Is this April fools day???

I doubt whether the co2 content that your steam engine will make will be anywhere near equal to what you will inhale when you drive your car to the local shops on any day of the week. in fact probably far less!!

I think you are looking for problems where there are none.

If worried go and by yourself a co2 and carbon monoxide alarm from a local hardware shop and put it in your workshop. when you’ve finished with it in there mount it in your bedroom, so it will be a permenant help in the future.

Regarding your concern about CO 

The following is an extract from "The carbon Monoxide & gas safety society"

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas which can be emitted from any faulty heating or cooking appliance, petrol generator, or vehicle engine. CO can be emitted from any appliance burning combustible fuel e.g. gas (mains or bottled), solid fuel (coal, wood, etc) petrol, oil, paraffin. CO cannot be sensed using human senses. Special equipment, such as a flue gas analyzer, is needed to test appliances and/or the air in a room for CO. CO can poison in tiny amounts because it is taken up in preference to oxygen by the haemoglobin (the oxygen carrying part) in the blood. Less than 2% of CO in the air can kill in two minutes. Low level exposure of CO over a long period can cause brain and neurological damage.

The key word in this statement is "faulty" because as we all know faulty or badly maintained gas appliances will emit co and therefore kill people.

However if you have the required engineering skills to construct and operate a model marine steam plant then by definition the equipment will be properly maintained and the chances of deadly levels of co being produced would be nil.

If however you don’t have the necessary engineering skills to construct and operate steam-generating equipment then you stand more chance of being killed by gas or pressure explosion rather than exposure to co.

I would strongly suggest that you leave marine steam generation to the competent engineering experts who would not dream of exposing themselves to such basic hazards.

Hi Neil

I’ve been playing around with steam engines since being 12 years old and nevr had so much as a headache with fumes

Paul

Compared to the crude burning efficiencey of the mamod or sbit fuel tabs used by many steam modellers.. I think the gas burners are much cleaner.

 Still- you aren’t even supposed o paint with oil based paints with out venting with open windows.

So i would suggest that modest precaution !!

Good Morning Arthur

I am glad that you have posted a reply.

I had not realised that you were a new member and I had thought that your original posting was a "tongue in cheek" comment, had I known that you really wanted genuine information on steam engine construction I would have responded in a more constructive manner.

As a new member you might not be aware of the somewhat caustic wit that prevails amongst some of the engineering members of our little fraternity and our predilection of not suffering gladly.

Perhaps you would like to post your genuine questions about steam-based construction so that we might help, or better still, learn from your experiences and any problems that you might have encountered.

Paul

Good afternoon Arthur

I am looking forward to reading your progress reports………….any chance of some photos?

All the best

Paul

Good morning Arthur

Not sure that your burn should have a yellow tinge this usually indicates an incomplete burn however I do realise that looking at colours is very subjective and that one persons account will vary from another’s.

I presume that your blue burn is very similar to no4 in the following photo

if not what size / dia is your burn chamber and air holes as you might not be getting enough air into the combustion mix.

Paul