canals are us?
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Posts posted by canals are us?
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We lived on a remote hillside in Herefordshire in the early 90's and caught a rat in our pantry. Hole in floor/wall. Humane trap got put in trailer with items for the tip in Leominster. When arrived at tip had forgotten to release the rat, but soon discovered the rat had broken free from the trap and was loose in the trailer! Opened the drop down ramp and off it scampered into the tip!! Sure it had a better life.
James.
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Woodwarm stoves for me.
Have the now discontinued fireview 4.5kw stove for the last 11 years heating my 50ft trad narrowboat liveaboard. With 8,000btu backboiler running 2 radiators on a gravity circulation.
Simply a joy to use and live with. 2 years ago, for the first time replaced the fireboards and door rope seals. grate, baffle and outer pane of glass original, inner replaced as crazed/etched.
New versions not cheap! Worth it though, as had 3 villager stoves in various properties and the Woodwarm outperforms them in every way.
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1 hour ago, bluelapsing said:
Thanks everyone for the advice.
Managed to get in touch with a local company in Newark, hopefully they get back to me tomorrow, but will also look into getting a replacement made by a glazing company. Whichever's quicker, I suppose.
Neighbour kindly offered to pay as soon as he saw the damage, though he took every precaution he could to avoid it. The winds have just been vicious.
If you need to wait to get the glass sent off for toughening then if he has some safety film I would get him to cut a temporary pane and safety film it in the meantime.
I used 4mm Perspex/polycarbonate off Ebay to replace a broken fixed pane around 7 months ago. So far so good.
Polycarbonate more rigid than acrylic.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254635292551?hash=item3b49723787:g:Ei4AAOSw9wpfQVBO
Email exact size for a price.
Bought 4mm Acrylic piece for a small 800x 150mm hopper for AC vent hose to go through. More flexible. Plasticsonline on Ebay but away until 2nd Jan. Cost was £15.00 cut to size.
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I thought it was dandruff!
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Does your oil stove have a pipe thermostat connected to any of the pipes near the stove? Normally 3 inches by 1.5 with dial and numbers. May of got knocked off the pipes or faulty. Or just on/off switch to control power to the pump.
With a pipe stat the pump will start automatically and increase boiler life.
James.
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If your stove has legs and is suitable for a 12mm thick hearth then 12mm thick tiles are ok on the floor. I would still fix hardibacker board to the floor and tile on top.
If the stove is not suitable for a 12mm thick hearth then as said best to cut out the floor and build a new constructional hearth on the baseplate of the boat. I would use lightweight thermalite blocks and mortar them together. Cement screed on top to give a good fixing for the stove Then tile on top.
Walls a 25mm air gap behind fire board and tile. Don't forget the stove needs to be a good safe distance away from furniture etc
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At least with a Marina you will have mains power. If a small GRP cruiser a pipsqueak stove would probably be ideal.
James.
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Can't beat the solid fuel stove.
Try and get it installed earlier. If any DIY ability I would do it yourself, or ask for any installers in your area.
James.
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I fixed a leak coming from the stainless steel tank and it turned out to be the rubber hose inlet pipe was loose. One of the jubilee clips just needed tightening. Could see the stain line down the side of the tank. Had to drill an 80mm access hole in the side of a kitchen base unit. Reverse layout. I felt great to find it!! Charged him £40.
James.
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A piece of 6mm laminated glass may fit in the top hopper. I have a stained glass window with genuine leaded glass that I made in my top hopper and the lead thickness is 5mm. The laminated glass can be bought from a glazier. Can be edged to take off the sharp edges.
Broken bottom pane needs the whole window removing from the boat and separating and a cardboard/thin plywood template made and tested for size and then taken to the glazier who can cut it and get it toughened. Most likely 4mm glass. Horrid thing to happen.
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I would use standard base units. You could always have made, custom doors done in a wood that suits. You don't really see the inside when door closed and stuff inside.
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I thought about a Morso to replace a Bubble diesel stove.
I chose against it, as read about the cracking. I'm sure a lot is caused by heavy firing and very fixed flue as has been said.
9 years ago chose a Woodwarm Fireview 4.5KW. Apart from the boat, the best thing I have bought. The grate, baffle plate and glass are still the original. The 30mm vermiculite firebricks and stove rope doors I renewed last winter as bricks had cracked around 3 years earlier. LHS one in 4 pieces. The rope seals fits into a channel cast into the door, so can move it's position if needed. The stove is fantastic, looking through it's double glazed door at the flames. Fellow neighbours with a squirrel have always had dirty glass.
I have a mild steel back boiler on the stove and that heats the 2 rads by gravity.
Would I buy another Woodwarm? Yes, but suspect mine will last another 20 years.
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I used to burn Oxbow red. Now smokeless and not as good. Now found a supplier of Smokeless ovoids for £9 a 20kg from Facebook. No idea on make/brand as white hessian plastic bag.
Homefire is ok, but expensive. Got some off Facebook for £15 for 5x 10kg bags as getting rid of stove in recently purchased home. I do like the 10kg bags for easy lifting.
Wildfire used to be a favourite of mine too for a few years, then manufacturers played around with formulation and not as good.
James.
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7 hours ago, MtB said:
That's a shame. Washing machine doors are generally easily opened (against the wishes of the electronics!) using a piece of thin chord or piano/guitar string. Slip it around the door circumference and use it to pull the tang back against its spring. There are a few videos on youtube showing details of how.
Tried it several times with some thick string. Like a cheese wire and pulling both parts of the string to no avail. The catch is only £4.75 so cheap. James👍
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Washer dryer drain pump unclogged! Had 10 nails, a 50p, 20p and 2 pence piece plus a pozi drive screwdriver end bit. Poor thing! Draining great now and works. At least it was free 7 years ago. Door catch not working, and had to prise door open which snapped the door catch tang, so ordered new handle kit, and door lock actuator for £12.74, so once they arrive hopefully all working again. Washing now at my Nan's for me to put in. Thanks all, for your recommendations and advice.
James👍
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19 hours ago, Alway Swilby said:
We had a 2p piece in ours.
We have a Beko washer/dryer that happily runs off our Victron 3kva pure sine wave.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm going to have a look at the drain filter and pump. What model of Beko was it?
Many thanks. James.👍
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May be in need of a new washing machine or washer/dryer on my narrowboat to replace a faulty one if I can't fix it. Door won't open and not draining. Need to pull out and undo drain pump filter and clean and take top off to get access to door lock.
I would like the washer to work on a Victron 3kw pure sine inverter if I go out like the old one does.
Worried the more modern digital display machines won't run properly on an inverter.
I like Bosch, Sister has Hoover. Old washer/dryer is an Indesit W12.
What newer models do people have that work fine off the inverter?
Many thanks. James.
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Also buy some inhibited antifreeze for heating systems from screwfix and if Eber the same as a Webasto mix in a bucket with a 25% concentrate of antifreeze to water, then using a jug and funnel pour into the header tank. Important to mix first in bucket.
To work out your volume, you could fill your new system with just water and drain into buckets to work out the volume/litres of water. The rad valves you buy can have the drain valves built into them. I would replace the rad valves too as probably past it age wise. As said double panel single convector a good idea. If you have the space above could fit taller radiators than the original.
James.
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I have a 50ft Trad in a Marina on a residential Marina in the Midlands.
Been here 9 years as suits work as self employed. As stated, very easy as batteries Trojan T105's and all 5-8 years old so expect if not on charge would be US if out and about.
A few years ago fitted a voltage sensitive relay to parallel the twin alternators and a 3kw inverter to run the washer, as was planning to get out and about, but put customers first then Covid.. With a Marina you get water and electric on the Jetty and elsan and rubbish disposal plus car parking.
Have a 12 volt under counter freezer and fridge. Mains slimline Dishwasher. 380 watts of solar through Tracer MPPT controller.
Heating by solid fuel stove with back boiler and diesel Webasto. Having a solid fuel stove is a must, my best purchase after the boat.
I bought the boat for 25k 9 years ago, good survey. Blacking/ anodes replaced. Biggest expense 18 months to 2 years ago has been a new gearbox and 8 new anodes plus blacking. Stern/ Bow ones lasted over 7 years. Cost was £2400. This year plan to reseal the windows while re painting most of the boat and getting it blacked again. Like to update galley worktop and tiles and paint below gunnels from magnolia satin to a green colour.
For me though it's a nice way of living and being as independent of the bills. Could not afford to rent a place locally. Earn around 6-8k per year. I find it works out well for me and have a bit saved up for when/ if it ever needs overplating. 50ft is a good size for just me.
My Sister has a 23ft Springer water bug, ideal weekend boat. Like her half price Licence and mooring fees though!
With a boat you really need to be able to do some of the work, as labour rates at boat yards can soon add up.
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Any separate flue bends put a couple of self tapping screws in after using fire cement to stop them coming apart. A simple metal drill bit and screw 2-3 screws in each flue join.
James.👍
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Do you have a calorifier, hot water cylinder under bed etc? If so is the pressure relief red valve thing piped out to a skin fitting? When I bought my boat there was a bucket to catch the dribbling water when heated.
James.
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Any safety stamp in any corner? Anything like BS 6206. Tempered/toughened. My hopper window in my bathroom shattered one night in the Marina. Nothing hit it, just broke. Boat 21 years old. I went to local glazing/ double glazed windows supplier and glass was £7 and to have it toughened £30. Was shocked for a 125mm x 450mm piece. Didn't bother having it toughened! Going to make a leaded stained glass window for it.
James?
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My shower room was off a corridor and changed it to a walk through bathroom. This enabled me to have units and appliances to fit both sides of the galley on my 50ft trad. Corridor to bedroom was on left of the first picture. 2nd pic of New Galley door was where the original shower cubicle was with corridor wall removed to right. 3rd photo door on left to bedroom.
Stove Glass
in Boat Building & Maintenance
Posted
My woodwarm stove glass got crazed like that at around 7 years old. Ordered a new piece of Schott Robax glass and installed it and kept old as a spare. Stove 11 years old. Etched presume burning various smokeless coal over the years.
James