My recently purchased boat has a stove that was made for natural gas, but has been converted to propane. The surveyor says that this is a disaster just waiting to happen. The broker and former owner insist it is nothing to be concerned about. Can someone enlighten me?
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Robert Wenhold
CNG up, Propane down
I have CNG on the 37.5 I just purchased (1987). Experience with both CNG and propane are limited; everything I read and was told tells me that CNG is by far a safer gas to use, BUT, it's more expensive, and has fewer places where the gas can be purchased. I only use the stove and oven with CNG, so a tank will surely last for the season.
I have CNG on the 37.5 I just purchased (1987). Experience with both CNG and propane are limited; everything I read and was told tells me that CNG is by far a safer gas to use, BUT, it's more expensive, and has fewer places where the gas can be purchased. I only use the stove and oven with CNG, so a tank will surely last for the season.
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David
Propane
If your conversion to propane has been performed to the ABYC standards there should be no more of a problem than any other propane system. Was the stove converted professionally? Are the tanks in a dedicated locker vented at the bottom outside the vessel above the waterline? If not, are the tanks located outside of the vessel? Does the system have the correct hose and valves?
If your conversion to propane has been performed to the ABYC standards there should be no more of a problem than any other propane system. Was the stove converted professionally? Are the tanks in a dedicated locker vented at the bottom outside the vessel above the waterline? If not, are the tanks located outside of the vessel? Does the system have the correct hose and valves?
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Bob Howie
Disasters Waiting to Happen...NOT
I hear this drivel all the time about propane and explode-a-boat encounters which are simply statements NOT grounded in fact and which are made smack in the face of incontravertible evidence to the contrary. First, your boat -- just because it has a propane system aboard it -- doesn't doom it...and you...to an untimely, explosive demise. There are very few instances where boats, RV's, manufactured homes and site-built homes have exploded due to propane gas leaks. Yes, it can happen, but boats and RV's have generally not exploded due to propane leaks. In 30 years of running an RV park in south Mississippi, I can tell you definitively that we have never experienced an explosion or fire that was precipitated by a leaking propane gas system. Secondly, there are two key elements involved in the safe use of propane aboard boats. First, a quality, professional installation during which NO corners were cut in the interest of safety. If you will look in most boat equipment vendors' catalogs, you will find a typical propane installation that contains all the necessary components for a safe installation. The installation, then, has to be followed up with regular, periodic maintenance and inspection just a much as you would change the oil in your engine, check your bilge pumps, ac units and related equipment, safety gear and what-have-you board...assuming, of course, one is predisposed to safety maintenance to begin with. As a pilot with 33 years' experience, I regularly perform "pre-float" inspections on my equipment. CNG is typically more efficient than propane and you can put more CNG aboard than you can propane, but CNG is not as widely available as is propane. Certainly, the choice is yours. My only recommendation is that you make an educated, informed decision based on the facts and not the nonsensical, uneducated, misinformed opinions that are out there on this topic.
I hear this drivel all the time about propane and explode-a-boat encounters which are simply statements NOT grounded in fact and which are made smack in the face of incontravertible evidence to the contrary. First, your boat -- just because it has a propane system aboard it -- doesn't doom it...and you...to an untimely, explosive demise. There are very few instances where boats, RV's, manufactured homes and site-built homes have exploded due to propane gas leaks. Yes, it can happen, but boats and RV's have generally not exploded due to propane leaks. In 30 years of running an RV park in south Mississippi, I can tell you definitively that we have never experienced an explosion or fire that was precipitated by a leaking propane gas system. Secondly, there are two key elements involved in the safe use of propane aboard boats. First, a quality, professional installation during which NO corners were cut in the interest of safety. If you will look in most boat equipment vendors' catalogs, you will find a typical propane installation that contains all the necessary components for a safe installation. The installation, then, has to be followed up with regular, periodic maintenance and inspection just a much as you would change the oil in your engine, check your bilge pumps, ac units and related equipment, safety gear and what-have-you board...assuming, of course, one is predisposed to safety maintenance to begin with. As a pilot with 33 years' experience, I regularly perform "pre-float" inspections on my equipment. CNG is typically more efficient than propane and you can put more CNG aboard than you can propane, but CNG is not as widely available as is propane. Certainly, the choice is yours. My only recommendation is that you make an educated, informed decision based on the facts and not the nonsensical, uneducated, misinformed opinions that are out there on this topic.
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Garry @ S/V TASHTEGO
Hazards
The proposition that CNG is safer than propane is a myth. In the first place, propane and carbon dioxide have the same molecular weight but we don't find dead critters in the bilges asphyxiated by the accumulation of CO2. This is because, in spaces open to the atmosphere, CO2 (and propane) will diffuse away fast enough to remain at safe levels. The problem comes with two other factors: fast leaks (faster than diffusion can remove the gas) and enclosed spaces (which prevent the diffusion of the gas). These are dangerous conditions with either gas. Propane may form a pool in your bilges and reach explosive levels but CNG may form a bubble under your cockpit and do the same. Floating or sinking can both lead to dangerous concentrations in enclosed spaces. The only way to be safe is to make a competent installation with a gas tight locker drained overboard, an explosive gas detector with an alarm and good plumbing. Don't believe the myth that CNG is safer. Be careful and do the installation right, take the time to leak test your system often and you will be fine.
The proposition that CNG is safer than propane is a myth. In the first place, propane and carbon dioxide have the same molecular weight but we don't find dead critters in the bilges asphyxiated by the accumulation of CO2. This is because, in spaces open to the atmosphere, CO2 (and propane) will diffuse away fast enough to remain at safe levels. The problem comes with two other factors: fast leaks (faster than diffusion can remove the gas) and enclosed spaces (which prevent the diffusion of the gas). These are dangerous conditions with either gas. Propane may form a pool in your bilges and reach explosive levels but CNG may form a bubble under your cockpit and do the same. Floating or sinking can both lead to dangerous concentrations in enclosed spaces. The only way to be safe is to make a competent installation with a gas tight locker drained overboard, an explosive gas detector with an alarm and good plumbing. Don't believe the myth that CNG is safer. Be careful and do the installation right, take the time to leak test your system often and you will be fine.
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Jay Eaton
Stay with CNG!
If you are a Chesapeake Bay sailor and use CNG for cooking aboard, you may be able or want to stay with CNG. There is an equipment source and a very inexpensive fuel source readily available in Maryland. Sailors outside Maryland may want to check for local fuel sources. Anyway, before you decide to switch to propane or other cooking fuel, check out the NSHSA web site, http://users.zoominternet.net/~nevermor/index.html, for the CNG article. JAY EATON NSHSA Webmaster
If you are a Chesapeake Bay sailor and use CNG for cooking aboard, you may be able or want to stay with CNG. There is an equipment source and a very inexpensive fuel source readily available in Maryland. Sailors outside Maryland may want to check for local fuel sources. Anyway, before you decide to switch to propane or other cooking fuel, check out the NSHSA web site, http://users.zoominternet.net/~nevermor/index.html, for the CNG article. JAY EATON NSHSA Webmaster
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