Hi all I am new to this forum as well as to boating. I have recently bought a Norman 23 Mk1 and am planning to do some improvements to the cabin over the winter ready to start using it next year. At present the only cooking facilities on board is one gas ring that uses a disposable gas canister. I have just bought a lovely Flavel Vannesa gas cooker, the question is where do I locate the gas bottle? Some Normans I've seen have a locker to the rear of the boat. Mine seems to have had the lockers covered over. Others I've seen have had the bottle hanging off the stern. Obviously I want to comply with regs so I don't have trouble when my inspection comes round.
Have a read of the BSS regs but the basic idea is that gas is heavier than air so your bottle has to be positioned such that any leaking gas will vent overboard rather than into the hull of the boat. So it can be in a locker that has a bottom drain leading to outside the hull or, as you've already mentioned, it can be hung over the back of the boat which is probably the cheapest way but perhaps not the most attractive.
The gas rules are a bit "fussy" so make sure you fully digest the rules for what pipe you can use where (most of it needs to be rigid) and include a bubble tester or a gas test point somewhere too. All of the pipework needs to be accessible for inspection, including the bit behind the cooker, which can be a bit of a pain. Your local BSS guy will be happy to guide you and asking him before you do it is the best way to pass the gas part of the BSS.
Oh, and the reason you boat currently has the portable gas ring on it is that when the BSS comes around it can be removed and thus not tested!
Ours had a gas locker originally - for extra space we have ours in a cast ally holder on the stern (Thanks Dad!)
Our BSS man prefers it inside as no collision damage is possible. I prefer it to leak outside !
Either way - flexi hose is limited to the main copper pipe. If you are installing a new cooker it must have flame failure cut off to comply with regs (not an issue with original fitments - although still preferable for safety)
Adi
Sewer Tubes ? I'd rather have a D**ncr*ft (Only Kidding)
Position of gas bottle on Norman 23
Posted - 22 Dec 2013 : 22:04:28
