Keeping Safe with Solid Fuel Stoves
There have been at least two dozen boaters hurt and five killed
in using solid fuel stoves in the first decade of the 21st century.
There have many other incidents where no one was hurt but the boat
and belonging suffered a lot of damage
Using what we have learnt from these sad incidents, we would
point to four risks that must be avoided or managed,
if you and your crew are to keep safe with solid fuel stoves,-
- 'over-firing' of the stove
leading to a boat fire;
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
poisoning due to the escape of stove flue gases into the
cabin;
- Items and materials being too close and getting too hot for too long.
- Poor maintenance and misuse of
the stove
Based on these points we'll help you to know what to look for to
keep safe as you use your stove.
The most critical period for personal safety are the sleeping
hours. If trouble happens when you are asleep, the two most
important factors in surviving unharmed is having working alarms, smoke
and CO, and having an emergency plan that everyone aboard knows
and can act on.
However preventing an incident is better dealing with one. So we
have also advice for anyone thinking about installing a new or
replacement solid fuel stove, or perhaps just replacing the
chimney.
Even, 'if you are not renewing your stove, it may be able to
improve safety dramatically by re-fitting the area
immediately around the stove
See the New Stove, New Chimney section
for tips
If feel unsure about how to install or run your stove, or if
you've been checking it over and what you've found leaves you in
doubt about your safety, ask a professional for advice or to fix
any problems.
The following guidance is supported by the Solid Fuel
Association (SFA), HETAS, the Stove Industry Association and the
Solid Fuel Technology Institute (Soliftec).
Link to Stay Safe introductory
page
BSS Home
 182x90.jpg "SFS Chimneys in snow 182x90")
