Mindful Maintenance
The owner of a 36-foot lobster yacht called with a problem: He couldn’t use his propane galley stove. His propane sensor had been tripping the alarm repeatedly, and he had removed the fuse. With the fuse in, the system would not work because of the alarm, and with the fuse out, the system also would not work.
Was the problem an actual propane leak or a failed component? From a troubleshooting perspective, we could talk through component failure and find a work-around, but first we had to make sure the boat was safe.
Bottled Heat
Fundamentally, if a boat has a cabin, the crew is going to want hot food—not to mention the necessary coffee or tea. Boats with generators can utilize AC appliances, and there is a compelling point to be made about those appliances’ convenience and safety. A contrasting point can be made about generator noise first thing in the morning in a quiet anchorage, although this problem can be mitigated with inverters and large battery banks
Through time, boats have carried wood or coal for heat, and there were the dark ages of pressurized kerosene or alcohol. Some boats are still carrying nonpressurized alcohol stoves, which are safe and inexpensive, and which work well if you are patient with how long they take to heat. Liquefied petroleum gas (known as LPG or propane) has risen to the top over these other fuels as the most popular because of its quick heat, power density in a small package, and availability
There are two critical
