MAIB Report - Windermere Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

[JawsOrca]

(Sourced from NBF)

 

Very important read for everyone:

 

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/MAIBInvReport_2_2015.pdf

 

In Brief, 2 deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from by a poorly installed generator which wasn't intended for the purpose and no CO detectors.

 

So lives could have been saved for a matter of £25 (http://www.screwfix.com/p/fireangel-co-9d-7-year-digital-co-alarm)

 

Although the BSC on the broads would have reduced this from happening, it's still a tale to learn from and ensure we at least have CO detectors.

[LondonRascal]

That makes sad reading.

 

Clearly it is a case of the owner seeing the warnings labelled all over the generator about the dangers and coming up with what they must have thought a clever way to install it  permanently - you can imagine it now showing off the install and even having a warm heater's silencer - sadly it was anything but clever.

 

Some of the wiring  is truly shocking - just twisted and covered with insulating tape, having outdated carbon monoxide detectors  not connected to the power supply - the list goes on.

I know it must be tempting to save money in materials and labour costs but there is always a limit to what one's own skills are and there has to be a line where people need to stop and do without or get it done properly with the right gear if they can't do it themselves. 

 

It's such a shame that two people died because of what someone thought was a clever way to power a heater to keep warm.

[diesel falcon]

Just a note, you need a co detector not co2 , both will kill but co is the combustion residue which is the culprit here

[JawsOrca]

Just a note, you need a co detector not co2 , both will kill but co is the combustion residue which is the culprit here

 

Shows how much I know. I've updated my original wording

[ranworthbreeze]

I would recommend that all owners fit a CO detector and make sure they test/replace the batteries each season.

I think that it is worthwhile having a detector to take with you when you hire a boat or holiday cottage.

 

This sad event was not the only one over the last few years, there have been other incidents but without fatalities.

 

Regards

Alan

[LadyPatricia]

Try here

http://www.screwfix.com/p/fireangel-co-9d-7-year-digital-co-alarm/92361?kpid=92361&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product%20Listing%20Ads-_-Sales%20Tracking-_-sales%20tracking%20url&kpid=92361&cm_mmc=Google-_-Shopping%20-%20Security-_-Shopping%20-%20Security&gclid=CPTBxYnMtMMCFSYUwwodGaUA3w

Great little unit, small enough to take wherever you travel

Steve

[JennyMorgan]

Reading between the lines of the report I wonder if the owner has not installed the equipment with 'hard' joins, forgetting that boats vibrate and move. I think that this serves as a reminder to well meaning DIYers and even professionals who are not boat minded that the disciplines required for boats is often quite different to land-based installations. I well remember a local boatyard installing the wiring on a class of yacht that it was building. The electrician used mono rather than multi-strand wiring, the result was that the wiring snapped due to vibration.  Subsequent boats were wired with multi-strand, no further problems. I am no expert but I can't help but wonder if there are not similarities. 

[teadaemon]

Reading between the lines of the report I wonder if the owner has not installed the equipment with 'hard' joins, forgetting that boats vibrate and move. I think that this serves as a reminder to well meaning DIYers and even professionals who are not boat minded that the disciplines required for boats is often quite different to land-based installations. I well remember a local boatyard installing the wiring on a class of yacht that it was building. The electrician used mono rather than multi-strand wiring, the result was that the wiring snapped due to vibration.  Subsequent boats were wired with multi-strand, no further problems. I am no expert but I can't help but wonder if there are not similarities. 

 

I think a bigger problem in this particular case was that the generator wasn't actually secured to the boat by anything except the exhaust. (It had been placed on an anti-vibration mat to reduce noise, but not bolted down.) Also, despite testing the exhaust system with the generator running before installing it, he hadn't appreciated that under load the volume and temperature of the exhaust gases would be greater, and sufficient to melt the soft solder he'd used to construct the exhaust.

 

Although it only merited one line in the MAIB report, the fuel system was also very dangerous, to the point where if they hadn't been poisoned by CO, a petrol vapour explosion was a significant risk.

 

In theory, it should be perfectly possible to take a suitcase type portable generator and modify it for permanent installation into a boat in a safe manner. However, I strongly suspect that once the cost of doing the necessary modifications is taken into account, it's unlikely to be significantly cheaper than installing a generator that's designed for the purpose. Unfortunately, somebody's attempt to do it themselves, without the necessary knowledge and skills, has had tragic consequences.