Engine/Generator Bay Operating Temperatures

[Pete Masterson]

As I mentioned, I saw photos of a wide body 'bird on eBay that had been damaged in an exhaust-caused fire (at least, that's where the external damage was most obvious). The interior was severely _smoke_ damaged -- so the only practical solution would be to gut the bus and start over.

Assuming that the wiring at the back of the coach wasn't too seriously damaged and could be repaired, then a complete refitting of the interior would be required. The basement tanks and other systems appeared to have escaped damage. It would be a "project bus" that an amateur converter might want to take on -- but it certainly wouldn't hold any appeal for a commercial operation. But buying the chassis for 10 or 15 thousand would have been quite a bargain depending on the amount of damage to operating components and wiring.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Feb 22, 2008, at 10:25 AM, Ryan Wright wrote:

On 2/21/08, Pete Masterson <"aeonix1@mac.com"> wrote:

OTOH, I'm not convinced that an engine fire is all that likely. Some decent sensors

should be sufficient. It's a balance of the cost of the event vs. the chance that it would

happen. Of course, chances for an individual are 100% or 0% and none of us want to be

in the 100% group.

Right. You know I was thinking more about this, too, and really the

only purpose I can see for a fire suppression system back there is to

give one more time to get out. Once the engine's on fire, it's almost

preferable if the thing burns to the ground. If you really think about

it, who wants a fire damaged coach? Sure your insurance will pay to

fix it but you've just destroyed the resale value. I know I wouldn't

want a coach that had been on fire at one point in time. The smell may

linger for years and major repairs often come with annoying problems

due to repair shops cutting corners or general lack of knowledge.