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Stove Flue (or lack of!!)


dianah

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Hello! It'll be my first winter as a liveaboard boater :) I was looking for some advice re: my narrowboat stove- if anyone would be so kind as to help me out please?

 

I currently have a stove installed but there is no outside flue. The smoke would exit via a mushroom vent. I was wondering if this is a common feature of narrowboats? Also if it is safe? Thankyou....

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Thankyou both!! Hmmm, I thought that might be the case! Does anyone happen to know of anyone in london who might undertake that kind of work (fit a flue and make sure everything is safe with the stove). Thanks a million

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I take it that you do have a flu pipe though leading from the stove up to this vent Dinah? And not just sitting round a flu-pipeless stove with the smoke just curling up past you to the vent, like a Red Indian squaw sitting in a Wigwam with no flu but just a hole in the peak for smoke to escape out of.

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There are lots of regulations governing the safe installation of a stove and flue (I know because I have been researching them as I am about to reinstall my stove after removing it to replace floor beneath it). There is a reason there are lots of regs: Stoves are dangerous!

 

Carbon monoxide (a leftover product after the fire uses oxygen from the air to burn) is very poisonous. It is also invisible and odourless. Always have a carbon monoxide alarm on a boat with a SF stove. Proper flue installation, and ventilation, are essential if you want to stay alive!

 

The mushroom vent you mentioned is so that fresh air can come in (for you to keep breathing) if it has some sort of Heath Robinson affair rigged up to vent smoke out of the boat this is double bad news.

 

This link shows you the standards that a professional will follow to install your stove properly: http://www.soliftec.com/Boat%20Stoves%201-page.pdf

 

Meanwhile, I hope it stays warm until you get it sorted. I hope the same for myself....

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Does the boat have a BSS by any chance?

 

Be well worth hunting down the examiner and checking why he passed it. Or reporting him the the BSS office.

 

 

MtB

That's assuming the BSS Examiner even saw the flue in that condition.....the stove etc may well have been fitted by the boat seller after the BSS.

 

Dianah - - could you please photograph the stove & flue and post it on here so we can give a more detailed reply (other than it is certainly not legal/acceptable/safe)

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If there's a flue leading outside, with a mushroom vent on the top, that could be the "summer" configuration, with a chimney fitted for winter. Just a thought.

 

That's a thought could it be one of these?

 

On top of the flue collar.

 

HF-403_DetailEnlarge.jpg

Edited by Ray T
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Does the boat have a BSS by any chance?

 

Be well worth hunting down the examiner and checking why he passed it. Or reporting him the the BSS office.

 

 

MtB

Is that right (he said with some trepidation) if there is a fire on as boat but no flue then it would be classed as "not installed" wouldn't it? I got my BSS with a flue but no fire, having part of the kit but not all of it means there isn't an "installation" as such to check as it's not functioning.

I'm reading to OP as a stove, stood there not connected to anything and the smoke will float out of the top of the stove drifting up through the boat and out through the mushrooms, killing Dianah in the process but at the same time preserving her for us all to enjoy with a fine Chianti.

Any chance of some Pics D?

K

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That's assuming the BSS Examiner even saw the flue in that condition.....the stove etc may well have been fitted by the boat seller after the BSS.

 

Dianah - - could you please photograph the stove & flue and post it on here so we can give a more detailed reply (other than it is certainly not legal/acceptable/safe)

 

 

A BSS includes a 'Schedule of Appliances'. If the stove is there on it he must have seen it, inspected it and passed it.

 

OTOH if it is missing from the Schedule of Appliances G&F is right and it wasn't there during the inspection.

 

Unless it was the boaty equivalent of that phenomenon known in the world of property surveying as a 'drive-by survey'. A great method of making a fortune for a limited period of time until you are caught out!

 

 

MtB

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Thank you all so much for your comments, I really appreciate it. The boat does have a BSS cert- not sure how though! Will have a look on the roof when its daylight re: possible 'summer' attachment, would be great if it turns out to be that. Thanks again.

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Welcome to the forum Dianah.

 

What do you mean by 'stove' and 'mushroom vent'?

 

Some gas boilers like the Alde can be safely and legally vented through a fixed mushroom vent. A gas 'cooking' stove requires fixed ventilation but must not be used as a heating appliance.

 

A solid fuel (wood, coal etc.) or oil stove needs a good length of flue above the roof and yet more ventilators to provide the fresh air that it consumes.

 

Make certain that you are safe. A decent sleeping bag or quilt will ensure your survival through the coldest nights. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odourless, killer gas. In any case install a CO alarm, £20 or £30 (digital) from B&Q etc. for the best 'Fire Angel' brand that lasts for seven years. With my gas oven on, despite more than adequate ventilation according to the BSS requirement, my digital CO alarm is registering 24ppm, not far from the 'acceptable' 35ppm for eight hours. Opening a door or window will soon reduce the concentration to <10%.

 

Alan

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Welcome to the forum Dianah.

 

What do you mean by 'stove' and 'mushroom vent'?

 

Some gas boilers like the Alde can be safely and legally vented through a fixed mushroom vent. A gas 'cooking' stove requires fixed ventilation but must not be used as a heating appliance.

 

No it doesn't... Not under the GSIUR at least!

 

:)

 

MtB

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Very curious to see some pictures of your stove set up Dianah.

 

Posting pics on here can be a little tricky, one easy way is to post on facebook and just copy a link in. (But please check your facebook settings for the pics allow anyone to view, and are not set to friends only!)

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Evening all! Thank you so much for the advice, I am really grateful for it as I was clearly about to CO poison myself with the current set up!

 

Yet again day light is not on my side so can't take pictures. Basically it's a wood/coal burning stove with a straight chimney which comes out through a mushroom vent- By this I mean an air vent with mushroom cap.

 

Now, Ive read the advice in the link posted by tom richmond- thanks :) so now I have a couple more questions (sorry!)

 

If I were to install an outside chimney then would this become a safe system? (Assuming all other safety points were adhered to). Should a chimney liner be used-not really sure what one of those is for exactly (showing yet more ignorance im afraid!)

 

Thanks again

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If I were to install an outside chimney then would this become a safe system? (Assuming all other safety points were adhered to). Should a chimney liner be used-not really sure what one of those is for exactly (showing yet more ignorance im afraid!)

 

Here's a link to the way a stove should be installed

http://www.soliftec.com/Boat%20Stoves%201-page.pdf

The important things are:

Stove, well screwed down with fire rope on the door to keep all the gases in and a flue pipe fixed airtight to the top of the stove exiting through the roof so none of the carbon monoxide can get into the living area.

The flue pipe can exit the boat either through a collar or go straight out as long as it's sealed and not too close to anything to be a a fire risk.

On top of the roof you need a chimney, generally about 2 feet long as fires seem to need about 6-7 or more (depends on the fire) feet of flue and chimney piping to ensure all the gases are drawn out and there is no risk of them getting blown back on a windy day.

I think the notes on the pdf explain what you need to do without necessarily explaining why but it's all for a good reason so this is what you're aiming for.

Hope that helps

K

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Thanks for all the advice. I think its too much of a safety issue for me to be trying to fix this myself. Will be going up to the local boat yard in a couple of weeks to get it sorted professionally. Thank god for this forum or I would be none the wiser and would probably have tried to use it as is!

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I think you are wise to get professional help... It is possible as a DIY job, but always good to get help with the potentially dangerous bits.

 

And you were wise to come on the forum and ask about it.

 

Well done!

 

As your reward, you are not going to die of CO poisoning this month!

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I think you are wise to get professional help... It is possible as a DIY job, but always good to get help with the potentially dangerous bits.

 

And you were wise to come on the forum and ask about it.

 

Well done!

 

As your reward, you are not going to die of CO poisoning this month!

 

 

Or at least, not from CO from the solid fuel stove!

 

Gas appliances are just as big a risk and given the stupidity demonstrated by the previous owner with the stove, I'd suggest getting the gas appliances checked too. Especially the water heater, if there is one.

 

MtB

 

 

MtB

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