Sched 80 PVC as propane locker

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

in order for the drain/vent to work you need air to be able to get in to replace what drains out.

Not true, the propane will seek the lower level, and due to the miscibility of gasses, it will drain just fine.

Mount it to the stern pulpit? Forget the locker.

The OP stated he doesn't have a stern rail.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Is this enclosure within the boat?

OP stated it would be in a lazarette.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I have no idea what "however the boat is a deep keel boat" has to do with any of this?
Mount it to the stern pulpit? Forget the locker.

Propane heavier than air, deep keel boat, he's concerned that if he had a leak the propane could seek the lowest point of the boat, i.e. the keel, and be undedectable. And he said he has no stern pulpit.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

I do question "weld" pvc. Just glue it. Works good lasts forever.

Proper PVC joints aren't glued, they are solvent welded.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Brewgyver

Not true, the propane will seek the lower level, and due to the miscibility of gasses, it will drain just fine.

Maybe not, couple of variables there, why not ensure a through flow of air to keep it flushed.

[MicHughV]

I'm not sure about some of those Propane lockers. On my earlier Landfall, the overboard drain inside that locker was prone to get plugged up with dirt, debris, etc..not sure where the dirt came from. The locker lid kept rain water, salt water out, but the dirt still managed to get in there. Whenever I changed Propane tanks, I would always notice that overboard drain was plugged and a pain in the rear end to flush out. The locker could not vent inside the boat as it was a drop-in unit from the top of the deck, but the plugged drain was a constant thorn in my side.
'jes sayin'...just because you see an overboard drain in your locker, it doesn't mean it's functioning.
Being a nervous nellie about possibly blowing up, I finally installed a solenoid gas valve control switch that could be switched on/off from inside the boat. This way, gas was only flowing while cooking and was immediately switched of when cooking stopped.
I think most newer boats have the gas solenoid installed as part of original equipment, but my Landfall didn't have it.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

(snippage)
Being a nervous nellie about possibly blowing up, I finally installed a solenoid gas valve control switch that could be switched on/off from inside the boat. This way, gas was only flowing while cooking and was immediately switched of when cooking stopped.
I think most newer boats have the gas solenoid installed as part of original equipment, but my Landfall didn't have it.

ALL new boats, if equiped with propane (or CNG) have do indeed have the solenoid valve from the factory, as required by law.The solenoid valve is a USCG and ABYC requirement, unless the tank valve is within reach of the appliance using the fuel.

If your drain or attached hose is clogging, it may not be large enough diameter. It's supposed to be at least 1/2" in diameter throughout.

[MicHughV]

I don't have that boat anymore.....can't remember the year it was built....an older boat though....and yes, the drain line seemed inadequate to me...don't think it was 1/2" though...

[kenbo]

I believe the OP's stated design is perfect for the application. It's a containment vessel not a pressure vessel and will most likely be better than most retro-fiitted or factory installed lockers.

The vent should be large, 3/4" at minimum, with a swan neck before overboard discharge. The drain, while necessary, isn't as critical as a large vent since propane will flash to vapor immediately.

Just my 2 cents.

[Dave9111]

I have propane on my 33 ft Pearson. I use an 11 lb steel propane tank hanging off the rear rail. (About $50) You can buy small aluminum tanks as well. Put a canvas cover around it and it looks like a float or something. Any fumes drain off the back of the boat. Copper 3/8" line runs to the tank location up through the deck to a flex hose to the tank mounted regulator. I turn the gas on and off every time I use it at the tank. Same as I do for my grill at home. I don't trust solenoid valves. Don't care if AYBC thinks they are good or not.

[Martkimwat]

Gas lockers aren't made to stand the pressure, they are made to allow any escaping gas to flow overboard rather than into the boat, they are also supposed to be constructed of fire retardant material to allow people to escape the boat before the fire reaches the bottles and causes them to explode. this is done by building them from GRP which should be fire rated GRP(resin) which some stand alone lockers are but I believe that when building a boat, the boat builders normally get round this by building the locker from normal GRP a little thicker than it needs to be, as GRP takes a while to burn through anyway. I don't think any normal plastic pipe would be fireproof or even stand up to burning for very long before it burnt through unless it is glass reinforced plastic ie GRP. That being said, there are supposedly approved gas lockers made from polythene even, so I guess the fire retardant aspect is desirable rather than a requirement. I looked into this when I was thinking of building a dedicated gas locker for my Tradewind 33 which was built in 1980, before rules about gas lockers were in force. I actually purchased some fire retardant resin from East Coast Fibreglass in UK but one of the problems with it is that the resin does not set really rigid and stays flexible unlike normal resin and since I wanted to make my gas locker rigid enough to be able to be stood on (suspended through the deck) I did not think it would work. I ended up purchasing a ready made locker which I fitted in the lazerette. It's made of GRP and is fire retardant.
https://www.whayward.shop/product-pa...ylinder-locker

[timb7734]

I have two gallon tanks that last for months but just for cooking. I think you are making an unnecessary mess, just fabricate a hold down system and vent the lazarette from the bottom with an adequate size (1/2 inch or larger) vent. A pressure vessel is just a bomb. We have two solenoids and shut the tanks valve off when we leave for any length of time. A boat at our marina with an approved storage set up still exploded last year where both members of the owner/sailing couple were killed from burns. Never found out if the massive leak was prevented from escaping because of a plugged vent but that was the suspected cause. Propane is great, but nothing to be careless with.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by navman

If certified, it would generally state it meets ABYC.

That said, for ABYC you need fittings rates to 250PSI on all hoses, these are low pressure fittings.

Few things are actually "ABYC certified." ABYC generally states requirements that things must meet. For instance, stainless tubing used to make stanchions can come from onlinemetals.com, and doesn't have a single reference to ABYC. Even CO detectors that meet ABYC requirements are only certified to the UL standard (ABYC simply states that CO detectors must be UL compliant).


Some items are marketed as "meeting ABYC standards" -- Blue Seas line pretty much all says this, but this only happens when the vendor is targeting the marine market. A Class-T fuse direct from an electrical supply house meets ABYC standards too, but they don't bother to mention it.


So, to the item in question. It is targeted to the RV market, so doesn't mention ABYC. But it may meet the standards.


This unit, for sale at Defender, looks remarkably similar (and is also 1/2PSI) -- but it also seems to lack ABYC certification.
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=126919#

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Brewgyver

ALL new boats, if equiped with propane (or CNG) have do indeed have the solenoid valve from the factory, as required by law.The solenoid valve is a USCG and ABYC requirement, unless the tank valve is within reach of the appliance using the fuel.
.

Not quite "law". US Code of Federal Regulations Title 33 (USCG in your parlance) has no laws/rules whatsoever for propane on pleasurecraft. They do however have rules for commercial vessels.

To the OP. You have received some good advice here and some misguided information. PM me an email address and I'll send you the ABYC Propane Standards.

[rlh1246]

I have. seen many comments on this forum regarding questions "Doesn't comply with ABYC". I have lived on and sailed for many years and have found that I don't agree with everything ABYC and other "experts" state as the gospel. For years I have kept my glass LPG tanks in a vented, fiberglass over plywood deck box. I use a solenoid with a switch cover and LED light to let me know if it is on. I found many years ago that common sense is generally a very good guide to follow and that I don't need not want someone telling me how to live each and every aspect of my life. That is one reason I sail.