Gas Hoses

[Bert Large]

i have been doing gas on my boats for 40 yrs & professionally on boats before that.
You point is what exactly

I thought I had made it quite clear in my post but just for you,
DIY gas work is potentially fatal !

Fair enough if you know what your doing but many don't & these sort of threads may encourage them to do their own gas work when they have no idea how to check for leaks or seal joints correctly

 

[VicS]

I am rather alarmed with what I am reading here regarding all this DIY gas work being carried out.
..................

I'm comfortable with doing my own gas work and after the experiences with Corgi registered gas installers a few years ago that will remain my preferred choice whenever possible.

People will do their own gas work so perhaps you could be a little more constructive with your replies.

What has been said in the previous posts that is wrong or bad advice and what should have been said in its place. Are there any serious omissions?

 

[sailorman]

I'm comfortable with doing my own gas work and after the experiences with Corgi registered gas installers a few years ago that will remain my preferred choice whenever possible.

People will do their own gas work so perhaps you could be a little more constructive with your replies.

What has been said in the previous posts that is wrong or bad advice and what should have been said in its place. Are there any serious omissions?

Bert is a Plumber

 

[VicS]

Bert is a Plumber

That was the Bert Large in the Doc Martin TV series ... wasn't it?

I assumed from his post above that this one is a registered gas installer

 

[NormanS]

When I bought my present, new to me, boat, it came with a certificate from a registered Corgi gas fitter.

He had installed a bubble tester, in such a way that it was impossible to see the thing. he had also forgotten to fill it with the leak detector liquid.

He had also installed two other "safety" devices, in the wrong place, and Oh yes, the attachment from the bulkhead fitting from the gas locker, leaked!

I'll do my own, thank you.

 

[Bert Large]

Bert is a Plumber

Your'e right Sailorman, I am.
I have also see the aftermath of three LPG leaks in boats (nothing to do with me I might add ) A literal pile of firewood in Anstruther harbour which was previously a sturdy 40ft trawler, a sunken 50ft trawler in Plymouth which when re-floated had the starboard side blown out (2" oak planking) & a burnt out fibreglass motor sailor in Hooe Lake in Plymouth. Each to their own though.

 

[sailorman]

Your'e right Sailorman, I am.
I have also see the aftermath of three LPG leaks in boats (nothing to do with me I might add ) A literal pile of firewood in Anstruther harbour which was previously a sturdy 40ft trawler, a sunken 50ft trawler in Plymouth which when re-floated had the starboard side blown out (2" oak planking) & a burnt out fibreglass motor sailor in Hooe Lake in Plymouth. Each to their own though.

Ok Bert
who installed & maintained those systems.
were the sinkings due to bottle changing, poorly sited bottles.
one would assume the first 2 boats were coded

 

[pappaecho]

Half the time I think surveyors make it up as they go. My P33 was surveyed before purchase, in August. No comment was made regarding the gas supply which was directly from the bottle via a regulator to the cooker, which did not have flame failure devices. The only way you could disconnect the bottle from the cooker was to disengage the regulator from the bottle.
Needless to say I installed a shut off tap. I cannot see how old the orange flexible hose from regulator to the 10mm copper tube is. 20 years perhaps? I changed it

 

[rhumlady]

Try finding a registered installer for marine systems on the Clyde and I think you will struggle.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I am willing to bet not many of you would undertake gas work in your homes, yet you are happy to do it in your boats.
.

Never thought twice about stripping and servicing my old gas boiler and that involved taking to bits to get at the one off heat exchanger.

Mind you a pillock of a plumber who came along to quote me for a new boiler took umbridge at my obviously home maintenance and tried to report me to Corgi - who promptly told him I was perfectly entitiled to maintain my own gas boiler if I wished to do so. The plumber didnt get the replacement job.

 

[coliholic]

Sorry misread the title, thought it said "gas horses". Was planning to give some useful advice on the subject based on years of expereience but see now that you already know.

 

[SAMYL]

I thought I had made it quite clear in my post but just for you,
DIY gas work is potentially fatal !

Fair enough if you know what your doing but many don't & these sort of threads may encourage them to do their own gas work when they have no idea how to check for leaks or seal joints correctly

Please explain to me why when you need gas work done in the boat or home you need a qualified gas fitter, but buy a gas barbeque from Homebase or B&Q you have to assemble it yourself including the gas piping, connections, etc.?

 

[VicS]

Half the time I think surveyors make it up as they go. My P33 was surveyed before purchase, in August. No comment was made regarding the gas supply which was directly from the bottle via a regulator to the cooker, which did not have flame failure devices. The only way you could disconnect the bottle from the cooker was to disengage the regulator from the bottle.
Needless to say I installed a shut off tap. I cannot see how old the orange flexible hose from regulator to the 10mm copper tube is. 20 years perhaps? I changed it

The bottle did not have a shut off valve ?
Because it was one of the variety with a snap on connection?

Even the BSS though don't require flame failure devices on old cookers (maybe ovens?) but they do on new ones, but I don't think they'd accept an installation without a shut off valve at the bottle.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Your'e right Sailorman, I am.
I have also see the aftermath of three LPG leaks in boats (nothing to do with me I might add ) A literal pile of firewood in Anstruther harbour which was previously a sturdy 40ft trawler, a sunken 50ft trawler in Plymouth which when re-floated had the starboard side blown out (2" oak planking) & a burnt out fibreglass motor sailor in Hooe Lake in Plymouth. Each to their own though.

And I've seen the same thing Bert - two in Bristol and one in Combe. One 37 ft cat had its complete deck moulding blown off. But that doesnt mean that a plumber is essential. It simply means the job needs doing right, and checking for joint leaks either with aerosol or soap solution is pretty noddy.

Surely it is worth paying a relatively small amount to a professional

Might be if it ever were a "relatively small amount", but that's never yet been my experience of plumbers.

 

[MANXPEDRO]

gas hoses

I'd like to add my comments if I may.

I'm a mechanical engineer (not gas registered) and competant enough to do the installation for my Propex heater and cooker, on my Colvic Northerner. I've used 10mm copper pipe with compression fittings, and about 12" of gas hose between the regulator (screwed straight into the cylinder) and the copper, secured with double ss Jubille clips and it's all securely clipped into place.

I was chatting to a trawlerman last week, and mentioned that I'd done my own installation, but was a little concerened about what the surveryor might say about it when the time comes for his inspection.

He then told me that he'd fitted his own cooker himself, and when I asked him what the surveyor said, he simply replied, "as long as it has a gas detector alarm", he was quite happy!!!

I was actually quite suprised to hear that! Even though he'd probably done a neat job, I dont think that the installation of a gas detector alarm, is a substitute for competancy or qualification.

Any comments?!!

(Ps: Great site by the way, I spend hours on here reading! Many thanks to you all!)

 

[Old Troll]

Old Troll

Is professional work carried out in the boat or home any better than I would do it myself. It is not in my experience that it is neccessarily so. I would venture that my simple gas instalment is very carefully carried out and maintained. How many people get a boatyard to do the work and then forget about maintenance. By doing all of the work I have an understanding of how all equipment and fittings onboard function and can repair and renew on my annual checks. Days in port with bad weather are always put to maintenance. I bought the yacht six years ago in a sound but run down condition and have renewed just about everything. By not paying out to Boatyards and Marinas I can invest the money on the best of fittings and equipment. No expense is spared and time is my own to take as long as I wish. There are many like me where part of having a boat is to be as self sufficient as possible.

 

[Bert Large]

Ok Bert
who installed & maintained those systems.
were the sinkings due to bottle changing, poorly sited bottles.
one would assume the first 2 boats were coded

I don't know who installed & maintained the systems Sailorman. The 2 fishing vessel incidents were 19 & 27 years ago & so I'm not sure that they were required to do things as they are now.

And I've seen the same thing Bert - two in Bristol and one in Combe. One 37 ft cat had its complete deck moulding blown off. But that doesnt mean that a plumber is essential. It simply means the job needs doing right, and checking for joint leaks either with aerosol or soap solution is pretty noddy.

Yes, that is the jist of it, the job needs doing right, & whilst many posters on here are clearly very capable it shouldn't be assumed that everyone is.
I wasn't meaning to blow the "Gas Installer " trumpet or drum up trade ,
I dropped LPG years ago as there is no money in it.

 

[Old Troll]

Old Troll

Having owned fishing boats about 25 years ago there were rules and DTI inspections at that time. What used to surprise me was that fishing boats used standard domestic gas cookers with no failsafe device fitted. The large gas bottles were carried on the top of the wheelhouse and left permanently turned on, there being no intermediate turn off valve. There must have been many near things regarding explosions.