Monsoon merchant

We have the same inverter, similar age. We had the same problem abd got advice from Onboard Energy at Springwood Haven - very helpful people. They suggested removing and refitting the two main flat cable connectors on the circuit board, and do the same with the connectors for the fan, which are usually connected to brown wires at the top of the circuit board. Worked straight away! Apparently dust and damp can get into the connections causing it to play up. Worth a try.

Hi. Our lpg cooker has started making a funny smell. It is present with all the burners, so is not a deposit on a burner. Flames are blue and look fine. It is not that 'end of a bottle smell', it's hard to describe. Bottle is over half full, same brand as always - Calor. I can't place whether it started when the bottle was changed or not. It's quite strong initially, but seems to diminish. Any ideas? Does it sound dodgy? CO monitors have not indicated anything. Thanks for your help.

MGM Boats in Leicester took a short boat to Crick last year. They are former winners there. Looked like clever use of space. They now run as a hire boat, so is available for viewing/trial, I would imagine.

Hi. If you are looking at a boatbuilder in Shardlow by any chance, send me a personal message when you have 5 posts and I will give you my (negative) personal experience.

Thanks for the replies. Might go for the simplicity of a curtain!

Hi We would like to do as the topic title suggests. There is not room for any other kind of door. Obviously it requires an odd shaped door, simplified, I imagine, by filling in the under-gunwale space. It is the mechanism I am having trouble visualising - a track on the floor would not be a problem, but what about the curved roof? A horizontal rail would take quite a lot off the corridor headroom. Any genius ideas, pictures and suggestions of suitable mechanisms are most welcome, or is it a non-starter? Thanks for your help.

I have now had a reply from the insurers, which seems very woolly in insurance terms, where things generally seem to be so tightly specified. It does indeed seem that the insurers can decide to invoke the replacement clause at their will, with no specific criteria, and thus having over-collected premiums over the years. They mention the idea of betterment as someone talked about earlier. They say that as long as the insured value is broadly similar to the market value, they will pay out no problem, but if there is a discrepancy, they may insist on a replacement. Surely this makes the idea that this policy is based on an agreed sum somewhat meaningless? They would replace with "an equivalent boat" though they do not specify how that would be determined, and neither does the policy. Contrary to what they told me earlier, they are now saying that the value should be reviewed and amended annually, to avoid this situation happening, but that would be ridiculous if they were insisting on a surveyor's valuation each year, as this would far outweigh the policy saving. I will write back to them on this. The letter ends with the statement that they will always try to ensure a fair settlement to any claim. Again a rather woolly statement that hardly fills with confidence.

Exactly, far from ideal. I have emailed the brokers to ask them to explain and clarify. I will let you know...

I have managed to dig out the original policy. It states "in the event of a total loss, we will pay either the agreed value of your vessel, or provide a replacement vessel of a similar age, size and type". 'Agreed value' is defined as "the amount shown in the policy documentation which represents the value of your vessel as declared by you and agreed by us". In this case the agreed value is the original new value, given nearly 4 years ago. And they have no wish to change it - in fact they have said if I want to reduce it, I need a surveyor's valuation! There seems to be a huge discrepancy between the two choices they have if they have to settle a total loss. On one hand they might have to pay out say £80k cash, on the other they could buy you a boat for £40k? If the premium is based on a value of £80k this could be seen as a bit of a con.

Hi. We insured our narrowboat for a sum when we bought it new, coming up to 4 years ago. As the premium is based on the insured value, I thought it might now be time to reduce the cover, as the boat will undoubtedly have depreciated considerably (even though it was bought as a sailaway). However, the brokers (Collidge) seem to be saying that if I carry on insuring for this original sum, then that is what they would pay out in the event of a total loss - which would be great, and worth the extra premium. Does this sound right though? I am aware that with motor insurance, the insured value is ignored in the event of a claim, and their version of a market value applied. Any ideas?

Hi. As it says really. Any suppliers at reasonable price that people know of. We are on the Soar, so not covered by Callisto in the winter. Thanks.

Yes, it is from the stove manufacturer. This is the advice they have been given by the manufacturers of the glass.

Hi. I am replacing the glass in my stove as it is badly crazed. The glass suppliers have advised that to avoid crazing, the glass should be cleaned regularly and that a fuel low in sulphur should be used. Does this make sense to people, and does anyone know which fuels are lower in Sulphur? We use Excel currently. Thanks.

Are those the 1965 regulations I got when I Googled? Still in force after 50 years!

Hi, Do they apply? I have seen something regarding the Trent which says they don't apply to unpowered craft, but can't seem to find out if this is the same elsewhere. Anybody know? Thanks.

Thanks John, but I can't see how the part is replaceable?

Have now taken this to bits. First thing I noticed was that the diaphragm was not sitting square on the top, it was kind of squashed down on one side, is this just normal? No obvious evidence of any foreign bodies inside the pump. The large white plastic gear has indeed had a section of teeth stripped from it, hence the noises and lack of gulping. However, even if I could get the part, it doesn't appear to be removeable - no obvious fixings I can see. Also wondering if it would just happen again, as I don't know what caused it? Any ideas? Thanks again

Thanks. Will take it to bits and have a look.

Hi, We have one of these as our shower waste pump. Today, it started making a knocking noise part way through emptying, and as the water ran out, it started sounding laboured and did less frequent 'gulping' than normal. Any ideas? I am wondering if it might have got clogged up - is it easy to have a look without causing any further harm? Thanks.

Hi. From experience, my opinion is that you should discount JD Narrowboats. Feel free to pm me if you would like more details - you need to have made a certain number of posts in order to do this (is it 5?)

You're right, the regulator on the stove needs recalibrating to run with the thinner fuel, which we are having done. So, it looks like we should carrying on using additive to be on the safe side. Thanks for input folks.

Hi This year, we will be running our lockgate stove on kerosene rather than diesel. We have used additives in the diesel previously to prevent diesel bug etc. Does kersosene require any additives? Can it get 'diesel' bug or similar? Thanks for your help.

Yes! I am indeed one of those fools! I can see it now. Thanks folks.

Hi, We have a Belfast sink in the galley, which like much else was cobbled together with silicone and the waste is now leaking. It is an old sink and there is not an even surface on which to seat the waste, so needs quite a bit of 'cushioning' (technical term!). I bought some plumbers mate today, thinking that it would be ideal, but it wasn't till I got it home that i realised it said not to be used on sink wastes! Any ideas about a suitable compound that might work? Thanks for your help.

Thanks for those suggestions. I will have a look at the flue. I'm wondering how it can be a diesel problem though, as it is the meths that is failing to stay alight - previously it has burnt quite happily for a couple of minutes on its own before I have even touched the diesel control?