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Clean Your Mushroom Vents!
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Mon Aug 13, 2012 at 3:04pm

A safety reminder to all narrowboaters; clean your mushroom vents! Ventilation on a narrowboat is vital for boat safety, without ventilation you could die of carbon monoxide poisoning. 

When a fire burns in an enclosed area, the oxygen is gradually used up and replaced with carbon dioxide. Following a build-up of carbon dioxide in the air, the fuel is prevented from burning fully and it starts to release carbon monoxide which can build up inside a small space such as a narrow boat, caravan or tent that's not properly vented. Carbon monoxide is an odourless gas and has no taste or colour and so is very hard to detect.  Even a small breath of carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness or death.  So for safety's sake check your mushroom vents are not blocked!

 

This picture illustrates my point, its a very dusty mushroom vent off one of our narrowboats.  Check your vents every few months and if they look dusty just pop them off and clean them!

 

6 Comments

Larry Still | Wed Apr 30, 2014 at 10:09pm
I have these in my narrow boat roof. One is letting in water, what is wrong with it? If something is gummed up, how do I ungum it?
Whilton Sales Team | Tue May 6, 2014 at 3:00pm
Best to use a cloth dampened with hot water that has had a little clothes washing powder dissolved in it, the washing powder is quite good at cutting through grease.
chris Scarrott | Mon Jan 9, 2017 at 6:24pm
I have mushroom roof vents one is letting in water, why
Whilton Marina | Wed Jan 11, 2017 at 2:35pm
Hello Chris, It could just be due to the wind blowing rain water into the holes on the mushroom vent, or the vent might have come loose and need re-sealing to prevent water coming in.
Deb | Mon Aug 16, 2021 at 7:47am
Should I strip the chipping paint off my 5 brass mushroom vents (if yes ..what will be the best way) or should I just repaint them?
Whilton Marina | Fri Sep 3, 2021 at 12:02pm
Hi Deb, cosmetically stripping the paint would look better, you could do this by sanding down the old paint.Many thanks

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