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CO detector?

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Forum Name: 345/348
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Topic: CO detector?

Posted By: bigcat
Subject: CO detector?
Date Posted: 23 January 2015 at 23:44

Have people installed a CO detector on their 345?

If so, which model and where did they mount it?

Replies:

Posted By: silversailor
Date Posted: 24 January 2015 at 03:28

I've installed 3 combo propane/smoke detectors on my H 370: one in the galley area (low) and one each at the entrance to both sleeping areas (high). This may be overkill, but it has no downside other than the cost of an extra detector or two.

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Silversailor
South Haven, MI USA
S/V Legacy
2010 Andrews 28

Posted By: Mark&Catherine
Date Posted: 24 January 2015 at 06:36

We just bought one from a hardware shop and placed it below the bottom step on the companionway so it's Low

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385 ubulukutu sail number GBR 3350L in Turkey and Greece with Mark and Catherine

Posted By: bigcat
Date Posted: 25 January 2015 at 01:31

Are you not supposed to place these a certain distance away from the galley to prevent false alarms?

Also, which unit did you get? I assume it does some averaging? Did you hardwire to 12V or is it battery operated?

Posted By: Mark&Catherine
Date Posted: 25 January 2015 at 04:47

We have a kidde, and he's you don't want it under the cooker, but we have never had a false alarm with it under the bottom step. It's battery operated, but the battery goes for years.

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385 ubulukutu sail number GBR 3350L in Turkey and Greece with Mark and Catherine

Posted By: bigcat
Date Posted: 25 January 2015 at 17:56

I read that residential CO detectors are not suited for RVs or boats, so I was looking at this unit:

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/mti-adventurewear--safe-t-alert-carbon-monoxide-alarm--15544356

They are quite a bit more expensive than the residential units but they do time averaging on the sensor to prevent false alarms. I'll probably mount it close to the electric panel, low to the ground, to have easy 12V access.

See also: http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/course_re-write/carbonmonoxide.html

Posted By: Mark&Catherine
Date Posted: 25 January 2015 at 18:25

What reason do they give for dismissing residential units?

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385 ubulukutu sail number GBR 3350L in Turkey and Greece with Mark and Catherine

Posted By: Lippe
Date Posted: 25 January 2015 at 18:33

Hi,
It is quite seldom people install CO detector in their boats. Regular fire alarm units do not recognice CO. It is very recommended to have gas detector (for butane/propane due to the gas cooker/owen) and fire alarm for gases form a fire. CO detectors are used often in rooms with a fireplace where CO can born because of limited oxyxen supply and when chiney is closed too fast when there is still some burning process in fireplace (or wood heated saunas. Do you like to have because of possble exhaust gases from engine?

Posted By: bigcat
Date Posted: 26 January 2015 at 03:17

Mark, I think it's the false alarms. I actually had gotten a CO detector from Costco but reading the instructions the recommended distance of installation from galley and bathrooms made it unsuitable.

But if it works for you, all the better!

Lippe, back when we purchased our previous boat I had attended a Power Squadrons safety class and installing a CO detector was one of their recommendations. I'm not sure how necessary it is but I figure it's not expensive so better safe than sorry.

On that note, on our previous boat we did install a residential unit and never had any issues.

We were at the SF boat show this weekend and saw these units installed on the more expensive motor yachts, but never on production sailboats...

Posted By: Mark&Catherine
Date Posted: 26 January 2015 at 05:48

Hi, yes we know CO is perhaps unusual to be created on a boat, but its deadly if it happens.

We have a motor home with gas heating, and they always recommend CO detectors in case the gas doesn't burn efficiently. We have a diesel heater on the boat, which I assume could do the same.

Also we had a sad case in our village when two people on a narrow boat (canal boat) died when their heater gave off CO overnight.

So all in all and for less than 10 Euro, we decided better safe than sorry. Perhaps some domestic detectors are too sensitive for boats? Ours said it must be a metre away from the cooker, which it is and we never have any problem as I say.

We looked at the wired in combined detectors, and decided to save that money for other things, since the domestic sensors for fire and CO are SOOOOO cheap and we rely on them at home.

I would like one of those hand held detectors though, I think Honywell make those, for poking around in the bilges.

Mark

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385 ubulukutu sail number GBR 3350L in Turkey and Greece with Mark and Catherine

Posted By: Lippe
Date Posted: 26 January 2015 at 16:55

Hi,
In case one has traditional heating device (like reflex) inside the boat, a CO detector is very much recommendable. Did the old couple in their narrow boat have such? I dont wish to be referred saying any detector is useless or not needed at all but say a fire-alarm and gas propane/butane detector may be first onces to install in our type of boat,

Kari