Keep your boat stocked

[Donna]

One night last week started out like any other night. I have a nightly routine at my house before going to bed. I finally crawled in with the dog around 11:30pm.

I was watching T.V. for about 15 minutes when my carbon monoxide detectors went off. I jumped out of bed and opened doors along the way. Grabbed the dog , my phone, purse and keys. By this time the C.O. detectors were no longer sounding. I locked the doors and went to my boat.

I keep my boat fully stocked at all times and boy am I glad I did. I did not have to worry about clothes, food, not even for the dog or anything else. I was able to move in on a moments notice and not need a thing.

I will always keep my boat stocked.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Thanks goodness - but did you find the C.O. source in your home? Or was it a false alarm? Nice to have the boat close to your home!

 

[Donna]

The following morning I returned home and did not go in. I called the fire dept to come out and check levels. The C.O. panel detected an event, however, no cause was found. My underground propane tank did empty though. All propane has been shut off and I am still waiting on the company to test all my propane appliances and fireplace. Can't cook at home, but I'm kinda enjoying that! If I get the urge to cook, I'll do it on the boat! LOL!

 

[rwidman]

Our boat is kept stocked. We spend weekends on it at the marina.

 

[lowcountry]

Ours is fully stocked with alcohol. That counts, right?

 

[BandB]

The following morning I returned home and did not go in. I called the fire dept to come out and check levels. The C.O. panel detected an event, however, no cause was found. My underground propane tank did empty though. All propane has been shut off and I am still waiting on the company to test all my propane appliances and fireplace. Can't cook at home, but I'm kinda enjoying that! If I get the urge to cook, I'll do it on the boat! LOL!

Wifey B: Hope they figure it all out, but so glad you took no chances and got out of Dodge. That's an old phrase that I have no idea about but it sounds good I guess. Wild West or something. We've always thought of that if for some reason we had to leave our house. We don't keep a boat all that well stocked though. Maybe we should.

 

[Shrew]

@B&B

It refers to Dodge City, Kansas.

 

[BandB]

@B&B

It refers to Dodge City, Kansas.

Wifey B: I figure it's dangerous there. Well, was...like a bazillion years ago. They think the phrase came from Gunsmoke. Wasn't that the show where the bad guys were really lousy shots with guns so they always shot first but missed. Actually I've watched old reruns of it a couple of times but it ended before I was born.

 

[stubones99]

I found out that a diaper pail put off whatever it takes to false alarm the First Alert CO detectors... Sent a note to them and about 4 months later got a reply saying ooops, here's a replacement cartridge or two.

 

[k9medic]

We do the same.

We are on out boat just about every weekend and we keep a duplicate of everything on it.

If the electricity went to crap for too long we could head to the boat and hang out on the generator for at least 14 days before we would need fuel again...

 

[janice142]

When the power went off here in St. Pete during the last tropical storm it was such fun to know life for me would not change. Actually it got better. The neighbor normally plays "music" way too LOUD for my preference. When his stereo stopped I was able to listen to Blue Eyes serenade me. That was great!

Congratulations Donna on being smart enough to evacuate. I'm glad you and your pup are safe. Isn't owning a fully stocked boat awesome?!?

 

[psneeld]

When the power went off here in St. Pete during the last tropical storm it was such fun to know life for me would not change. Actually it got better. The neighbor normally plays "music" way too LOUD for my preference. When his stereo stopped I was able to listen to Blue Eyes serenade me. That was great!

Congratulations Donna on being smart enough to evacuate. I'm glad you and your pup are safe. Isn't owning a fully stocked boat awesome?!?

Nicely put Janice...

The problem for us single engine liveaboards is the opposite....in a high priced area and forced to leave the boat...well, that applies to any stranded cruiser without deep pockets.

Glad you are fine Donna and made the best of it...surprised you just didn't cast off and head for the Bahamas...close to leaving?

 

[Scratchnsaw]

Glad things worked out for you and hope you find the cause.. As a side note pertaining to being stocked, well since we live in a hurricane prone area one of the first things folks rush out for when storm warnings are put up is milk and bread

. Well if things look like a serious event, the first thing I make sure to obtain is ice. We used to empty our bait freezers on our fishing boats and refill them with as many bags as we could get. Its amazing how many bags we passed around after a storm passed by to people that needed it and never thought about it for their meats, and yes their cocktails too.

 

[Donna]

It worked out well. I actually enjoyed staying on the boat even through the lightening storm we had. It was kinda cool.

The in ground propane tank did empty, so the level in the house must have been pretty high. The propane company came out today, checked everything and filled the tank. I wish the C.O. panel would give a cause. It just gives an event.

The Bahamas are 3 weeks away!!! YAY!

Thank you all for the nice comments. I really do appreciate the kindness here.

 

[refugio]

We live in a forested area and lose power each winter for a few days. We love having the boat to decamp to.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Stupid question but what is the link between CO and propane? Is your carbon monoxide detector the same as propane leak?

L.

 

[Donna]

Stupid question but what is the link between CO and propane? Is your carbon monoxide detector the same as propane leak?

L.

Propane emits carbon monoxide. It is odorless, however with propane an additive is put into the propane and has a smell close to natural gas. Before you smell it, it may be too late especially if you are asleep. The C.O. detectors are very sensitive and I'm delighted they are. Had I fallen asleep and not had the detectors, this outcome would have been very different.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I may be wrong but propane emits CO when it burns not when there is any leak that can empty your tank.
Anyway like I said I am not an expert, glad you are safe and everything is under control.

L.

 

[BruceK]

Did the propane guys find a defect, and fix it?
I was involved in a fireball case, where propane leaked a poorly terminated heater supply pipe after the heater was removed. The propane gas rose slowly from floor level until it reached a lit cigarette, and boom!

 

[refugio]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around an underground propane tank - I had no idea that was "a thing"!

 

[AusCan]

I may be wrong but propane emits CO when it burns not when there is any leak that can empty your tank.
Anyway like I said I am not an expert, glad you are safe and everything is under control.

L.

You are correct, Lou. There is no carbon monoxide in a propane tank.

Donna,
It is possible that when your propane tank was almost empty and the pressure was very low, your stove and/or furnace was not burning at the proper air/fuel mixture resulting in incomplete combustion. This is probably what caused the build up of carbon monoxide.

Normally the alarm goes off well before an critical danger level. Evacuating is the safest option, however you could have turned off your furnace and opened your windows. But if your boat is nearby - that's where I'd be heading as well.

 

[Wxx3]

Real Good Save.

Thanks for Sharing.

 

[Donna]

The propane company and fire dept. seem to be in agreement with the theory it is possible the source could have been the lit pilot on the fireplace. I have an electric heat pump and air conditioner here in Florida. Only my stove and fireplace are propane. I never fill my tank this time of year, so that was a red flag too.

Underground large propane tanks are common here.

 

[ranger58sb]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around an underground propane tank - I had no idea that was "a thing"!

Yep. Ours is 500 gallons...

-Chris

 

[BandB]

Underground large propane tanks are common here.

I've never lived where natural gas wasn't available. I did see in rural areas of NC though a lot of propane tanks beside homes. I'm sure in your area, codes require underground. I know where we are, any fuel tank must be underground.

 

[Pineapple Girl]

For many folks in Earthquake country, the boat is the emergency plan for when "the big one" hits and so a lot of people keep their boats stocked. (sounds like the same goes in Hurricane country.) Part of many plans is to go through the food annually and make sure everything is still in date and anything getting to the end of its shelf life goes in the food drive barrels. Unfortunately with earthquakes there is no chance to clear bread and milk from every grocery store in the vicinity beforehand. I used to live in NC and have done some pre-hurricane shopping.

I'm glad you are ok Donna.

 

[Steve]

Maybe the CO alarm is triggered by propane gas also? Once I got a call from a marina neighbor, an alarm on my boat was beeping, I rushed over with all sort of boat disasters going through my mind, when I got there I found the battery charger on the blink and the two 8D batteries boiling away. There was no strong smell of gas but that is the only cause I found for the alarm to sound. I shut down the charger, aired out the boat and all was OK. It never occurred again. Mine was a combination CO/smoke alarm.

 

[swampu]

I was thinking a couple hundred pounds of rice and flour, not that I know what to do with flour. I use to have a list of items that would sustain me and my family for one year. I'm not so paranoid these days