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Radiomariner

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Everything posted by Radiomariner

  1. That's the requirement. For any clear bowl, the examiner will want to see the ISO 10088 marking or documentation that it comes up to that standard. As Meggers says this applies where the filter is in the engine space, Edited to add. Vetus produce a range of clear bowl filters with a "flame guard" under the bowl most of these provided they are complete and not modified are ok. Check the manufacturers data. ISO 10088 stipulates fire resistance to 600 deg C for a period of 2.5 minutes
  2. I think loafer just wants a rough guideline. If two or three people supply the same information as DMR intends, he can work out an average which is what he needs.
  3. Going back to my seafaring days I recall that lead acid batteries, regardless of Ah capacity when fully charged should have a SG above 1.600 after a correction for temperature, and that is normally where the green section on the hydrometer starts. The best indication of battery defect was to keep a battery logbook' recording cell by cell voltage and SG checks under the same conditions once per month. A change in pattern indicates quite clearly, not only a defective cell, but one that is starting to fail. (which can then be given special attention) I do not think correction for temperature is very important in this country, but on seagoing vessels it really mattered because of severe climate change between checks Edited to add} I must be honest. I no longer practice what I preach above, far too much hassle. after all mine is a leisure craft!
  4. I too received this e-letter today, pointing out that my registration number was not displayed. It did not mention that the boat's name was not displayed. Licence is displayed. The registration number is mounted on each side of the vessel but unfortunately they are obscured by my aft covers, as it has been whenever the boat is unoccupied over the last 20 years. It is always visible when cruising and I always thought this to be ok, and the licence with name on it would be enough. Now clearly understanding I plead guilty as charge and will move my plates to a more prominent position. Cant help wondering about all those boats completely draped in tarpaulins over winter.
  5. Yes, Pyro or MI cable with solid cores is used on ships, but it, as I recall, is a specialised (fireproof) cable, used, in my experience, primarily for fire detection and alarm, and instrumentation systems. Not for current carrying electrical supply. The outer copper sheath makes it more robust., and comparatively expensive. Yes, I earn a little money from BSS examinations. Not enough to make a living. I do not personally know any examiner that makes a living from BSS alone In my case after necessary expenses and fuel cost my best income to date has been £1400 per year. The office staff (five or six persons) of course draw a liveable salary. None of them drive luxury cars or live in mansions. Some years ago I could always tell when the car belonging to my neighbours son was due for it's MOT Off would come the big fat alloy wheels, the suspension system stripped down and all original components put back for MOT day, such people are an extreme minority, and the same applies to boaters. Most will conform to BSS standard and leave it at that. However safety standards have to be met. Boats are always subject to modification, perhaps we should arrange for an inspection every year, or perhaps every six months! Perhaps 'spot' checks when you are out cruising may be more effective? No I do not think you would like that. I have already made some points about CO detectors. Before these devices can be made mandatory, Manufacturers, boat builders, lawyers and a plethora of others including boat owner groups, have to be brought in and have to agree. You may be surprised at the number of boat owners I meet who consider sensors as an unnecessary expense because, they, the owners "are aware and careful"
  6. Somebody mentioned "wet bilge "design. This is where well deck drains down into the bilge and runs down to the aft end to be removed by the bilge pump. There are small cut-outs in the corners of the steel frames allowing the flow of such water. These are prone to blockage (Wet leaves etc.) which can result in water in the bilge rising to deck level.( As the OP described). Some such boats even have the shower draining straight into the bilge! If yours is such a boat beware of the possibility of the hull corroding from the inside.
  7. Couple of misconceptions. The BSS is a non profit organisation. Having worked most of my life on sea going ships I can assure that they do not permit solid core cables (Except for inside pre-constructed fittings and control cabinets) whereas the BSS dropped the requirement for this check some time ago although they consider multi strand wire as "best practice" (you must be looking at a very old version of the BSS Guide, 1992 perhaps,) I no longer have a copy) I do believe that stranded wire is a requirement of the Recreational Craft Directive and marine electricians will generally frown on solid core 'house' wiring. Residual Current Devices are not mandatory, only "advisory" with the BSS. The 'B' in BSS is for boat not shoreside installations, Recent inclusion of marina's into electrical regulations does nothing to protect boats not in marina's. As boats move from location to location it is very good advice to have their own RCD. Edited for punctuation.
  8. Last year the MOT mechanic was a wee short ass of 5'1" and the windscreen chip was high above his line of vision, this year the mechanic was 6'6" and the windscreen chip was bang in the middle of his eye line? Hey Sir Nib's, things do change over time. The MOT has to be the same for every car, that is the nature of the beast. New car models bring new possibilities of failure, also, as accidents are investigated and new causes identified, a need for extra examination items become necessary. WRT CO monitors the BSS is very aware of the situation and publishes/promotes a great deal of information/recommendations on the subject. The subject is constantly under review. Incidents of CO poisoning could increase if compulsory fitted monitors not exactly fit for purpose on a boat, or poorly installed resulted in more reliance upon them rather than on personal awareness, vigilance and care. A comprehensive test regime might be needed, it may not be sufficient to know that the alarm will sound when it senses CO, air flow has to be considered, it might be that the CO gets into someone's lungs before the alarm edited for typing error
  9. An isolation valve before the connection to the cooker hose is commendable but not a BSS requirement if the cooker is the only gas appliance. I personally recommend that all LPG appliances have a local isolation valve, however, apart from "a single appliance", as I mentioned above, they are only necessary (for BSS) when hoses are involved. Please, please, please ensure that ALL LPG connections are in accessible locations, including the connection on the cooker. Edited to improve punctuation
  10. Yes, I see this frequently on BSS examinations. I know CO alarms are not very expensive, but when a boater has to scrape a few pence to meet the cost of his BSS Exam, no matter how much advice I give or pamphlets I issue I know the boater is not going to rush out and buy one. It will always be on their "intentions" list for a time they can afford it. Come summer the solid fuel stove is no longer required and the CO alarm gets forgotten. Cold weather returns and back it goes on to the intention list. One boater asked for an extra CO pamphlet because it was just the correct size to block off his ventilators to reduce drafts!!!
  11. I agree, just wanted to point out that there are alternatives
  12. A few bits of misinformation in this thread. BSS allow "all-hose" systems. See (Rob's link) Para 7.9.4 and 7.9.6
  13. The number of times i have hit the multiQuote button and then cancelled is unbelievable. Going back to early post's, pipe sizing is primarily insuring that there is sufficient pressure to all burners in the system when all burners are turned on without spending excess on oversized pipes where not necessary. where the pressure drop is too great two things may result, an inefficient flame producing carbon monoxide, or an extinguished flame leaking gas into the boat. The BSS who are not in the business of installing gas systems cover this by ensuring that with all appliances running, each burner has a proper fllame. The tightness test of course speaks for itself. It took 62 posts before somebody mentioned "reward". This is crucial. The examiner is working for reward, and removing the screw of a test point is considered to be working on the system. Working on gas systems in residential or commercial properties if done for reward requires GSIUR certification. The Registered gas fitter is also insured for the work he is qualified to do, so, get a registered fitter to do the job and your widow gets to be comfortably of, getfriend to do the job on the cheap your widow ends up with nowt! PSS non GSIUR registered examiners ARE insured for all examination work including manometer testing on private boats.
  14. In many cases mushroom vents CAN be wound down far enough so as not to meet the ventilation requirements which of course depends on appliances installed in the boat and the number of pob. The BSS requirement, (Advisory for private boats) is that adequate FIXED ventilation be sufficient. If a ventilator can be shut by hand it does not count at all in the ventilation calculations. However, if a tool is required to adjust the ventilator it is OK (in private boats) In mushrooms this is usually achieved by using an extra lock nut on the mushroom stem, but there are other ways. I have never actually seen a mushroom dripping rainwater as described but have heard of it happening. Depends I suppose on the size and height of the dome, as well as the gap between dome and shoulder and of course the velocity of the rain
  15. The OP's link depicts a combined LPG and CO detector/alarm. Probably does what it says. However, it does not mention anything about LPG sensor being remote. LPG being heavier than air sinks to the bottom of the boat, a sensor therefore should be down near or under the bottom boards (Yes, bilges). By comparison a CO detector should be considerably higher, nearer face height. If LPG is detected at that level it could be too late. Good LPG detectors have a control/alarm unit and two or more sensors low down connected by cable. Some have a single sensor inside the control/alarm unit with a vacuum pump sampling air via tubing to various locations low down in the vessel. Two downfalls 1. Considerably more expensive. 2. Because of the remote location of the sensors and their vulnerability to damage frequent testing/maintenance may be required. Such testing usually requires release of a small quantity of a test gas near the sensor. Edited to add:- Found a Suitable, and inexpensive, LPG alarm only device as an example that fits my description. See link below http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/1851/pilot-dual-gas-alarm/?gclid=CK6g7IWrycICFfQatAod6GQAiQ Without sufficient information I am neither recommending or castigating this particular device
  16. The fuse at the distribution board must be rated lower than the current rating of the cable. That is essential. (BSS failure if otherwise) If there is only one appliance using that circuit and the manufacturer states a low fuse rating only then it is feasible to fit a fuse to that value. Multiple appliances on one circuit, and circuits with power sockets (which may be used by anything from a telephone charger to a hair dryer) it is normal to rate the fuse as highly as practical still below the cable capacity. In this case, any equipment that requires a fuse of a lower rating then do so at that appliance. Appliances don't have to be defective to draw excessive current, a pump struggling to pump sludge instead of water for instance. Light bulbs can not always be considered to be 'self fused'. Once at sea we had on board a complete set of navigation lamps that would short circuit when the filament failed. (This is what happens when you buy cheap goods in foreign parts.) The reason was that the molten broken filament would fall to the bottom of the lamp causing a short circuit. Because the fuse ruptured, the alarm to indicate that the lamp had failed together with the system that should automatically switch over to the 'stand by' light also failed. LED lighting circuits. A boater, refurbishing his boat, decided on LED lighting and was delighted to find that a good bit of the extra cost was offset by the lower cost of the much lower rated cable. Unfortunately, there was not enough light at a few locations. so he replaced a few LED lamps with halogen ones. As the breaker kept tripping, he re-calculated the current requirement and fitted a higher rated MCB. It was the smoke detector that alerted him to the overheating cable. Be warned, if you replace LED's with Halogen make sure that the cable is of sufficient size, not just the breaker
  17. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  18. I thank you both for your remarks. I am aware that such appliances as yours exist. But they are not the norm for IW. Beside considering that Jonesthenuke may have underestimated the Kw ratings of his appliances I was concerned that other readers may consider his figures to be around normal. BSS Examiners can give you an "Appliance Record" which shows how the ventilation requirement and how the actual ventilation is calculated. I always do, but I am aware some do not. You should ask for a copy (The examiner has to do the calculations for himself anyway) You could then see if the examiner has it wrong, or work out how much ventilation you can block off.
  19. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  20. Black crusty buns with white doe centres! Yum
  21. A few misconceptions there. First I should mention that the calculation for flue'd solid fuel stoves is H x 550 where H is the KW rating of the stove. This was introduced in 2013. Gas Hobs & Ovens are unflued, as are some diesel ones therefor calculation becomes Kw rating x 2200 From your quoted power ratings I estimate the total ventilation requirement to be 13730 sq mm, (6855 high and 6855 low.) Considerably higher than your calculation This is unusually low. I suspect you have either an extremely small cooker and hob or have just dreamed up their power ratings Hobs with more than two burners usually rate over 4 Kw. Example a Vanette 4000 hob is rated at 6.55Kw and Vanette GG7000 oven is rated at 3.3 Kw With those two appliances your total requirement would come to 25830 sq mm which is a much more "normal" figure. This (minimum requirement), should be "fixed" ventilation, that is to say, should not be closable without the aid of tools. Thus the boater must make a positive considered decision to take action to close any vents .
  22. The annex iii declaration should cover everything that the builder has installed. If you wish to go down the RCD route make sure that the builders make it clear exactly what is covered. (Some simply declare that everything complies without listing the items which may be inadequate as proof of conformity when it comes to completion for full RCD. I do not know the stage you are at with the development of the boat, but to get a BSSC at least 1 'system' (engine installation, LPG installation, electric installation) must be functioning.
  23. This post cannot be displayed because it is in a forum which requires at least 10 posts to view.
  24. Similar. Swan with five signets sneaked unseen into the lock ahead of me. Could not understand SWMBO's shouting and gesticulations (I have a noisy air cooled Lister engine). What did alert me was an aggressive low level "fly past" by the offending swan's mate.
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