safety - gas/petrol, etc

[Guest]

The recent posting about petrol/diesel/fires has made me think. I am most concerned about the gas rig on my boat and would like to get rid of it all together. Any advice on a suiatble means of cooking other than gas? I only need to brew up for tea and heat up the odd tin. I am a bit anxious about presurised alcohol stoves - any suggestions on alternatives, particulary those based on experience, gratefully received

 

[byron]

My boat is totally electric but I feel daft firing up a 9.5KVA gennie for a cuppa slurp. I bought myself one of those 30 quid portable gas stoves, excellent though heavy on the cylinders. They are £2 each, I have seen cylinders on sale at Ramsgate Market for only £1

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[charles_reed]

You are probably concerning yourself unduly.

A properly installed gas installation is as safe as anything else - certainly far safer than the old primus it replaced.
You can use methanol as your cooking meduim - many consider safer than gas because a fire can be put out with water.

I had one on my first boat - after the loss of several sets of eyebrows, frequent bouts of nausea caused by the smell emanating from the damned thing, and it's inability to fry bacon crisp, I gutted it and repaced it with high-pressure gas.

With a low pressure gas system, a proper overboard-draining gas locker, armoured piping and an electronic shut-off valve you really ar very safe.

You could go for paraffin, (at least as inflammable and difficult to get in many parts of the world) diesel (very high capital cost) or even solid fuel.

 

[oldharry]

I agree entirely. Occasionally one hears of gas explosions on boats - and you can be absolutley certain they were due to poor or faulty installations, or basic safety rules being ignored by the users.

Camping gaz regulators have a safety cut out built in so that if the pipework fractures the supply will cut off automatically. The biggest danger (only?) is the flame blowing out unnoticed on the cooker, which should be equipped with a flame fail safety cut out, like most modern domestic gas appliances.

I beleive the worst culprit for boat fires is appliances having a permanently lit pilot light such as a heater or fridge. However, a correctly installed gas sensor will alert you to any such problems long before any danger point is reached.

The only fire I had to tackle on a boat was a paraffin cooker which started squirting burning paraffin all over the galley - very nasty!

The botton line is that ANY fuel can catch fire - thats what it is for! But, with proper installations, maintenance and use, there is no reason for modern fuels of any kind to get out of control and cause problems.

Incidentally, copper and rubber gas pipes should be regularly replaced - although I am not certain of the recommended interval under current guidelines - any CORGI engineers out there? The reason being that rubber hardens and perishes, and copper pipes can become work hardened by vibration and movement, and has been known to fracture after extended use. They must always be properly secured throughout their length to help avoid this problem.

 

[Guest]

I agree with you about gas safety, I was dithering between gas and parafin for my new boat where I read a report in PBO of one of the services boats going bang, The boat sank immediatly and yhe only thing that saved some of the crew was the fact that they where tied to a destroyer at the time so rescure & fire teams arrived instantly. Gas is very reliably and with a good instalation and dicapline rearly goes wrong but when it does... In reply to the comment about a 'nasty fire from a parafin stove I would say 'had it been gas would you be telling the tale'

If you realy want a safe stove for an occasional cuppa (and don't mind it being a bit slow) go to a camping shop and get a Tangia spirt stove. They are indestructable, burn anywhare at any temp, the fuel evaporates leaving now stain of smell and they have no moving parts. I have used these for caving, climbing and walking in everything from a snowhole to hanging from a ledge next to a waterfall. Like I say the only problem is speed, 5min to boil a small kettle. Oh yes last poit is they cast about the same as a good stainless flask! I keep one in the lifraft kit.

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster

 

[Guest]

I have seen a recent article in PBO or YM about a new diesel cooker. I liek the sound of it and it looks good. When i move up to a bigger boat i will be getting one.

 

[Guest]

But does it do toast?

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster

 

[simon_m]

We've just taken over a boat with a Wallas paraffin stove ( about 1 year old), only used it twice. It seems a bit reluctant to start. Today it started spewing out fumes / smoke - I reached for the extinguisher but it wasnt necessary.

Suffice it to say, I will be getting it checked out !