Check Your Gas Locker Drain!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I am afraid you are buying into old unusable technology? If it where efficient everyone would have an induction range.

I think induction is pretty much the cutting edge of cooking technology; it's certainly the newest.

That doesn't mean it's the right solution for everyone, either on land or in the boat.

On land I'll take natural gas every day for cooking (and geothermal for heating, but that's a different conversation). And an electric convection oven. If I can't get gas, then induction. If not induction, then a modern halogen/ceramic range works pretty well.


On the boat, not everyone will be able to come up with the electrical power needed for electric cooking, and not everyone with a sailboat will be willing to run a generator or be on shore power, to cook a meal. Some special gourmet chefs will insist on the experience of gas cooking, even if electric would otherwise work for them. So induction is certainly not a panacea, and propane is not going to disappear from boats anytime soon.


For my next boat, with a large LiFePo4 bank and a lot of generating capacity, induction will be just perfect. A lot of powerboats, with a lot of electrical power always available, have already made the switch to induction. YMMV.

[Pelagic]

My propane tanks are inside one side of my cockpit seats. Lying on their sides, one connected with solenoid, one spare with safety plug.
Floor of seat lockers just vent and drain on deck, so it is a popular area where you would notice any gas smells.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

My propane tanks are inside one side of my cockpit seats. Lying on their sides, one connected with solenoid, one spare with safety plug.
Floor of seat lockers just vent and drain on deck, so it is a popular area where you would notice any gas smells.
Attachment 144680

I hope no one smokes.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I hope no one smokes.

Definitely not!!... but this thread has me rethinking switching to Induction stove top...I know nothing about them so may start a new thread

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Definitely not!!... but this thread has me rethinking switching to Induction stove top...I know nothing about them so may start a new thread

Induction cooking may be the bee's knees but you will still need a conventional oven and broiler (if you really cook on your boat).

Some folks have itty bitty boats while others have mega yachts so if you give it serious thought, the same solution won't work for everyone. If you don't have a genset, electric cooking is pretty much out of the question for you even though it might be ideal for someone else.

[Mirage Gecko]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

My propane tanks are inside one side of my cockpit seats. Lying on their sides, one connected with solenoid, one spare with safety plug.
Floor of seat lockers just vent and drain on deck, so it is a popular area where you would notice any gas smells.
Attachment 144680

Seem to remember reading somewhere on another forum propane bottles ,other than specialist forklift bottles ,in operation should not be laid on there side??????

[Terra Nova]

Propane cylinders are available in both vertical and horizontal configurations.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I hope no one smokes.

Side note :

Last weekend we watched a boat approach and tie up at the fuel dock. With a smoking barbeque on the stern, with someone actively cooking burgers on it.

Potential candidate for a Darwin award?

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Induction cooking may be the bee's knees but you will still need a conventional oven and broiler (if you really cook on your boat).

Some folks have itty bitty boats while others have mega yachts so if you give it serious thought, the same solution won't work for everyone. If you don't have a genset, electric cooking is pretty much out of the question for you even though it might be ideal for someone else.

I agree, it is specific to each boat and its latitude.
Living in the tropics, heat in the galley is a big issue

We don't have, or use an oven.


Instead we already use a large electric Turbo Roast outside on the aft tables to do all our oven cooking...same place we use the propane BBQ


Not to detract from this thread, i Started a new thread on induction and a 3 plate built in countertop seems doable as I have both gen and large house bank with 5800 watts of inverter power.

I would still keep propane for BBQ but no longer plumbed inside, which is the unavoidable danger of cooking with gas

[Tacmed]

Originally Posted by hafa

One sailboat that visited our island recently had their tanks mounted on the (quite solid) stern rails. This seemed to me to be one method to ensure that gas could not collect in an enclosed space.

That is what i have done as well. No issues at all and my insurance company thinks so as well.

[DeepFrz]

There are deck boxes made specifically for propane tanks and are vented overboard.

[Mirage Gecko]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

Propane cylinders are available in both vertical and horizontal configurations.

Yes thanks I understand that as per previous comment on Forklifts.
However I cannot seem to find or ever seen the smaller more common size such as 8.5 KG on sale in this part of the world in the lay down configuration.
Any one in Aus know if we can buy them and if gas fitters will sign them off?

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Definitely not!!... but this thread has me rethinking switching to Induction stove top...I know nothing about them so may start a new thread

I was referring to what sounded like the LPG locker vented the cockpit deck with the smoking comment.
I recall we got a Nuwave induction cock top some years ago. It went back into the box quickly. FYI

[fallingeggs]

Long story short, my boat came with CNG, which needed to be changed out because I am leaving the US. I could have gone propane, but I went electric.

I pointed out the Nuwave induction cooktop and Breville Smart Oven earlier on this thread because it is what I have and use. One day when I have more data, I'll make a more detailed post about my experience, but right now, here are some rough stats. I don't think the requirements are as high as most assume. With a bigger generator, I could easily see using a 2 or 3 cooktop range and oven.

Bank has 645 amp hours at 12 volts. Generator is a Honda 2000. Inverter is a 2k Victron (with Power Assist, which is the key to this working with my small generator).

Both the Nuwave induction cooktop and Breville Smart Oven have a max pull of 1800 watts at 120 volts. The cooktop has more or less a linear scale from how high you set the temperature to how much power it uses. The max temp is rated at 650F, so 350F, a good cooking temperature, uses 900 watts. 230F, good for keeping a boil, uses less and holding a low simmer even less.

Running the induction cooktop at 350F, a temperature good for most items, 150 amps are pulled from the bank. If my bank is fairly full, I don't turn on the generator for this, which is nice as this is how I often cook for breakfast and lunch. If I want to sear at a higher temperature, like 500F+ for a steak dinner, the generator comes on.

The Smart Oven isn't as smart as I'd wish because at any temperature it just goes all out at 1600 watts and regulates itself (while baking or roasting) by turning on for one second and off for two. Toasting pulls 1800 watts for the whole time (this isn't an efficient toaster at all). Broiling pulls 1600 watts for the whole cooking time.

The oven is best run with the generator because the pre-heat phase pulls 175 amps for 5+ minutes straight. Afterwards, when the oven flips on and off, the Victron alternates between Power Assisting (when the oven is on) and charging the bank (when the oven is off).

Running the generator is obviously required when using both the oven and cooktop. Running both at the same time peaks at 3000 watts, with roughly 1700 watts from the generator and the remainder from the bank. I let the oven pre-heat before using the cooktop to avoid the 3000 watt pull for other than the one second spikes when the oven flips on. Letting the generator run for 30 minutes after all the cooking is done brings be up to about where I started (other than if I started at 95%+ of SOC).

The following are some measurements I have taken using the Victron battery monitor, so they are all what comes out of the bank (that is, they include the inverter loss):

- Using the cooktop for 15 minutes at 350F, which is generally about what it takes for breakfast (coffee, eggs, toast via a skillet, etc.) uses about 20-25 amp hours.

- This is also about the same for dinners where you're just searing or sautéing meat and veggies (so roughly 20 amp hours each, for 40 total). If you're doing a longer simmer, the amp hours increases some. Searing at a higher temperature seems a less efficient (uses more amp hours to reach the same level of done-ness), but only slightly.

- I have gotten down making three days worth of black beans in about 20 amp hours using a pressure cooker (mostly used to bring the top up to pressure).

- The oven takes 5 minutes to heat up to 350F (it's smaller than your average oven, but I could still bake a whole chicken or a 9x13 pan). The pre-heat phase takes 15 amp hours. Each additional 5 minutes takes 5 amp hours (before taking into account the fact that the Victron actually allows me to charge during this phase).

- Because the oven is small and has a convection fan, food cooks faster in it than you are use to. I can roast veggies and bake muffins using less than 30 amp hours (again, without taking into account any charging). I haven't roasted a big piece of meat yet). Higher oven temperatures also seem slightly less efficient (again, amp hours used to reach the same level of done-ness).

[waltdrechsler]

I just went through this on our Moody 47. Gas locker is out on the deck with the drain over the side. I opened the locker to turn on the tank and both bottles "popped" up. Locker was full of sea water from an aggressive passage. Took out the solenoid. No breakfast that morning for the grumpy skipper! I'll be checking the drain more often from now on.