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Colin North

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Occupation
    Retired
  • Boat Name
    Constance
  • Boat Location
    CCing

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  1. My MPPT has the 'Load' connection. It is a 10A relay enabled when the Battery Voltage is GOOD, i.e. over 1.2v I think. I use it for powering a light as it is in a convenient place for that purpose. Your connections should be +/- for Solar panel, +/- for Battery with an in-line fuse. The use of 'Load +/-' is optional but will have a limited power rating depending upon the rating of the internal relay.
  2. I recently had coupling problems and tried to run with only 3 out of 4 bolts fitted. The vibrations set up (at cruising revs) made it impossible to use/live with. I got over it temporarily by removing a second bolt so that I had alternate bolt and space. This worked perfectly with no vibration because the system was now balanced. Later the job was fixed properly. My pictures at: http://nbconstance.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/it-is-2017-now-where-did-time-go.html about 2/3rds of the way down. HTH
  3. Thanks everyone, I will try and collate all this information and ,who knows, I might come up with a useful document!
  4. Is there a list of locations where one can find boater's Shower Facilities on the canal system? We found C&RT showers at Gas Street & at Kingswood Junction - they were great. Trawled C&RT website but cannot find anything. Many thanks.
  5. I used David Williams in January 2014 and he came to Semington Dry Dock to view my steel narrowboat. Mobile 07817 080391 Tel: 01275 373464 williamsboatsurveyor@Tiscali.co.uk Hope that helps. Colin
  6. I think I agree with the OP. When you enter a lock to go down you are already displacing water. When you leave the lock, the water from the lower level fills the hole you have made in the water. When you enter a lock to go up you have already displaced the water, you go up and have still displaced the water. As you move out water flows into the lock to fill the hole that your boat is. This is nit-picking a bit and is much easier to imagine if you think in terms of a boat much larger that ours that more or less completely fills the lock.
  7. When we went through Napton a week or so ago the Elsan emptying point looked as if it was full of blue paper towels, like those that come on a great big roll for drying hands etc., my kids call it elephant's bog roll.
  8. Having just come out of Oxford I can verify that the offside banks have been tidied up greatly and it is certainly a lot clearer than when that was filmed. Enjoyed the program, found the 'continuity' a bit odd, but then we have just done the journey so it is very fresh in our minds. Sonia Rolt was a treat and explains why her property was up for sale when we came down the canal last autumn. As everyone concludes - knocks spots off 'Barging'!
  9. Using the calculator from: http://processheatingservices.com/water-heating-time-calculator/ 50 litres, raised by 65C using a 1kW element should take about 227 minutes. Nearly 4 hours... However - what about losses? How well is the tank insulated. Mine has the original (blue) foam insulation and then a secondary jacket made from an old 14 tog bed quilt. This makes it pretty useless as an airing cupboard but it does keep the heat in the tank. With just the blue foam insulation I would suggest that 1kW will struggle. Colin
  10. I can vouch for issues with RF (Radio Frequency) noisy LEDs as used for cabin lighting. I have purchased LEDS from two of our Canal Based LED suppliers and from other cheaper sources. The LEDs purchased form the Canal Based LED suppliers were of the more expensive kind, fully regulated with the voltage specification of 10-30V These are totally RF silent at all frequencies that I have measured (1MHz - 430MHz) and I have not had any problems. I decided for follow the collected wisdom of a few on this site and purchase some cheapies from other sources. What a difference. The three samples I have are definitely RF noisy to the point the FM radio is unlistenable and Amateur Radio is not viable. I now use these LEDs as lead lamps for working on the engine etc., as their RF Interference does not bother me then. Yes, I know there are (probably) many good cheap LEDs out there but I cannot be bothered to keep buying them until I find a quiet one. Colin G4GBP
  11. Our "bathroom/loo" can be warmed with the heat of one small hurricane lantern to a point where it becomes comfortable even in freezing weather. I have tapped into the tail of the calorifier return and made a very small radiator out of bits of copper pipe. If I calculate the 'losses' from the pipework it comes to about 40-50W as calculated from this website: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/copper-pipe-heat-loss-d_19.html The rad looks like the picture below. I was surprised how much difference it made. If I were to make one again I would make it larger but that is because I have since re-designed the bathroom and have more space to put it. Colin
  12. I think I would agree with you that your Eber is underpowered for the installation that you detail. Your Eber is rated at 5kW Your two 75L Calorifiers are probably rated at 2kW Each You have 12 radiators - lets say they are between 0.4kW and 1kW each Calorifiers =4kW + Rads (say) 6kW makes a total of 10kW. I would suggest that your Eber struggles to get the whole system warm. You can get bigger Ebers - I think they do a 9kW or you could split the system as you suggest. This also gives you some resilience in the event of a failure/diesel shortage etc. Good Luck Colin
  13. I moved her yesterday. At a little higher speed than I normally do. Normally I drive very slowly, not much above tickover because I am not in a hurry and enjoy the scenery etc. Yes, the temperature did climb a little quicker but it did not climb to the point of thermostat opening. The calorifier water was lovely and warm. If there is an air-lock in the calorifier feed, my engine boils very quickly and the hot water does not heat, so that can be eliminated. Then I drove home, that is the time for thinking... What has changed? I remembered on the way home. The calorifier has a second coil for central heating to heat the calorifier. I have recently, for the first time ever, filled the 2nd coil and there could be a short loop for a thermal syphoning of hot water to the central heating circuit. I have not confirmed that the CH pipes are getting warm as I only thought of this on the way home. I would be surprised if this is the answer but it (along with the cold) might just answer it all. If that is the case then I am sorry I bothered you all. I am grateful for all your thought and replies. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you all! Colin
  14. Both the old and new thermostats are as the left hand item in the picture above. There is no lower seat within the block for the penny washer. The top hose was warm,30C, but that water is heated by the exhaust manifold on my marinisation. As I say, I will try and give her a slightly harder run tomorrow. Cheers, Colin
  15. Thanks for your replies. The skin tank was only a degree or so above ambient. So the heat is not going there. The calorifier is definitely working OK. The 'hot' water was cold (almost ice cold) before I set off today and I now have reasonably hot domestic hot water. There was the usual small differential between the flow and return pipes. As I say, I might be overreacting, I will try and give her a good run tomorrow and see if the temperature will achieve the normal running levels. Thanks, Colin
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