OBXTucker
Legendary Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,052
- Status
- OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
- Hatteras Model
- 58' LRC (1975 - 1981)
The marina informed me my First Alert Smoke/CO alarms went off the other day. I have 4 of these units on the boat (outside the engine room door, forward berth, master stateroom and kitchen). The alarms were signaling high CO levels as follows:
Kitchen 52ppm
Guest 59ppm
Engine 57ppm
Master 165ppm
They ventilated the boat and all levels returned to 0. They still don't know what triggered the alarms. No boats near our slip at the moment. Some engine work has been done......
Nevermind.....in the time I was typing this, I figured out the problem.
When they moved her back over to her original slip, they forgot to remove the plastic used to cover the engine room portals (thus no ventilation in the engine room), which caused the carbon monoxide to build up in there, as well as in the MS....
As a sidenote, this caused me to do a little research on carbon monoxide poisoning. Here are some interesting/frightening statistics:
30 PPM Permissible Average over 8 hours
200 PPM Maximum for acute exposure
800 PPM Lethal < 2 hour exposure
Sources: Combustion - furnaces, boilers, space-heaters, stove tops, hot water heaters ( gas), clothes dryers (gas), wood stoves, fireplaces, BBQ's, tobacco smoking, combustion engines, candles, incense, kerosene lanterns, propane appliances. Official recommendation: concentration levels should be below 30 PPM average exposure.
Our recommendation: safe concentration levels are 0 (zero), the hazard increases dramatically above 30 PPM. Average occupational exposures above 10PPM (sustained through the work day) are unacceptable if your goal is normal function and good health long term. Smokers provide their own personal supply of carbon monoxide and may have exposure levels above safe limits when their personal CO exposure is added to ambient air exposure.
The First Alert models I installed worked EXACTLY as they were designed and would have prevented a serious trajedy had we been on the boat. They are CHEAP insurance and easy to install. I highly recommend them!!
PS: This should have probably gone into the General Discussion heading. I the mods feel it should be moved, please do so.
Kitchen 52ppm
Guest 59ppm
Engine 57ppm
Master 165ppm
They ventilated the boat and all levels returned to 0. They still don't know what triggered the alarms. No boats near our slip at the moment. Some engine work has been done......
Nevermind.....in the time I was typing this, I figured out the problem.
When they moved her back over to her original slip, they forgot to remove the plastic used to cover the engine room portals (thus no ventilation in the engine room), which caused the carbon monoxide to build up in there, as well as in the MS....As a sidenote, this caused me to do a little research on carbon monoxide poisoning. Here are some interesting/frightening statistics:
30 PPM Permissible Average over 8 hours
200 PPM Maximum for acute exposure
800 PPM Lethal < 2 hour exposure
Sources: Combustion - furnaces, boilers, space-heaters, stove tops, hot water heaters ( gas), clothes dryers (gas), wood stoves, fireplaces, BBQ's, tobacco smoking, combustion engines, candles, incense, kerosene lanterns, propane appliances. Official recommendation: concentration levels should be below 30 PPM average exposure.
Our recommendation: safe concentration levels are 0 (zero), the hazard increases dramatically above 30 PPM. Average occupational exposures above 10PPM (sustained through the work day) are unacceptable if your goal is normal function and good health long term. Smokers provide their own personal supply of carbon monoxide and may have exposure levels above safe limits when their personal CO exposure is added to ambient air exposure.
The First Alert models I installed worked EXACTLY as they were designed and would have prevented a serious trajedy had we been on the boat. They are CHEAP insurance and easy to install. I highly recommend them!!
PS: This should have probably gone into the General Discussion heading. I the mods feel it should be moved, please do so.
