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Mushroom Vents


Ladyt

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We brought a 57ft sail away but as we were uncertain of our layout did not have the mushroom vents fitted. Are there any rules in regards to positioning? I noticed for BSS there are rules for being next to a flue but can not find anything about the positioning of the other vents. We have 4 in total. Is it just personal preference? I notice on pictures of other boats they are not always in a long line or space out evenly. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks 

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19 minutes ago, Ladyt said:

We brought a 57ft sail away but as we were uncertain of our layout did not have the mushroom vents fitted. Are there any rules in regards to positioning? I noticed for BSS there are rules for being next to a flue but can not find anything about the positioning of the other vents. We have 4 in total. Is it just personal preference? I notice on pictures of other boats they are not always in a long line or space out evenly. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks 

Each ‘sealed’ accommodation space (cabin with a door without much high level ventilation) should have some high level ventilation.  So it would be reasonable to put a mushroom for each ‘space’ and meet the bss total requirement for the boat, unless you like a cold boat in winter, you don’t want to exceed the min requirement by much.  I also put one slightly offset from the hob to encourage steam out.  Mushrooms can drip (condensation) and in very heavy rain I sometimes get a drop or two bouncing of the roof and out the vent, so putting mushrooms directly above the head end of the bed(at least your side), your chair, hob etc is best avoided.  I also put one in the bathroom (high levels of moisture as well as a confined space) to encourage wet air out of the boat, so as to reduce condensation in the rest of the boat, though it does make for a cool bathroom.

 

Something I didn’t do and wished I had is to mark the outside of the roof along both edges to indicate the locations of the roof stiffeners, these you can see inside if you haven’t yet put in the roof lining.  It makes cutting holes for things like mushrooms, flues and cables so much easier if you can avoid hitting a stiffener.

  • Greenie 1
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Offset mushrooms tend to be over a shower,  kitchen extractor or other piece of equipment not in the centre line.

 

I did see one hull arriving at the boatbuilder with the whole line of mushrooms offset down which would have been over the side corridor,  luckily , the owners spotted that they had been cut on the wrong side before it was moved into the workshop. The welding and recutting were done prior to start of fitting out.

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3 hours ago, Chewbacka said:

Each ‘sealed’ accommodation space (cabin with a door without much high level ventilation) should have some high level ventilation.  So it would be reasonable to put a mushroom for each ‘space’ and meet the bss total requirement for the boat, unless you like a cold boat in winter, you don’t want to exceed the min requirement by much.  I also put one slightly offset from the hob to encourage steam out.  Mushrooms can drip (condensation) and in very heavy rain I sometimes get a drop or two bouncing of the roof and out the vent, so putting mushrooms directly above the head end of the bed(at least your side), your chair, hob etc is best avoided.  I also put one in the bathroom (high levels of moisture as well as a confined space) to encourage wet air out of the boat, so as to reduce condensation in the rest of the boat, though it does make for a cool bathroom.

 

Something I didn’t do and wished I had is to mark the outside of the roof along both edges to indicate the locations of the roof stiffeners, these you can see inside if you haven’t yet put in the roof lining.  It makes cutting holes for things like mushrooms, flues and cables so much easier if you can avoid hitting a stiffener.

That may be a RCD requirement but it is not a BSS requirement, on a private boat ventilation of any sort is only advisory. 

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25 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That may be a RCD requirement but it is not a BSS requirement, on a private boat ventilation of any sort is only advisory. 

I advise that having no ventilation on a boat with a gas cooker and a solid fuel or diesel burning stove may impair your future prospects.

 

5 minutes ago, NewCanalBoy said:

Do mushroom vents have any kind of filter inside them ? Do they need any maintenance ?

They can have an internal brass grill, supposed to stop spiders but doesn't, just becomes clogged. Mine are stuffed up with balls of fly screen netting, stopping any insects or spiders getting in and allowing air flow.

 

There is a club you can join that meets anywhere  between Braunston and Napton on any given weekend which will give you tips on polishing and cleaning them.

Edited by matty40s
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3 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

That may be a RCD requirement but it is not a BSS requirement, on a private boat ventilation of any sort is only advisory. 

That is my understanding too. 

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I staggered mine according to appliances etc.. Were I to do it again I would have them down the centre. Why? Because when I 'stagger' down the roof in locks (single handed in my 70s ) they get in the way ?

  • Greenie 1
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I have a 57ft NB, with six vents, one of which is jammed shut with solar panels above, so there is not enough ventilation in the bedroom [portholes do not open]

I have ordered two large solar panels, they do not fit well with respect to current vents, this would be one thing I would consider carefully.

I have made a feature of my grills and vents internally,  with expensive chromed fittings,. I sprayed the inside with white paint [Rustoleum Hard Hat] plus white silicon to form a smooth surface. I might need to clean them with foaming cleanser and a cloth every so often.

I don't think much of the bathroom mushroom fan, it prevents natural ventilation 24/7

Edited by LadyG
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8 minutes ago, LadyG said:

have a 57ft NB, with six vents, one of which is jammed shut with solar panels so there is not enough ventilation in the bedroom [portholes do not open]

One of our panels covers the mushroom vent entirely; I removed the mushroom bit. 

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5 hours ago, Slim said:

I staggered mine according to appliances etc.. Were I to do it again I would have them down the centre. Why? Because when I 'stagger' down the roof in locks (single handed in my 70s ) they get in the way ?

I'll second that. One of my mushrooms is offset and by the centre line cleat, I've managed to rip that mushroom off twice now when the rope has caught on it.

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1 hour ago, LadyG said:

Should I move my bed then?

Quiche Lorraine or pie aluminiun dishes as supplied in cardboard boxes from supermarkets, ''Aldi have good ones'', make very good drip catchers. Suspend beneath the vent by three short lengths of string arranged equi-distantly around the rim of the dish, Eat the pie or Quiche first.  They won't catch human drips. :closedeyes:

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2 hours ago, bizzard said:

Quiche Lorraine or pie aluminiun dishes as supplied in cardboard boxes from supermarkets, ''Aldi have good ones'', make very good drip catchers. Suspend beneath the vent by three short lengths of string arranged equi-distantly around the rim of the dish, Eat the pie or Quiche first.  They won't catch human drips. :closedeyes:

But as I use to point out to the chaps at work, the container catching the drips also requires emptying

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My boat had brass mushroom vents on when i bought it but i replaced them several years ago with stainless steel solar powered vents, 3 taking air out and one in the main cabin bringing it in, they run all year round and keep the boat dry and fresh, brilliant in my opinion.

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1 hour ago, robmilton said:

My boat had brass mushroom vents on when i bought it but i replaced them several years ago with stainless steel solar powered vents, 3 taking air out and one in the main cabin bringing it in, they run all year round and keep the boat dry and fresh, brilliant in my opinion.

don't they make a noise at night?

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On 31/08/2019 at 20:47, dmr said:

Don't put a mushroom vent right above your bed. :)

 

............Dave

Oddly enough we have got a mushroom vent directly above the bed (it is the vent I've accidentally ripped off twice). On another occasion where I didn't rip the vent off, but put some strain on it damaging the seal, the water that leaked in through the damaged seal ran down inside the boat in the corner of the bedroom near to the mirror as the water tracked across the bedroom ceiling, but didn't drip on the bed. Water doesn't always go where you might expect it to.

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We have one right above the back cabin bed and two weeks ago it let some water in for the first time ever. I took it off and re-seated it but could find nothing wrong, maybe a very specific type of rain just managed to bounce in off the roof?

 

..............Dave

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