Expert tips: Gas on boats with Robb from Optimum Gas Fitting
Gas on boats can be dangerous, and we’ve even heard a few stories of vessels exploding because of faulty fittings. We’re thankfully starting to see boaties take maintaining their gas systems a little more seriously and we’re getting a lot of questions from policyholders.
To provide some answers we sat down with Robb from Optimum Marine Gas Fitting, one of Auckland’s leading experts on the topic:
“I’ve been a gas fitter for about 17 years, specialising in the marine industry for seven. The reason we got into it was I’m a boatie myself, so I put the hobby and the trade together,” Robb said.
Garden hoses as gas lines: Common problems on Kiwi boats
As a keen boater himself, Robb’s seen a few fairly shocking gas setups on boats:
“There are a lot of old boats in New Zealand. That means the gas fitting was done many years ago. Some of the things that we see are regular garden hoses run as gas lines, califonts inside enclosed areas on vessels.”
Gas water heaters (califonts) inside enclosed areas are a big carbon monoxide poisoning risk, meaning if a leak occurs oxygen on the vessel could be depleted and its occupants could die. Other issues often occur due to old gear:
“The older appliances lack safety devices, which can result in an uncontrolled, unburnt amount of gas.”
All new devices are fitted with flame failure devices, which shut off the gas if the flame suddenly stops on something like a cooker. That way we don’t get uncontrolled gas spilling into the vessel. What can happen if you have an old appliance without a flame failure device is that you have a look at the oven, push the ignition again and BOOM - if you’re lucky you’ll only lose your eyebrows:
“The other things that we see are gas bottles sitting around, you know, under the galley bench top. Proper gas storage is a big thing.”
“And just the general maintenance and upkeep, we’ve gone to some boats where we just touched the gas hose and it’s literally just corroded in our hands from being so brittle.”
Six things to look out for
Whether you’re buying a new boat or checking your current vessel, look out for these six things to ensure your boat’s gas system and appliances are safe.
1. Sealed gas lockers
Your gas bottles should always be housed in a sealed compartment drained outboard that will stop any vapours from entering the vessel. This can prevent a faulty gas bottle from causing an explosion or fire.
2. Pipework in plastic-coated copper
Around 99% of the installations Robb does on boats use plastic-coated copper and there’s a good reason for that:
“The plastic sheeting protects the pipe over a long period of time. We’ve had some issues on the older boats, especially yachts where they’ve just run standard copper, you get a leak over time because the pipe corrodes.”
3. Gas detection system
Robb reckons a good gas detection system is crucial, especially on yachts:
“Most boats have got no low-level ventilation, with a yacht, the keel being under the water, there’s no way that you can vent any gas outboard. As we all know, gas, LPG leaks down.”
“Gas detection systems are a big one. Carbon monoxide detectors are really good to have on a boat as well.”
4. Gas certification
A telltale sign that a boat’s gas system is compliant is obviously a data plate or certification sticker from a gas fitter. These will tell you straight away whether a boat complies or not.
5. Flame failure devices on appliances
If you’re keeping old appliances, Robb says it’s important to make sure they have flame failure devices which shut the gas off if the flame goes out.
6. Permanent ventilation
Permanent ventilation isn’t always possible for some offshore boats, but for the majority of boaties running gas, it’s essential:
“I mean, for any burning gas appliance on a vessel, especially inside, you do want that permanent ventilation. That is key.”
Insurance and gas on boats
Ideally every vessel with gas on it would be certified, but here at Mariner, we know that’s not always the case. And when we insure a vessel, we’ll usually get a survey report or boat builders report, but Aaron Mortimer, Mariner CEO doesn’t expect these guys to be qualified gas fitters:
“So what we’ll often do is we might put a gas exclusion on and that might mean yes, we’ll still insure the boat, but we’ll exclude any claims or losses caused or exacerbated by the existing gas installation.”
Sometimes we have our owners ask if we’ll insure their vessels if they take the gas off until it's compliant, and we’re happy with that too.
With all that said, the best thing to do is always to get someone like Robb on your boat. A qualified gas fitter can have a look at the boat, see what needs to be done, get it certified and get you on your way. Another plus is that with certification in place, you won’t find yourself in a bind when you’re selling the boat where the buyer pulls out because they can’t get it insured.
Make sure your boat’s gas is safe today
If you’re reading this and wondering whether the gas on your boat is safe, don’t leave it to chance. Get in touch with Robb at Optimum Marine Gas Fitting to ask questions or arrange an up-to-date code of compliance for your vessel.
Phone: 0508 OPTIMUM (678 4686) Email: info@optimumplumbing.co.nz