Installation manual
CARBON
MONOXIDE
"CO"
I
LOW-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.
Wester~eke
Low
Co
generators are designed to reduce
normal levels
of
CO
in the engine exhaust by approximately
99%.
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
ACGffi
25
8
EPA
35
1
NIOSH
35
8
OSHA
50
8
ACGffi
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 the generator normally produces very low
levels Westerbeke
Low
Co generators are designed to reduce
normal levels
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 turn it off, assuming it is a false sig-
nal. You can not taste, smell,
or
otherwise detect CO. Leave
the detector on,
turn 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,
th!!
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
'low
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
air/fuel 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 nonnal
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 normal
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
aOOan~~
·
IW"IWESI'ERBEKE
) Engines
~
Generators
.
53