Vapor Detectors with Blower Control?

[toocoys]

I posted this on the cruisers forum, but its had 95 views and not a single response. That forum is useless if you're a power boater.

We've finally made the decision to move aboard, and it's a gas engine boat.

BUT WAIT!! Before you go into "gas goes boom", and "I'd never own a gas powered boat", let me say that this IS NOT what this thread is about. That's a dead horse that's been beaten to a pulp, rotted, resurrected, and beaten again.

When installing a vapor detector for a live aboard boat, is it safer to have automatic blower control or not? The reason that I ask is that it seems to me that if the sensor goes off, having automatic switches (current/sparks) could automatically ignite the vapors.

So is it safer to have auto switching of the blower, or manual switches only that way you can exit the cabin and operate the blower remotely?

 

[guy with a boat]

I posted this on the cruisers forum, but its had 95 views and not a single response. That forum is useless if you're a power boater.

Two tips:
1. use ignition protected switches (look it up).
2. when you get 95 views and no responses, you might consider re-wording your request.

 

[toocoys]

Two tips:
1. use ignition protected switches (look it up).
2. when you get 95 views and no responses, you might consider re-wording your request.

If you're referring to the dead horse bit, nah. If I hadn't worded it the way I would have, there would have been 95 pages of responses on why I shouldn't live on a gas powered boat, and not a single response related to my actual question.

Trust me, I've been through it enough with a 51 year old gas powered boat. People seem all to happy to piss on your parade because you choose to do something opposite of what they feel is correct.

 

[guy with a boat]

If you're referring to the dead horse bit, nah. If I hadn't worded it the way I would have, there would have been 95 pages of responses on why I shouldn't live on a gas powered boat, and not a single response related to my actual question.

Trust me, I've been through it enough with a 51 year old gas powered boat. People seem all to happy to piss on your parade because you choose to do something opposite of what they feel is correct.

I wasn’t referring to anything specific in your question. I’m just suggesting that if 0 people out of 95 views respond to your question, that you might want to see if it’s possible to improve your question. Just a general suggestion; by all means do what works for you.

 

[Dwk]

I always open hatches on my gas boats to sniff and look around than switched on blowers manually.

 

[boatpoker]

ignition protected switches
ignition protected blower motor
Just like every other electrical component in your engine compartment is supposed to be

 

[C lectric]

Don't know if i would like the auto idea. DOn't know if if I would dislike it either.

So only one thing for me to add is for you to add a counter and maybe an LED warning lamp that it did trigger. That way if something triggered its operation while you are away you would know.

All the relays, electronics, etc could be contained in a vapour proof electrical box along with appropriate wire entry seals.