Nuclear engines always break with a decoupler/stack separator

[Cake Buster]

I always have the problem of my nuclear engines breaking when I release the lower stage via a decoupler or stack separator on the engines. They just break off when I release the lower stage, or sometimes blow up. I can't figure out why this happens, but I only have this problem with the nuclear engines. I say it happens about 80% of the time.

I usually have a set of 3 or 4 nuclear engines all next to each other, and I turn off throttle when I stage. Anyone else have this problem, or know how I can fix this?

EDIT: Solved guys. Nuclear engines have horizontal launching fairings, and they launch with the force of Zeuz's lightning, so when like 4 engines are all releasing their fairings at the same time, it's just an cluster-butt of fairing killing their mothers.

[El Tazer]

How exactly do you have them "next" to eachother?

[Micket]

You need to jetison the fuselage around them first.

[A Fat, Angry Serval]

Nuclear Engines have a casing around them when a stack decoupler is attatched to the exhaust. When this casing is dislodged, it can potentially damage the vehicle. If you're going to use more than one nuclear engine, do not attatch a stack decoupler to them.

[Maverick]

I just grabbed the radial nuclear engine mod. Solves all these problems - and makes for neater builds.

[sierra_one_]

Originally posted by {RLT} VestedGamr:

When this casing is dislodged, it can potentially damage the vehicle. If you're going to use more than one nuclear engine, do not attatch a stack decoupler to them.

Aye, the fairings eject with quite a force on the horizontal plane, so they'll blow off whatever you have on the sides. I countered this by seperating each fairing one by one to save my Duna lander, but it's best to follow another design.

[Cake Buster]

Originally posted by Dr. Tazer:

How exactly do you have them "next" to eachother?

Tri-coupler, quad-coupler

[Cake Buster]

Originally posted by sierra_seven_:

Originally posted by {RLT} VestedGamr:

When this casing is dislodged, it can potentially damage the vehicle. If you're going to use more than one nuclear engine, do not attatch a stack decoupler to them.

Aye, the fairings eject with quite a force on the horizontal plane, so they'll blow off whatever you have on the sides. I countered this by seperating each fairing one by one to save my Duna lander, but it's best to follow another design.

Okay, yeah I think this is the problem. I did some tests, and yeah the fairing blasts horizontally on these engines, knocking off each other off in a tri-coupler or quad-coupler set up.

[A Fat, Angry Serval]

Originally posted by vegan ilerminaty:

Okay, yeah I think this is the problem. I did some tests, and yeah the fairing blasts horizontally on these engines, knocking off each other off in a tri-coupler or quad-coupler set up.

If you can, mount them radially using some small fuel tanks. That way you won't have to use decouplers.

[Cake Buster]

Originally posted by {RLT} VestedGamr:

If you can, mount them radially using some small fuel tanks. That way you won't have to use decouplers.

Yeah, I made a rocket with that idea. Works well. Going to the new Mun for the first time with this lander.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=163807244

[benneralan]

Another solution to this problem is to activate the engines without ejecting the fairings using action groups button instead of space bar. Alternatively, you could activate unbreakable joints and no crash damage cheats in debug mode and eject the fairings before takeoff, then deactivate them, but this doesn't always work.

[Gertjan]

i usually place my nucular engines radially, since i want a lot more then just the 2 or 3 that were available before 0.21, and now still i want more.
my last eve rover delivery in 0.20 had 12 nervas, 6 of the plane engine nassells, each with a bicoupler on it.
this makes is safe to add a decoupler while still adding more engines.

bottom line: only use a decoupler on a tank or a single engine, the bi-tri-quad couplers aren't upposed to be coupled like that (not the stock ones at lease)

[Ruges]

Never had the problem before, but now with the quad coupler I have the issue. I solved this problem buy angling them 45 degrees. This way the dont shoot into each other.

[Zombo]

You cant have anything right beside the engine when you decouple, the fairings shoot out to the sides, and will cause an explosion if they cant fly away cleanly. Other engines dont have this fairing issue. You must give them a little space, and cant tightly pack them. Or place them tight against the side of something.

The strength of the decoupler force also determines how much explosive force is exerted. Using smaller decouplers can help reduce that.

[GonosyphilherpelAIDS]

I'd like to add to this problem. I can get my parts up into space and when I separate the fairings everything is still together, nothing explodes. However when I decouple one of the engines almost always breaks off. It's driving me nuts having to do orbital rendezvous that are worthless and a waste of time. Anyone know how to head off this problem or make the connection sturdier?

Image of how I am connecting them.
http://imgur.com/V5p3oeh

[daniu -TLG-]

I had this problem but found out that when I killed the throttle before decoupling, the engines were fine afterwards.
Not sure if it's a real solution or just happened coincidentally both times.