Propane Sniffer

When we found our Xintex propane sniffer had failed we spent a little time educating ourselves and looking at the cost and features of replacement devices. From the manufacturer's tag on our failed sniffer we saw it was over 20 years old so we couldn't complain too much about it's performance. We knew Xintex was still in business, although they are now amalgamated with Fireboy, and we also knew that they and Trident seem to have pretty well locked up the fume monitoring market for recreational boating. We wanted to have a system that would both monitor and control the propane system, not just monitor it, and we wanted two sensors......one each for the Hillerange Stove and the Force 10 Heater. Based on those specifications, the durability of the failed unit and the pricing offered by Defender Marine, we decided to stay with Xintex and bought a new S-2A unit with an extra MS-2 sensor.

  Xintex- Fireboy S-2A Controller/Monitor        

One of the two MS-2 Sensors. This one will go under the stove


                    

The controller installation was fairly easy as the new S-2A has the same footprint as the defunct unit but, as always, routing the sensor cables neatly and cleanly through the boat was the biggest challenge. We were able to use the cable from the old sensor under the stove to pull the new one through to the main DC Panel and that went fairly smoothly but there hadn't been any sensor near the heater so we had to route and pull the new one through from scratch.

Extra MS-2 sensor for Force 10 propane heater. 

Once again, as we got deeper into Circe's nooks and crannies, we began to see more evidence of sloppy workmanship at Islander during manufacture. In this case we had chosen to pull the heater propane sensor cable along the same route as the AC cables for the forward outlets and the DC wires for the Salon and forward lights. This route generally follows the hull-to-deck joint along the starboard side and where wires pass the aft chain-plate anchor knee we found the disaster shown in the photo below!

AC and DC wiring and the inverter remote control cable (flat grey ribbon) were all jammed together through a jagged hole with no protection of any sort! A really crappy job. We put some temporary cushioning in place and will have to go back later and do something more permanent.

Another little gem that we discovered while we were under Circe's skirts pulling wires was this. Not the best photo but at some point, either at manufacture or later, a regular steel nut and washer had been used on the  breather through-hull for the starboard water tank. Not surprisingly they were badly corroded. Hopefully we will be able to get them loose without tearing anything up.....just another little detail we need to fix!

While we had the microwave, the GPS and radio out to ease the feeding of the stove sensor cable through to the main DC panel we tidied up all the wiring over the nav. station. That all went fairly well except we destroyed another corroded headliner zipper .......but what's one more bad zipper when most of the others are already shot! They will all go away when we fit Bomar windows in the salon. At that time we will fit rigid ceiling panels and proper insulation instead of the absorbent batting, foam and the 'naugahyde nightmare' used by Islander!  

When we finally got everything pulled through to the main DC panel and started to hook things up we found another litany of wiring problems that needed to be cleaned up. 

Here is a 3-way connector floating loose with two legs cut off and one negative (we guess?) wire disappearing back into the main wiring loom, leading to who knows where! 

These wrong size and badly crimped ring terminals were on the push-pull control switch for the autopilot. Another classy job but, this time, something we can't blame on Islander! All part of the previous owner(s) legacy.

Its a good thing that the starboard lazerette is so big......plenty of room to work.......no pretzel antics this time and no divots out of the scalp!

Finally everything was correctly and tidily connected, the loose wires were cleaned up and we were ready for a 'smoke test'. Everything worked as advertised.

We got the right coloured lights in the right places at the right time at startup and we got alarms when we gave the sensors a shot from the little butane lighter we use for the stove. The integral audible alarm isn't very loud so we will probably install something with a few more decibels.







Finally the last step in our propane rehab project was complete. We now have a fully functioning sensor/controller and propane management system. Off we go to the next project!

UPDATE 2013-6-12
A few weeks ago we started to get random alarms from the S-2A controller....sometimes when no propane was in use? We spent a lot of time checking and re-making wiring connections, testing sensor and solenoid connections and we even changed the sensors, but the problem persisted. Because of the durability of its predecessor we were initially reluctant to finger the controller itself but, with all the peripherals checking out satisfactory, we had no choice but to accept reality. What to do?

After the failure of such a relatively new unit, after only two and a half years, our first thought was to try a competitive (Trident) system, but going that route would have required a complete new installation. With all the other projects we were working on we had more than enough things to do so we finally decided a direct replacement would be the quickest and easiest way to go. With our fingers firmly crossed we ordered another S-2A with new sensors. Silly us!

When the new controller arrived all hopes of a plug and play solution quickly evaporated. Despite  the controller and sensors all having the same part numbers and descriptions, and a similar price, to the old ones, the new S-2A unit was very different!

Old and new, out of the box, looking at the front. So far so good.

Mounting bezel removed, still basically the same, but, where's the ribbon cable?











View from the back.....OMG.... The entire layout, the case shape, the power and sensor connections were all totally different! It wouldn't fit in the existing panel aperture and none of the wiring matched.

It was too late to go back so we had to try and make things work. To avoid major surgery on the bulkhead we had to transpose the S-2A and the remote control for the recently installed Sterling inverter/charger and make a complete new panel to accommodate both of them.

Finally everything was re-installed and the new propane sensors connected. The S-2A seems to be working OK but we remain concerned over its durability. Time will tell!