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Dometic Corporation (Dometic) manufacturers of Cruisair,
Grunert, Marine Air, Sentry and Tundra Products, makes the
following safety warnings concerning the application, installation,
use and care of its products. Although these warnings are
extensive, there may be specific hazards which may arise out of
circumstances which we have not outlined herein. Use this as a
guide for developing an awareness of potential hazards of all
kinds. Such an awareness will be a key factor in assuring your
SAFETY and comfort.
ELECTRICITY - Many Dometic products operate on 115, 230 or
440 volt AC power and/or 12/24 volt DC power. Such voltages can
be LETHAL; therefore, the chassis, cabinets, bases, etc., on all
components must be grounded together and connected to the
vessel's or vehicle’s grounding system. Sparks can occur as
switches, thermostats and relays open and close in the normal
operation of the equipment. Since this is the case, ventilating
blowers for the removal of hazardous fumes or vapors should be
operated at least 5 minutes before and during operation of any
Dometic product or group of Dometic products. All electrical
connections must be covered and protected so accidental contact
cannot be made by persons using the equipment, as such contact
could be LETHAL.
ELECTROLYSIS - Electrical leakage of any component can
cause electrolytic deterioration (electrolysis) of thru-hull
components which could result in leakage serious enough
to sink a vessel which could result in loss of life. All Dometic
components must be kept clean and dry and checked
periodically for electrical leakage. If any electrical leakage is
detected, the component should be replaced or the fault
causing the leakage corrected before the component is put
back into service.
GAS - CRUISAIR, MARINE AIR, GRUNERT and TUNDRA
components utilize R134a refrigerant, R409A or R404A,
R125/R143a/R134 (44%/52%/47%) which are non-toxic,
non-flammable gases; however, these gases contain no
oxygen and will not support life. Refrigerant gas tends to
settle in the lowest areas of the compartment. If you
experience a leak, evacuate all personnel, and ventilate
area. Do not allow open flames in the area of leaks be-
cause refrigerant gas, when burned, decomposes into other
potentially LETHAL gases. Refrigerant components operate
at high pressure and no servicing should be attempted
without gloves, long-sleeved clothing and eye protection.
Liquid refrigerant gas can cause severe frost burns to the
skin and eyes.
VENTILATION - CRUISAIR, MARINE AIR, GRUNERT and
TUNDRA components are designed to move air through a
heat exchanger by a blower or propeller fan. This design
necessarily produces a suction on one side of the air
handling component and a pressure on the other side. Air
handling components must be installed so that the suction-
pressure action does not: (1) pressurize an area to the extent that
structural failure occurs which could cause harm to occupants or
bystanders, or (2) cause a suction or low pressure in an area
where hydrogen gas from batteries, raw fuel vapor from fuel
tanks, carbon monoxide from operating propulsion engines, power
generators or heaters, methane gas from sewage holding tanks,
or any other dangerous gas or vapor could exist. If a unit is
installed in such a manner that allows potentially lethal gases or
vapors to be discharged by the air handling unit into the living
space, this could result in loss of life.
Maximum protection against the introduction of dangerous
gases or vapors into living spaces can be obtained by
providing living spaces which are sealed from all other
spaces by use of airtight bulkheads and decks, etc., and
through the introduction of clean air into the living space.
Bear in mind that the advent of air conditioning, whether it
be for cooling or for heating, naturally leads to the practice
of closing a living space tightly. Never close all windows and
doors unless auxiliary ventilating systems, which introduce
clean outside air into the living space, are used. Always
leave enough window and door openings to provide
adequate ventilation in the event potentially lethal gases or
fumes should escape from any source.
CONDENSATE - All cooling units produce water conden-
sate when operating on the cooling cycle. This water must
be drained from the cooling unit overboard. If condensate is
allowed to drip on a wooden structure, rotting or decay and
structural failure may occur which could result in loss of life.
If condensate is allowed to drip on electrical components,
deterioration of the electrical components could result in
hazardous conditions. When an air conditioning system is in
operation, condensate drains may be subjected to negative
pressure. Always locate condensate drains as far as
possible from points where engine waste and other danger-
ous gases are exhausted so no such dangerous gases can
be drawn into the condensate drains.
Warning
Never sleep in a closed area on a boat or vehicle when any
equipment, which functions as a result of the combustion of
a volatile fuel, is in operation (such as engines, generators,
power plants, or oil-fired heaters, etc.) At any time, the
exhaust system of such devices could fail, resulting in a
build-up of LETHAL gases within the closed area.
Rev. Date: 10-20-03 Tundra Version
WARNING
