curlass24 Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Hi all, We are 4 months in to living on a boat for the first time and are currently heating it using a multi fuel stove which has been geat. However last night our Co2 alarm went of and we could smell smoke coming down the boat, but it wasn't obvious where this was coming from. Any hints / suggestions on where to look and how to resolve this? Thanks! Malc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_fincher Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Starting with the obvious...... Are you keeping the flue well swept out? Are you confident there is not a build up of soot, rust, and other stuff on top of any baffle plate that sits between the fire and the chimney? Do all door seals appear to be in good order?Is the glass in good order, with an undamaged gasket around the edge, and all bolts or clips that hold it in place all present?Are you keeping the emptied ash from the ash pan anywhere inside your accommodation space? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan de Enfield Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) Starting with the obvious...... Are you keeping the flue well swept out? Are you confident there is not a build up of soot, rust, and other stuff on top of any baffle plate that sits between the fire and the chimney? Do all door seals appear to be in good order? Is the glass in good order, with an undamaged gasket around the edge, and all bolts or clips that hold it in place all present? Are you keeping the emptied ash from the ash pan anywhere inside your accommodation space? Good 'checklist' but add : Check fire 'body' if it is cast-iron they can (and do) crack - check at the back as well as the front, sides and top - check the joints as well. Flue to top of fire joint collar (is it 'sound' has cement fallen out) ? Any joints in the flue - are they 'sound' Did you have a window open and the wind change blowing the gasses back into the boat ? Edit : Dum auto curruction !!! Edited January 9, 2017 by Alan de Enfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Marshall Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 How old is the stove? Mine burnt out round the flue collar which turned out to be a very thin bit of steel, not the whacking great bit of cast iron that should have been there (and now is). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 We had a stove with a top entry chimney, the blank on the rear entry fell right out one day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain_S Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 It is also possible for smoke (yours or someone else's !) to enter through windows and other ventilation. Our CO alarm has gone off a couple of times when the stove hasn't been lit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacka Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Something else to check- Is there a wood or tiled surface close to the stove? Any evidence of overheating? If a tiled surface is close and getting very hot are the tiles on wood or ply board? If so is the back of the board charring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BargeeSpud Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 If you make the mistake I did once & leave a full, hot ash can on the hearth you CO alarm will go off because the hot ash will still be giving off CO. Another place to check with the stove is inside the firebox immediately below the flue. This area can have a plate below it & the space will fill with ash reducing the effectiveness of the flue. Hope you find the cause quickly & that it's something simple. Good luck, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Recently had similar probs, but only smelt smoke/fumes, purchased a SMOKE PELLET from local hardware store cost me £1, cut it in half so I could test as was, then had enough to retest after repairs. Faults found= leakage round door glass, replaced all seals round glass & doors including the lower ash door. large plate at back of stove leaking, & join where chimney joins fire at top of fire. Cleaned off old cement & re-semented. None of these were obvious until I used the smoke pellet. For the cost & safety its worth doing every thing not take chances. Also as some else suggested we were getting smothered by the boat next to us till he moved. Hope you sort it ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian M Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 When in the marina ,especially in recent foggy weather,smoke from our neighbours gets drawn into our boat. Has set alarm off once. I expect our may also be drawn downwind to the next. Sometimes looks like a scene from a Dickensian story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlass24 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Thanks so much for the advice gys, will go through the list when I'm home this evening. We had two boats more up close to us yesturday and are now cramped in so this could well be it! cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwatch Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 We had a stove with a top entry chimney, the blank on the rear entry fell right out one day Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbfiresprite Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 A soild fuel stove "can on occasion send smoke back into the room" when a sudden strong downdraft forces the smoke backdown the flue and out the the stove air vent. This is a more common problem with open firesplaces Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheshire cat Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Screw a load of newspaper up, put it in the stove and set fire to it. When it is well alight get someone outside to put a cap on the chimney and close down the vents on the fire. If you haven't got a cap a saucepan the right way up will do. The fire will go out and lots of smoke generated. You will be able to see where it leaks from. Alternatively you can buy smoke pellets from B&Q for £6.00ish but newspaper will do the same job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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