Specifications
CARBON
MONOXIDE
"CO"/SAFE-CO
GENERATORS
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
DESCRIPTION
Carbon monoxide "CO"
is
a component of engine
exhaust.
It
is a colorless, tasteless, odorless, lighter
than
air poisonous
gas
that
can kill
you
without
any
warning.
CO
poisoning
is
one
of
the
major safety risks associated
with
boating. It
is
a
threat that must
not
be
underestimated.
Several standards for
CO
have
been
published, expressed
in
parts
per million "ppm" and hours
of
exposure:
Regulator
CO
ppm
Exposure
Hours
EPA
9 8
ACGm
25
8
EPA
35
1
NIOSH
35
8
OSHA
50
8
ACGm
125
0.5
NIOSH
200
0.0
NIOSH
1200
0.0
(IDLH)
1200
ppm
is
the
so-called
IDLH
concentration
-
IMMEDIATELY
DANGEROUS
TO
LIFE
AND
HEALTH.
A city in California characterizes
the
effect of
CO
concentration this
way:
Parts
per
Million
Responses
25
Permissible exposure level, no
apparent
toxic symptoms.
100
No poisoning for long period.
Allowable
for
several hours.
200
Should
not
be exposed above
this level
for
any
period
of
time. A possible mild frontal
headache
in two to three hours.
Even though Westerbeke Safe-CO generators
are
designed
to
reduce nonnallevels of
CO
in
the engine exhaust
by
approximately
99%,
an
exhaust leak
of
untreated exhaust
would
be
extremely
dangerous.
For
this
reason it
is
extremely important
to
install a
CO
detector near
the
generator and
to
be
sure
it
is
always turned
on
and
functioning
properly.
If
this
detector sounds,
do
not
tum it
off,
assuming it
is
a
false
signal.
You
can
not taste, smell, or
otherwise detect
CO.
Leave
the
detector
on,
tum off
all
engines
and
generators, evacuate
the
boat leaving ports and
hatches
open,
and
seek professional help.
As
soon
as
CO
leaves the exhaust outlet, the level
is
subject
to
dilution
in
the
open
air.
The closer a person
is
to
the
exhaust outlet,
the
higher
the
concentration of
CO.
In
a closed
space,
such
as
the
engine compartment,
the
boat,
or
underneath a stern swim platform, concentrations
will
potentially rise
to
the undiluted level emanating
from
the
exhaust system due
to
a lack of fresh air
to
dilute the exhaust
gas.
Therefore, one should never rely
on
dilution of
the
exhaust
to
provide a
margin
of
safety.
Westerbeke Safe-CO generators achieve
an
approximate
99%
reduction of typical
CO
by precise control control of the
engine's air/fuel ration coupled with after treatment
in
a
special catalyst.
CO
emissions
are
not
the
same
for
every
model
because each engine
is
different.
Also,
certain
fuel
system components are commonized
across
several engine
models
being adequate for
some
and extra-adequate
for
others,
thus
producing different
CO
levels
for
different
models.
The
fuel
system which accomplishes the
required
precise
airlfuel ratio control
is
comprised
of
many
different
components:
purchased
sub-assemblies,
machined
castings,
sensors, electronics and others. Because of
the
extreme level
of
CO reduction,
any
variability in the functioning of
any
these components can
and
will
cause variability of
the
CO
output.
CO
concentration
also
varies
with
load.
Usually,
but
not
always, the worst case CO concentration
occurs
at
maximum
load.
INSPECTION
The
catalyst is critical
to
optimizing CO
levels.
Any
water
intrusion into the exhaust system
will
likely quickly
compromise
the
proper operation of
the
catalyst.
Westerbeke's exhaust system installation instructions
dated
on
or after February 2004 must be adhered
to.
NOTE:
Water
intrusion
is
not a product defect and
is
not
covered under
warranty,
neither
Westerbeke's
normal
product warranty nor
the
emissions specific warranty
mandated
by
various regulating authorities
such
as
EPA
andCARB.
Maintenance of
any
components affecting
the
flow
of
air
or
the
flow
of
fuel
to
the engine is critically important,
such
as
fuel
filters
and
air
filters
(if
any).
Inspection of the catalyst
at
the prescribed intervals
is
critically important. The exhaust elbow
is
removed
by
loosening
the
metal clamp
to
provide a
view
of the output
surface of
the
catalyst.
Any
visual
irregUlarity
of the nonnal
flush,
honeycomb appearance
is
most likely a result of water
intrusion. The cause of
the
irregularity must
be
identified and
addressed.
If
there
is
irregularity,
the
catalyst
and
gasket must
be
replaced.
Upon careful reassembly
of
the catalyst, exhaust
elbow
gasket,
and exhaust
elbow,
check
for
the presence of
CO
while
the engine
is
running. This must
be
performed with
a
CO
analyzer.
Engines & Generators
iv