Eberspächer heating. Do you leave yours on through the night?

[Sandero]

There are plenty of noisy generators... never heard a heater from outside a boat.

[akkebeng]

...or are you perhaps more tolerant, beeing the beneficiary?


Sorry! You meant the other way? Just sounded so impossible.

They have certainly improved over the years.

[carstenb]

Actually ours makes so little noise that there is no way any neighboring boat can hear it. We sit int he cockpit with it going andhte only way to tell is from the exhaust fumes

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Ufoysterman.

Originally Posted by akkebeng

CO (carbon monoxide) is actually a fraction lighter than air but not as much to prevent it from rapidly mixing with the air ...

Originally Posted by Cowboy Sailer

Carbon monoxide is not heavier than air. It is slightly lighter than air. It diffuses very well in air.
I see that two of us posted almost at the same time.

Indeed.
Since the molecular weights of gases differ, what makes them move is convection. If a gas is released because of combustion, it would tend to rise due to its heat. CO is very slightly lighter than air*.

It is very unpredictable where the air, and therefore CO, will move at any given time. That is why the instructions with the unit you buy do not say to place it high or low on the wall.

Understanding all that, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) suggests in 720, 2-1.1.2* 1998 -

"A carbon monoxide alarm or detector should be centrally located outside of each separated sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms. Where bedrooms are separated and the audibility of the alarm or detector to occupants within the bedroom area could be seriously impaired, more than one unit could be needed. Each alarm or detector should be located on the wall, ceiling, or other location as specified in the installation instructions that accompany the unit."

I recommend installing CO detectors at about face height, when sleeping.

*
Air has a molecular weight of 29
whereas
Carbon monoxide (CO) has a molecular weight of 28.01
And
Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a molecular weight of 44.01

[nigel1]

Gordon is correct about the location of CO detectors, below is guidance from the UK Health and Safety Executive:


Detectors located in the same room as a fuel-burning
appliance if the detector is located on a wall:
1. it should be located close to the ceiling;
2. it should be located at a height greater than the height
of any door or window.
A ceiling mounted detector should be at least 300 mm from
any wall, and for a wall mounted detector it should be at
least 150 mm from the ceiling.
The detector should be at a horizontal distance of between
1 metre and 3 metres from the potential source of Carbon
Monoxide e.g. The fuel burning appliance.
If there is a partition in a room, the detector/alarm should be
located on the same side of the partition as the potential
source.
Carbon Monoxide detectors/alarms in rooms with sloped
ceilings should be located at the high side of the room.
Detectors located in sleeping rooms and in rooms remote
from the fuel-burning appliance should be located relatively
close to the breathing zone of the occupants