In this blog posting we want to share information provided with permission by Active Captain owners Karen and Jeffrey Siegel from their news email regarding Engine Room Checks:
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>>> Engine Room Checks >>>
A couple of months ago, we had a Defender 1st special for an infrared
temperature sensor tool. It's a little gun-like device. Point it at a
non-shiny surface, and it gives an instant surface temperature readout.
It's the perfect thing for checking electrical panels, refrigerators,
and other temperature-critical items. In the description of the
special, we wrote that we use it every time we're underway for engine
room checks. That one sentence created dozens of emails asking us to
explain more about our engine room checks while underway. We finally
have a free week with no new announcements and decided it would be a
good opportunity to address those questions.
This last week we started our 12th year onboard aCappella. Over those
years we've found the combination of checks that works for us to make
sure everything continues to operate. In almost all cases, the engine
room check results in finding no problems. But in rare cases, the
engine room check has found a problem that unnoticed could have caused
significant damage including sinking the boat. Here's an example of a
problem we found during a check back in 2009 that another blog picked
up and published:
http://oceanlines.biz/2009/11/the-underway-engine-room-check
They included the video that we shot offshore showing what we found.
Now every boat and every engine room is different, so the things we
check and the routine that we follow will not work for everyone. What's
important is a regular routine. You need to discover what yours should
be. By doing the same thing over and over, changes that appear will
capture your attention.
We have a small electronic kitchen timer at our helm set to alarm each
hour when we're underway. We take turns doing the engine room check.
Karen will do one hour; then Jeff will do the next. We never do an
hourly check when we're offshore at night because it would be too
dangerous to be below with the other person asleep. In those cases,
we do a full engine room check at every shift change.
The most important thing to consider about a full engine room check
is the safety of the person doing the check. Nothing is more important
than that. If you've ever heard our medical emergency presentation,
it's something we call "scene safety." Never perform a check if the
environment isn't safe. This includes checking during severe weather,
checking if there is an active danger in the engine room, or checking
when someone else isn't around to know that you're in the engine room.
An active danger is something like an engine room that's too hot or
some type of dangerous spraying of oil or water. It's much more
important to solve the active danger away from the engine room if
possible. Slowing down the engines or even shutting them down might be
required in a real emergency. That's also the time to start VHF
communications to get others alerted to your position and danger.
Assuming nothing is stopping us from doing a check, here's what we do:
- Put on ear protection. That's part of scene safety too. We have ear
plugs outside the engine room along with the full headphone type of ear
protection for extended stays in the engine room.
- Immediately check the ambient engine room temperature. This is also
part of scene safety. If the temperature is more than 120F at the front
of the engine room near the engines, no one is allowed in the engine
room until it cools down.
- Check Racor suction. Fuel is so critical and the gauges on the Racors
give an immediate health check on the fuel system.
- Check Naiad stabilizer oil pressure gauge, temperature, and oil
level.
- Check for water in the bilge and on both side sections outside the
stringers. We're blessed with a totally dry bilge so finding just a
single drop of liquid generates a full analysis.
- Check stabilizer operation. We like watching to make sure the shafts
move cleanly and evenly.
- Check the temperature of the alternators. We know that if they're
charging the batteries after being anchored, they'll run as high as
135F. When the house bank is charged, they're never above 115F.
- Check the temperature of the oil pan. It is always between 199F and
202F if we're running at cruising speed.
- Check the temperature of the exhaust elbow on the engines. It is
always between 178F and 180F.
- Check for any release from the drippless shaft seals. We like to
feel the shaft spinning but doubt any vibration could be detected
there. It's more of a habit.
- Check fuel level of the fuel tank being drawn from. Experience lets
us know how much it should drop between 1-2 hour engine room checks.
- Physically go around each engine looking at engine mounts, evidence
of any water drip, evidence of any oil drip, and evidence of anything
unusual. This includes touching the raw water impeller cover to feel
that is is cooler. Weep holes are especially checked on the raw water
pump because it's just a matter of time before they start to drip.
- Check all through hull openings. Our engine room has 4 of them. Two
are for the engines and the other two are almost always closed while
underway.
- Check the battery combiner to make sure it's detecting charging
voltages from both engines and combining them to charge the house bank.
- Leave the engine room and do an "around the block" check. This is
the favorite part for our canine crew as they are always waiting for
this with tails wagging. We go out to the stern to look over both sides
at the fuel vents to make sure no fuel is coming out. Next we stand in
the very back center of the cockpit to feel for any vibration. That is
the best location to detect any shaft or engine misalignment as well as
detecting any prop damage.
- Around the block continues to the bow where the hull is checked over
the side to look for anything unusual. Finally, there's always some
dog play and wrestling on the bow.
Much of the real engine room check happens by experience through
noticing what is unusual or different. We used to record every check,
temperature, and gauge reading in a database. But after 3 years of
doing that, we realized it wasn't needed because we knew exactly what
the readings and levels should be.
If you watched the 2009 video from the Ocean Lines site, you'll see the
two hose clamps that broke apart in the middle of the night while we
were on our way offshore to Charleston - and these things always happen
at night. We knew that replacing the hose clamps would eliminate the
immediate danger while underway but something that unusual would
require more investigation. So it's also important to look deeper into
anything corrected once tied up and secure. In this case, a pin hole in
the exhaust elbow had been blowing hot air into the exhaust insulation
directly on one side of the clamps. The high temperature never made it
outside the insulation but ended up breaking the clamps after days of
overheating them. A quick but messy fix in Charleston corrected the
problem. Still to this day, we check for drips under each elbow
because of that experience.
Copyright (c) 2014 Active Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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Here is Test Point #8 with a nominal value of 173F
Jeff, a new development project for you?
Here is a link to the IR temperature devices on eBay:
Checkout:
www.activecaptain.com
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http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xinfrared+temperature+gun&_nkw=infrared+temperature+gun&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Smooth seas!
Doug
Smooth seas!
Doug
Checkout:
www.activecaptain.com
The Interactive Cruising Guidebook
www.eboatcards.com
Social Navigation for Active Captains
www.captainrated.com
Real reviews from Active Captains
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