Galley Stove Safety: Propane, Alcohol and Electric Cooktops Aboard

Open a hatch or port and run the galley fan whenever a burner is lit. A flame uses up oxygen and gives off CO and lots of moisture. The Coast Guard's advice is to keep fresh air moving through the boat at all times. Be extra careful in a closed-up boat in cold or rainy weather, which is exactly when people shut everything.

Fit a marine-rated CO alarm in the cabin and in each sleeping area, test it before each trip, and replace it when the maker says. The Coast Guard says never to ignore an alarm. Early CO symptoms (irritated eyes, headache, nausea, weakness, dizziness) are easy to mistake for seasickness. See CO detector safety.

Do not leave burners or the oven on to warm the boat, and never cook or run a flame while people are asleep. A galley stove is not vented to the outside like a proper cabin heater, so its CO and moisture stay inside. If you need heat, use a heater built and installed for boats; see cabin heater safety.

• Propane: cylinders, including spares and small 1-pound bottles, belong in a sealed locker that drains overboard, not tossed into a cockpit locker. BoatUS explains that the locker should hold nothing but gas cylinders, open only from the top and have a drain at its lowest point.
• Alcohol: keep it in its original, tightly closed container, away from the stove and secured so it cannot spill.
• Butane canisters: store them on deck or in a vented locker, never in the cabin, and keep them out of hot sun. Practical Sailor's stove test explains that the ABYC standard for these stoves allows only the small butane canister in the living area, one at a time, with spares kept outside in a compartment vented overboard. Unlock or remove the canister from the stove between uses, as the stove maker recommends.

West Marine's routine: when you finish, leave the burner lit and turn off the solenoid at the galley switch. The flame dies as it burns the gas left in the line, which proves the solenoid works and leaves the line empty. Never leave propane flowing to the stove when you are not using it. If you have a gas sniffer alarm, test it as its maker says.

With the system on and burners off, spray soapy water on the hose ends and fittings you can reach at the stove. Growing bubbles mean a leak: turn the gas off at the tank and get it fixed before you cook again. Never use a flame to look for a leak. Replace hoses that are cracked, stiff or chafed.

On most marine propane stoves, each burner has a flame-failure device (a thermocouple) that shuts off the gas if the flame goes out. Practical Sailor measured one stove's device stopping the gas about 10 seconds after flame-out. To check yours:

• Light a burner the normal way. Many stoves need the knob held in for several seconds to heat the thermocouple before it will stay lit; Practical Sailor's test stove needed about 20 seconds.
• Turn the knob off and listen and sniff: the gas should stop.
• If a burner will not stay lit after the knob is released, or you smell gas after a flame goes out, stop using that burner and have it serviced. Never wedge a knob in to defeat the device.

For older pressurized alcohol stoves, follow the priming steps exactly and never add fuel to a hot stove. Have a pan lid or fire blanket handy. For wick-style stoves, refill only when the burner is cold and wipe up any spilled alcohol before lighting. Alcohol flames can be hard to see in daylight, so assume a burner is lit until you are sure it is not.

West Marine notes that marine stoves are designed to work at angles up to 30 degrees without pots sliding off and to have latched oven doors. On a sailboat, a gimbaled stove swings to stay level as the boat heels; make sure it moves freely and has a lock for when it should stay put. Fit pot holders (the clamps that grip the base of a pot) every time the boat is moving, and use pots that fit them. Never let anyone lean on a gimbaled stove.

• Stay with the stove whenever a burner is on. The US Fire Administration's rule at home is "stand by your pan," and it matters more afloat.
• Turn pot handles inward so they cannot catch on clothing or a passing body.
• Keep paper towels, dish towels, curtains and charts away from the burners.
• Wear an apron or foul-weather bib when cooking in a seaway, to keep hot spills off your skin.
• In rough water, cook simple one-pot meals or eat cold.

Mount a fire blanket and a fire extinguisher where you can reach them without leaning over the stove, ideally between the galley and the exit.

For a pan of burning grease, the US Fire Administration's advice is to slide a lid or baking sheet over the pan and turn off the burner; a fire blanket does the same job. Never throw water on burning grease. If the fire spreads beyond the pan, get everyone out of the cabin, call for help and follow your onboard fire escape plan. See fire extinguisher care for checking and choosing extinguishers.

Turn them off at the panel when not in use, keep the surface clean, and do not let pots sit on a hot element while the boat moves. Make sure your inverter, cables and breakers are sized for the cooktop's draw; West Marine puts a single induction burner at 1,200 to 1,800 watts. Warm cables, a hot inverter or tripping breakers are a warning. See inverter safety.

Wipe up spills and grease after every use; built-up grease is fuel. Clean burner ports with a soft brush so the flame burns blue and even. A yellow, lazy or sooty flame can mean poor combustion and more CO; stop using that burner and have it checked.