Marine Gas Fitter required at Gulf Harbour

[Dtwo 157]

I believe I did a proper job, properly crimped alloy/plastic fixed piping, vented locker etc etc.  It isn't really an area where you want to cut corners, but in this world of Compliance and arse covering I'm interested in where I stand.  

[Nzgrant 19]

So if I want to change my system around so that the cylinder is not inside the boat, is it ok to use that flexible plasticy rubbery stuff Burnsco has?

[Frank 157]

The Cat rules state that you must be compliant with the relevant gas code.  AFAIK there is no way you would ever get a gas fitter to sign off the flexible connection to a gimballed stove, so it's all a crock of compliance crud.

Well ours did , the main feed from the bottle is solid copper with  a yellow plastic sleeve but the connections at either end are flexible.

[Island Time 1,284]

So if I want to change my system around so that the cylinder is not inside the boat, is it ok to use that flexible plasticy rubbery stuff Burnsco has?

Fixed lines are supposed to be copper. Flexi only for bottle and appliance connections.

[Dtwo 157]

Well ours did , the main feed from the bottle is solid copper with  a yellow plastic sleeve but the connections at either end are flexible.

 

Good to know, maybe my rather jaundiced view of the subject needs some adjustment!

[Fogg 427]

I wanted something done last year - to move my existing cockpit BBQ supply - and talked to Aquaplumb. They tried to take me down the route that my entire boat setup (BBQ and internal gas supply) was illegal and needed re-doing. And of course they quoted Wonga $$$ to do it. I chose to ignore them on the basis I have a 10yr old European production boat that was NZ-new and is totally unmodified.

[Guest 000]

We have a nice gas stove on board but for a variety of reasons peculiar to Europe we wanted a moveable two burner stove on board as well.

By recommendation, we bought a Dometic brand two burner methylated spirits unit and it has exceeded our expectations and Joke will just about use it in preference to the gas stove and especially now with the weather in Holland being a bit cold and damp. We find that the meths stove puts far less moisture into the cabin than the gas one does. In full-time usage (and we drink a lot of coffee) we use about a litre of meths per week. According to the cook it will boil half a litre of water in the same time or a little less than the gas one does but does not get quite as hot as gas should you want a smoking hot pan to sear the heck out of a slab of beef.

I think Dometic is available in NZ. We paid NZD200 for it, it's all stainless steel, well made and easily adaptable should you want to fabricate gimbals or fiddles. I can really recommend this one.

[Fish 0]

These meths stoves, if you wanted to use them irregularly as a heating source, how do they measure up for risks such as carbon monoxide and the like? 

I've always thought meths one of the most harmless fuels about. Certainly plenty of advantages over LPG, being moisture and risk of a flame out. I understand they aren't that hot, but we've only got a small saloon to heat. Heats up very quick with the LPG stove on. We couldn't justify installing a diesel heater, firstly due to cost and then to complexity of a retrofit, but a simple and safe heat source could be just the ticket.

 

What are the downsides?

[Guest 000]

I can appreciate your dilemma Fish.

Untold years ago two burner kero primus stoves were the thing and conventional wisdom then was to stand a clay flower pot upside down over the burner for warmth. The flower pot provided an enlarged radiant surface and would heat a small cabin quite nicely. Didn't deal with the moisture problem though.

However thinking about it, and dependent on your stove location and deck layout over it, it would be very simple to fold up a rangehood type thing out of sheet stainless and suspend it off and vent it through the deckhead via a piece of, say 75 mm dua s/s pipe. You would need a cap for it and also an insulated deckhead penetration - otherwise putting your boat on fire would generate a bit more heat than desired.

The flower pot would still radiate heat, the moisture laden combustion gasses would vent via the drain hole in the bottom of the pot and would be exhausted to the outside by the rangehood

Just a thought.

[Frank 157]

I still have an old Seven Seas marine pressurized alcohol  stove in the Carpenter, its been in use for 25 years and was secondhand when we purchased it.

 

There are a few tips n tricks but overall it has been very reliable and cheap to run.

 

I purchase a 20 litre drum of un-dyed meths from TMG in east tamaki about once every three seasons and it costs about $80. The dyed product will clog the burners slowly or at least that is my experience.

 

The flame certainly does not seem to be as hot as gas but you get by and there does not seem to be any moisture issues.

 

Other advantages other than simplicity is that it does not leave an odour  and if you have a fire you can put it out with water since they mix. Its handy as a mild solvent too !

 

The kero units burn hotter but my wife hates the smell, gotta listen to the boss:-)