Gas/Boats Boats/Gas

[Guest]

Getting a new boat (New to me anyway) and am approacing the minefield of Gas storage.

The boat was built in 1975 so does not comply with current regs. The Cylinder is simply stored in a cockpit locker, together with millions of other things, and is piped thru to the galley with flexible pipe.

I know that one "should", have cylinder stored in a seperate locker, vented to the outside, not use flexible pipes etc etc.

Can anyone tell me where I stand with this situation. Do I have to create a seperate locker etc. I have to have an insurance survey done soon so need to make sure that my house is in order.

Help please....

 

[oldjohnnyb]

It is certain that the surveyor will require you to provide gas bottle stowage for the bottle in use which will allow gas escaping from it to vent safely overboard.

 

[TimLamb]

On the same subject (I'm in the same situation), does the gas locker have to be completely airtight within the cockpit locker (apart from the vent obviously) including an air tight door, or does it only have to be airtight at the base, on the principle that the gas is heavier than air, will sink to the botom of the locker and cannot spill out of a small gap at the top ?

Cheers

Tim

 

[Sirus]

Having just had my boat Boat safty checked they are now using the new regs due out in january,and in my case my bottles are stored in a locker on the flybridge,all i had to do was make it that they could vent out of the locker that they were firmly secured,had a gas test point/nipple somwere in line, mine have flexible tube to a regulator then go into copper and that they were labled with gas shut off valve inside.

 

[Sirus]

Hi its me again,have found the LPG requirements for boat safty its 3 pages long if you want any info you can Email me at stephen.hall157a@ntlworld.com

 

[chas]

LPG is heavier than air. Imagine it as a liquid lighter than water, petrol, oil etc. but flowing downhill if released - and, as far as I can remember, expanding to about 200 times its voume as a liquid. If you have a leak in your locker and the drains overboard cannot cope with the volume, the locker will overflow and the gas will then seek a route downhill - ending in the bilges. It can be dispersed fairly easily by a through draught but in an enclosed situation, such as a locker, will just go down!

On the other hand, thousands of boats an caravans use it effectively and safely. Treated with respect, it is no problem, but I do suggest that you should fit an airtight locker, drained directly overboard and have your supply pipe run and cooker burners etc. checked by someone with the right equipment and who knows what they are doing.

Hope this helps!

 

[mickp]

January Issue of PBO has good section on Gas installations.

 

[Miker]

Airtight locker?

I have a topless wooden box in my sail locker with a drain tube to the cockpit. The box is big enough to hold one small bottle. At the moment the spare bottle is bouncing around on the floor of the locker among the ropes, fenders etc. Obviously not good enough!
I was thinking of just extending the size of the wooden box to hold two bottles but now having read the Jan PBO I am not sure whether that would suffice. An air tight locker with a fire resistance of 30 mins is beyond my DIY capabilities. Does anyone know where I can buy one? Also I am wondering about the venting tube. Presumably that would have to be fire resistant. Can I also get one of those? Alternatively the locker would have to vent directly to the outside. That means resiting the bottle locker and/or cutting another hole in the boat.
The problem with the boat out of the water for the winter is that one starts to worry about all the improvements(?) that should be made to it.

 

[Guest]

All gas cylinders, whether in use or not and including camping Gaz lights, blowlamps etc. should be stored in a gas tight fire resistant locker. The locker does not need to be fully air-tight, but should be gas tight up to the level of the top of the bottles or regulator, whichever is the higher, and should be fitted with a suitably sized drain (size being dependent on total gas cylinder capacity) from the lowest point of the locker overboard. It should ideally also be vented at higher level, particularly if the locker lid is fairly gas tight. The overboard drain can run into a self draining cockpit provided that all companionways and other apertures into the hull within that cockpit are above the level of the gas locker top and provided that the cockpit drains are to air, not underwater.

Flexible hoses of approved quality (BS3212/2) are acceptable for gas plumbing but soft drawn copper with suitable compression fittings is better. I have seen numerous burnt-out boats where literally everything has gone up in smoke except the copper gas pipe: very reassuring.

Take further advice from a qualified marine gas installer, who could but doesn't necessarily have to be CORGI registered (presuming you do not live on your boat.)