Gas Locker

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Spyro

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Just purchased a trapper 300 which does not have a dedicated gas locker, there is only 1 cockpit locker that is not self contained i.e. it drains into the biges not overboard, therefore i was thinking of keeping my gas bottle in the anchor locker which is self contained and self draining and has room for the anchor as well, it will not be much bother to run gas pipe from said locker to cooker. Any pros or cons of doing this
 
Your gas locker should be just that, dedicated, if you are due survey it will fail. Just think how easily chain and anchor will tear through the copper pipe etc. when thrown in in a hurry.

You will have to partition and seal the gas side of the locker, also you will have to make your way to the bow in all weathers to turn the gas on to make a cuppa. I don't think this is going to be the best compomise, can you not partition and drain overboard from the cockpit locker.

Julian

http://www.ukstaffords.com
 
Pros:
Ready made locker, sealed from the rest of the boat, and draining overboard (I assume)

Cons:
You will still have to secure the bottle in an upright position
You will have to protect the bottle, pipework, & regulator from anchor & chain in the same locker
The installation will be living in a muddy, permanently damp environment
You will have to go all the way forward to turn the gas on/off

IMHO, not a very attractive solution. Better to construct a dedicated locker somewhere in the cockpit area, possibly inside, but sealed from, the cockpit locker.

If you are thinking about your LPG installation, its worth getting hold of a booklet called "LPG (Bottled Gas) For Marine Use" - its a freebie from Calor Gas. If you are able to contact the Southampton branch, they are the experts on marine (read yottie) installations.
 
I am in the process of sorting this out on my vessel too. Another thing to be wary of with respect to positioning the bottle. It should be high enough that if it were to leak god forbid, the smell of any gas would be immediate, it the bottle was near the cabin sole gas could fill the bildges without you knowing, or get a detector.

Also as I just read in the boat safety scheme, do not be tempted to put bottles on their sides, I had thought about this to position them under my cockpit floor to drain straight below the bridgedeck. There is a chance that liquid (gas) could escape to the pipe work, and apparently as in ghostbusters, yes, it's bad ;-)

PBO has a section on gas fitting this month, well worth the read, has come at perfect timing for me.

Julian

http://www.ukstaffords.com
 
Not a pretty solution.I admit, but it's safe.My bottle used to be hung outboard on the pushpit. Now it is in a box on the deck at the stern. Gas terrifies me after seeing a motor cruiser blow up off Cowes some years back.
 
In New Gear, p.124 PBO Feb 2003:

Gas locker boxes. These look like a quick and relatively sensible solution. Fit one on a shelf as high up in a locker as you can and put in your own drainage pipe.

Re. gas locker drainage . . . I assume the pipe has to be level or sloping downhill or it is useless. It must also emerge above the waterline (so presumably only on the transom). Give the height of gas bottles, smaller yachts with low topsides must find this very difficult - or am I missing something?

For info below: Gas Locker Requirements

Gas Locker:

Should allow the cylinders to be secured in an upright position to prevent the liquefied gas entering the regulator and pipework.

Should be vapour tight to hull interior, only openable from the top and have a lid or cover to prevent potentially escaping gas accumulating below deck.

Should be constructed of materials to give 30 minutes fire resistance to protect the cylinders in the event of fire or impact damage. Sheet metal of 20w.g. 0.9mm or G.R.P. of 5mm thickness should be adequate.

Should have an internal drain not less than 19mm at low level to the outside of the hull 75mm above the deepest loaded waterline to allow any potentially escaping gas accumulating below deck. As the gas is lighter than water it must drain to above the waterline. Generally cockpit drains do not drain above the waterline as they are designed to remove water from the cockpit.

Should be large enough to allow access to regulator and associated equipment for servicing and maintenance and the exchange of empty cylinders.

Should not be used to stow other items that may cause damage, obstruct the drain or ignite leaked LPG.

Any opening into the locker should not be situated in the accommodation, engine compartment or fuel / battery spaces.

Should not be located near to heat sources.

The gas supply should leave the locker by fixed pipework via a bulkhead fitting to retain the gas soundness and fire resistance of the locker box. Note flexible pipes are not permitted to pass though bulkheads due to the risk of mechanical damage.

(from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.socal.co.uk/marinenotes.html>http://www.socal.co.uk/marinenotes.html</A>. Lots more stuff here on gas installations)

<font color=blue>Nick</font color=blue>
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bad experience

i had a sonata with gas kept in the anchor locker. the regulators kept failing & i was told it was down to the motion. also the regular salt water bath did the bottles and connectors no good at all.
 
I had a Snapdragon which had an elegant solution. The previous owner had built a draining sealed gas locker within one of the cockpit lockers. It had its own skin fitting. Of course it would never pass BSS but you're not going to sail your Trapper up the Grand Union, are you?
John
 
I fitted a purpose made gas locker let into the cockpit seat near the transom. I made a wooden box to fit the gas bottle, ring of wood on the base to retain the base(not a continuous ring so it didn't retain any water). The wooden box was screwed and glued. There was an upstand all round the top and the box was screwed to the cockpit with plenty of mastic. I used a BOMAR lockable circular lid which was just the right size for a 4.5kg Calor bottle. The lid was bolted to the cockpit. A bulkhead fitting was in the top of one side, with flexible hose to the regulator, and copper pipe to the cooker. A seperate drain to the transom, sloping downwards, this was ½" or ¾" - I don't remember.
Get the Calor boook - it gives all the info.
Not sure of the cockpit arrangement on a trapper so not sure if the above will work.
Alternatively a sealed box on the aft deck?


dickh
I'd rather be sailing... :-) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif
 
Re: bad experience

Najad's, HR's and many other swedish yachts seem to have their gas lockers built into the anchor wells (probably as few of them have bow anchors in that part of the world) so it must be do-able as I can't imagine HR et al would use an unreliable system. Might be worth looking to see if they use a 'marinised' regulator to get over the problems.
 
Thanks for all advice I am now considering an "Origo" alcohal burning stove it should be adequate for my needs so see new post "Origo cookers"
 
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