Generator Problems

The generator was actually one of the few items that did not seem to have an issue - that is up until the seatrial.

During our first seatrial we asked to anchor off in a bay to go over our inspection checklist. We realized that the generator gas discharge outlet was located partly below waterline causing seemingly loud splashing as the boat rocked. This splashing was becoming more dramatic when the load on the genset was increased (causing a higher flow of gas discharge). 

The main reason for this splashing issue is the modified waterline due to added weight of the Lithium Ion batteries and inverters. Princess had to re-ballast the boat and modify the waterline but somehow did not notice that the genset discharge outlet remained underneath waterline.

We had to convince Princess that this issue would definitely cause problems at anchor and more particularly in marinas where we might have to run the genset, and that we did not want to annoy our neighbors (and ourselves) with this splashing noise.

They finally accepted to Y the generator gas discharge outlet in to port main engine exhaust pipe. Later on we have been informed that previous models were already built with genset discharge Y'd in to the main engine exhaust pipe, but they recently decided to change their practices to reduce man hours.
Status: Fixed in 11 days

Genset gas discharge outlet splashing water.

GRP preparations to inject genset gas discharge to port main engine exhaust pipe

A highly skilled engineer has been assigned to this work. We were very happy about his meticulousness and the way he protected the surrounding areas before starting off (unlike other Princess technicians who almost never used any protection and created big messes which later we had to deal with)

Crew area bathroom protection during works

The modification worked well with the exception of a minor leak due to expansion of the hose from exhaust gas heat.
We only had to tighten the clamps a couple turns to stop the leak.

Issue with the Generator cover

Access to genset was originally very tight. To add to the problem, Princess relocated the genset battery right to the front side of the genset, blocking the removal of its cover, despite the fact that there was plenty of space 1m further, towards the stbd side of the lazarette... We have advised Princess during refitting if the system that this could become an issue, but they chose to stick with the existing setup.
Status: Pending since 24Mar18

At some point in time, one will certainly need to open the genset cover to inspect or perform maintenance.
Could you figure out how? Answer: Pull up hard and the cover slides up. Next challenge is to fit your hands/head in the gap.

When you try to slide back down the cover to close it up, this is what happens.

Stbd side of the lazarette (spot marked in green - where Engine start batteries are located at) has plenty of space for the genset battery.

Antifreeze Leak

Once we managed to open the cover, we noticed an antifreeze leak on the sound insulation floor of our Cummins-Onan generator. We asked Princess why this happened. They replied saying that it's normal, which we had a hard time believing after having checked the genset's owner's manual. We cleaned up the leak and started to monitor the area.  

An antifreeze leak was discovered within the insulation cabin of the Cummins-Onan generator

Page Last Updated: 22 December 2019