Mushroom vent delete??

[Fraggle Moon]

Hi all,

 

Is a mushroom vent 'delete' a good idea..?

 

I can understand the need for this ventilation on a pleasure vessel that may be left for long periods, but for me it will be a permanent liveaboard, so I would imagine that the use of doors and windows being opened would provide sufficient venting...

 

Thanks

[PCSB]

I believe your boat may fail the BSS when due if there are no permanent vents such as mushroom vents. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to confirm.

[Richard10002]

1 minute ago, PCSB said:

I believe your boat may fail the BSS when due if there are no permanent vents such as mushroom vents. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to confirm.

In 2 x BSS inspections, I have been told that ventilation is advisory not mandatory, so it wouldn't/shouldn't be a fail.

[Alan de Enfield]

14 minutes ago, PCSB said:

I believe your boat may fail the BSS when due if there are no permanent vents such as mushroom vents. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along to confirm.

 

If you read the BSS documents you will see that ventilation is only a recommendation - they cannot fail your examination and refuse your certificate if you had every vent removed, ever gap taped up and doors and windows hermatically sealed.

[rusty69]

We always get advisories on insufficient ventilation, and that's with mushroom vents. The good thing about our mushrooms is that they can be fully closed anyway.

 

Lack of mushrooms will mean less heat escape in the summer.

[Fraggle Moon]

Thanks for this, I shall wait to see if anyone else has any experience regarding the BSS...

 

If vents are mandatory however , then I imagine there must be a better way to provide this, that doesn't leave big holes in the roof..! 😄 I'm from a construction engineering background and they just seem to be a poor solution for providing fresh air...

 

Having stripped mine back to the bare-bones at the weekend, all 4 show signs that they have allowed water ingress in the past.

[TheBiscuits]

6 minutes ago, Fraggle Moon said:

If vents are mandatory however , then I imagine there must be a better way to provide this, that doesn't leave big holes in the roof..! 😄 I'm from a construction engineering background and they just seem to be a poor solution for providing fresh air...

 

They are a much better idea than big holes in the bottom of the hull ...

[matty40s]

27 minutes ago, Fraggle Moon said:

Thanks for this, I shall wait to see if anyone else has any experience regarding the BSS...

The Ventilation is advisory only

 

If vents are mandatory however ,

 

As everyone else has said, it is advisory...

 

then I imagine there must be a better way to provide this, that doesn't leave big holes in the roof..! 😄 I'm from a construction engineering background and they just seem to be a poor solution for providing fresh air...

 

Having stripped mine back to the bare-bones at the weekend, all 4 show signs that they have allowed water ingress in the past. 

 

Then you just make sure they are installed correctly and watertight.

 

[Machpoint005]

28 minutes ago, Fraggle Moon said:

Thanks for this, I shall wait to see if anyone else has any experience regarding the BSS...

 

If vents are mandatory however , then I imagine there must be a better way to provide this, that doesn't leave big holes in the roof..! 😄 I'm from a construction engineering background and they just seem to be a poor solution for providing fresh air...

 

Having stripped mine back to the bare-bones at the weekend, all 4 show signs that they have allowed water ingress in the past.

 

They are especially effective at allowing water ingress in winter, if snow builds up around them and them melts. 

 

[PCSB]

46 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

In 2 x BSS inspections, I have been told that ventilation is advisory not mandatory, so it wouldn't/shouldn't be a fail.

 

34 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

If you read the BSS documents you will see that ventilation is only a recommendation - they cannot fail your examination and refuse your certificate if you had every vent removed, ever gap taped up and doors and windows hermatically sealed.

Cheers both.

[Tony Brooks]

If you don't like mushroom vents, have a look at flying saucer (UFO) vents. If you don't keep the drains in the outer cover clear they can leak water but not as much as wide open  mushroom in driving rain

 

If this mushroom is the exhaust for an instant gas water heater, then I think blocking it might well be a BSS fail.

[Eeyore]

Well I've had BSS fail, even though the blocked mushroom was the redundant exhaust flue of the removed Aldi boiler!
Point blank refused to issue a certificate.

[TheBiscuits]

1 minute ago, Eeyore said:

Well I've had BSS fail, even though the blocked mushroom was the redundant exhaust flue of the removed Aldi boiler!
Point blank refused to issue a certificate.

 

Recently? Report the examiner to the BSS office with a copy of the fail certificate.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

If you read the BSS documents you will see that ventilation is only a recommendation - they cannot fail your examination and refuse your certificate if you had every vent removed, ever gap taped up and doors and windows hermatically sealed.

Yet they still use it in their statistics on boat failures.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, Fraggle Moon said:

Thanks for this, I shall wait to see if anyone else has any experience regarding the BSS...

 

 

That is your choice, but it doesn't take anyone else - read the BSS examination documents your self, (unless you don't trust yourself)

 

Maybe with time you'll realise whose posts you can trust.

 

Note top right hand side of the paragraph on Ventilation is has  "A" which means 'advisory only. (The "R" is Required for commercial boats")

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[Alan de Enfield]

9 minutes ago, Eeyore said:

Well I've had BSS fail, even though the blocked mushroom was the redundant exhaust flue of the removed Aldi boiler!
Point blank refused to issue a certificate.

 

Report it and you'll get nowhere.

The BSS do not care, they do not chastise their examiners. I have made numerous complaints about an examiners 'interpretation' of the rules and all you ever get is "we will assess the examiners knowledge level and decide if he needs further training"

[Eeyore]

Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Report it and you'll get nowhere.

The BSS do not care, they do not chastise their examiners. I have made numerous complaints about an examiners 'interpretation' of the rules and all you ever get is "we will assess the examiners knowledge level and decide if he needs further training"

The very reason I did not report it. The same examiner also insisted that I relocate the fire extinguishers adjacent to the stove (where they would be inaccessible in the event of fire) away from their rightful place adjacent to the means of escape. Apparently this particular self important muppet was secretary of some association or another.

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Fraggle Moon said:

Hi all,

 

Is a mushroom vent 'delete' a good idea..?

 

I can understand the need for this ventilation on a pleasure vessel that may be left for long periods, but for me it will be a permanent liveaboard, so I would imagine that the use of doors and windows being opened would provide sufficient venting...

 

Thanks

I wont repeat my tale of a trip through Banbury seeing I think his name was Spike in his chair and his dog laying at his feet.

[Stilllearning]

On the extinguishers just agree with the muppet then put them where they are useful as soon as he's gone. A friend of mine who had a fire on his boat in the middle of the night said he was saved by having the extinguisher next to his bed.

 

Yes vents are an advisory, still. Its about the total amount of airways.

 

[Tony1]

 

My BSS is coming up in December, and the last thing I want is to get one of those jobsworth types who have a bee in their bonnet about about some particular issue. 

I was going to replace my mushrooms with flying saucer vents but I dont think I'll bother until after the inspection. 

Are there any examiners in the North west that folks would recommend as being a bit more reasonable and pragmatic? 

 

 

[harrybsmith]

Ventilation is generally a very good idea, on some boats for some people (my boat and me, for example), the driving factor behind putting the heating on is quite often condensation rather than actually being cold. More Ventilation is helpful to solve this, and as a liveaboard you'll be doing a lot of breathing and boiling kettles and maybe some showering, all of which will generate plenty of condensation 

[Eeyore]

24 minutes ago, Stilllearning said:

On the extinguishers just agree with the muppet then put them where they are useful as soon as he's gone.

 

Precisely what I did, applying what I learnt from my time working in fire prevention.

[Richard10002]

3 hours ago, Tony1 said:

 

Are there any examiners in the North west that folks would recommend as being a bit more reasonable and pragmatic? 

 

 

 

I don't think they come more pragmatic as Guy Holding at Portland Basin Marina:

 

http://www.portlandbasinmarina.co.uk/

[PD1964]

5 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

If you don't like mushroom vents, have a look at flying saucer (UFO) vents. If you don't keep the drains in the outer cover clear they can leak water but not as much as wide open  mushroom in driving rain

 

If this mushroom is the exhaust for an instant gas water heater, then I think blocking it might well be a BSS fail.

No boat builder fits UFO vents anymore, they were so 16 year ago, any gas vents fitted these days are normally approved vents not mushroom vents.

 One for the OP, yes block your vents, block all your high and low ventilation, put your fire on and cook on your gas. When you die I’m not bothered, I take it you’ve just bought the boat and it’s your first?

Edited February 21, 2023 by PD1964

[BilgePump]

Seconded. Did a few on our old NB, did my GRP cruiser last time and will be in touch with them again later this year for another.

 

eta: replying to Richard re Guy at Portland Basin (missed the quote)

Edited February 20, 2023 by BilgePump