Leaderboard

I didn't. I voted to remain, and still think a decision to narrow horizons and erect borders where there were none is one of the stupidest and most ignorant decisions ever made*. And expensive, as people seem to be finding out much to their apparent surprise. However, it was a democratic decision, we live in a democracy and, unlike many, I like to live in the world as it is, not as I have a fantasy of it being or try to pretend it is anything other than it is. Any other comments I might make would have to be deposited in the politics wing where I no longer appear (much). *ETA This is my personal opinion, others are perfectly able to hold different ones, and does not mean anyone should think I am insulting them. I'm not, different conclusions are always possible from identical evidence.

My comment on the last few posts is that if I were going for electric traction I would now not even consider lead acids. The full charge time and the danger of sulphation is just too great when compared with LiFePo4. I would rather stick with diesel while I saved up. Of course the lithiums will require better charge control than LA would but for solar charging or generator charging lithiums win hands down once the charge control is sorted.

I have inadvertently just watched a blog featuring a narrowboat blogger with a 'composting toilet'. I find the whole thing disgusting because they are not using it as intended. They seem to dumping the liquid in the canal or on the bank somewhere and simply bagging up the solids and placing them in the standard rubbish containers. The rubbish containers are bad enough in summer but it makes feel quite ill to think that they contain large amounts of human waste as well. I don't think CaRT or the waste agents should be forced to deal with this and they should be banned from boats as they cannot be dealt with properly on a boat. Now I know why the canals in London are going green.

1/ Why? 2/ Did you oppose it before CaRT changed it's guidance? As I said pages ago CaRT don't seem to be making this into as big an issue as we are on here. Do I have a compost toilet - "No" Does anyone putting poo into a bin worry me - "No" Does 30 odd pages of argument bordering on hostility which is becoming literally " bag of sh*t" concern me - "yes" Live and let live!

Of course we are. It never had anything to do with the EU. I forgot irony doesn't really work on the internet...

I wonder if you have read all 33 pages of this thread? I agree with you that my 'potential' actions may be unpopular - note the word 'potential' as I have not been near a CRT bin since October last year. However, that is not the impression I get from many many respondents on here who continue to use very strong language, ie 'disgusting'. I have had a surprising number of PM's over the last 2 weeks saying how toxic this thread has become from both sides of the argument which at least gives me confidence some members are looking at both sides of the argument. The mood on here from most is far more threatening than 'unpopular'. Would those respondents opposed to my view say that to my face in a pub? I doubt it. Yes, I think it bad practise to put solids waste from a separating toilet in a bin but today puting human (and dog) excrement in a bin is standard practice and I will always strive to compost it ...but for those time when that cant be done then the 'bin' system is set up to deal with it. Many peeps on here do see it as disgusting but then they fail to see the massive amount (compared to this topic) of human and dog waste that 'they' are putting in the system. The system works with this. A number of peeps have commented....only an idiot would not have seen this coming. No, I maybe a muppet, but I am not an idiot. With 5,000tes of human excrement going into bins each week, god knows how much dog poo, the CRT clearly saying 'double bag it and put it in our bins' and my working knowledge of the waste management system, I was confident there was a way forward if composting was not possible. The commercial push by Biffa seems to have thrown a spanner in the works. The CRT's latest statement, posted on page 31 - not a clue about post number!- really shows what is going on. "It may be a regulatory issue"? Cobblers! "You should compost". Yes! ...but nowhere does it now say you 'must not' put it in their bins. It is clear to me that Biffa no longer want this waste in their incinerators. They have told the CRT that they dont want it. The CRT have likely tried to mount a defence based on this waste being the same waste code as nappies and dog poo and may have had to revise the amounts they allow on nappies/dog poo/others....but they realise they could be on a sticky wicket legally if they ban it completely - otherwise they would ban it and say there is a legal requirement. Therefore the 'guidance' they have given is 'compost it' and 'should not' put it in bins. Biffa therefore feel they have some control and amounts will reduce. My gut feeling is that this will now just die down with this 'guidance' in place and peeps will still continue to put their solids in the CRT bins and no more will be said 'till the next round of commercial negotiations with their waste supplier. A longer term solution of composting opportunities would be better and I think Marinas could make a bit of income by charging boaters to put their own solids in a compost bin for a fee - very easy to check what is being put in ie no plastic etc. Even if 1,000 boaters took to the network though it would be a drop in the ocean compared to nappies and dog poo and the waste network is easily able to handle this as it is. If the CRT is really in a financial bind with waste disposal cost then why not add £50 to our license fee for boats with these dry toilets or cassettes? Remember Elans cost a lot to run!

Irony, please, not sarcasm. I would never sink so low...

Friend of mine lost drive, lister box and engine, called RCR and he looked in the engine room and said I dont know anything about them and left, didn't even ask him to start it, 3 days later when no one else had visited he called Jonno out from Braunston. It was a tarpaulin on the skeg. The RCR chap didn't even check if the prop shaft was turning or if the keyway had failed on the prop. You couldn't see the tarpaulin through the weed hatch, only in gear and looking at the stern.

I am not surprised with your position then. Most areas do not have separate collection systems for 20-01-99 waste so I can see why you are shocked. You have obviously not seen the solids we are composting. It does not smell of poo. If you put your nose right up to it, it smells 'earthy' and not at all offensive. It is less unhygienic than soiled nappies and incontenence pads as it is rather solid compared the mobile smelly mess in those items. Health hazard? All of these items are a health hazard and the system is set up to cope with that. Even the cat's poo that is put in the bins.....even worse than human faeces.

If you can't afford lithiums then 2V flooded traction cells are probably your best option. Lead-carbon are about 2x the price for the same capacity and don't have much longer lifetime, though they have fewer issues with PSOC use. AGM and gel are likewise a lot more per kWh than traction cells, and have shorter lifetime than them or lead-carbon. Just remember that with any lead-acid batteries you are going to have to run the generator far more often and for longer to charge fully and prevent sulphation, and this increase the costs for fuel and maintenance. Cheap up-front but more painful and expensive to live with.

I would swot up on your engine and gearbox. the RCR muppet that they send will know nothing about them, especially how the forward gear works.

If you asked the man on the Clapham omnibus whether it was acceptable to put a weeks worth of human faeces in a bag and put it in a "public " bin, what do you think the answer would be If you asked the same about dog poo or nappies do you think it would be different? Not sure where the baying crowd bit comes from, your potential actions are unpopular, that's all. And trying to make out that people who are not full time boaters shouldn't have an opinion is absurd.

How about..... Compost it.

I am going to disagree with the red bit. If they are then why do proper marine engines e.g. Bukh & Penta MDx not use them? It may be a subsidiary effect of having one but they are certainly not designed to rip apart. In fact, hey have fairly substantial metal stops to try to prevent it. Listers, early BMCs and Self Changing Gears gearboxes don't use them. They are a cost-effective way of coupling a marine gearbox to the flywheel of and automotive or industrial engine while providing damping for the torsional oscillations caused by the power strokes. They also allow for a very small misalignment between crankshaft and gearbox.