Slim
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Posts posted by Slim
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14 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:
I guess it depends on your definition of 'older age'.
I've reached the "3-score years and ten" bracket and the bones creak and groan but it surprising how you can adapt the way you do things, it may be a slower method, ie use a sack truck to carry your gas cylinder rather than sling it over your shoulder, but its easier on the body.
From personal experience things just seem to accelerate rapidly after that point. 10 years ago, bag of coal in each hand, 5 years ago bag of coal in one hand. Now, the firelighters to go with the coal. Come back in 5-10 years with an update.
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The issue of loading/lifting gas bottles or coal was a significant factor in my deciding, at the age of 76, to call it a day as far as boating was concerned. As the old adage goes "time and tide wait for no man."
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14 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:
if it really is a problem then a car engine hoist is a simple solution - just as an examaple (100s of variations available) this one folds up to be quite small
And it weighs ??????
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6 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:
I think this is misleading. 1/2" gas tube has a thicker wall than 15mm household copper pipe. I am not sure if ordinary 15mm copper meets the ISO or BSS, I have an idea that at one time it did not.
Tony, point taken. I mentioned 15mm as an indication of size only. Indeed, when I installed my pipework I was advised that household copper pipe was not acceptable.
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14 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:
Any idea on the 8/10 question?
I just used 1/2" (aka 15mm). It was malleable and ran from the cockpit isolation valve (as required at the time) to the appliances without joints.. Getting it through the forward bulkhead and fashioning a suitable grommet was 'interesting'.
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12 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:
An oft asked question that seems to get people in a spin so I’ll add to it and ask again about gas pipe sizes. At this stage I’m only really interested for the purposes of buying bubble tester, bulkhead fittings, and thinking about where it will run. Keeping access to fittings for BSS etc.
So…. What size copper pipe. 8mm or 10mm?
Only gas appliances will be a Cointra / Pegaso / Ferolli Eco 6 water heater and a small
oven and hob. Probably something like the Thetford Triplex.
From reading it seems that it used to be the case that you couldn’t go too large, and then someone started panicking about the amount of gas potentially sat in the pipes so current thinking seems to be that you should go ‘large enough’.
And is it the case that ALL joints should be compression. No soldered fittings at all?
Sometimes one can over research an issue. Given that the greatest risk from gas piping would be from a leak. I fail to see how the volume of gas within a given length of pipe is of any significance. Far more important is how gas might escape into the cabin of a boat. The greatest weakness is obviously at joints. Soldered joints are a no, no. Think of the reasoning behind the ban. Solder melts at a fairly low temperature . A soldered joint could fail in the event of a non gas related fire thereby turning the fire into a gas related fire of greater intensity. Easy when you think of it. As I understand it brazed or silver soldered joints are acceptable both of which require a much higher temperature to fail ie melt.
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5 hours ago, TandC said:
I'll need to make some steel brackets and clamp to that. But otherwise, I think the routing will work nicely keeping the bends to a minimum and still reasonably compact.
Forget what they're called but the standoff brackets you see on some plumbing may be suitable dependant upon size. (not copper saddle clamps)
Remembered, Musem brackets
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I had a Gulper fail a few years ago. As I recall it was a flap/joker valve. Bought an overhaul kit which was not cheap. Replaced the various parts supplied including the diaphragm which forms the seal between the two parts of the casing. Could not get the diaphragm to stay in place whilst re-assembling. The locating lip was just too tiny. After hours of fiddling around gave up and binned the whole lot.
Long winded way of saying exactly the same as Mr Smelly.
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33 minutes ago, magnetman said:
Is that how the one in Banbury works?
I've not been under it but for some reason i think it was one of the old round granny gear things where you just put the windlass on and wind one way or the other.
Of course it was installed quite a number of yars ago so one imagines that the new ones will have better systems.
No , all you need is a windlass and a highjacked pedestrian. That's how I always got through it single handed.
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15 minutes ago, blackrose said:
I've got a Brother label printer which I bought on Amazon for about £15 many years ago. It often comes in handy.
I've got one as well (mine came from Maplins). Must track down where to get some tape.
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I would say, both. I had a Squirrel fitted about 10' aft of my front doors on a 55' nb and that worked fine. Never understood fitting a heating source at one end of a narrow cabin . (be it a narrow or a wide beam.)
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On 07/11/2023 at 20:03, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:
Fair enough,
Like you say each to their own,
Id prefer them covered with wooden plugs,
Especially the ones that appear to be simply counter sunk
Plugs are easily made from the off cuts,
A simple attention to detail makes a difference. 👍
although I only had Houdini hatches I made the linings for them in a vaguely similar way with exposed screw fixings. This allowed me to lower / remove the entire lining easily. Over the years I had to do this on several occasions and it more than compensated for a very minor visual 'blemish'.
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13 hours ago, Jamesl9 said:
Thanks. That's what I suspected, the pits although very shallow are silver. I've been told it can be treated easily by high pressure blasting the hull, then spraying with isopropyl alcohol, then reblacking. I can't find anything about this online, have you ever heard of treating MIC this way before?
That is exactly what I was told by a surveyor last year. Isopropyl Alcohol. It isn't that expensive either.
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My roof was originally Midnight Blue with aggressive anti slip grit in it. Some years later I overpainted it in Oxford Blue. It was noticeably cooler on sunny days following the re-paint. Make from this what you will. 🖌️🖌️
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53 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:
Bear in mind that H2S is flammable
Obviously what everyone else said but I thought that HS2 was a damp squib.😇
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57 minutes ago, dmr said:
Just before I purchased my first house a friend gave me some really good advice, buy a house within easy walking distance of a good pub, you can drive to work, you can drive to the shops, but you wan't to be driving home from the pub,
Unfortunatly these days the pub is likely to have morphed into a house/block of flats-----sorry, apartments.
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1 hour ago, robtheplod said:
If you've not seen these, - they are very good quality and Gary is happy to tailor to your requirements...
GS Controls | Electrical control panels | Electrical equipment
Agree regarding quality. They made up several panels to my specifications
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I had 3 ordinary computer fans within mushroom vents. Galley, Bathroom and shower. Actually in the lining between grill and roof. Held in place with a few dabs of silicone with power from existing lights but independently switched. The Bathroom/ shower fans were also powered from a small solar panel via 2 way switches. Exact wiring depends upon where you're starting from.
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21 hours ago, JojoF said:
Thanks I will try them. Shame the numbers on the cap have worn. We were told it was a 4...what might that relate to? Thanks jj
PSI Pounds per Square Inch
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1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:
We have just got the renewal through for the car and that's gone up a third. Can not find it cheaper anywhere else 🙄
Really looking forward to the van renewal in April 😲
You MAY find it doesn't go up too much as some insurance companies increase their rates on the 1st April. I changed my car in January and the increase for the remaining 3 months on the policy was only a few pounds. Come the end of April it had gone up by over 50%.
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1 minute ago, alan_fincher said:
True marine plywood is very very expensive - often 3 or 4 times the price of the plywoods used in narrow boats
£128 per 8' x 4' sheet last week in local B&Q. Just browsing.
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29 minutes ago, PaulJ said:
Ive got one the same.
Leaks a bit if you store it wrong way round and the dies arent that accurate- I just use the size that works.
But works fine and done many cables with it. Well worth the pittance it costs.
I've got one as well. No issues regarding leaks but sizes are a matter of trial and error rather than claimed size. I tend to go one size under stated.
32 minutes ago, jonathanA said:They are ok for the money IMO. I have a non hydralic professional big crimper which is definitely better. But the ebay ones are fine and i find them handy for the smaller sizes and for in situ work. Some folks report they need to use a size down with the ebay ones. Might be to do with the quality of the crimps ?
More to do with Chinese millimetres.
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On 26/10/2023 at 21:58, Helen B said:
Thanks, it's currently in a garage and had two qualified mechanics looking at it, plus my partner who's been working on engines for 40+ years. However, they've drawn a blank so far! The person they are asking used to work on BMC engines in tractors and knows about old engines! I'll try Slim's suggestion of looking it up on the internet, although I'm told they've tried that.
Any tips would be gratefully received, but unfortunately I'm just the one on the keyboard and only have a basic understanding of the problem..!
Not the internet (as such) ON this forum.
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4 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:
If you have an isolation transformer I am surprised the polarity indicator works as it measures voltage to earth and with an isolation transformer you dont actually have a connection to the mains earmth. Someone may prove me wrong as that was straight off the top of my head.
I can only say that I had an isolation transformer (Airwork?) and my polarity indicator worked
2 hours ago, jonathanA said:One other thing . It does seem odd to me to have both a GI and a transformer. Which makes me wonder if a muppet has been at it before you got it. You have bypassed the gi and it worked before so think it's not relevant but something to look at later on.
I had a GI for years and went on to fit an isolation transformer. Never considered myself a muppet. Why would I have had?
Replace Sterling Alternator, think it cooked my batteries
in Boat Building & Maintenance
Posted
Well, my Leoch AGMs didn't have a sign of a valve or anything similar either. From memory the only way I would have been able to get to the plates etc would have been with a hammer and chisel.