before Halon came along we used CO2 for this, and most commercial boats still do. Works almost as well, is non toxic, non hazardous, and way, way cheaper.

Last time I replaced the Sea-Fire, I just unscrewed it and re-screwed-in the replacment - painless. THOUGH(!) it was a pain to even try and reach in there - under the stairs in the rear top corner of a tiny engine box. About impossible to see what you are doing from sitting on the head and reaching through that access port on the starboard side - especially for a left-hander. The rear access panel (from the aft berth) is half the size of the others and you definitely cannot see what you are doing. And from the front/top or the port side - where you can see - it's way too long a reach. It's a two man job if you do anything but screw out and screw in. I'll do a little research on alternative fire extinguishers and see what Sea-Fire says. In the meanwhile, I'll live with the lower pressure.

 

[dennisp]

Thanks, Ron20324. I do have a spare extinguisher, next to the head, above the desk in the cabin. Just checked with Sea-Fire and they confirmed the price is right - about $232.20 plus the tax and FEDEX (HAZMAT) shipping from Sea-Fire (Baltimore) to the dealer (Panama City, FL). We are talking about an 'automatic extinguisher' here, of course, so that is my concern - to retain that functionality.
NJLarry - welder's supply store? I will give that a look. I didn't think that an option. I am of the belief that little extinguishers (and this is Sea-Fires's smallest (25 cu. ft. or 0.7 cu. meters) just aren't serviceable. But before I spend over $250 I will check it out. Thanks!

 

[Hello Below]

Dennis, I just did a quick Google on fire extinguishers service near your location and came up with 3 within 20 miles. B&C Fire Safety website indicates they may be able to help you out. A call to each of these may be worth the time.

 

[Capt jgw]

It costs around $25 to refill an industrial extinguisher, so the cheap ones are made disposable because it just doesn't make sense to refill them. If a $250 unit is not rechargeable, you're getting robbed, no different than if they were holding a gun to your head. They demand those kind of prices only because someone once did pay it, and us "rich yachtsman" can all afford it. Check on the local fire extiguisher companies, maybe ask the fire department for a recommendation. I bet you can get the Halon equivalent for less than $50 of the bottle is refillable. If it's not, they probably have a system that is for about the same money as you've been quoted and you'll never have to replace it again. And no shipping.

 

[dennisp]

OK, Hello Below. I will try and see what Ft. Walton Beach's B&C Fire Safety has to say. Stay tuned.
I did a bit more searching. Waste Marine has the item (hard to find it) for $289.99. I am sure S&H and HAZMAT fees would be on top as would tax. Ooch! I did see the item o Go2Marine's site, with a quote for the FM 200 (the agent) Sea-Fire FG25A (my model) for only $165.86. Putting it in a cart and using my ZIP, it added UPS ground $10.66 and a Hazardous Fee of $35. This would be a total of $211.52 which is the best so far. Better than Waste Marine, and and the local Sure-Fire distributor's quote (with a RT drive to Panama City, about 50 miles away). I will tell what I decide. Thanks all.

 

[dennisp]

OK, to finish up this thread with what I finally did. (1) I checked with a large and long-established local fire extinguisher servicing company locally yesterday and they told me that, first, the new Dupont FM-200 extinguishing agent is indeed expensive, and prices on extinguishers have risen on the order of 100% in the past 5 or so years, so, secondly, the Sea-Fire retail price for a little, tiny 25 cu. ft. FM-200 extinguisher of $250 is not out of line. (Yikes, again.) (2) Checking around – several local options and several online – I found that Go2Marine offered the item (a Sea-Fire model FG 25A, with FM-200 agent) for $165 – leaves warehouse in 5 days (I am in no hurry) – with a $10.34 UPS ground fee and a $35 hazardous fee...so, total to replace is $211.20. (Still a ‘yikes’ but I will live with it.) This just FYI, y’all out there. Thanks for the attention and input.

A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.
Grace Hopper

 

[Capt jgw]

Yea. I guess they have gone up. Last time I did industrial ones, about five years ago, it was $25 for a 20# unit. I'd still be looking at CO2, I think we pay about $250 to get our 100# tanks tested and filled, and that includes hauling them out of the boat and back in. We have to do that every 12 years on inspected passenger vessels.

 

[artboas]

Xintex - Fireboy

Sea-Fire Fire Extinguisher:
Boy, I thought when I searched the forums, I’d see a lot about fire extinguishers and Se-Fire. Nearly nothing (or I’m searching the wrong way.)
ISSUE: I have a 2003 Hunter 306 that I’ve owned since 2007. It originally had a Halon extinguisher from Sea-Fire that in 2010 had the extinguisher pressure slip beneath the green. I contacted Sea-Fire and found my local distributer was in Baltimore, and calling and finding that Halon was no longer used, was told the replacement agent was now FE-241, and I bought a new replacement for $112.50. Avoiding the charges for a HAZMAT shipment was only a slight problem – driving from Alexandria, VA to Baltimore, MD (less than 50 miles) for the pickup. Now, I see that my Sea-Fire is again just under the green! I went online and saw the replacement for my Sea-Fire now has an FM-200 agent, and so I looked for my nearest marine dealer for Sea-Fire and find that it is in Panama City, FL and I am only about 50 miles away, so I planned again on driving to get a replacement. They had to check for the cost for the right size (it’s an FG-25A), and today I was quoted a cost of $232.20, to which I would have to add FL taxes (OK) as well as HAZMAT FedEx shipping costs from Sea-Fire to THEIR facility, which they couldn’t quote me, but said I’d just be billed the cost when it arrived. Yikes! From just over $100 to over double that in 5 years.
QUESTION 1: Do I really need a tiny engine compartment fire extinguisher for a diesel Yanmar 2GM20F-YEU engine?
QUESTION 2: It’s “just below the green.” What’s my risk to just ignore it and not replace it at this time?
QUESTION 3: Is anyone out there – over-maintainers like me that worry about these things – choking on this kind of price increase? (I’m just looking for sympathy here, really.) Any suggestions or comments? Should I just quit whining, shut up, and order the thing and pay the price for owning a boat?
Thanks for the attention.

I had the misfortune of having to deal with Xintex on propane sniffer /shutoff issue . To call them arrogant would be charitable.
It took 10 months to get my unit serviced, and they sent it back defective.
I then had to re-send it. In the meantime, I paid them for a replacement, which they promised to refund if I sent it back to them after my original unit was serviced.
They short-changed me, and REFUSED to respond to any emails.
Arrogant with a capital A

 

[Ken Cross]

I'm not familiar with your system, but I'd be asking where the pressure went. They should hold pressure.
Ken

 

[artboas]

Simple self contained unit

I'm not familiar with your system, but I'd be asking where the pressure went. They should hold pressure.
Ken

Ken
These units are just Fire extinguishers with a heat activated trigger on top.
No fancy hoses or connections.
But I do have an answer as to "where" the pressure goes.
It goes "out"
The question is "why does it go out?"
That's something I don't know.