Sad sad news

[AntarcticPilot]

Thats alarming, I did'nt realise that eber's and other blown air diesel fired heaters gave off CO! I'm a truck driver and have never seen a CO alarm in any vehicle ever! and a truck is a more confined space than a boat, I had a eber on my last boat and always left it on low on cold winter nights whilst i selpt, like wise in the lorry.

It would have to be severely faulty to do so; the combustion air isn't mixed with the heating air. You'd need to have either a faulty heat exchanger or a faulty exhaust hose - and I guess that in either case the stench of burning diesel would rapidly alert you to there being somethign wrong! They are FAR safer than any kind of flame based heater.

 

[BSSOffice]

What's worrying therefore, is the damage was done, and leaving the boat and getting back into clean air was NOT enough.

I had always thought the danger was becoming unconcious and then dying. I always thought if you recognised a problem and got to clean air, you would be alright. Obviously NOT.

This would not be the first case of such an event. One inland boater died on the bank phoning his friend for help. The point to take away is that if anyone believes that they have been exposed to carbon monoxide, they should seek medical help without delay.

http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/stay-safe/carbon-monoxide-(co)/act-quickly-if-exposed-to-co