Carbon Monoxide in Cabin

P

poolguard

New Member
Apr 26, 2016
15
Newport News, VA
Boat Info
1986 340 EC
Engines
twin 454
Every once in a while my detector beeps. Is it possible that my AC is bringing in CO to the cabin? I keep the AC on while in the marina. This is happening while the engines are off and connected to shore power. If so, any suggestions to fix? Also, my cabin seems to always smell motory - not exactly gas smell but kinda smells like it.
 
The cabin smell may be from "seepage" from your engine room. You may check your batteries as the CO detector will chirp in a low battery voltage condition.
 
Two thoughts. Your CO detector needs to be replaced or your batteries are cooking and emitting hydrogen sulfide. CO detectors last around 5 years then beep when they are expiring.
 
JimT said:
Two thoughts. Your CO detector needs to be replaced or your batteries are cooking and emitting hydrogen sulfide. CO detectors last around 5 years then beep when they are expiring.
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<br><br>CO detector is new with new batteries - the boats batteries are less than 1 year old.&nbsp;
 
The CO alarm can be set off by other hydrocarbons. I've set mine of using a spray cleaner in the cabin. I purchased a CO alarm/monitor with a digital readout from from Home Depot as a backup.
 
If you are talking about the detector that is the original equipment unit that came mounted in the boat it has gone past expiration date. Not reliable at this point. Buy a couple new units, and change them before they expire.
 
poolguard said:
Every once in a while my detector beeps. Is it possible that my AC is bringing in CO to the cabin? I keep the AC on while in the marina. This is happening while the engines are off and connected to shore power.
Click to expand...

Yes. My boat has two clamshell covers on opposite sides of the hull. One provides the way for fresh air to enter the cabin when the a/c is running and the other exhausts air to the outside. One side has flow that you can feel going in. The other has air blowing out. In a marina, wind can blow exhausts from nearby boats into your open hatches or a/c vents triggering an alarm. We experience this when cruising, and when several boats start their engines in preparation for leaving a marina. We also see this when someone is running a genny nearby, which is not a good practice.
 
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