Portable gas camping stoves

WITH summer well and truly upon us boat owners are being reminded by the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) of the risk from using portable gas camping stoves, lamps and heaters on board boats because of the danger from explosion, fire and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The reminder follows an explosion last month that injured a mother and a daughter at Westview Marina, on the River Great Ouse at Earith. A gas cooker they were using inside their large tent exploded, causing them burns and leaving them needing treatment from the ambulance service.

Cause powerful explosion

BSS manager, Graham Watts explains:

"When the liquefied fuel in the canister escapes it re-forms as a gas and its volume expands 250 times, so even portable gas equipment can cause a powerful explosion, easily big enough to send people to hospital and wreck a boat.

"Out in the open, an explosion, fire, or carbon monoxide escape, can be bad enough, but in the poorly ventilated, tight confines of a boat, the same event can be devastating."

The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) states boaters need to treat all portable gas equipment with huge respect and only use such equipment when ashore in open air.

Safe way

Any boater deciding to use portable gas appliances need to be completely familiar with the correct and safe way of operation—from taking out of its storage case to fitting new fuel canisters, and strictly follow manufacturers instruction.

Inland waterway regulations do not ban portable gas equipment on boats, but when not in operation, any appliance with a canister fitted and all spare gas canisters must be stowed in lockers that are self-draining, or on open deck areas where any leaking gas will flow overboard. Even used canisters can still seep enough gas to cause an explosion so these must be treated like full containers.