I can't seem to find a hand held propane sniffer to use on board. Is there such a thing, any suggestions?
Hand held Propane Sniffer
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Propane sniffer
You can find a simple propane gas detector at Camper's World....around $25. Works fine. It looks like a butane lighter....so you can poke the tip into small areas down low. Regards, David Aquarius 23 Scotch Mist Phoenix
You can find a simple propane gas detector at Camper's World....around $25. Works fine. It looks like a butane lighter....so you can poke the tip into small areas down low. Regards, David Aquarius 23 Scotch Mist Phoenix
Fixed Propane Sniffer
At the start of each voyage on arrival on board, I switch on our hard-wired sniffer at the nav station with a sensor lower in the boat. It remains on until I switch off the house battery breaker switch at the end of the voyage when leaving the boat. Seems to me that after a while one could forget to wave the hand-held wand. The batteries could also fail. The dog could also run off with the Campers World unit.Activating a hard-wired sniffer should be a part of your pre-departure procedures. Works for me.
At the start of each voyage on arrival on board, I switch on our hard-wired sniffer at the nav station with a sensor lower in the boat. It remains on until I switch off the house battery breaker switch at the end of the voyage when leaving the boat. Seems to me that after a while one could forget to wave the hand-held wand. The batteries could also fail. The dog could also run off with the Campers World unit.Activating a hard-wired sniffer should be a part of your pre-departure procedures. Works for me.
Sniffer in engine compartment
I installed a propane detector in my boat, and put one sniffer just below the stove. I was thinking of putting another somewhere near the engine compartment. My question is if I install it inside the engine compartment whether there would be enough residual fumes to set it off.
I installed a propane detector in my boat, and put one sniffer just below the stove. I was thinking of putting another somewhere near the engine compartment. My question is if I install it inside the engine compartment whether there would be enough residual fumes to set it off.
It's possible to get a hidden puncture in gas line
That's why you should have a sniffer along with solenoid shut off valve etc. The amount of propane that could leak into your bilge (lowest point) from a hidden puncture (even though you had already shut off the tank at the propane locker),would be enough to blow you sky high.
That's why you should have a sniffer along with solenoid shut off valve etc. The amount of propane that could leak into your bilge (lowest point) from a hidden puncture (even though you had already shut off the tank at the propane locker),would be enough to blow you sky high.
I am not sure how you could get a puncture
in a propane line. Mine is all 3/8 type L copper tubing. Short of driving a nail or an ice pick it is pretty much immune to puncture . The flexible hose has nearly a 3/16 wall thickness and except for a squirrel chewing through the line on my grill at home, I have never heard of a failure. There is a small pressure gauge between the tank and the regulator in my system. When I turn the gas on, I pressurize the system and shut the gas off and observe the gauge for several minutes. If it is stable( it always has been) I open the tank valve and make tea. All of my burners have a thermocouple safety valve on them so if the flame go out the gas is shut off.
in a propane line. Mine is all 3/8 type L copper tubing. Short of driving a nail or an ice pick it is pretty much immune to puncture . The flexible hose has nearly a 3/16 wall thickness and except for a squirrel chewing through the line on my grill at home, I have never heard of a failure. There is a small pressure gauge between the tank and the regulator in my system. When I turn the gas on, I pressurize the system and shut the gas off and observe the gauge for several minutes. If it is stable( it always has been) I open the tank valve and make tea. All of my burners have a thermocouple safety valve on them so if the flame go out the gas is shut off.
Ross, not sure how my friends line broke....
Ross: I am not sure how my friends gas line from his house to his fire pit in his back yard broke either but it did. They had natural gas bills of $500-600/mo. To determine what was causing the issue they turned off every gas applicance, but the meter was still spinning. The gas company came out and sniffed out a leak under 5-6" of concrete. The gas man said that if they would have lit the fire pit, they would have probably had blow up the entire neighborhood. The broken line was a steel gas line, not soft copper or tubing that could rub on almost anything over time and create a leak. If you are going to work with gases that are heavier than air (including gasoline) a sniffer is a prudent method to prevent disaster.
Ross: I am not sure how my friends gas line from his house to his fire pit in his back yard broke either but it did. They had natural gas bills of $500-600/mo. To determine what was causing the issue they turned off every gas applicance, but the meter was still spinning. The gas company came out and sniffed out a leak under 5-6" of concrete. The gas man said that if they would have lit the fire pit, they would have probably had blow up the entire neighborhood. The broken line was a steel gas line, not soft copper or tubing that could rub on almost anything over time and create a leak. If you are going to work with gases that are heavier than air (including gasoline) a sniffer is a prudent method to prevent disaster.
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