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How to bleed a Webasto central heating system on a narrow boat

Hi All
 
On our journey this week to Gloucester i've notice a small pool of water appear under the engine. From Droitwich to Worcester is was tiny so mopped it up - it seems to be fresh water, can't see any oil/coolant residue in it. It only appears after cruising. After our 6 hours stint from Worcester to Gloucester its was a fair bit more... not worrying but enough to soak with a few kitchen towels.... again, seemed to be fresh water... it seemed to appear in the morning part of the cruise then stop.....
 
I've checked the hoses/coolant, all seems ok. its not the overfill on the engine engine temp is fine its not oil doesn't appear to be any coolant in it its not raining  
i have only one theory and just to check if others agree?   as its been unusually cold mornings/warm afternoons i think its condensation under the engine.... does this sound feasible? is this 'a thing'?   i will closely monitor this today as we are setting off later on the Glous/Sharpness so things will be warmer........
 
anything else i should be checking?
 
thanks!!!!

Hi 
I'm urgently trying to find a welder to come out to my boat please.
I've broken down on the Macclesfield canal. The skin tank at its base has developed a leak on the original weld.
Need it welding. I'm a cc liveaboard.
Thanks 
Dave NB inspired by nature 

Hi all. Back again with another question. We are now looking to install a Webasto on our boat. We cant afford a new one but  friend has recommended someone who completely reconditions them. What are your thoughts on a recon. Also I have spoken to a number of people on my Marina who complain that their heaters break down a lot. Any advice from you lovely lot goes a long way
Diane

I am trying to find a Bmc engineer to look at my engine problems.
I am at Wheaton Aston at the moment working my way up towards Nantwich.
Thanks

Thought this might Intrest a few people on here, forward to 13min in
 
 
 

 
@magpie patrick

I have a Canaline 42 in an Elton Moss. 
 
Any thoughts about servicing the coolant? Should I drain just the engine or also the skin tank? How to find the access point for each of these? What's the risk of getting air in the calorifier? If so, then how to bleed it?
 
The engine is still quite new. Any thoughts on how to best deal with the coolant would be much appreciated! Worst case I guess I can just top it up but I think something more thorough is needed. 
 
Thanks in advance. 

Quick info, the Bridgewater has breached near Ye Olde No 3 at some point this morning. The canal company are aware and have been putting stop planks in place to close the canal at Agden for draining and inspection.
The levels elsewhere are at the moment OK, but not sure for how long...
 

Hi all
I'm still looking for my first boat. I recently attended a seminar for new boaters and those first buyers. Very helpful on what to look out for that may become  a problem. For example one thing I definitely would not have really noticed was the hearth being too small for the heater it was standing on. Anyway, I'm going on a bit now. What I want to ask is, if I find a boat I'm going to view may I put the ad on this forum for experienced boaters to take a look and give their opinion? Hope this is ok to ask. The more I read about the more confused I became. Thank you all 😊

I saw this on a New Zealand registered steel yacht in Mytilene harbour this morning, I've not seen this style before.
 

Hello
I have had to pull over near the village of Yelvertoft. My engine is overheating and I am losing coolant from somewhere. i have had a look but can't see anything obvious.
Could someone recommend a good engineer who may be willing to come out to take a look please?
I am only a few miles from my destination - Welford marina - and my original plan was to run it for about an hour and the temperature started to climb, and then shut down and let it cool off before doing it all again. Now I'm not so sure that is such a good idea - hence the need for an engineer to come and take a look.
Thanks for any suggestions

The water pump is behaving strangely. 
 
Before Christmas, the pump would cut-in about 5 seconds after opening a tap and then cut-out (stop) about 5 seconds after the tap was closed. It has done this since we bought the boat in July 2015. The water-pump strange behaviour is that a tap will now run for nearly 20 seconds, delivering nearly 2 litres of water, before the pump cuts-in - doesn’t matter which tap - and the pump will then run for about 40 seconds after the tap is closed. I’ve tried the ‘Tracey method’ of adjusting pump cut-in pressure a couple of times which hasn’t changed anything.
 
Before Christmas I think that the water system froze, certainly the thermostatic mixing bar for the shower started squirting water out of the temperature control end, which is why I think the system froze. I’ve fixed that problem. 
 
Does this suggest a failed accumulator, and if not, does anyone have any other ideas what the problem might be?  
 
The existing accumulator is a Jabsco 8 litre which was in the boat when we bought it, and may well be the original from when the boat was fitted-out on 2002.

Thread title is the Beebs attenpt at being sensational.
Not the first time this has happened, looks like the Northampton arm & the Nene were dumping areas for railway detonators.
Has this happened anywhere else?
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2lxzl79zo

Oh dear, glad to hear all on board are OK. Could have been very nasty.
 
Looks like  one of the mud boats was being towed. 
 

 


Patricia in happier times 
 

Lady Mary is followed out of Sharpness by an intrepid narrowboat.
Good to see
Tractor

Saw this small wooden boat ... never seen anything like it.
 
Not the best photo I'm afraid, but does anyone know what type/builder etc. it may be ?
 
Rog
 

Morning all,
 
I've just had some welding done to my boat and have a few areas that need filling. I'm going to prime my boat with Jotun Jotamastic 90 (based on previous comments/recommendations on here). I've read previous posts on here regarding fillers, my question is, should I be using a specific filler with Jotamastic 90, if not, what are you fillers of choice for above water line repairs?
 
I see Jotamastic 90 primer is tintable, is this important as a primer? Do i need to know the topcoat colour prior to selecting the primer? I was under the impression that choosing the undercoat colour was based on the final topcoat colour.
 
I've in the process of preparing the boat for the primer, there are areas of pitting where flap discs and wire wheels can't get in to. There are signs of rust in these pits. I'm sure I saw that epoxy paints shouldn't be used with a rust converter such as Vactan, Vactan say it can be used with all paints except cellulose based ones. Can anyone give their opinion on the matter?
 
Yours,
 
Mark

Hi, I’m hoping to buy a narrowboat soon, are there any circumstances where you wouldn't need to get a hull survey, or is it something you should always do no matter what 
thanks 

Hello all, we're taking our first fortnight on our narrowboat share, starting at Cropredy Marina on the Oxford canal in May.  I'd be interested in any news about the stretch we will be boating, suggestions, favorite sites, wisecracks, etc. from this lovely community.

Our itinerary as envisioned is roughly, as such plans are always rough:

Head North from the marina toward Braunston, mooring overnight near Napton in between. 
Moor for the night in Braunston.  Wind back south in the morning. 
Moor for the night at Fenny Compton.
Moor next night in the village of Cropredy.
Continue south in the morning, targeting Bridge 190 by the Great Western Arms for the night.
Thrupp for the next night, if moorings can be found.
City of Oxford for the next two nights or so, with possibly a little day excursion out on the Thames.  We have the license.
Back up to Thrupp again.
Next night's moorings in or near Banbury.  Then to home in the marina.
On Saturday catch a ride to Crick for the boat show.
 
All kind thoughts are welcome and appreciated.  Thanks!

Hi everyone,
 
I'm currently in a dispute over labour costs for the fitout of a canal boat and would appreciate some perspective.
 
What would you consider a reasonable hourly labour rate for someone carrying out a fitout at a local boatyard (i.e. not a call-out rate)? The yard is in Nottinghamshire, and the work is being done on-site.
 
The builder wants to raise the labour rate by 75% partway through the project. Labour costs were initially set quite low, which we agreed to because this is their first full fitout.
 
Thank you for any insights

Good afternoon!
 
I have a newly installed Webasto evo and have some teething issues. 
It’s a closed, pressurised system. 
 
First, the pressure release valve is dripping. Sometimes it’s a steady stream. What should the pressure be while the system is running? It gets up to about 2bars. The pressure is set to 1bar when cold. 
 
Secondly, the unit doesn’t seem to reduce its output. I had it running for two hours yesterday, the radiators were too hot to touch but at no point did the unit seem to reduce, is it usually detectable when it drops the output?
 
Thanks in advance

An unusually large number of historic boats on the open market at the moment.
 
Often they don't get publicly advertised.
 
These are I think all fairly recent additions....
 
Butty "Taurus" (Price includes "Free" Roger Fuller motor "Snipe"! - Hotel boats)
 
"Andromeda"
 
"Lancing" (Trip Boat)
 
"Sharpness"
 
 
These have all been around a while, I think - try an offer!
 
"Cambourne"
 
"Hawkesbury"
 
"Bletchley" & "Argus"
 
Butty "Lyra"
 
"Seaford"
 
"Mountbatten" & "Jellicoe"

I can't shake the bug and after 9 months glued to YouTube and Apolloduck, really want to buy a boat for leisure use on the canal.  I have a 50 year old car to sell first, and the Mrs to persuade, so I'm in the research before buying phase.
 
I'd like something small, perhaps a bit of a project but fundamentally sound.  I don't want to be trapped in a horror story of my own making though.  Other than a paper thin hull and an engine with minutes of life left in it, what are the big pitfalls to avoid?
 
As a discussion aid, this boat is something I might look at.  I'd be happy to sand and repaint the whole exterior in a more flattering colour scheme, as well as update the electrics, plumbing and interior decor.  Is this end of the market not for the faint hearted?  https://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/boat/stoke-on-trent-27-cruiser-stern-for-sale/769594
 
 

Closed just above Bosley locks.
"Due to a leak in the canal bed, we have closed navigation and the towpath between Bridge 52 Crowholt Bridge and Bridge 53 Locketts Bridge on the Macclesfield Canal.
 
Our teams are currently on-site installing stop planks to enable a thorough inspection of the leak. We are also contacting customers moored in the affected area.
 
We will provide a further update on Monday, 31st March."