Simon D

Thanks for the advice. Fenny might be convenient for the station, but actually Cheddington fits my cruising plans and I don't mind a 15 minute walk, so I will probably end up there. Best wishes

I need to go to a funeral in about ten days time, when I planned to be travelling South of Milton Keynes, I note that there are some railway stations close by, any of which would get me where I need to go. Fenny Stratford Linslade Cheddington Tring I don't know the area at all, so can anybody with local knowledge advise on places to moor, or not to moor, reasonable walking distance from a station, where I could sensibly leave the boat unmanned for 36 hours. Thanks Simon

Thanks Tony,I queried the RoadLine paint you linked to as it was listed as for concrete type substrates only, and I was not sure how well it would work on wood. But your second link looks perfect. I am grateful. Simon

Tony, when I clicked your link it went through to an info page on Chlorinated Rubber paint, and a link to road marking paint at £42 a tin. If you can link me to something suitable at £19 I would be eternally grateful. Simon

Tony, Many thanks, Chlorinated rubber paint looks excellent for the task, but is very expensive. £50 to £60 a 5 litre tin. That's a lot of paint for a small battery box. https://www.paints4trade.com/teamac-chlorvar-chlorinated-rubber-paint-263238-p.asp?gclid=CjwKCAjwspHaBRBFEiwA0eM3ke4jqcjHuiBTtbps-DNVn5zd6y-WqJ3roI7mOeB5eUuiIsr7Uxo9ihoCp_8QAvD_BwE Chlorinated rubber anti-fouling (blacking) Paint is a lot cheaper, about £20 a tin, but I wonder if it would work so well on wood. https://www.paints4trade.com/chlorinated-rubber-hull-boat-paint-262596-p.asp?gclid=CjwKCAjwspHaBRBFEiwA0eM3kTMOXTN1EhWC2xztRZ3BzDhjd7h0qM-D_WrvFvIAqBhNcCtSxWe4pRoChXwQAvD_BwE This needs more thought, and I might still go back to OSMO https://www.newventureproducts.co.uk/26-osmo-polyx-oil-original-effects-tints

Thanks. Interesting thought. Do I need to specify any type/grade of OSB, like water resistant or whatever.

One quick bit of advice please. I am about to make a new battery box for the starter and domestic batteries, to go in the engine space of my cruiser stern. It will probably be made of marine ply, as that is what the old one was, and other battery boxes I have seen.But what is best for wood treatment once made. Can anything protect it from the occasional acid spillage/seepage. I was wondering about using OSMO oil, the stuff used for kitchen wooden work surfaces, as that seems to last well and repel most liquids. But as always - any advice gratefully received. Thanks

Thanks for the chart - very useful When on float/maintenance parked alongside in the winter, it is entirely possible that the charger unit will be in a cupboard next to the hot water tank, and be at about 30C, with the batteries outside at close to zero, that's half a volt difference by your chart. So am i right in thinking that the charger would run all it's battery maintenance algorithms half a volt too low, which might not be good news for battery life long term. I wonder if I may need to spend a bit more money on a charger with a remote temperature sensor? Or have those people who have used the IP22 found it to not be a problem?

Final Question (hopefully). I am thinking about the Victron IP22 to replace a failed Phoenix multi charge unit. There are lots of good things about the IP22 (including the price), and it has some good reviews here and elsewhere, but one thing that worries me is that the temperature sensor is inside the unit, not local to the batteries. On my boat the batteries are in a cruiser stern, and the charger in a cupboard inside the boat, close to the domestic hot water tank, so the charger temperature will always be much higher than the battery temperature. How much of an issue is that likely to be? I wouldn't mind if all that happens is a slower time to full charge, but I would be concerned if the temperature control algorithms risked damaging the batteries in the long term. I am going for a 20 or 30A charger on 4 X 110 ah batteries so guess I am unlikely to overheat the batteries. Thanks for any advice or experience.

I found this thread as I was thinking about the Victron IP22 to replace a failed Phoenix multi charge unit. There are lots of good things about the IP22 (including the price) but one thing that worries me is the temperature sensor is inside the unit, not local to the batteries. On my boat the batteries are in a cruiser stern, and the charger in a cupboard inside the boat, close to the domestic hot water tank, so the charger temperature will always be much higher than the battery temperature. How much of an issue is that likely to be? I wouldn't mind if all that happens is a slower time to full charge, but I would be concerned if the temperature control algorithms risked damaging the batteries in the long term. Thanks for any advice or experience.

Thanks Sam, I suspect you are right. If I had no option but to use a multi-plus I would probably go down this route. But having lived with the multi-plus for a number of years (and in particular having repeatedly struggled to get non-techies on the boat to understand it and operate it when I have been hundreds of miles away on the end of a mobile phone) I am sorely tempted to use this as a chance to swap out the unit and fit something simpler that I ( as a simple mechanical engineer, not electrical) can operate and maintain and explain. K.I.S.S.

Agreed, I am not expecting it to be a problem, but no harm in doing a few experiments just to be certain. If I can run a 2kw electric radiator, a medium size microwave, and have a bit spare to keep the battery load floating I will be happy. What sort of load does a microwave have typically?

Thanks Guys - as always, a very helpful conversation (until it got diverted into Bluetooth). For my circumstances I want to keep it simple, so a smaller, quieter battery charger/battery maintenance system, and a separate inverter, is probably the way to go. All the boxes are sat in a small, un-ventilated cupboard next to the hot water tank, so going to two boxes might help them all run cooler as well. Robbo is right that this won't give the "powerassist", so I will have to do a few tests to make sure I can get by on shore supply alone before committing finally.

Just to progress this issue, after advice from this forum (thank you) I got an electrician to exclude any possible causes external to the Victron box, and then removed the box and took it to a Victron dealer for investigation (Barden's of Fareham). They sad it was a circuit board problem, the one controlling the main relay switching power to the battery charging function. The inverter is fine. And that seems to match the symptoms I have seen. The problem comes with the solution proposed. When Barden's went back to Victron for advice, Victron said the unit was not worth/beyond repair as it was about 11 years old, and the only way forward was to buy a new unit. Which is about £600 plus VAT for a Victron Phoenix multi-plus compact. That is a lot of money. Over £1000 once I have paid VAT and the electrician's fees. So before I commit to a new unit I thought it worth sharing it with this group in case there were other possible solutions, or other ways to get the existing box working, or getting a cheaper inverter charger Many thanks for any help you can give. I am based in Wiltshire and London (if that is relevant).

Thanks, that seems to tie in with my (inexpert) assessment of what is going on. The only indicator LED that lights is the flashing "mains on" one, all the battery charging side LEDs remain resolutely off. There is what looks like a red reset button on the front of the unit. I did not want to press it without knowing what it was - but I think I will try it next time I visit the boat, on Sunday. One question please - what do you mean by "transfer switch", and what does it do? That's not a term I recognise from the Victron Manual? Best wishes

Could I ask some advice please on a Victron Unit. Over the weekend the unit cut out - at a time I suspect the 240v AC power drawn through the unit was very high (and probably the shore supply and inverter supplement both working hard - but I was not there so I don't know). When I investigate it now, it is not charging. There is mains shore supply coming into the boat OK, but when I switch the unit to ON, AC power is switched through OK, but it will not charge the batteries. And every 10 seconds or so it clicks as if a relay is trying to make a connection but trips out again immediately. When switched to charger only there is no AC power switched through, and the "mains on" lamp flashes on the remote panel. I am wondering if the Thermal Cut Out has tripped (the unit is in a very hot cupboard - a bad design flaw) So How do I reset the thermal cut out - and where is it on the Victron MultiPlus compact? I can't seem to find a user manual with a labelled drawing of the uni anywhere on the web. Any other clues or hints that match those symptoms? Thanks for any help you can give.

That Victron booklet is perfect, thanks. It's not that I don't know about batteries. But the last ones I worked with were 440V DC, 7420Ah, and things have changed a bit since then.

Thanks for the replies - very helpful. Incidentally Tony, the knowledge of canal boat electrics I do have is based on a set of your Reading College teaching notes I found on the internet back in 2004. I found them to be superbly helpful. Thank you. If I wanted to take this learning further are there any more recent publications, which take on new developments like the Victron, or are there any courses available? Perhaps a bit more learning here could be a good investment of my time and money? Best wishes Simon

Thanks Tony, your first comment reinforces my intuition that any battery (even expensive batteries) can be damaged by poor treatment or inexperience, so buying expensive batteries can be risky, and I will probably be best buying the reasonable but cheap ones. But I just want to check if there are advantages to the expensive option. It's an eight year old boat, currently with the original batteries, but they now seem to be way down on capacity. They are also open cell units in a position where they can't be topped up without removing them, so I doubt how well they have been maintained in the past. The boat has been cruised for about 500 engine hours total (i.e. not much), but used quite often as a liveaboard by it's first owner, and then by us in the three years we have owned it. So parked alongside for years with the batteries connected to a Victron Phoenix Multiplus sytem. But having retired I now want to go cruising for a couple of months every summer, and I am looking to replace the batteries before I go off in a few weeks. I used to be a naval submarine officer, working in the old diesel-electric boats, but that was 30 years ago, so I have a pretty good feel for lead acid battery theory and practice, but little up to date knowledge specific to canal boat batteries and charging systems, so I am keen to learn what I can, but aware of the risk of damaging batteries during my learning curve. I don't know the night time resting voltage after a typical days cruising, but sadly the current batteries appear to be so far gone that I am not sure that any measurements I make with them still fitted might be helpful. But having said that, I am aware that the current batteries have sat on float for years with very few discharge cycles beyond a few percent. I understand that can be bad for batteries, and is there a chance the present batteries can regain condition if I take them cruising and start to cycle them? Simon

Can I ask a similar question please. I am like the original poster, with four 110ah domestic batteries about to be replaced, they have been OK, but after a few years they have got tired. Because of where the batteries are I need non maintenance ones like AGM. I have a Victron charging system so it can be adjusted to match the batteries fitted. The battery supplier is offering me standard leisure batteries at about £90.00 pounds each - with 300-350 cycles quoted. But he is also offering higher spec AGMs that are quoted as approx 900 cycles at £230 each. Most of my cruising is a few weeks each year in the summer months so I am not expecting heavy battery use. but I have an eberspacher hydronic d5wsc running a few radiators, which I would like to be able to use for evening cabin heating for a few short winter cruises. So I think I have a couple of questions. Is it feasible to run the eberspacher on the battery bank for a few hours, what is the typical load? And is it worth paying the extra money for higher spec batteries that will hopefully last a lot longer, and cope with some bigger discharges, or just get the bog standard ones and be prepared to replace them a bit sooner? I suspect the answer will be go for the basic ones, but it would be good to hear if there are any dissenting voices, and advantages to the higher spec ones. Thanks

One more thing, that other thread mentioned EKOply, made from recycled plastic. Has anybody had any experience of this? I wonder if managing wear at the edges might be a bit tricky.

' Agreed about the edging, I was wondering about gluing a strip of hardwood along the edges for protection. It wouldn't be that big a job and might lengthen the life. How does steel compare to board in terms of cost and weight? Thanks

For routers I would look at Axminster Tools as well as Screwfix. They specialise specifically in tools, and I have found them to be a better source of router accessories and cutters. They do some good, well priced, router cutter kits of about 20 commonly used cutters to start you off.

Hi, I need to replace the boards over the engine on my cruiser stern, which are end of life. It currently has 18mm Buffalo Board (installed at build 8 years back) but they have eventually failed because of water seeping in around the edges of the board where the varnish/sealant has been chipped and water has soaked in. Any recommendations for replacement? Is the buffalo Board worth the extra money, or just go for WPB ply, or something else. I am beginning to think that it is the treatment the boards get (varnish/paint/other preservative, especially around the edges) rather than the actual type of board you buy that is important. I wonder if it is best to get something reasonably cheap and simple, knowing it will have to be replaced in a few years. Or is something more complex worth the investment in time and money? I would be glad to get any advice from people with more experience. Thanks

I use Uxbridge Boat Centre, a few miles further North than Iver. I have always done the painting myself, and found the staff at Uxbridge to be very helpful with advice on what to do and what paint etc is needed. It costs me about £350. to put my 50ft boat on blocks for a week in their yard area undercover. And about another £2-300 to do the job, once you have hired their pressure washer and bought all the paint etc. It is not a difficult job in terms of the technical skill required, but it is quite hard work physically, and so a helping hand can be useful on a couple of days, although I have done it all myself on some years. Any additional jobs that come up such as welding, anodes etc can be negotiated through the week. Alternatively they will also do the painting for you as well, although I have no idea how much that will cost. Simon