Flexible gas hose

KellysEye said:
Our hose from the on/off switch to the cooker was armoured, when I had a gas fitter check the system when we bought the boat there was serious chafe in the rubber hose. I would strongly recommend the hose is armoured.
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Obviously its your call but if I was worried about chafe I would use plastic spiral cable tidy to protect rubber hose. At least you could then pull back the spiral to check on condition, impossible with braided hose.
 
For anyone with a sense of practicality and self preservation, installing a gas cooker on a boat is very simple and safe; do not listen to those with vested interests who make it out to be rocket science to validate high fees...

My boat was built in the 1970's, with a gas bottle in a cockpit locker and a copper pipe running to a gymballed cooker.

When I got to own her I moved the gas to a purpose built seaworthy ( inc restraints against the boat being inverted ) holder in a box abaft of the bridgedeck with a gap underneath and open side ventilation to get rid of any spilled gas - not that it ever happens apart from minute amounts when fitting the regulator to a new bottle.

The copper pipe is malleable so is run in one length without joins from bottle box to flexible hose on gymballed cooker.

There are flexible hoses at each end, for the regulator on the gas bottle and at the other end the gymballed, moving cooker.

The gas is only turned on at the regulator seconds before I light the cooker, and once the gas is turned off at the cooker I turn it off immediately at the regulator, all crew are vigorously drilled to do the same !

Despite all this I doubt I am qualified to be an astronaut, unless I allow leaks into the bilge through crass stupidity and strike a match, when I might well be tapping on the window of the ISS.

I have seen a boat explode through gas mismanagement - and been on boats with spirit cookers which I thought a very smelly pain ( a big problem for any seasickness sufferers ) and dangerous in that one cannot safely top up the spirit holder when hot - but am very happy to use gas now I am on top of any problems.

I had a fire on another boat myself thanks to an armoured flexible hose hiding a fracture, I would not go on a boat now which used the stuff; I change the cheap and easily inspected flexible hose every year.
 
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Well there seems to be a lot of experts on here who are qualified to fit LPG gas on boats. All those who have done or are thinking of doing so, don't listen to me, call your insurers, tell them what you have done or are going to do and see what they say.
 
So exactly what makes you an expert on gas installations on boats, and please explain any quibbles with my description of my gas setup; I have spoken to my insurers about this and other matters, explained my engineering, aircraft, sailing and other qualifications and they are perfectly happy - I volunteered the info when an annual renewal came up, they didn't ask.

If trying to drum up business, good grp repairers are sought after at the moment...
 
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Gordonmc said:
Obviously its your call but if I was worried about chafe I would use plastic spiral cable tidy to protect rubber hose. At least you could then pull back the spiral to check on condition, impossible with braided hose.
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At last, in all the heat and pseudo superiority, a really sensible and simple suggestion. Thankyou Gordon, that's what I will do. Why did I not think of that?
 
Interestingly when I bought my boat the insurers wanted to see the survey - fair enough. The survey had a number of recommendations but the only ones the insurers were interested in were those about gas and they wanted those complete within the first month of insurance. The jobs were, fit armoured hose at the cooker end, fit a tap near the cooker, and fit heat shield on the surfaces which face the cooker oven.
I made it very clear that I would do this myself and they were very happy.
 
PaulMcC said:
Interestingly when I bought my boat the insurers wanted to see the survey - fair enough. The survey had a number of recommendations but the only ones the insurers were interested in were those about gas and they wanted those complete within the first month of insurance. The jobs were, fit armoured hose at the cooker end, fit a tap near the cooker, and fit heat shield on the surfaces which face the cooker oven.
I made it very clear that I would do this myself and they were very happy.
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How long ago as non armored is now acceptable due to being able to inspect the actual hose for damage.
 
NormanS said:
There are arguments both ways about this. With an armoured hose, any damage or deterioration of the rubber is hidden.
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Not only is the damage hidden, but the anti-chafe sleeve can do the damage. On my hose the corroded stainless cut into the hose. More evidence that stainless steel has no place on a boat. Answer for me is to use a plastic electric cable sleeve secured with cable ties. Can be removed for inspection. Could also use 12 strand dyneema rope as a sleeve. Very chafe resistant. I have a chafe issue and protection is necessary. I like the spiral cable wrap idea too.
 
'Sparked' something off here , didn't I.

I am refitting my boat at the moment and acquiring as much knowledge as possible along the way - simple stuff from replace any mild steel screw/bolt you come across immediately to not assuming previous owners knew better than you. Honestly the set up for gas seems simple - a copper pipe running the length of the boat with flexible hose at both ends. I am putting the gas bottles in a stainless bin and draining this over the side and replacing a couple of feet of rubber hose. I may add a bubble detector if it can be done in the hose rather than the copper. It didnt seem unreasonable to find out how the bits work, sort it to myself and ask a competent friend to make sure I hadn't done anything stupid.

I am super cautious around gas. Always shut off at the bottle and the tap near the cooker before turning off at the cooker.

I just 're-plumbed' the diesel system on the boat (for the first time) and suspect on pumping diesel through it I might get a leak. I will locate it and fix it, I'm not worried. I would take no such risks with the gas - if I was not 100% confident it was safe, I wold not do it. Surely the idea behind being a practical boat owner is you at least try (with a sensible weather eye on what might go wrong)?

Also got to say from the work I have seen on connecting domestic gas supplies, it really doesn't seem to be rocket science.
 
BigEmUp said:
Not only is the damage hidden, but the anti-chafe sleeve can do the damage. On my hose the corroded stainless cut into the hose. More evidence that stainless steel has no place on a boat. Answer for me is to use a plastic electric cable sleeve secured with cable ties. Can be removed for inspection. Could also use 12 strand dyneema rope as a sleeve. Very chafe resistant. I have a chafe issue and protection is necessary. I like the spiral cable wrap idea too.
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There is S/S & S/S
 
It was May/June last year (2013).
The surveyor recommended the armoured hose. The insurers (Y Yacht) said complete all the gas related recommendations of the surveyor so possibly may not have been paying much attention to the specifics.

I actually made up my own armouring out of SS braiding which I got from a car tuning place so could relatively easily (well a couple of hours work probably) extract the rubber hose and check for chafe. Now starting to think that might be sensible if everyone says don't armour.
 
316 grade stainless steel is a Very Good Thing for boats.

However it has its' applications; someone tried an all stainless hulled yacht ( I think about 40' ? ) in the 1980's but it didn't catch on.

I imagine there were problems with disimilar metals, let alone cost; nice idea someday though.
 
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