Gas Explosion

[jeremiason]

Fire/Explosions on vessels from gas or other sources only amounts to about 10% of the Boating Accidents in the USA, according to a 2012 USCG report. That number has been pretty consistent for the last several years. Statistically speaking you have a much greater chance of drowning than dying from a fire or explosion...

With that said, although not very likely, fires on a boat can become a nightmare in a matter of minutes. Your boat could potential burn to the water line in less than 20 minutes.

I have seen a couple of boat fires and have training my USCG Basic Firefighting certificate. I scared the hell out of me.

The one thing to remember in a boat fire is that if not knocked down right away, your boat could potentially cause serious damage or injuries.... So have a plan and make sure you fire fighting equipment is accessible and regularly serviced!!!

Accident Statistics

[IgorNos]

Hello Is it possible to store the gas? Or is it dangerous.

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by IgorNos

Hello Is it possible to store the gas? Or is it dangerous.

Store it where... Yes it can be dangerous depending on the location

[gonesail]

propane is indeed dangerous but if you obey the simple rules and don't take any shortcuts .. it is a cook's dream: very hot and much easier to control than electric

[IgorNos]

Originally Posted by jeremiason

Store it where... Yes it can be dangerous depending on the location

I do not speak English, sorry) Question: Is it, as in the photo?. In the open, in the sun.

[Cheechako]

ahh... yes.. statistics! Apparantly we are safest on a steel boat of 65 ft or longer with 10 people aboard and the operator has had Red Cross training!

[wingless]

Originally Posted by IgorNos

Hello Is it possible to store the gas? Or is it dangerous.

The propane tank part of the system looks acceptable, per ABYC.

It looks like any heavier-than-air propane leakage from the tank or from the tank hose would fall safely overboard.

It would be better to have additional retention to hold the tank more securely.

It looks like there is additional propane plumbing, partially hidden by the canvas, heading off to the appliance.

The plumbing should comply and should be maintained to all the ABYC standards for safety.

[old pirate]

In the open and in the sun should not pose a problem. Check for leaks at the valve and close the valve when not in use.
Just think of all those gas cylinders behind houses, restraunts etc, they are in the sun !

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by old pirate

In the open and in the sun should not pose a problem. Check for leaks at the valve and close the valve when not in use.
Just think of all those gas cylinders behind houses, restraunts etc, they are in the sun !

Look at all the ones sitting on RVs in Arizona.
Propane is a fairly safe chemical. The pressure in a propane tank varies with the temperature of the liquid in it. Volume is not a factor. At -44°F the pressure is 0 psi. As the temperature increases from there, so does the pressure. at 0°F you have about 28 psi, at 32°F about 60 psi. At 72°F about 130 psi and at 100°F close to 200 psi.

These numbers will vary a bit globally as propane has different butane content and other things that can raise or lower the pressure depending on where it is produced. But these numbers are pretty close for most of North America...



And here is a good read on propane>> http://www.propanecarbs.com/propane.html

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by IgorNos

I do not speak English, sorry) Question: Is it, as in the photo?. In the open, in the sun.

HI Igor and welcome to the forum.

Pretty good questions for someone that does not speak English.

As others say, storing the tank in the sun is OK. The danger is gas leaking inside the boat.

Check any fittings or connections on the stove, any places where a gas line passes through a wall or floor that could damage the gas line and cause a leak.

And always turn off the gas valve on the tank when you are not using the stove.

[hellosailor]

I would say there is some very small chance that the wind could be blowing "into" the boat, and in that case any leaking propane would then be carried in to accumulate in the bilge, with a potentionally explosive result.

A very small chance, but since the tank is above the level of the cockpit, a possibility. Placing some type of screen, even a layer of sailcloth, between those railings and making it impossible for the gas to be blown directly into the boat would be cheap insurance against that. Or, putting a hood (again, even one made of vinyl or sailcloth) over the tank so that the bottom was open and below the level of the cockpit, would accomplish the same thing. And keep the tank out of the sun, and perhaps make it look a bit better as well.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I would say there is some very small chance that the wind could be blowing "into" the boat, and in that case any leaking propane would then be carried in to accumulate in the bilge, with a potentionally explosive result.

A very small chance, but since the tank is above the level of the cockpit, a possibility...

And that seems vastly overstated to me. We've got to remember that we have our senses which have kept us alive so far. I'd say worrying about leaking propane fumes blowing into the boat AND GOING COMPLETELY UNDETECTED is a longshot bordering on the ridiculous. Hell, any one of us can drop dead with the lack of a heartbeat. I'm so old now it amuses me when I realize I am afraid concerned about something.

[hellosailor]

Blue, explosives are very peculiar things. I know a guy who used to be on an EOD team in Vietnam. Their job was to gather up outdated C4 and other potentially unstable explosives/munitions and "render them safe" typically meaning "blow 'em up" someplace in a controlled manner.

He said the first time they did that, setting off a large block of accumulated C4, they came back to find strings of it hanging from the trees afterwards. Sure, it exploded. Most of it. But then they had no idea at all about what the rest might do, whether it was defective, inert, still explosive...Someone decided it was smarter to burn it all, instead of trying to blow it up after that.

Sticking a cover on a propane bottle, or a windscreen next to it, is just so damn simple cheap and easy, compared to taking any chance of having propane blow downhill into a boat.

Here in the US, an average of two gas stations are still blown up every year by some addict who just HAS TO LIGHT A CIGARETTE RIGHT AWAY. And yet, you can extinguish a cigarette if you throw it into gasoline. Which is more unlikely?

I'm a devote coward. In a burn ward, they'll put you into a coma, because even morphine won't stop the pain.


"AND GOING COMPLETELY UNDETECTED " Not the issue. You go ashore, the gas blows in, the bilge pump cycles...ooops...no one was there to detect it. You can rewrite that one a dozen different ways.

[Blue Crab]

I guess I can't argue the point further. I personally use an Origo now based on:

1. An earlier thread discussing the damage to boat and skipper of a propane explosion

2) An incident about that time with a small leaky damaged propane cylinder that I didn't smell

3) The need to replace the scabbed-together and rusted-out gimballed camp stove the P.O. installed per #2

However I still have a FG propane bottle for the Magma and winter backup Mr. Buddy heater. I am loathe to hang even one more thing off the pushpit [covered] but ... oh well.

I'm OK with the Origo for now but if I go back to propane in the galley, I'll do the solenoid deal cuz I know I'm too lazy to go out and turn off at the tank EVERY time.

[laika]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

I guess I can't argue the point further. I personally use an Origo now based on:

1. An earlier thread discussing the damage to boat and skipper of a propane explosion

2) An incident about that time with a small leaky damaged propane cylinder that I didn't smell

3) The need to replace the scabbed-together and rusted-out gimballed camp stove the P.O. installed per #2

However I still have a FG propane bottle for the Magma and winter backup Mr. Buddy heater. I am loathe to hang even one more thing off the pushpit [covered] but ... oh well.

I'm OK with the Origo for now but if I go back to propane in the galley, I'll do the solenoid deal cuz I know I'm too lazy to go out and turn off at the tank EVERY time.

The solendoid saved crew and boat for me the first time I ventured out with current boat. A semi-rigid metal hose had been installed for the final run to the stove, and the excessive gimballing caused the hose to snap once the seas picked up. Didn't know it until I came down to make some coffee the first night. Turned stove on and tried lighting. Nothing. Kept trying to light for a few seconds. A small fireball then lit up and almost met the curtains above the stove before extinguishing.

I shudder to think what would have happened if the solenoid had not been installed. Rigid hoses to gimballing stoves are also a bad idea