gas Bomb?

[JEG]

I viewed a steel craft recently & was surprised to notice that the container for the gas bottle was situated under a seat in the seat in the saloon. The container was 5 mm [app.] steel with a heavy lid of similar material and was fixed in position with a permanent drain to the outside. Have any of the panel come across a similar installation or have any thoughts on the safety aspect of this location?

Anticipatory thanks

John G

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

If the thing's going to blow up, I dont suppose it matters whether its in the saloon or the cockpit, you're probably brown bread either way. Far more important, I guess, is whether there's an overboard drain, which there is and whether the gas installation is done to a proper standard. Any ditch crawlers out there who can tell us what the BSS says about this?

 

[lanason]

An outside drian is vital but also the gas bottle must be in an isolated container / locker.

This is to ensure that the gas can cannot creep to other parts of the boat and collect.

The drain must at the bottom of the container and it must not have anything else in it that could block the drain - in fact it must be empty apart from the bottle ........

Adrian

/forums/images/icons/smile.gif <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/kelisha>Pics of Kelisha</A> /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

 

[KevL]

I looked into this for my last boat and phoned up a very nice man from the BSS who told me that if you are installing a gas bottle on your boat you need a steel container with a sealed lid and an overboard drain just as you describe. All the pipework from the box must be copper and marine rated but you can have a flexible (rubber) pipe in the box to connect the regulator to the metal pipe. There are recommended box sizes for different cylinders but most importantly the box must have a fire rating. Actually he said that it is possible to make the box from material other than steel but it must be proved to meet the fire regs and the only way to do that was to test it which sort of defeats the object really.

According to the man at BSS this type of installation is perfectly acceptable in an engine compartment let alone the saloon.

I didn't go through with the installation because I couldn't be bothered but I believe the boxes aren't hard to get made and may even be available "off the shelf"

Hope that helps

KevL

--
It may be the early bird that catches the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.

 

[LeytonC]

Yes, this sounds a correct install for gas under BSS, the only thing is
to make sure the drain for the locker is to the outside (with gas tight fittings)
and its high enough so when a wave slaps up the hull water cannot enter the locker
or flood over the locker into the boat. The BSS says you cannot put a valve
in to stop this, but you can argue this point with the examiner if you boat goes to
sea.

Please note, ditchcrawlers are narrow boats, not normal boats on a river!



Thanks

Leyton
(River Severn / Bristol Channel)

 

[byron]

When Syd stayed on my boat I put him in a sealed locker with an outside drain to the seaward side, it worked wonderfully, the hidden advantage was no one wanted to raft up on me. Afterwards I merely had to flush the locker through with ample amounts of Bleach and Dettol.

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[JEG]

Gentlemen,

Many thanks for your informative assistance. May I advise that, for those who don't wish to confine Syd, I believe a waved kalashnikov achieves the same effect & may be considered essential for cross channel trips.

Many thanks

John G

 

[tr7v8]

Relevant bit of BSS cut & pasted:-

They must either be stored on open deck, cabin tops or outside cockpits, as
long as any leaking LPG can drain overboard.
They must be at least 1m (3ft 3ins) away from hatches, other openings into
the boat and possible sources of ignition.
JANUARY2002 BOAT SAFETY BSS 7/5
cylinder locker/housing construction
Some protection against gas cylinders overheating can be achieved by ensuring
that any gas cylinder locker or housing has a fire resistance of 30 minutes.
There are several accepted ways of achieving this fire resistance for cylinder
lockers or cylinder housings:
they must be constructed of metal at least 0.9mm (0.03ins) thick, with
continuously welded or brazed joints
they must be made of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) of minimum thickness
5mm (0.2ins)
they must be made of materials with a fire resistance of 30 minutes, in
accordance with BS 476-20. [7.4]
cylinder locker/housing drains
If the drain pipe material or connections deteriorate this could cause LPG to
enter the boat and subsequently cause an explosion or fire. To minimise the risk
of this happening cylinder locker or housing drain pipes, hoses and connections
must be made of a suitable material for use with LPG. (Hose conforming to ISO
7840 is acceptable for this purpose). It should also be noted that any drain
hose will only have a limited life. They should be regularly checked and, if
necessary, replaced. (See also Check List item 7.13)
To help ensure that a drain is effective it must have an internal diameter of a
sufficient size – this must be at least 19mm (3/4ins). For boats manufactured
before 3 January 2000, which carry no more than 15kg of gas, this diameter
may be 12mm (1/2ins) – enlarged proportionally for additional gas storage. If
flexible hose is used as the drain pipe it must be connected to the cylinder
locker or housing and the hull fitting in accordance with Check List item 7.13,
which specifies the types of gas connections which must be used. [7.5]


Jim
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