Insurance and gas installations

[NormanS]

Sight glass

Ahhh! You could be right, mitiempo!

It currently has a clear perspex shield positioned around it which gives good protection but your suggestion is good. I think I might leave it as is for now because of that.

Sight glasses are often fitted with a push button "normally closed" valve, so that if anything happens to the glass or perspex or plastic tube, no more than a tubefull can escape.

 

[PerformanceSailor]

CO Detector notes

On the sole issue of the "requirement" for a CO detector,
I would vote in favor of having one, in any case.
Here is a pretty good thread from an owners' web site. Altho we do our boating in the USA, one would presume that sufficient CO gas would decease an Englishman with equal grimness.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=6713&referrerid=28

Whether all these requirements are proof of a "nanny state" or simply the insurance companies trying to constantly reduce the chance that they will ever have to pay out a nickel of that mountain of money they take in in premiums... (sigh)
That's a whole 'nother thread!

Or maybe some of these sort of requirements do indeed benefit us, now and then.

 

[Refueler]

Insurance Co's and Efficious Surveyors ( smartarses )

Trouble is Ins. Co's love smartarse surveyors whi think they are doing favours for all ... but in fact just increasing the rubbish boaters are having to fit to satisfy some arsewipe Ins. guy who knows nought.

How do I know ? I run and own Survey Co.

I will say this simply and ignore prats who say otherwise :

There is no legal req't other than safe and reasonable installation for gas installation on a boat that is used in tidal waters.

Only regulations that required Corgi and that's now superceded by the next bunch of misfit berks who call themselves experts ... is with Inland Waterways Certified Boats ...

Back to original posters boat .... Does it have self draining gas locker to SEA ? Does it have leak detector ? Are the pipes and connectors well supprted ? If yes ... then a) get a new survey ... b) submit more reasonable report to Ins. Co. ... c) tell first surveyor to go get educated.

 

[mitiempo]

While I agree the surveyors do not always make sense they don't write the cheque, the insurance company does. And insurance companies are looking for a reason not to write cheques if possible. Legal doesn't have much to do with it unfortunately.

 

[lw395]

On the sole issue of the "requirement" for a CO detector,
I would vote in favor of having one, in any case.
Here is a pretty good thread from an owners' web site. Altho we do our boating in the USA, one would presume that sufficient CO gas would decease an Englishman with equal grimness.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=6713&referrerid=28

Whether all these requirements are proof of a "nanny state" or simply the insurance companies trying to constantly reduce the chance that they will ever have to pay out a nickel of that mountain of money they take in in premiums... (sigh)
That's a whole 'nother thread!

Or maybe some of these sort of requirements do indeed benefit us, now and then.

A CO detector is no substitute for the common sense of never operating a gas (etc) appliance without adequate ventillation.
If you operate a gas stove with low ventillation, the humidity will probably 'decease' the electronic CO detectors very shortly. Don't rely on these things, they are a second line of defence, not a substitute for basic safety. Same with gas detectors.

 

[yoda]

Surveyors and Gas

Gasdave

I can understand your issues having been through similar. You sound practical and little of what has been asked is beyond you.

Fuel Tank Sight glass. A shut off cock at the bottom is good engineering practice to prevent leaks in the event of damage.

Gas system. A test point, leak detector, correct venting of the gas locker and the right pipework suitably clipped is all easy to achieve with a little patience and the right fittings. buy them, fit and forget. The guide from Calour gas is straight forward to follow and if done correctly the next surveyor will have nothing to say. Once complete soapy water or 'Snoop' will find any leaks. One of the best little tricks I have seen is for through bulkhead connecters in the copper pipeline. Rather than cutting the pipe and having 2 joins the connecter was drilled through and the pipe threaded straight through. The compression fittings are done up in the normal way leaving an uncut pipe but a firm fixing at the bulkhead.

A simple gas detector and carbon monoxide detector can do no harm, cost little and could of course save your life.

As for earthing the electricsit makes good sense if on a marina if only to save your prop.

Hope that helps.

Yoda

 

[gasdave]

On a practical note, those of you who already have LPG and/or CO alarms fitted, when do you run them and for how long?

Do you power your gas alarm on when you arrive at the boat or later on, or when? Presumably if there is a pool of gas to detect it could accumulate at any time. Therefore the alarm should be powered from the beginning?

A CO alarm really only needs to be running when there is a source of CO, usually a heater. I suppose one could be asleep with a heater on and therefore in danger, but sleep will be most unlikely while cooking I would have though that a healthy cooker will only emit negligible amounts of CO if any at all. If oxygen is running low in my cabin to increase CO output from the stove it will most likely be 'cos I'm sinking, so I ought to have noticed!

 

[Dipper]

On a practical note, those of you who already have LPG and/or CO alarms fitted, when do you run them and for how long?

Do you power your gas alarm on when you arrive at the boat or later on, or when? Presumably if there is a pool of gas to detect it could accumulate at any time. Therefore the alarm should be powered from the beginning?

I have a Pilot gas alarm and it comes on as soon as I switch the electrics on and stays on until I leave the boat and switch the electrics off.

 

[yoda]

When to use the gas alarm

ALWAYS turn the bgas off at the bottle when leaving the boat or not using the cooker for any period of time. Run the alarm whenever onboard. Keep the boat keys on the gas bottle whenonboard to remind you to turn off when leaving! Jobs a goodun.

Yoda