Does your boat have a Carbon Monoxide Alarm?

[goodall_m1]

This might make you think about fitting one!

(or taking one with you if hiring)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21993924

[Gordon]

This of course raises the question of how many hire boats have them fitted although I suppose few have those nasty gas heaters any more

[ranworthbreeze]

We fitted one on Ranworth Breeze for the start of the 2012 season after a couple of our owners were bringing their own.

The hire craft appear to be going all electric with regards to cooking but still use diesel heating, it would be interesting to find how may have combined fire/carbon monoxide alarms fitted, maybe Clive or Andy could let us know their thoughts?

Regards

Alan

[Hylander]

We have gas heaters on our boat and they are perfectly safe. They have always been on the boat since it was built. They are checked regularly. We also have a carbon monoxide alarm. The alarm is in place because of the gas cooker although this is brand new you have to be careful. We also have a gas alarm for the bilges. There is only so much you can do.

[diesel falcon]

There,s nothing wrong with having gas appliances on boats, there is one factor which was not built into boats and that is ventilation, without the correct amount of combustion air appliances will soon start producing greater and greater amounts of CO , the bss i think does mention this but it,s still only an avisory, open your doors when cooking .for example will keep you safe.

[mbird]

I thought ventilation area was part of the BSS, Trev? There is certainly a space for it on the test sheet which is filled in by the inspectors.

[diesel falcon]

I thought ventilation area was part of the BSS, Trev? There is certainly a space for it on the test sheet which is filled in by the inspectors.

There is ,and your boat can fail it...mine did , but the inspector said that it is an advisery matter, he should let you know how big the holes in your boat SHOULD BE !! he issued a certificate anyway, this was 3 years ago though will research and see if it,s been amended

[Hylander]

Believe me we have plenty of ventilation and you are right when we had our BSS that was one of the items mentioned on the fact that we had plenty and that is good to know. Even so when I am cooking in the kitchen I always have the window open and the bathroom window is never closed. A sliding roof makes sure you have plenty of ventilation despite all the ventilation holes in the roof anyway. It is so easy to think when you are on the boat - god there is a draft coming through this window or door and block it up without thinking.

A tragedy like this really makes you think.

[ranworthbreeze]

I agree this is indeed a tragedy, no doubt the reason for it will come out in due course.

There are best practices that should be used when onboard regarding ventilation and the use of gas.

Always open a window or have means of mechanical ventilation whilst cooking.

Turn the gas off whilst the boat is in motion and the last thing at night ideally at the gas locker.

If your battery box has a fan on it make sure it is on whilst cruising.

Regards

Alan

[littlesprite]

My last BSS had a recommendation for fitting smoke and co sensors, no it wasn't a requirement but I was told the Insurance might take a dim view if I ignored the advice.

Both have been fitted.

[mbird]

I've just ordered 2 CO detectors following a thread on another forum. For less than £15 each I feel a bit stupid not having done so before now.

[Gordon]

Some very interesting points have been made here about ventilation, but do a few holes in a grill somewhere in the cabin of a boat really work, are we putting too much faith in them, just because they meet the BSS specification.

I know little about the subject, admittedly, perhaps someone could enlighten me. My question is.. CO is only marginally lighter than air, so it is going to mingle around the cabin and mix with the air. Bearing in mind that it only takes a tiny concentration to start to asphixiate us how, unless the ventilation is fan forced can it be sufficiently ventillated with a passive system. There has bene a couple of tragedies with barbies in tents recently, in my experience nothing is more draughty than a tent.

My previous post might have suggested a "downer" on gas heaters in boats, I realise thousands have been in use for years without ill effect.its just that I had the worst "hangover" , headache, loss of last meal and lethargy, that I have ever had following an evening sitting in the cabin near a gas heater. (Yes ventilation was up to BSS spec) Without touching a drop of anything stronger than tea and coca cola. Couldn't wait to get rid of the gas heaters in our last boat.

[Brian]

I think it one of the things that if you have had a bad experience with Gas, then your whole view of gas heaters changes for life.

I had a experience with a gas heater when i was a young lad, so now im very careful and possibly over cautious with regards to gas heaters in confined spaces.

[DelticMemories]

I have a friend who almost died in a static caravan in the early 1980's. There was a gas heater in the bathroom which he had on while he took a bath. There was no ventilation. You can guess the rest. Luckily he could reach the door from the bath and realised (he felt groggy and noticed the flame on the gas heater was getting smaller) what was happening just in time to open the door before he passed out.

[Gordon]

So the next question is how do you test the CO monitors. Got mine ready to take to the boat next week. Tried holding over the gas cooker. Tried a bit of charcoal from a hand warmer. And. Then a lighter with an orange flame. How do we know it works?

[Hockham Admiral]

We have Kidde combined smoke and CO alarms at home and on-board. A very loud voice announces "Fire! Fire!" or "Warning Carbon Monoxide!".

They're priced at £24-99 and I checked for CO by putting it in the car exhaust for a few seconds.

If you burn the toast it will very quickly tell you about fire!

[Hylander]

And believe me when they do go 'off' they certainly do and the noise is earsplitting. Ours indoors went off in the winter when we put our gas fire on in the lounge. Unfortunately it had not lit correctly and hence the alarm. It really put the willies up us as it is quite frightening to think that you have got CO2 gas. So everyone should have one at home and on the boat.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Hylander,

I agree and we have oneon the boat and one at home in the ceiling just after the first bend in our stairs so it covers the boiler that is under the stairs and through the door into the kitchen.

The one at home a combind unit has a lound alarm followed by FIRE or CABON MONOXIDE (and yes it shouts).

By the way carbon monoxide is CO.

Regards

Alan

[Hylander]

Sorry all these different tables are beyond me - CO then. What is CO2?

[mbird]

Sorry all these different tables are beyond me - CO then. What is CO2?

CO2 = Carbon Dioxide. Non poisonous but suffocating....

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Hylander,

CO2 is carbon dioxide.

What we breath out and what is used in fire exinguishers for electrical fires (they used to be in black fire exinguishers but now in red with a black square, needlees to say yet another sign of modern thinking, no doubt european).

Regards

Alan

[Gordon]

Put simply carbon monoxide isn't poisonous as such but it readily combines with the haemoglobin in the blood and then we are asphyxiated because oxygen cannot combine. CO2 effects us in the same way as it works in a fire extinguisher ie it displaces the oxygen and either puts the fire out or puts us out

[Hylander]

Thank you for the explanation. Both are to be avoided by the look of it.

M

[goodall_m1]

Thank you for the explanation. Both are to be avoided by the look of it.

M

CO needs to be avoided whenever possible.

CO2 occurs in lots of guises,

e.g. you convert Oxygen into CO2 when you breathe in and out...

The bubbles in Fizzy drinks are CO2.

DRY-ICE is frozen CO2

CO2 is only dangerous when it replaces ALL (or most of) the Oxygen,

lower concentrations will effect you but not actually kill you.

Think about the Catalytic Convertor in your car exhaust, one of its main purposes is to convert CO into CO2,

but the CO2 is then vented into the atmosphere (which is why they talk about CO2 emission levels when calculating the Car Tax)

So using a old hose-pipe from the exhaust into the car isn't as effective a method of suicide these days...

Most gas appliances are also engineered not to give off CO (when working properly).

I have a "flame effect" gas fire at home but you are supposed

to get it red hot before switching on the "flame effect" to prevent CO.

[quo vadis]

So using a old hose-pipe from the exhaust into the car isn't as effective a method of suicide these days...

and using a hosepipe in though the window does not work the water leaks out through the doors