Gas Locker - To Lock or Not To Lock, That is the question

[cheshire~rose]

On our boat we do not have a lock on our gas locker and have never felt any compulsion to secure it in any way.

 

Recently a group of us were discussing a newly fabricated gas locker on an old boat when someone suggested we need to get a decent padlock for it. I was surprised because I thought it was a safety feature NOT to lock the gas locker. I thought this was advisable so that, in the case of a fire nearby, the bottles could be easily accessed to be switched off or removed.

 

A quick poll of a handful of boat owners that were in the room at the time suggested a majority do lock theirs so I accepted that perhaps it was not a safety regulation to keep access available as I thought it was but I would be really interested to hear what others think.

 

My initial thought was people lock their gas locker to stop the bottles getting stolen but It was suggested that if "oiks" have access to the gas locker they could soon cause all sorts of serious damage with access to that gas.

 

It would also seem that if the fire brigade wanted to get to the bottles in a hurry they will have a bolt cropper that will make short work of any lock we did put on there so it would seem my argument for not locking it does not hold water.

 

I would be really interested to hear other peoples opinions and experiences on this matter.

Perhaps we need to get a hasp welded onto our boat!

[RLWP]

Paranoia!

 

Richard

[cheshire~rose]

Paranoia!

 

Richard

 

So are you a "locker" or not?

[Chewbacka]

I never lock mine. I keep meaning to fit a lockable bar across the hatch (inside) so anyone can get to the bottle to turn it off, but you can not get the bottle out. I have been thinking about this for a couple of years but so far have not bothered. Maybe one day......................

[RLWP]

 

So are you a "locker" or not?

 

Not! I want my bottle s to be easily removable in the event of fire

 

Can your paranoid friends show evidence of things having been done with gas bottles? I can't think of anything you could do that can't be done by cutting the pipe in the cratch area

 

Richard

[Steilsteven]

I'd rather that the bottles and shut valve were immediately accessible in the case of a fire.

 

Keith

[dogless]

Never put the padlock on.

Don't even bother if I leave the boat and turn off at the bottle.

I have a friend that always locks his house even when he's in it !

Makes him feel happier so that's fine with me.

If it worries you.....lock it. But I wouldn't say it's necessary.

Rog

[RLWP]

If it worries you.....lock it. But I wouldn't say it's necessary.

Rog

 

Then you can worry about how someone will turn off your gas when your gas boiler misfunctions and goes up in flames

 

Richard

[Laurie Booth]

This is what I have fitted to my Calor gas.

 

http://kingslock.co.uk/gasfuse-diy-fit-safety-gauge/p3270

 

I am interested in opinions, have I wasted my money?

[Martin Megson]

I don't lock it but but the bottles are secured with a chain and padlock.

[Scholar Gypsy]

This is what I have fitted to my Calor gas.

 

http://kingslock.co.uk/gasfuse-diy-fit-safety-gauge/p3270

 

I am interested in opinions, have I wasted my money?

 

I bought one, but could not get it to seal properly. Net contribution to safety = nil. So it is sitting in the junk box at present. I think a bubble tester is more use - that is on the project list.

 

I lock my locker when leaving the boat, but mainly because other stuff is stored there eg the hatchet.

Edited March 18, 2016 by Scholar Gypsy

[George94]

This is what I have fitted to my Calor gas.

 

http://kingslock.co.uk/gasfuse-diy-fit-safety-gauge/p3270

 

I am interested in opinions, have I wasted my money?

 

As a non-locker, I would say that that is a solution looking for a problem.

 

First, I don't need to know how much gas is left in a bottle. When it runs out, I switch over to the other one, and replace the empty one.

 

Second, for the leak detector to be any use I would have to look at the thing every day. I would soon get fed up with doing that.

 

Third, the emergency shut-off will presumably only work if there is a really big leak; otherwise it would switch off in normal use. Really big leaks are very unlikely to happen.

 

When I acquired my barge I found that the gas locker was designed for Dutch gas bottles, which are slightly narrower than ours, so I had to have a new one made. The yard would no doubt have suggested a lock if they thought such a thing was necessary, but they didn't.

 

One change I did make with gas safety in view was to change one of my impellor bilge pumps for a diaphragm pump. This will suck air or gas as well as water, and I run it for a few minutes every now and again to expel any gas that might have collected in the bilge. It's less likely to get blocked too.

 

You don't need a leak for gas to collect in the bilge. Every time you light the gas there is a chance that a little will run off unlit.

[Lmcgrath87]

We don't lock ours - would never occur to me to do so.

[ValandPete]

Never lock ours and never had a problem.

 

 

Val

[Nightwatch]

On our first boat the gas lockers were lockable. We lock up when leaving the boat. We don't lock on Nightwatch.

 

Our lockers are on the stern. Galley also at the stern.

 

Martyn

[Guest]

On our boat we do not have a lock on our gas locker and have never felt any compulsion to secure it in any way.

 

Recently a group of us were discussing a newly fabricated gas locker on an old boat when someone suggested we need to get a decent padlock for it. I was surprised because I thought it was a safety feature NOT to lock the gas locker. I thought this was advisable so that, in the case of a fire nearby, the bottles could be easily accessed to be switched off or removed.

 

A quick poll of a handful of boat owners that were in the room at the time suggested a majority do lock theirs so I accepted that perhaps it was not a safety regulation to keep access available as I thought it was but I would be really interested to hear what others think.

 

My initial thought was people lock their gas locker to stop the bottles getting stolen but It was suggested that if "oiks" have access to the gas locker they could soon cause all sorts of serious damage with access to that gas.

 

It would also seem that if the fire brigade wanted to get to the bottles in a hurry they will have a bolt cropper that will make short work of any lock we did put on there so it would seem my argument for not locking it does not hold water.

 

I would be really interested to hear other peoples opinions and experiences on this matter.

Perhaps we need to get a hasp welded onto our boat!

We never felt the need to lock ours on the Dog House and from memory I don't think any hire boat we have ever used had locks on the gas locker.

 

I always found it was such a chew getting the things out anyway that if anybody went to all the hassle they were welcome to them.

 

As you say the brigade will sharp find a way to get in if its safe to do so and anybody not trained in fire fighting risk shouldn't really be putting themselves in harms struggling trying to remove them from a burning boat, or arguably even trying to turn them off.

 

Or batteries weren't in a locked locker either and a set of them cost a lot more than a couple of gas bottles (even with a new hire agreement for each)

Edited March 18, 2016 by MJG

[Fender151]

I am sure like most folks, I have two gas bottles stored in a bow locker, the bottles are chained and padlocked together. You can't get two bottles out of the opening of the locker at the same time, but emergency crew could cut the chain, and lift them out, and/or turn off the gas supply.

Oiks with a bolt cutter could also cut the chain, but then they can also cut an external padlock.

 

This setup means I can switch over gas bottles when it runs out, as I am in the middle of cooking the evening meal, thank you Mr Murphy,. Seems fine to me.

[Phil.]

Ours is not locked. Better to lose a gas bottle or two rather than risk not being able to remove them in a fire.

[YamYam]

Never locked my gas locker, never seen the need, however on my last BSS was informed they needed to be chained together and fixed to the locker side. Thankfully thats all it failed on, just seemed strange that no one had pointed that out in the last 5 tests

[Guest]

While we are on about gas lockers and BSS - don't forget to keep the locker floor in good nick or your BSS inspector will mention it.

 

We were advised to get ours de-rusted and painted at our last BSS as it had got into a poor state despite some previous efforts by me.

 

Only a good de rust,treatment and re-paint will suffice, Half hearted efforts will not if your locker is the type were water enters through the bottom vents while the boat is under way (and there are a lot like this)

 

Matty40's of this parish did ours.

Edited March 18, 2016 by MJG

[bag 'o' bones]

Padlocks are for honest people. If you are determined they can be removed fairly easily!

[RLWP]

Padlocks are for honest people. If you are determined they can be removed fairly easily!

 

Until the other day, you could have removed the one on Tawny's slide very easily. It had decided not to lock anymore so for a couple of weeks it was just pretending. There's a shiny new replacement in place now

 

Richard

[YamYam]

While we are on about gas lockers and BSS - don't forget to keep the locker floor in good nick or your BSS inspector will mention it.We were advised to get ours de-rusted and painted at our last BSS as it had got into a poor state despite some previous efforts by me.Only a good de rust,treatment and re-paint will suffice, Half hearted efforts will not if your locker is the type were water enters through the bottom vents while the boat is under way (and there are a lot like this)Matty40's of this parish did ours.

Had that problem on my last but one test. The drainage holes in mine were about an inch above the foor, consequently the water build up in the corners had started to rot the floor. Couldn't get anyone interested in a welding job (access too awkward I think) so put down an inch of concrete. Floor now level with drainage holes and BSS inspectors satisfied

[haggis]

I thought it was a BSS thing that the gas locker hadn't t be locked shut but I must be wrong or the question wouldn't have cropped up here. My view of visible padlocks is that they indicate that there is something worth stealing in there :-) .

 

haggis

[BruceinSanity]

While we are on about gas lockers and BSS - don't forget to keep the locker floor in good nick or your BSS inspector will mention it.We were advised to get ours de-rusted and painted at our last BSS as it had got into a poor state despite some previous efforts by me.Only a good de rust,treatment and re-paint will suffice, Half hearted efforts will not if your locker is the type were water enters through the bottom vents while the boat is under way (and there are a lot like this)Matty40's of this parish did ours.

Yes, good move. We've had the base of the locker painted with Comastic, plus a couple of inches up the sides, and then popped two cheapo rubber mats down whilst the blacking was still tacky. The mats stop the often gritty bases of the cylinders from abrading the blacking, a dodge recommended by Mike Carter when he did the BSC on our previous boat.