OldGoat

Either of your suggestions would do the job. Something like a TravelPower generator would cost upwards of £2,000 plus modifications and fitting. A pure sine wave inverter clicky here is priced at £465 - so no contest really ??? Minimal wiring needed and you can run the engine while washing to keep the batteries charged up. I'm assuming the Sterling unit is a "quasi-sinewave" inverter and many washing machines "don't like that waveform". Something to do with the electronic control of the motor. Nothing to do with the rated power output.

Unless the Travel Power can be easily modified (sometimes equipment is designed to be switchable). That nice Mr. Cox can advise then as suggested above an auto transformer - example here (clicky) or indeed this one is better value because it can handle three times the power.

If it was a troll valve, then methinks, it wasn't an hydraulic system but Beta's PropGen system. The engine runs at a constant 1500 rpm to generate 240V 50 Hz A/C for domestic services and the troll valve is an adaptor to slip the gearbox drive. AFAIK it was a compromise lower cost system when 5 / 6 KW power was needed onboard. Not many were made because - I guess - you don't need 240 supply "in quantity" when you're actually motoring?

If you must / need to moor a bit nearer to the centre, then it is said that Star City has some attraction - secure mooring and lots of fast food. Somewhat noisy.... There's what looks like a very pleasant mooring - towards the bottom of the flight, on the opposite side from the towpath in a new development, bollards and brick paving. There were good reports on this forum about a year ago. Looked very nice when we passed by last season. Almost as good as the moorings in the centre.

IIRC Port Meadow has no facilities; you have to park quite some distance away at the end of a dirt track and it's not part of the marina - indeed it had the appearance of a scrap yard / tip when we visited. You might be better off at Osney Marina (not Osney Mill Marina) or even Abingdon - whose facilities are better. Thames prices are eyewateringly expensive, though.

Bit of a chocolate teapot - even for use at home. Not only does the Hall (or is it Peltier) effect consume lots of power, but it doesn't cool quickly m- like coll down quickly after you open the door, but the insulation is likely to be poor as well. We bought a drinks fridge - with compressor from Aldi a year or two back. You'd expect that to do its job well. Not so. Glass door, minimal insulation all cooling lost. Works well in the winter (!) but not in the last heatwave - whenever that was. Junk (Lidl) dumped on thne Briotish public.

Depends on whether yopu enjoy industrial dereliction more than apparently rural idyl (when you pop your head off the canalside the real world re-asserts itself) so:- the Netherton route (plus and minus) Birmingham Main line - the Tunnel + Windmill end - Merry Hill and shopping... + Sixteen bit of both Stourbridge locks + Wolverhampton route Old Mainline + Black Country Musuem +++ Wolverhamptin flight ++ Staffs and Worcester ++++++++ You MUST "DO" the Bratch staircase - Foxton or Watford locks in miniature) and there's a pumphouse in steam that might be open. T'other route - palls into insignificance really........ Highly partial been there etc. The difference in time is 1/2 to 1 day (?) of course you have to add BCM to that (1/2 day) whereas shoppin' 2 hours !!!!!

Only if they still work - luckily mine (different model) still does and there's nothing big enough with which to replace i Just a tatty LEC under the covers with a decent Danfoss compressor. As with many small entrepreneurs, much promise little deliveries

Precisely why I suggested a diode splitter - see the logic in my earlier post.

First off the rule of 20% is a Maximum NOT minimum practice recommendation and that for flooded (wet) cells. If you go over that there are issues of gassing / battery damage. Secondly a case history: I have two girt big alternators to feed my ditto battery bank. In order not to confuse each alternator they are separated by a split charge diode and it works well. If you were worried you could fit one of those - one leg to the alternator, the other to the battery charger. a sense lead to the batteries is needed for the system to work the alternator / charger "sees" the battery voltage through the sense lead but is not aware of the other's presence. Not ever having tried to run my battery charger and engine at the same time (well I have but I can't remember what happened 'cos I switched it off pronto), I don't know whether the diodes are necessary. They can be made easily and cheaply - no 'lectronic magic needed. Perhaps someone will be along later to disavow my suggestions.....

There are different rates for "multiple occupancy" published somewhere, but methinks they only cover permanent residencies. As far as caravan parks and the like are concerned and marinas too - the tenancy licence specifies something less than 365 days occupancy, so the tenant by definition mus have a permanent address and so in effect has a TV licence ('cos folks are deemed to have a tv in the residence....) so no need to police caravan parks. Has anyone on a boat ever been pursued by the TvLicencing bods?? If folks are worried and want to be thoroughly honest (I commend them), they will have to wander trough reams of legislation. Start with the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1947, and lord knows what else. What Crapita publishes, and says may be somewhat different to the truth. In the end you may have to rely on their practice which is to send rude letters to a postal address or go on foot and they wont do that on the towpath... Perhaps best not to rattle cages....

It's a problem with bankside "free" moorings. Folks tend to dump their boats and **off for months. There's not much of a community up there so there's nobody to keep an eye on it. The bank there is softish, but the edge has the remains of bank protection, which I think is timber. A stout pull with a tug shoud free her. Probably hasn't bought his licence either...

Bad lad! I suggested Stourbridge was a bit grt and got flamed!! The problem with not searching through likely topics is that other folk get tired with answering the same questions - and you thereby might miss some gems... If you loop round to the Old mainline and don't go back to Tipton, then be careful with Brades We made the mistake of trying to push through a shallow pound and running water down - pushing against the stream so we coudn't get into the bottom chamber of the pair. The long pound leaks so fill it first before leaving the lock. Theres a huge Sainsbury's 150 yards from the OML at what they call Walsall - that is if you didn't stop at Merry Hill.. As you've aloready had the joys of central Brum the suggestion from another is the Tame Valley canal, not much used but as he said great to watch the traffic queues above you on the M6 and below you on the A38 (?) - We wave at all the lorries and occasionally get a toot in reply! If you're going to be that brave how's about doing the Curley Wyrley - hang a right before you get to Wolverhampton and you get to do most of the (different) locks down to Salford Junction for the B&F and back home. OR,Or hang a right on the CW, down to Walsall and it's Town arm, join the Thame Valley and across to Salford Junc: Warning may be V.Grotty in parts. I'm not an armchair canaler - we've done all of these not necassarily in the same order or at the same time. They all ahve some challenge or another..

There has much been said on these fora recently - did you read them?? My personal preference is for a ring, rather than a "there and back" which is your first choice. Presumably for brevity's sake you didn't expand on what parts of the BCN you have already done which makes a sensible suggestion more difficult. Anyway the best parts of the BCN to my mind are all around the centre, the further away you get the less attractive some areas are. The Stourbridge up to the arm is delightful, but I find the 16, Delph and Dudley canals dour and oppressive in places. Haven't been there for years, so it may have changed. The new Mainline is straight and featureless, whereas the Old line has more character, but not worth turning onto it unless you've never gone to BCM which can be a delight the first time you visit it. Mooring and services outside are also useful. If you are going down the Severn, why not visit Worcester - quite a bit to see and it isn't much more time than turning up the Droitwich. Tardebigge is a "thing to be done", but there's nowhere to pause - so you rush through (no difference to any long flight of locks - just more). In reality it depends on what you like doing - crash on as we used to do, "better to travel than arrive" or whether you take pleasure in visiting places lik Brum, that you would never contemplate visiting by car. Those decisions effectively determine your route.

I seem to recall that Aldi do a similar more compact unit - smaller tank, with proper blow up wheels for a lot less. Believe me solid wheels just don't work on muddy footpaths Looks LIKE this one but a lot cheaper 'problem is that you'll have to wait until they buy a load Lidl's price is nothing special

Lordy, Lordy, you're all making the thing far to complicated. KISS - Keep it simple sillybilly Suggestion 1 Plumb it into the calorifier engine cooling circuit. Either just that with the genny in series (there's a lot of heat going through there, so a bit of wasted heat won't go amiss) OR parallel the genset across the engine circuit with a valve (one would probably do) to isolate the engine jacket. Suggestion 2 Rethink the whole issue and consider something like:- (a) Beta's prop genny engine runs a generator all the time at 1500 rpm and there's a slipping clutch for forward and reverse motoring. I've seen one running on the canals and noticed how quiet it was. ( Beta has a hybrid project with another company to give electric propulsion with engine backup for when you flatten the battery or want to get "on the plane" (haha) Quite expensive

I use a wooden stick......

Probably the same bloke I met in the '90s who said he could get all the power you need from a standard alternator running at 100,000 rpm (yes one hundred thousand). He even got a grant to develop it. There are to many posts above for me to quote specifically Reliability of Travel Power units were discussed on this forum last year (oh for a decent search facility), there were enough to make me feel they had some credibility. The importer told me a while ago that there had been some problems with the electronics. Whatever system you use employs an inverter of some sort. The SeaPower (black unit) and I think TravelPower have alternators that deliver 3 phase AC at 110 or 240V which is rectified to 110 or 240V DC and converted to 240V AC 50Hz. The conversion is done using inverter technology. I had a girt big 175amp 24V alternator on my rig - that equates to 350 amps @ 12V. So while it worked I had the best of both worlds. Genny power for high current AC use Large alternator(s) for battery charging Smaller inverter for TV HiFi and so on. I'm comfortable with most aspects of 'leccy, so I'm not fazed by wiring and switches My SP lasted for 5 years before it died. The irritating thing was that it was hardly ever used - project that didn't materialise - so it shouldn't have failed. That to my mind is the main issue with these - the equipment is rotating and the electronics are available the whole time the engine is running - and I think they need to be "worked"; analogous to a diesel engine glazing it's bores, or they fail? That's my experience FWIW which might be more useful that saying "do it that way"

Midland Chandlers do a paint in a tin - more convenient than a spray. Two coats did me. and there's a lot left in the tin for next year Did I do something wrong ??

There has been lots of complaints about TravelPower units - Not hugely reliable and V.expensive to repair. It's the electronics that break. I had its predecessor a SeaPower on mine Fab while it worked (5 years). One day it stopped, no bang, no smell. No obvious reason. A very, very nice man in Atherstone said "can't get the parts anymore..... With a TP you always have to run the engine, with a suitably sized alternator / battery setup you only have to run the engine when you need to....

Ooh Arr, Oi 'ad one of they in my Dexter traaactor. 'Twer a Perkins 3 cylinder 3 litres. Very solid, loadsa' grunt. Beta took them and covered them in green paint (to the tune of Cadburys......... chocolate). Do check how the 240V genny works - IIRC you have to slip a belt and set the engine to a fixed (slow) speed. A bit inelegant but worked. The loose (!!) belt was necessary because when cruising the voltage and frequency would go haywire and could cook your equipment. An inexpensive set up but could do with a rethink.

Aha - does it have a Perkins type 3 cylinder engine mounted in a sort of engine room, with a rather strange way of generating 240V power. If so, it used to be owned by a fantastic bloke and his wife. Nothing was ever too much for him to do. Thanks to him that we got a mooring and he spent ages teaching me how to "boat". Look after her - there's a lot of history there. Anyway, back on topic. You'll need a Thames licence - A two day one will give you effectively three days use. Is it Licenced on the Wey - if not there's a transit licence (if it's in Pyrford) for a small sum. Then of course, you'll need a BW licence Before you spend money check what licence it already has - they are usually transferable. Depends how DIY capable you are but Pyrford has a dry dock for the blacking. On the way (pun there somewhere....) 4all Marine at Laleham do hulls. Anything on the River is expensive, but give Paul a ring for a quote. The K&A is foreign to me (!) so I can't add anything.

Go up with the tide ata a time when the trip boats are not running The cats don't go all that far upstream - they are the ones that make the wash After Lotts Road it's much quieter. If you do meet a lot of wash - turn into it. Mind the foul mouthed rowers.....

Echo what others have said (more batteries etc) I pesonally would fit another altenator - Beta do a dual Poly-V pulley arrangement which is working well for me (after some other teething troubles). Then you can run th engine while you are washing and the batteries add any excess power needed. Cheaper than a separate genset - and no extra space required. Fit an 'ospital silencer, or unfashionable raw water cooling for silence. 'Tis what I've got so I speak from experience (thought my batteries are totally different...)

Surprisingly enough it may well be that he's a bit shy. You'd expect that because he's ont' telly he'd be an extrovert. That does not follow. I've had passing acquaintances with various "personalities" and most of them were somewhat reserved - until you engaged them in conversation (usually about topics close to their hearts!!)