Emergency - Carbon Monoxide

[spadefoot]

The ash in the bucket will stay warm & "cooking" for hours. Galvanised steel gives off poisonous fumes when heated.

[ditchcrawler]

The ash in the bucket will stay warm & "cooking" for hours. Galvanised steel gives off poisonous fumes when heated.

Also the ash in can give off loads of CO if still warm

[David Mack]

Carbon Monoxide is NOT CO2 (that would be Carbon Dioxide)

 

it is an odourless gas so the noxious / toxic smell is NOT carbon monoxide.

 

 

Carbon monoxide is odourless, but if you have poor combustion taking place there will often be noxious compounds produced by the incomplete combustion of sulphurs and other elements in the fuel, which will smell!

[Chewbacka]

Most CO alarms are sensitive to both Hydrogen and CO. Hydrogen typically comes from batteries that are being charged at a highish voltage.

 

CO can be from many sources. Smouldering charcoal is a very good source and includes disposable BBQs as well as hot ashes in a container - small unburnt bits will smoulder in the container and as the Oxygen levels are low will produce lots of CO.

 

A leaky stove or flue inside the boat will release CO and can do so until it is cold inside the stove.

 

Electrical overload can also burn PVC insulation, but if the fuses are correct they should blow long before any wiring overheats. However some cheap LED lamps have been known to get very hot and burn the PCB and often will not blow the fuse. They do have a horrible acrid smell if they do this.

 

So I would check the above, especially as said above, NEVER keep an ash container that has hot ashes inside the boat. It can take many hours for it to stop smouldering inside and the outside of the container can be cold to touch. Don't put outside the boat and close to doors or other vents as the fumes may drift in.

[Rickent]

My money is on the ash bucket. NEVER KEEP YOUR ASH BUCKET INSIDE THE BOAT.

When my alarm went off last year it was hydrogen from my knackered batteries that triggered it.

[skell50]

Hi , I had a similar problem last night , I have been burning smokeless fuel in my woodburner , as it has been so cold I have been keeping it burning for 3 or 4 days , just clearing out the ash each night and reloading , air controls are only opened up to get the fire going again , then back to just open to slow the burn .

 

The carbon monoxide alarm wen t off last night , we opened doors for a bit , alarm went off , then we had an anxious night setting alarm clock every 2 hours to check things!

 

I saw the post about tippy bucket , I have a metal bucket by door and I haven't emptied for 2 days , is this maybe a cause? Also I haven't swept the chimney yet as used fire for 3 months at start of year , used again this winter for a month or so.

 

Any thoughts?

[Top cat]

Thanks for the warnings about the ash bucket on the front deck, we have been putting it there and so far got away with it. But henceforth will put it on the towpath ( out of the way).

 

Top Cat

[rusty69]

Hi , I had a similar problem last night , I have been burning smokeless fuel in my woodburner , as it has been so cold I have been keeping it burning for 3 or 4 days , just clearing out the ash each night and reloading , air controls are only opened up to get the fire going again , then back to just open to slow the burn .

 

The carbon monoxide alarm wen t off last night , we opened doors for a bit , alarm went off , then we had an anxious night setting alarm clock every 2 hours to check things!

 

I saw the post about tippy bucket , I have a metal bucket by door and I haven't emptied for 2 days , is this maybe a cause? Also I haven't swept the chimney yet as used fire for 3 months at start of year , used again this winter for a month or so.

 

Any thoughts?

 

What kind of smokeless are you burning in your Woodburner? I would have thought well seasoned wood was the best option. Also did the alarm go off soon after you opened the door to empty the ash?

[hackenbush]

On my way back to boat now. The ash bucket could definitely be a cause as I too have been decanting ash and relighting fresh fire

[skell50]

Its a multifuel stove , just use kindling to start the fire , emptied ash when I got in from work , but alarm went off about 2 hours later.

 

Fire was dying down a bit so I had just opened the air vents out to get red coals again .

[Rickent]

Opening the air vents should not release any carbon monoxide into the boat as the air flowing in should push all the fumes up the chimney, providing the chimney isn't blocked.

[rusty69]

Its a multifuel stove , just use kindling to start the fire , emptied ash when I got in from work , but alarm went off about 2 hours later.

 

Fire was dying down a bit so I had just opened the air vents out to get red coals again .

I would think it's the hot ash causing the problem. I also find gusty windy weather can cause havoc

[alan_fincher]

I saw the post about tippy bucket , I have a metal bucket by door and I haven't emptied for 2 days , is this maybe a cause?

 

If you mean you are emptying ash into a bucket inside the boat, I'd almost guarantee that this is what is setting off a detector.

 

Try moving the detector close to the bucket, and I think you will prove the point.

 

But not sweeping chimney for months is also a bad idea.

[skell50]

Thanks for advice , will keep ash bucket outside now , and sweep chimney asap.

 

Is it ok to keep the stove burning 24/7 if its cold , I have no central heating at the moment and getting in to a cold boat at 7 at night is so depressing , its so nice to return to a warm boat!!

[rusty69]

Thanks for advice , will keep ash bucket outside now , and sweep chimney asap.

 

Is it ok to keep the stove burning 24/7 if its cold , I have no central heating at the moment and getting in to a cold boat at 7 at night is so depressing , its so nice to return to a warm boat!!

It's fine to keep it in 24/7 if the stove is in good condition and well maintained.

 

It is said, cast iron stoves have a tendency to crack. Ive not yet experienced this but could obviously be a problem if the stove fell apart as a result.

Edited November 12, 2016 by rusty69

[Alan de Enfield]

It's fine to keep it in 24/7 if the stove is in good condition and well maintained

 

AND

You have working Co alarms, keep all ventilation clear (unblocked) and follow a basic safety routine.

 

It is not just SF stoves - any 'burning' can cause Co

Gas Cookers / Grills

Gas Central heating (example - Alde)

Gas Water heaters (example - Morco)

Diesel Heaters (example - Webasto, Eberspacher, etc etc)

Boat Engine(diesel or petrol)

[Richard10002]

Hot ash on an open tray by the stove set my CO alarms off 5 years ago. I quickly discovered the dangers and no hot ash remains in the boat other than in the stove since that moment.

 

Sounds like hot ash to me. Get rid of the ash and dispose of it outside away from the boat every time you remove it from the stove.

 

The true test would then be to light the stove and monitor the CO alarm.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

The true test would then be to light the stove and monitor the CO alarm.

 

The OP also has broken glass in his stove.

If the fire is turned down onto 'tick-over' this could also be a source of leakage.

[alan_fincher]

Yes, to be clear we also made the same mistake on the latest boat. The previous owner was clearly emptying ash into a bucket tucked into a corner beside the stove, and I didn't have immediate qualms about doing the same.

 

Big mistake! - after at least two nights where we didn't twig what was setting the alarms off, once we moved a sensor near the bucket it went sky high. The bucket was then dumped outside in the early hours of the morning, but even many hours later when we placed the detector next to it it went off immediately.

 

We have fully learned our mistake!

 

We have had a further incident since, when stove was not in use. That proved to be a bad battery in the bank on charge in the engine room. Amazingly our engine room is physically detached from the cabin with the alarms in, and it wasn't obvious at first to me that any gas could be making it between one and the other.

 

Almost certainly the CO detector saved us from an "exploded" battery with all the horrors of Sulphuric acid spread everywhere. The battery involved was already hot, and somewhat bulging.

 

I'm a great believer in the alarms!

[mross]

You must repair the cracked glass as soon as possible. If crack leaves a 2mm gap it would be a BSS failure. Plus the fact that the crack could spread at any time.

Edited November 12, 2016 by mross

[Dave_P]

No to the battery, yes to the tippy. I have an ash bucket with a lid

 

 

I keep hearing things like this. Why are people storing ash in or on their boats? Could do with a campaign from CRT about it as there seems to be a lot of people doing this.

[mross]

I keep my Tippy in the cratch and have never had a problem. But next time I'm on my boat I will check to see if any CO is detectable near the Tippy or near the vents in the door. The cratch or cockpit has drains which might be protecting me. I certainly wouldn't keep hot ashes inside the boat for fear of starting a fire.

[tosher]

A friend had the same problem with CO alarm going off a couple of months ago. Found two of his bank of four services batteries very hot, casings split and leaking acid. Replaced all four and no more alarms.

[Jim Riley]

Why keep hot ash, tip it somewhere wet, fill holes in towpath, fertilise the hedgerow etc.

[BruceinSanity]

Why keep hot ash, tip it somewhere wet, fill holes in towpath, fertilise the hedgerow etc.

Fine, but if you tip it under the hedge, please spread it out a bit, not leave it in a useless mucky heap.