Gas cooker ventilation requirements

[Chris Green]

The Boat Safety Scheme says:-

The formula for calculating the fixed ventilation requirement ( in mm 2) is as follows:=

[2200 x U] + [650 x P] + [550 x H] + [440 x F],

where: U = input rating for all unflued appliances (inc. cookers) (in kW) P = number of persons for which the accommodation space is designed H = nominal output rating of all open ? flued solid fuel appliances (in kW) F = input rating for all open ? flued appliances (in kW)

For my (quite small) cooker I want to install on my boat this gives (ignoring everything else):-

2200 * 9.6 sq mm

as the cooker totals 9.6kW with three hobs, grill and oven.

Unless I'm going crazy 21120 sq mm is a hole about 100 x 200 mm which seems quite large to me. Can one reduce the kW input to the maximum that will be on simultaneously? That would reduce it a bit to 8kW.

It's still quite a big area of hole! I do realise it doesn't have to be a single hole. Can I include all the ventilators in the boat wherever they are or does the ventilation have to be within a certain distance of the cooker?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Chris Green formulated the question :

I would suggest, that you can count the area of all the ventilation, but only in the room where the appliance(S) is(are) located.

[Chris Green]

Boats don't really have 'rooms'. The galley is open with the saloon area, presumably ventilation to both areas can be counted.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Chris Green was thinking very hard :

If there are no doors or partitions between the areas, then I guess include all areas of ventilation.

[Brian Gaff]

Is not all this an issue with Co2? I remember something vague from my caravanning days where not only was cooking gas but lighting as well and you could actually feel yourself getting drowsy and the condensation, blimey.

I would have thought all of this was sorted out by now, but apparently not from your post. Brian

[Martin]

The problem is CO carbon monoxide poisoning. We cook in our boat with a hatch open or partly open, or with the top washboard removed. If you have doubts take a CO detector with you to your boat.

[Chris Green]

Yes, we have a CO alarm. However your '... with a hatch open or partly open...' would fail the Boat Safety Scheme requirements, the required amount of ventilation has to be 'uncloseable'. While my boat (as it's in France) doesn't have to conform to BSC requirements I suspect that the rules in France are pretty similar and, anyway, I'd prefer to follow the rules if I can.

[Martin]

My boat is not in UK either. Common sense prevails. I got rid of gas from my boat and from my kitchen. There are cases of people dying from CO poisoning every year, but all the cases I have seen reported are people who died in their sleep after closing everything and using gas to heat their boat. Any idea what the Recreational Craft Directory requires on boat ventilation?

[Chris Green]

Our boat heating is 'room sealed' so all exhaust goes outside.

I'd expect the Recreational Craft Directive to be aligned with the UK BSS. Looking at it there is simply a pointer to other documents in section G for Gas Appliances.

[Martin]

What about cooking? My boat doesn't have heating.

because RCD was written by an EU committee composed of members of the British Marine Federation? :-) One plus point of Brexit is that people in UK will be able to buy second hand boats from outside the EU without having to pay a prohibitive amount to have the boat inspected etc.to check if it conforms to RCD. On the minus side they seem to expect value of the pound to fall by 15% at Brexit.

Only professionals can afford a copy of RCD. I have a draft copy somewhere.