A Salutory Lesson Well Learned

[BargeeSpud]

You think something you do will be OK, then comes a rude awakening (literally!) & you realise that that something you did could actually have killed you!

 

Very sobering.

 

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, putting a full ashcan fresh from the stove underneath it after I'd put the empty one in & already locked up for the night, plus it was going to rain overnight, so didn't really want to put the full ashcan outside, wasn' t the best idea I've ever had. Sure enough, less than an hour & a half later, just before midnight, the CO alarm went off.

 

Having opened the front doors & boosted the ventilation through the boat to clear the air, it dawned within my befuddled brain what the source of the CO was - the full ashcan sitting under the stove gently smouldering away, giving off CO into the confines of the boat instead of up the stove flue as it would when sealed inside it.

 

So, what seemed like a good idea at the time could have killed everyone on board but for a fully functioning CO alarm. I wouldn't mind, but the omnipotent one swore she could smell the ashcan, however I thought she was just reacting to the dust. Now I've heard that some people get quite a whiff off an ashcan, but I've never experienced this myself. I don't know what this means, but I will take her concerns very seriously in future when she says she can smell something funny, no matter what it is.

 

Let my experience serve as a timely reminder to all of you, before winter truly sets in, that you can't treat anything relating to your stove with casual indifference.

 

Do I feel stupid? Yes. Should I seriously consider changing my name to Richard Head? Probably.

 

Stay warm, but most importantly, stay safe folks.

[Guest]

One hell of a lucky escape!

 

Reminds me of the young girl who succumbed in her tent last summer when they brought a BBQ inside to cool down and keep her warm.... they however did not have a CO alarm...

Edited January 5, 2014 by The Dog House

[BargeeSpud]

One hell of a lucky escape!

 

Reminds me of the family who succumbed in their tent last summer when they brought a BBQ inside to cool down.... they however did not have a CO alarm...

 

Not wrong! Especially having just read about the bloke & his dog at Banbury.

[David Mack]

And don't put the ash out in the front well deck, especially if you have a cratch cover. The CO could come into the cabin through the low level vents.

[BargeeSpud]

And don't put the ash out in the front well deck, especially if you have a cratch cover. The CO could come into the cabin through the low level vents.

 

Top tip. We usually change the ashcan a lot earlier, but this time simply forgot & left it 'til bed time. If I or we forget in future, stuff the weather, the can goes outside. You can get a new ashcan, but resurrection is somewhat more difficult.

[MoominPapa]

I wouldn't mind, but the omnipotent one swore she could smell the ashcan, however I thought she was just reacting to the dust. Now I've heard that some people get quite a whiff off an ashcan, but I've never experienced this myself.

 

I get the same tingle in the nose from hot embers as I get from fizzy-drink burps, so I'm assuming the embers kick out a fair amount of CO2. Of course, as you've discovered, they also produce CO, so are not healthy to share a space with, even ignoring the fire risk.

 

MP.

[LEO]

Hi,

 

It's worth investing in a 'Tippy' ash collector- tip the ash into that, close the lid and the embers will go out.

 

Ash can then be tipped at a later date. Well worth the money, because it means that you tip the ash and not your Executors.

 

M

[Phil Ambrose]

Spuds, glad you lived to tell the tale, it just goes to show that though we all know the dangers it is all to easy to say "oh that will be OK"

I for one will be more vigilant.

Phil

[thorne lass]

I'm not too sure about the tippy ash can theory. They have no positive seal and it would only be too easy to leave the lid ajar. I suppose it all depends upon the amount of active embers that pass through your grate.

[phil5]

I did exactly the same thing Spuds - tipped the still-hot ash into the empty scuttle 'cos it wasn't a nice night out there ............thankyou CO alarm !!

[hilary barr]

Erm. Keep my ash bucket out the front under the cratch cover......... Not allowed to leave stuff on the pontoons. erm.... Would rather leave it there till emptying than falling foul of the CO. Comments please.

[Guest]

Erm. Keep my ash bucket out the front under the cratch cover......... Not allowed to leave stuff on the pontoons. erm.... Would rather leave it there till emptying than falling foul of the CO. Comments please.

 

If you had something that you could guarantee was sealed and airtight there should be no problem. The problem I suspect is finding such a thing that will also withstand the heat.

[Jim Riley]

You could also use the trad method of sealing miniscule leaks in your Hull by dropping ash into t'cut where you suspect the leaks are. Works best on cold wet nights.

[little duck!]

hi, we use an old metal biscuit tin (probably a few knocking around at this time of year, minus it's original contents) and put the ash in there with the lid tight on then put it outside til the morning to dispose of it. Not sure if this is ok but the alarm hasn't gone off presumably it is sealed tightly.

[BargeeSpud]

Erm. Keep my ash bucket out the front under the cratch cover......... Not allowed to leave stuff on the pontoons. erm.... Would rather leave it there till emptying than falling foul of the CO. Comments please.

 

Clearly it depends on where you moor as to whether you can put the ashcan outside. I'm fortunate in that I can where I'm moored, so there wasn't really any excuse on my part & dread to think what my laziness could have cost me if my CO alarm hadn't worked

 

 

hi, we use an old metal biscuit tin (probably a few knocking around at this time of year, minus it's original contents) and put the ash in there with the lid tight on then put it outside til the morning to dispose of it. Not sure if this is ok but the alarm hasn't gone off presumably it is sealed tightly.

 

Now that is a brilliant idea, but then all the simple ones are.

[Wanted]

I managed to get hold of an old stainless bucket with a lid from a catering suppliers. Ash gets tipped into it and then it sits outside to cool down.

 

Glad you were OK

[Keeping Up]

I always put the ash in the Tippy and store it under the cratch. It has never set the CO detector off, although the detector is sensitive enough to record the increase in CO in the few minutes while I am actually emptying and refilling the stove.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Keeping Up

[pophops]

I usually store ashes in the canal. No CO. No fire risk.

[Chop!]

Erm. Keep my ash bucket out the front under the cratch cover......... Not allowed to leave stuff on the pontoons. erm.... Would rather leave it there till emptying than falling foul of the CO. Comments please.

Welcome to the forum and Happy New Year

 

Surely you would be better off leaving it on the stern, out in the fresh air, put some kind of lid on it and it'll cool in it's own time with all that harmful CO escaping harmlessly

CO is a heavy gas which will seep insidiously through small cracks in your bow doors, if your CO alarm is then fixed higher than your sleeping head.............

Edited January 5, 2014 by Chop!

[Wanted]

I usually store ashes in the canal. No CO. No fire risk.

Is the bottom not to near the top as it is?

[hilary barr]

Are we talking about hot ash .

[Chop!]

Our marina put up signs forbidding the dumping of ash in our lake, it has been said that is harmful to the fish etc. due to changes in the Ph level or some such.

We now put it in the areas where they are putting hardcore for the ongoing works and improvements.

[Iain_S]

I usually store ashes in the canal. No CO. No fire risk.

 

And no complaints about dredging, I trust ...

 

Iain

[Top cat]

Spuds Thanks for the warning, I will be much more careful with the ash pan in future.

[dor]

Hi,

 

It's worth investing in a 'Tippy' ash collector- tip the ash into that, close the lid and the embers will go out.

 

Ash can then be tipped at a later date. Well worth the money, because it means that you tip the ash and not your Executors.

 

M

I use a "Tippy" as well, and find the embers do go out very quickly due to lack of oxygen and other ash on top. The lid seals well enough it would seem. Quite a bit different to just putting the ash and embers in a bucket or scuttle. The other point is that I always empty the ashpan in the morning - it holds enough to cope with 24hours worth. Being done in the morning, anyone on the boat is generally more active with doors being opened etc so less likely to succumb. Although I put the Tippy out in the cratch, neither of my CO alarms have been triggered; the nearest one has a digital display as well which hasn't shown any rise.

 

CO is a heavy gas which will seep insidiously through small cracks in your bow doors, if your CO alarm is then fixed higher than your sleeping head.............

 

Wrong. Very Wrong! CO has almost the same density as air. It does tend to rise inside as it usually come from a warm source and hot air rises.

 

Do NOT confuse CO with CO2 - Carbon Monoxide with Carbon Dioxide.