Boathouse Fires, Port of Everett

[Max Simmons]

Had a couple boathouses and boats go up in flames this weekend. Initial report is a chest freezer compressor motor burned up and was the cause.
Always worried when we have a cold snap, which we are currently coming out of, and the number of space heaters running unnattended. Surprised this wasn't the cause in this instance.

 

[sjisailor]

Yikes. Makes me wonder, if anything, would help prevent that. On a first thought, the only thing that comes to mind is general maintenance such as keeping coils clean and open to air flow.

And quality brands, I suppose. Could any current abnormality be detected and shut off? Just pondering.

 

[Action]

Could any current abnormality be detected and shut off? Just pondering.

Double yikes!!!!
Isn't that what a breaker is supposed to prevent?

 

[sjisailor]

News accounts say that the freezer was on the dock, not on a boat, and was not an outdoor rated model. Unclear if it was outside or in a boathouse.

So there's no particular way to protect against that, I suppose. Except don't do it; or inspect boat houses. https://myeverettnews.com/2024/01/1...fire-at-port-of-everett-marina-central-docks/

 

[Action]

If the (non-outdoor rated) freezer was on a dock and plugged into a pedestal, doesn't the pedestal have a breaker?

And that might be my ignorance showing. In the world called perfect the answer would be yes. A neglected 110/220 system by the marina may be a secondary factor.

As in several bad things have to happen before the worst occurs. And if that was the case I would be upset if I was a nearby slip user that sustained damage on my yacht.

Likely the freezer was there to store fresh catch. May have seemed like a good idea at the time. Two boats lost and 4 boat houses lost or severely damaged. Seems like a high price for cutting corners for some fresh fish.

 

[Bmarler]

Refrigeration units have a very difficult time in cold weather. Seems counterintuitive but it happens. I wonder what refrigerant was in that. After they decided to phase out r134a some of the replacements are actually flammable. I wonder if something iced up or other malfunction caused the compressor to run nonstop and overheat.

 

[rslifkin]

Double yikes!!!!
Isn't that what a breaker is supposed to prevent?

If the failure causes the device to pull an excessive amount of power, yes. But if the device fails in a way that there's not a significant increase in power draw, but a component is now getting excessively hot due to the failure, you can get a fire that a breaker can't protect against.

 

[twistedtree]

If the failure causes the device to pull an excessive amount of power, yes. But if the device fails in a way that there's not a significant increase in power draw, but a component is now getting excessively hot due to the failure, you can get a fire that a breaker can't protect against.

Exactly

 

[Portage_Bay]

The cause may have been a bad connection. Resitance goes up, heat goes up, electrical load does not. Breakers only react to load. A shore power cord with charred connectors is a good example, we've all seen photos of that. If the total load from the boat is below the pedestal breaker trip point then the heat will continue to build possibly starting a fire.

If the failure causes the device to pull an excessive amount of power, yes. But if the device fails in a way that there's not a significant increase in power draw, but a component is now getting excessively hot due to the failure, you can get a fire that a breaker can't protect against.

 

[twistedtree]

It's impressive that the local FDs contained it as well as they did.

 

[soin2la]

News accounts say that the freezer was on the dock, not on a boat, and was not an outdoor rated model. Unclear if it was outside or in a boathouse.

So there's no particular way to protect against that, I suppose. Except don't do it; or inspect boat houses. https://myeverettnews.com/2024/01/1...fire-at-port-of-everett-marina-central-docks/

I doubt the insurance company would care if it was inside or outside the boathouse; it's an outside installation.

 

[Action]

It's impressive that the local FDs contained it as well as they did.

That was impressive.
and ....
I bet new policy will be coming out of the Port of Everett.

 

[High Wire]

A poor electrical connection can generate very high heat, even a white hot arc, without ever causing an overcurrent condition that would trip a circuit breaker. A space heater is a perfect load to make that happen.

 

[C lectric]

Action,

High Wire is absolutely correct. A C.B. will NOT protect if there is a fault in the wiring connections that does NOT result in an an overcurrent situation.

An arc fault breaker may be more use in a situation that a GFCI won't but even then there are no guarantees.

Better to winterize the boat properly so the absolute minimum use of electric heaters is needed along with frequent checks of the heaters and their electrical supply.

 

[Max1]

Had a couple boathouses and boats go up in flames this weekend. Initial report is a chest freezer compressor motor burned up and was the cause.
Always worried when we have a cold snap, which we are currently coming out of, and the number of space heaters running unnattended. Surprised this wasn't the cause in this instance.

Aw man! Fires of any kind of devastating. I hope everyone is insured and can recover from this.

 

[Endeavor GB 32]

Does anyone know the make and model of the boats that were lost?
Regards,
Scott