Detling

I sometimes wonder about the items the families ask to be restored. The neglected find from the attic or shed in appalling condition once restored becomes a very valuable antique. How many go to auction or appear on eBay? afterwards. The skill shown by the staff is mind blowing I have learnt a fair bit by watching.

I don't even heat my house to 22 degrees its what jumpers were made for. Bathroom is about 22 though.

There is a new EU investigation into both LED and Xeon headlights due to an increase in head on crashes involving cars so fitted.

Please avoid the LED stage blinders sold as tunnel lights, they live up to their festival and theatre name they blind the guy coming towards you, you will see him cover his eyes, slow down probably bounce off the wall before he hits you because he cannot see you. LED lights also emit more blue / UV light which like sunlight destroys night vision. As the engine is running and your alternator is probably only lightly loaded a good old fashioned halogen fog lamp is perfect. Aim the beam to the right and up, then you steer to keep the horseshoe of light in the centre of the roof. Tunnels are dark places so even a small light makes things visible if you want to see the brickwork etc then a bright light at the stern, which you can switch off when a boat approaches, will give you a good view.

If you go Huddersfield narrow you can avoid big locks till Huddersfield, big locks are fun but a fair bit harder to operate. The Rochdale are not the best examples of broad locks as maintenance is somewhat lacking. The same applies to the Huddersfield narrow, so although narrow like the Llangollen they are harder work. Both those routes go via the figure of three locks which were destroyed in last years floods and may not be open in time. The lower trent is tidal, but not a big problem if there is not much recent rain, and you follow the goalkeepers advice. Once through Keadby you are on electric locks some of which are huge, the hardest bit is getting ashore because the lock landings are designed for barges with a deck 4 to 6 foot from the water.

I have a 'step, under the central hatch, like a trad and sideways turning steps from the central slide hatch. This is very similar to a lot of traditional boats but I have a cruiser stern outside. The advantages are, the wall behind the top step is somewhere to hang wet coats, and somewhere to take them on and off. Next going forward on the now side passage is a wardrobe then the bed. I would send pictures but can't get to the boat. It is unusual and entering the boat, like entering a trad, best done going backwards down the steps, easy once used to it.

Mine has plastic 22 mm off the rubber, splits within a few inches into 15 to calorifier and 22 to rads once through bulkhead that splits into 2 x 15 one port side one starboard both have 2 rads. No trouble.

Did you connect the panels before connecting the battery? Most controllers are auto sensing and if the panels are connected first they set the battery as a 24volt battery not a 12, that could explain your voltages the controller is trying to get them to 26 volts.

I used to have a similar set from a DEC. PDP11 very loud but created a Gale. Dread to think of the power consumption of a computer with less power than the one in my fridge to f!ash a few light and keep it cool.

Sounds like something 'connecting' the start signal line to 12 volts. could be a poor connection strand bridging terminals, somewhere the wire has been trapped or has chafed and the two cores are connected inside the wire, moisture on a set of terminals, you need to disconnect the trigger/stert wire at the webasto control board and fit a small short pair of wires in their place, touch the ends together to start it and then when running fully open them and see if it stops after it's shut down routing which is several minutes long. .

Calorifier free engine heat and with a webasto hot water as well. but webasto needs a to have a full load when running so needs rads on a bit when heating the calorifier in summer so we do that mid afternoon have doors and windows open and enjoy a glass or two outside. a well insulated calorifier heated to 65 C from the webasto is still warm enough for a shower 20 hours later.

What's wrong with public sex nobody makes you look.

Agree my leoch AGM's say 14.4 v max.

There is no regulation need for a bulkhead between an engine and the accommodation. But you do need a drip tray below the engine which does not empty into the bilge and so oil contaminated water pumped overboard by an bilge pump. It is common to have a bulkhead to deck height in order to contain any flooding which may occur from leaking lock gates for instance. The bulkhead contains the deluge water and prevents the whole boat getting flooded and sinking. The same applies at the bow with the foredeck and the self draining well deck. Water jets from lock gates and walls are very common and can produce a surprising amount of water in a few seconds.

Different battery types have slightly different voltages at various states of charge. My AGM's have a fully charged voltage of 12.95 rather than the more normal 12.8 and a 50% of 12.2 other types often state 12.1 for 50%. I don't think the Smartgauge has a lead carbon setting so may be slightly out. I would assume Leoch would know about this though, but may not be familiar with the Smartgauge.

China is making a real effort. You don't see thousands of mopeds pumping out smoke, but thousands of electric mopeds speeding along totally silent. They have invested heavily in electric city buses, the only diesel ones are long distance intercity coaches. They have solar panels on most street furniture (traffic lights, parking meter points etc) plant millions of trees and flowers, but still have industrial pollution from the factories, they are trying. Compared to other parts of Asia they are well ahead in trying to clean up and grow. Singapore is better at the game though.

The manufacturer's do not quote comparison of alternatives. A vented drier is more efficient at drying than a condenser dryer, because it sucks in air that is drier than the output of the condenser. So currently as all heat pump drier's are condenser they compare to condenser driers. If you compare condenser driers with vented driers you find that vented driers win quite handsomely. We have not had a heat pump but have got both condenser and vented, both with 2kW heating elements, vented takes 50 mins to get load dry, condenser takes 80 mins to the same dryness. Also we have the condenser in an understated cupboard, if you have the cupboard door shut it take a about twice as long as with it open, I can only think that is down to recirculation of moist exhaust air, like a condenser versus a vented. I think that a vented drier on a boat since it exhausts it's moist air overboard, will not add to the moisture inside but a condenser or heat pump will, thus causing even more wet windows.

A further advantage of the series solution is you can mount the generator anywhere, you can also use the generator cooling to provide space heating whilst it is running. I would be concerned about using water source heat pump because if every boat did it the surrounding canal/marina would soon freeze over.

A few years ago it was suggested by the lock keeper to moor overnight there as they had not had any boats on that mooring for several years. In common with a lot of CART moorings some seem to be empty for years on end and supposedly there is a shortage, go figure.

It is expensive. That is 61 quid for 1 sq metre. Which weighs 23 kg. Ply is a lot cheaper standard sheet is 1220 x 2440 almost 3 sq metres for less money and about the same weight. Nice idea but product looking for a market at the moment.

I use one of these to connect my PC. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1000M-Outdoor-High-Power-Wireless-802-11b-g-n-USB-2-0-Adapter-Wifi-Rocket-w/124369668599?hash=item1cf50289f7:g:JFUAAOSwqvRffB-w&redirect=mobile Can also pick up pub Wi-Fi when cruising usually if you can see the pub patio you can log on

There is, or was a large yacht in Braunston a few years ago it was full keel about 5 or 6 foot draft and a 45 foot mast. Even with the mast down I think they would have difficulty floating in the canal.

I would not be worried about the polystyrene insulation. Twin core and earth has no place in a boat anyway. The solid cores can crack with the vibration and cause intermittent connection or an impossible to find fault. All wiring should be multicore flex preferably 36 strands per conductor tinned.

Could you have a constriction on the radiator circuit, this would reduce the flow rate thus reducing the quantity of hot water making the rads feel cooler. Or a and lock.

Space heating has been mentioned and that uses more fuel (kWatts) than propulsion in winter, even on hire boats moving 8 hours a day, solar is not going to help much there. Although for your average narrow boat or river craft, electric drive is fine (as long as they don't need to stop fast) for sea/estuary work you need vessels that are heavy and fast, like pilot cutters and customs launches, 15 or 20 tons and capable of 20 plus knots, an awful lot of kWatts needed. As for the likes of the RNLI their big boats are 40 tons, can do 25 knots into a very rough sea and keep going for over 24 hours if required, maybe one of the small nuclear reactors could be used. I am pretty sure the grey funnel line want enormous power, speed, and range in as small a space as possible to minimise the target area.