Giblets
Well-known member
You can get CO Test Kits from BES Ltd https://www.bes.co.uk/co-detectagas-test-kit-12556
Diesel heaters and Carbon monoxide alarms
- Thread starter slipknot
- Start date
macd
Active member
Not only does it combine with haemoglobin, but it does so preferentially to oxygen. And we are all testament to how very quickly oxygen combines.
I fear there's been some conflation in earlier posts between CO and CO2. CO poisoning is not a slow process (unlike CO2 poisoning in most real-world conditions) if concentrations are high, and the initial symptoms are easily confused with other maladies. Even if you survive, it can have devastating long-term effects.
Diesel IC engines, incidentally, are far lower in CO emissions than petrol, although that's certainly not true of malfunctioning heaters.
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chriss999
Well-known member
I tested my CO alarm by bring it home and popping it in front of my wood burner stove, newly lit, door open and smoke billowing . Within 30 or so seconds the concentration rises to 40 / 50 and the alarm goes mad. Test successful.
OTOH i’ve never yet had one go off for real.
moomba
N/A
Yes CO and CO2 in my bilge , little pads going back to the alarm , my engine is below the sole boards and in a large area , so if there is an exhaust hose puncture , hole or worn then CO2 can escape and sink into the lowest parts of the bat , with CO2 is 60% heavier than air
NormanS
Well-known member
Hot CO2 from a leaking exhaust won't be heavier than air.
moomba
N/A
were will it go it rises to the cabin floor were it is constantly cooling and spreading out, therefore getting heavier and sinking, gas in its form does not expand and spread uniformly and will find the lowest part of the boat to settle
NormanS
Well-known member
moomba
N/A
I'm sure that means something to you.
I think you will find all coded boats will need a CO2 detector in their bilges , who knows they might be onto something.
As my boat is constructed with its rather big engine in the bilges with the 6 batteries and the water heater all wiring looms, and generator , which all produce some form of CO2 if not working correctly and sealed in with the cabin sole covered in anti noise matting and rubber along the edges to stop most gases escaping then as gases cool they fall to the bottom of the boat. were they linger, the same reason why your gas storage bottles have to have a vent at the lowest point feeding outside the boat because gas is also heavier than air and sinks just like CO2 , what happens when you turn your engine off and the air cools down in your bilges, hence why I also have a bilge blower to the outside to disperse any gas build up 7
hope this explains it to you , as we all have different set ups in our boats what is good for one is not the way for others
and this thread may help people understand the gases that are harmful to them and the risks
macd
Active member
I'm very far from being an authority on this, but I think you'll find that there's no coding requirement for a CO2 alarm or detector in the bilges or anywhere else.
moomba
N/A
Small Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or
Pleasure, Workboats and Pilot Boats – Alternative
Construction Standards
CO2 is to much a singular word and may be confusing people , a gas alarm with conforms to these standards is what I mean and apologises if I confused
8.6.2
compartment which contains a gas consuming appliance or any compartment into
which flammable gas may leak or accumulate, should be provided with a hydrocarbon gas
detector and alarm. The detector and alarm should be designed to comply with a recognised
standard in accordance with Section 8.6.1. (Refer to Section 14.5)
https://assets.publishing.service.g...ploads/attachment_data/file/282245/mgn280.pdf
Hydrocarbon fuels are basically the same as fossil fuels. ... So hydrocarbons are chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon. The simplest of these is methane, natural gas. Oil is a hydrocarbon fuel because it's made up of various different compounds rather like methane, but it is liquid rather than gas.
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macd
Active member
Or, to put it more succinctly, you haven't a clue what you're on about. CO2 is related to hydrocarbons rather less than you're related to a giraffe.
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moomba
N/A
Carbon Dioxide is a product of hydrocarbons burning I did go to chemistry sorry I don't know why you posted this
Diesel fuel is a mixture of hydrocarbons obtained by distillation of crude oil. The important properties which are used to characterize diesel fuel include cetane number (or cetane index), fuel volatility, density, viscosity, cold behavior, and sulfur content.
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Kelpie
Well-known member
CO2 is not a hydrocarbon. It does not contain any hydrogen!
The alarm that coded boats need to have in the bilge is there to detect leaking propane... which *is* a hydrocarbon.
The alarm that coded boats need to have in the bilge is there to detect leaking propane... which *is* a hydrocarbon.
macd
Active member
I posted "this" because, as Kelpie explains, you're talking cobblers.
moomba
N/A
i Think if you read my post correctly before telling someoff it clearly states that CO2 is a byproduct of BURNING a Hydrocabon and the gas alarm detects all gases not all boats have propane some boats have butane . please look at the regulations which says any hydrocarbon burning , Diesel. petrol. propane, butane, methane are all forms of hydr carbon and please i do not need a chemistry lesson on Organic Chemistry I did this at University.
BURNING HYDROCARBONS GIVES OFF CO2 CO METHANE NITRATE OXIDE, ETC .you cars use hydrocarbons!! TO RUN IT IS CALLED A CHEMICAL REACTION
Hydrocarbon combustion refers to the type of reaction where a hydrocarbon reacts with oxygen to create carbon dioxide, water, and heat. Hydrocarbons are molecules consisting of both hydrogen and carbon. ... Energy is obtained from fossil fuels through combustion (burning) of the fuel.
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moomba
N/A
your a pest and boring sorry stop arguing for the sake of it , when your wrong it is wiser to admit it and move on
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CLB
Well-known member
I've never come across a CO2 alarm before. Wouldn't you get a better response from a simple smoke alarm?
penberth3
Well-known member
Could you clarify, do you have a CO2 detector in your bilge?
moomba
N/A
As posted earlier it was my mistake to say just CO2 it is an alarm that picks up more than one gas and should have made it clearer an example here
https://www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk/en/gb/Vetus-GD1000-GasCarbon-Monoxide-Detector/m-3854.aspx
but has no CO2 detector so a smoke alarm is wise as well , what I have in my bilges.
Again as said before my mistake to say only CO2 but it should have been multiple gases and a separate for CO2 , this is not needed in shallow bilge boats , but I have a larger running bilge with all my heating and engine sources at that level sealed in , and as stated before in this thread it will not be suitable for all boats , especially those with shallow bilges , engine compartments under their stairs ,etc.
Also the sense of danger is relative to the level in what risk you want to take ,I bought a coded boat and therefore kept and replaced for new the existing setup, my mind set is I have just as much responsibility to my family and friends on my boat as much as a coded boat has to its paying passengers, the UK boasting regulations are the most relaxed in the world, and few deaths if any are from gas explosion or poisons inhalation , but then people win the lottery !!
penberth3
Well-known member
Not common and not cheap. You might see them where you have a fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system.