SaltIre
Well-known member
If that were to happen it would surely be a fluke.
Gas cans in anchor locker
- Thread starter TiggerToo
- Start date
srm
Well-known member
A gentle word of caution.
During my varied maritime career I ran one day courses in firefighting for new entrants to MN and Fishing. One of the case studies I used was from an accident on a sail training yacht used by the UK armed forces:
It had an approved gas locker with active and spare cylinders. Gas ran out while cooking a meal at night (in a marina). The cylinder was changed. In the morning the skipper went to start the generator, which was in the stern, using controls at the chart table. It failed to start first time. On the second attempt the stern of the boat exploded, causing serious injuries to the crew inside the boat.
The subsequent enquiry concluded that the connection to the new cylinder was not made correctly. Gas leaked in to the locker. The bottom drain had become blocked. Gas filled the locker and leaked into the generator compartment through the bulkhead opening where the gas pipe was routed towards the galley.
During my varied maritime career I ran one day courses in firefighting for new entrants to MN and Fishing. One of the case studies I used was from an accident on a sail training yacht used by the UK armed forces:
It had an approved gas locker with active and spare cylinders. Gas ran out while cooking a meal at night (in a marina). The cylinder was changed. In the morning the skipper went to start the generator, which was in the stern, using controls at the chart table. It failed to start first time. On the second attempt the stern of the boat exploded, causing serious injuries to the crew inside the boat.
The subsequent enquiry concluded that the connection to the new cylinder was not made correctly. Gas leaked in to the locker. The bottom drain had become blocked. Gas filled the locker and leaked into the generator compartment through the bulkhead opening where the gas pipe was routed towards the galley.
greeny
Well-known member
One thing I don't see mentioned is corrosion. An anchor locker is often wet and never dries out. It won't cause catastrophic failure obviously but may make the cylinder unacceptable to the provider when taking in for replacement.
Aeolus
Well-known member
Indeed it would. It just occurred to me that anchor lockers are situated in the bounciest part of a boat so extra care might be appropriate when placing a gas cylinder there.
NormanS
Well-known member
Interesting that there were so many contributory faults.
Whaup367
Active member
Whoosh!
Slowtack
Well-known member
See my post..........
greeny
Well-known member
missed it - sorry. But to be fair, your post was about containment failure and mine primarily about general corrosion affecting the exchange of the cylinder. So slightly different message.
Slahm
New member
--->Comment after writing this, and before I post - I seem pretty alarmist at the end there, but I'm not. Just spitballing.... pretty sure I have thrown a few in there occasionally. Those are my thoughts afterwards.
On my boat I would not do that, simply because I tend to sail hard upwind, and also get a lot of moisture in there. And I have no real way of making sure it does not get tossed around, anyone who has stood on their bow in any sort of sea state knows that you get some crazy forces up front there. It's why so few people try to sleep in the V-Berth right?
If you have a way to keep it from corroding(It's likely dissimilar from your anchor chain) why not, it's a safe ventilated space if you can secure it. Keep in mind, you could always experience an exciting explosion if the cap became loose on a sail and you had the crappy luck that it leaked and you remotely engage your windlass, as the motor for that CERTAINLY can spark, and is probably not sealed from gases. I mean, super, super unlikely, but... at least you would be at the stern!
Slowtack
Well-known member
It was the regulator body that corroded in my case.
