[Front well drainage - typically how does this work?]

Cratch cover. You're not off to Holland in it!

 

Boats with small or blocked cockpit drains are no better off than you.

 

I took a grinder to mine!

 

Well deck not cockpit. Brain error

[Nottingham to Newark and back]

Yes the A&C are annoyingly safe and slow, from the point of view of folk like me who whack it all open gate paddles and all.

 

I wouldn't say that if it was busy and I at the front though!

[Cooker glass door - what will stick the glass to the rubber seal?]

Proper high temperature silicone goes up to I think over 1000 degrees and sticks reet well. About 12 quid per tube though.

http://pagesc.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221372511283&alt=web

 

Edit to add link and prove myself correct!

[What's your secret to keeping food cool and fresh]

I have a system which I haven't seen elsewhere. We have a slidey kitchen window, and I have made a wooden open box which hangs off the handrail. So all the cold stuff is accessible at the slide of a window - easier than the actual fridge. When the weather warms up then solar takes care of the fridge.

 

Possible problems,

 

Silsden widebeam crashes into it (hasn't happened yet, not so many around in winter)

 

Stuff gets nicked (make sure it is on the watery side)

 

These problems are mutually exclusive.

[Soldering brushes.]

I'll be interested in some of them 2v cells! Let me know when you have a deal.

[Soldering brushes.]

You could use a short length of smaller wire joined to the 20amp stuff if there is no other way. Shoot me if I'm wrong folks.

[Nitromors/ Varnish Stripper.]

Maybe it should say

 

"warning this stuff is as bad if not worse than fags so it's on your own head sonny"

 

Then people could make their own minds up. Or we could ban fags too.

 

I'm personally glad it has gone as I wouldn't trade an easily stripped door for cancer. I have used buckets of it in the past.

[Puffin draw + a trick with magnets]

Every time you burn wet wood, an angel cries. Just put it aside for next winter and get it under cover, ideally raised above the ground on a pallet with the three sides away from the prevailing wind uncovered.

[Puffin draw + a trick with magnets]

Yes, but there's a massive difference between any stove and an open fire. In the case of my squirrel, all the air going up the chimney has first to pass through the fire, acting like a little blast furnace. In an open fire (they are dreadful concept really) a shed load can and does go up the chimney regardless of the fire. So we're not talking anything like the same volume of air. Watching it coming out the chimney is a good clue.

 

Anywa

 

Y

 

It works!

[Puffin draw + a trick with magnets]

I'm not sure it does though. With all those vents open, a lot of heat goes up the chimney. You might as well have an open fire (25% efficient) vs a good stove (85% efficient). I certainly find that after lighting the fire and with plenty of draught to get it going, there is not that much heating effect other than close range radiant. But as soon as I shut the air flow down, it suddenly gets a lot hotter. Sure, you need to open the vents when you first light it to get it going but it is burning a lot of wood/coal for not that much heat output.

It's inefficient I grant you, but it smashes it. Helps to have the back boiler on it too. A red hot flue kicks out some heat. I mean surely it's obvious that a hotter stove means a hotter boat?

[Puffin draw + a trick with magnets]

Aye Nick, but don't forget the baltic issue "both vents fully open, and ash tray door adjar" with a firebox full of small section super dry wood. Warms a freezing boat in about 15 mins!

[Drilling and fitting a back boiler instructions]

Ok. But regardless, if you haven't got a pipe stat, get one. Set it to a bit below boiling and it will cut your pump in, and then off again when cooler. Saves a lot of juice. My pump is only 6w anyway, but I have a pipe stat.

[Electric outboard on bare 24ft cruiser?]

I agree that it should move it, and that stopping and charging will likely be an issue.

I've said it several times on here, but a geezer near us once moved a steel widebeam shell for many miles with a little seagull two stroke outboard, so I think you have every chance.

Ah yes, but that was a seagull! I've heard of a trawler being moved across the harbour by a dinghy with a seagull. Mine was never particularly quick, but felt like it would pull a train.

[The F Moment]

I bought because I couldn't afford a house. I also like boats, and fixing stuff so it has worked out well!

[Cleaning chimney in winter]

A vote here for a chimney chain.

[24v genny, which engine?]

Sweet. Good ideas there. How noisy was that Chinese diesel, and how easy was it to make it interact with the alternator? If you were to sell it, how much would you want for it? As a thought experiment if nothing else.

[Drilling and fitting a back boiler instructions]

Foxy, how many radiators do you have? Boiling it off should not be an issue.

[24v genny, which engine?]

No other LV anywhere near. Anyway, the transformer up at the farm (at least half a mile) is now supplying 5 properties and struggling as it is.

 

And as far as the wind goes, I live on a boat at the moment. The thought of a fairly constant 100-1000w of extra power is like 8 years of Christmas rolled into one. The house will be roughly the same size as 14*60 widebeam, we're not talking mansion tax here.

[Are boaters interests really being represented anymore?]

My lass got a patrol notice while waiting for the Calder to stop being shut. I suppose she should have gone around in tiny circles for a bit.

[24v genny, which engine?]

I love the shed engine. I think I want a CS though I doubt I'd get much hot water from it. Stuff the electric start nonsense.

I don't see a big problem with fabricating a bracket for an alternator, and seems you can use the flywheel to run the belt over.

[24v genny, which engine?]

Like 151570120007 except that's not working. Thanks.

There are loads of 'silenced' air cooled diesel gennys on eBay (and direct) - round about £1500 to £2000. A proper continuous duty water cooled genset would cost for £4k upwards.

 

Frightened by threats of 'brown-outs' this winter I bought a Lister SR2 10KVA genset via eBay. £700 after a haggle.

Noise? - Pardon - speak up

Smoke? - only when starting, but the black cloud hangs around for ages.

 

There is a thread around where a chap put it in a shed, insulated it and it's quiet as a mouse.

 

Off the top - I'd be inclined to build a proper engine room for (not into) your house and install a non cocooned genset into it. You'll need to run the genny most days in the winter - so it's not really a standby option.

Absolutely will be in it's own house!

 

And you say that about most days, but you haven't been up there. It is tree-bendingly windy!

[24v genny, which engine?]

If it's electric start how would you charge the stater battery ? Spin two alternators 12v & 24v

Small engines this size with 24v starters are a rare beast!

Regards kris

I'd charge the starter with 80w solar.

50a generated shared between the charging and other running consumption will not even touch the sides of a 1000AH battery bank, I'd suggest that you need 250A to effect significant charging in an emergency.

 

You need to be very certain that the washing machine you chose will run off an inverter some will some simply will NOT

As long as I put back what I take out I don't see the problem.

 

The point about not doubling the solar is that some weeks are just useless for solar. I have lived with solar on the boat for 3 years, I know how it is. I have an emergency kipor for when there is no sun.

 

I thought a psw inverter will power most washing machines? Certainly the zanussi I have on the boat is fine.

 

Also I shouldn't have used the word emergency. I mean cloudy windless days in winter.

 

At the moment I have 330ah of batteries and I never see more than 20a going in from my beast of a kubota engine. I am nice to my batteries and don't use much power.

 

The house will have AA fridge and freezer, laptop, led lighting, low power CH pump. Occasional washing machine. That will be about it. The battery bank is overkill and more about long life than capacity.

I install Solar panels and Wind turbines for a living I can steer you in the right direction. Where abouts in the country is your barn?

 

My old house in Greece.

 

Thanks but I think I'm sorted with the alt tech. The barn is in Yorkshire. Sadly I can't get away with such large turbines as you have in Greece.

 

Also, returning to the washing machine, I tell you what, if a washing machine is too sensitive to run off a psw inverter, it ain't going to run on some dirty 240v site genny!

Just out of interest, how far are you from the DNO electric ?

 

We had a quote a while back from the local DNO office in Norfolk for £23K for a supply, we arranged a visit rom the DNO's area engineer and had a discussion (in real english) as to the best way to do the supply and after a bit of paper work we then got a real quote for £1200 (Plus VAT).

 

Sometimes if the DNO don't send an Engineer out to assess then the office just put in a stupid price based on the information they have on paper which sometimes isn't correct.

I'm 100m at least from a high voltage line. 1,200 wouldn't even start to pay for the transformer.

[24v genny, which engine?]

Yep, I'm thinking hot water from waste heat. I'm not keen on all the losses involved in turning DC into AC into DC into AC which is what would be happening with an inverter generator powering say the washing machine. I'm going to keep it simple and not allow any source of 240v other than the inverter.

I only need it to supply 1kw max, anything more than that is nice but not essential. I think that's less than 50 amps at 24v

Also, wouldn't the belt supplied to fit a bus alternator be able to turn it ok without disintegrating?

 

Ps must be diesel cos of cheap red diesel.

[24v genny, which engine?]

Ok, so as well as a boat I also have a barn, which I have planning permission to turn into a house. I can't afford the 34,000 that it would cost to connect to the mains, so I am going off grid.

 

I will have 2kw solar, a 1kw wind turbine and a 1000ah battery bank, made up from 2v cells. But I need a back up generator.

 

I am ideally looking for a quiet, electric start, water cooled engine of between 2 and 10hp (I suppose I'd consider bigger) which I can spin a 50-120amp 24v alternator with.

 

I mean ideally I'd want a Lister single D but the hand start and fiddling about puts Ellie off as much as it attracts me!

 

So what would you recommend, and does anybody have anything suitable?

 

I would be using a controller on the alternator, probably.

 

Also, how easy is it to get a 24v alternator to interact with said engine?

 

Thanks.

[One plan, again]

I would strongly advise against giff gaff for data, unless you are in a city. Useless. I'm going back to 3.