touchstone

Hi Tony. My question to you on "clarification" was not in any way intended to give offence and I hope you have not taken any? Yes, I have still to supply alternator information and will do that when I can. Since posting my request for "clarification", I have been able to look on the internet at various makes of alternators with their different terminal uses and in particular Paris Rhone. I can now see that the terminal marked "D+" / "61" is used for the warning light connection in stead of the "WL" connection as on other alternators. It was this blank in my knowledge that was the cause of my confusion. With this information coupled with your previous comments I am now a wiser man. Thank You.

Hi All. Thanks for comments. It looks as if it's back to the "drawing board" (boat) for me. I will recheck my volt meter readings and check the drive belt before increasing the engine revs to to see if the alternator voltage does increase closer to the 14 volts. Could Tony clarify his comment about "Put a voltmeter between the main output (B+) terminal and warning lamp terminal (D+) & rev the engine. If the meter reads about a volt a diode has probably failed." Reading else where; B+ and D+ terminals can be used as main output terminals. The exception being that if there is a B+ the D+ is for connection to a split charge relay. As my flickering charge light and low charge voltage (13.2 v) suggest possible diode failure should the volt meter be connected between B+ and "F" or "DF" terminal for the warning light?

Hi All.I have manged to obtain some voltage readings as below. Before starting the Engine: Batt. Voltage = 12.9 Volts. Engine at Tick Over= Batt. Voltage 13.1 Volts. Engine Running ( above Tick Over. Engine in drive and engine under load) = Batt. Voltage 13.4 Volts. Engine Running at just above tick over (charge Lt flickers) = Batt Voltage 13.2 Volts. From the above would it be reasonable to assume that the alternator is doing it's job? If that assumption is correct, I still have to check the condition of the fan belt as under load the voltage above did drop a little. There is another piece of the puzzle that now concerns me. I mentioned previously that the boat batteries had little attention over the winter. I was surprised and pleased that before starting the engine the battery voltage, on both the leisure and starting battery, was showing 12.9 volts. On board I have small Max-Pro 800 watt invertor. By accident I powered up the invertor, the voltage on the leisure battery dropped from 12.9 volts to below 11.9 volts. Switching on my mains TV caused the invertor to trip out. I can't help wondering what this indicates? Is it that the leisure batteries (x2) one or both are failing.Or; is there an invertor fault? At 800 watts on 12 volts the invertor would be drawing over 66 amps in normal usage. I am going to arrange for the batteries to be charged and then I will have a discharge test done on the suspect batteries. As usual any comments would be welcome.

Engine: SABB Single cylinder Direct Injection. The SABB is a big engine in a small engine space and with the engine running one has to approach testing anything with care. I am reluctant to plunge into voltage checking in case there is a simple solution to the situation below. i.e. if it's not broken don't fix it. On starting the engine, at above tick over speed, the charge light goes out, as it should, and stays out while cruising. However, I have just noticed that that when I throttle back, say at a bridge hole, at low revs the charge light comes on and glows dimly. Increase engine speed and out it goes. I know that the charge light is of importance for the excitation of the alternator up and till the alternator starts charging and then the light is extinguished. The question is should the light come on at all once the alternator is charging irrespective of the low engine revs. Of course with the engine stopped the charge light glows brightly until the key is turned off. An after thought. The batteries have stood over the winter with the minimum of attention and I have only just started to use the boat again. Could this be a battery problem?

Since asking this question, it has taken some time to get back to the boat and investigate further. I went for the simplest option first i.e. blocked drain holes. I cleaned out the channels found the drain doles. Drain holes cleaned out. Of course it was then dry then dry for a while so no rain to test the theory. Managed to get back very recently and all is dry. Thank you for the suggestions.

One of my two sliding windows has started leaking. The Window has a top hopper opening and below it has one fixed glass and a slider. The water runs down to outside of the glass slider and finds it way under the glass (this sits and slides in a channel) and into the boat. The channel appears to be fitted with a "u" shaped hairy piece of material that also has a rubber seal molded into it. This seal grips the external part of the frame deflection water and also acts as a seal on the outside of the glass slider and sealing it when closed. Is it possible to buy the channel material? If it is can the new material be fitted without removing the window completely from the boat? I should mention that it is a steel boat. The widows do not have any marking on them to say who was the manufacturer. The glass has been etched as safety glass Thank you

On a small canal boat is it necessary to have a calorifier fitted? The boat has an Aldi heating unit. The engine is a single cylinder unit. Thanks

Alan. Thank you for the info. To answer the points raised: We own the premises but not the land. The buildings have a rateable value of less than £12,000.00. As far as I am aware they are classed as business premises as they are not a dwelling. The club is not registered as a business but is a not for profit club. Is it possible for a club to register as a business and if it did would that bring it in to contact with HMRC? The benefit we have enjoyed as a recipient of discretionary rate relief from the council is not business related. There must be other clubs that have/will encounter this problem and I would like to hear how they have dealt with it. It has been suggested that perhaps a club could attempt to register with HMRC as a Community Amateur Sports Club. If the registration was accepted then the club would qualify for the mandatory 80% relief. However registration carries with it a raft of regulations and changes which would be difficult to for a canal cruising club to comply with (I think).

Not sure this is the right forum for this, but here goes. What experience have the members of the ending of discretionary rate relief for boat clubs and other not for profit organisations? Briefly, qualifying organisations who use commercial premises that normally they would have to pay council tax/rates, could receive discretionary relief from their council of a mandatory relief of 80% , they could also apply for a further 20% rate relief of 100%. However; in order to qualify for this relief the organisation has to prove they are a registered charity or a registered armature sports club. In the past the granting of such relief was a matter of course, little or no questions being asked. Rate invoice when they arrived were marked "for information only". "Amount to pay Nil". That has now all stopped. All clubs/organisations that have been in receipt of discretionary rate relief now have to apply each year, this year being the first time for many. As well as registered charities and sports clubs there is a third category of applicants this being clubs or organisations that are not charities or sport clubs but are Not For Profit Clubs. Such clubs can apply for relief. However they cannot claim the mandatory 80% relief or the additional 20% discretionary relief. They have in effect to throw their hats in to the ring, having filled in the appropriate forms, and they take their chance. Which appears to mean that unless to can prove your club or organisation is: 1) An "open membership" club and in which membership is open to the general public. 2) The majority of your members live in the same council area as you pay your rates. 3) The presence of your club in that location benefits the local Community. 4) the club is involved in some form of training scheme designed to enhance the skills of members and community. And So On. I would be interested in anyone's experience in dealing with this subject.

I have been given a Briefcase solar panel that has suffered a little bit of wiring damage. The damage is around the output lead or more correctly around the small Blue indicator light. That apparently was damaged and has been replaced with a small pee type bulb, similar to a 12 volt panel light. When I placed the unit in the sun the light did not illuminate but when I connected a volt meter I got a reading around 19 volts.. I wonder if anyone has any information on the size/value of the LED or will any LED do? I expected to see it connected across the +ve and -ne cables. but it is in line with -ve, in series with a blocking diode, and forms part of the output lead from the panels this lead would the connect to battery when in use. The unit is a TPS 936 briefcase. Peak output 13 watts. Thanks

What Sort of Filter is This? I have managed to locate a seal kit for this filter and In the next week I hope to have the filter attended to by a very kind helpful chap who will also change the other fuel filter and the oil and lube oil filter too. Thank goodness. I am still uncertain what to do about my bank of 3 x 120 amp/hour batteries. I have been reading Tony Brooks training notes and applying it to my situation with regards to battery capacity and charging times. My power audit indicates I uses 121 amp/hrs per day. The amp/hr capacity of my domestic bank is 360 amp/hrs. Tony suggests that one should only expect 50% of that capacity to be realistically available i.e. 180 amp/hrs. My alternator is 60 amps. Again Tony suggests that a figure of 50% output is about the average. So that gives me 30 amps. This would equate to a charging time of some 4 hours. With this in mind, trying to convince myself that I might get another year out of my batteries I charged my batteries and tried to get some meaningful voltage reading. The biggest consumer of battery power on our boat is a 230 volt fridge via an invertor. After charging the bank it read 12.7 volts. when the fridge kicked in it dropped to 12.4 volts. After a period of approx 5 hrs with the fridge cutting in and out the voltage had dropped to 12 volts. Later I noted that, still with the fridge running, the voltage had dropped to 11.9 volts. This was the reading with the battery under load, when the fridge cut out (thermostat) the reading came back up to 12.0 volts. My problem here is I am not sure if my readings indicated that my batteries are past their best and need changing or is there still life in them? Any views on the above please.

Good evening All: Thanks for the responses. With regards to the fuel filter, I have followed the link posted by "Old Goat" and the description and the picture shown on the site is an SFAS4 Aluminium Sedimentor Unit. The one on the boat looks like that. Is it safe assume I only need to remove the bowl and clean it out? Kevini, good idea about a solar panel I will give this some thought. That would make sense if I decide to take a chance and keep keep the current batteries or change them. Yes it would have to be maintenance free that's what I think the current ones are.

I have reached that age in life when things that were once simple and easy to do become difficult because I can't get into/get down to place I once could. I am about to order new oil and fuel filters for the boat. Giving the job a good coat of looking at, I have noticed that in the fuel line, from tank to engine there is another filter, at least that's what I take it to be. It has a cast aluminum top and body which is fitted to a bracket weld to a bulkhead.I have never had need to touch it before but I think I ought to have a look at it. The lower part of the filter appears to be a bowl, which looking it at it from a distance, is retained in place by a bolt passing through the top of the filter. My other filters, oil and fuel, are spin off cartridge types and this other is definitely different. Does any one know if the object I have tried to describe has a replaceable filter, within the lower bowl? As the feed to the filter appears to come direct from the fuel tank shut off valve I assume that before disturbing this "object" it would be prudent to shut the valve, which is another job for a skinny individual. Any suggestions on what I would need to do to this filter. I know this next bit is off topic, but it is all part of accessibility or the lack of it, My 3 x 120 ah leisure bats have been on the boat for 7 years. They were charged at the weekend and after standing since Sunday night, the voltage reading is 12.8 v. We have a 240 volt fridge, inverter and 12 volt water pump plus lights. Because of their age I am inclined to replace the batteries but would like do a discharge test first. To get the batteries out is a major job (for me). I am wondering taking into account the voltage (12.8) would I be able to get another year out of them?

We have two metal opening doors at the front of our boat and the inside of the doors have been finished with plywood and varnished. When fitted out, timber battens had been glued to the inside face of both doors. Ply wood facing was glued and screwed to the battens to finish the job off. Overtime, the glued battens have broke away from their glued position on the metal doors and it all needs to be refitted. I would like to do away with the idea of battens and ply and replace it with some form of solid material about 18mm thick which which would be glued directly to the inside metal of the doors much as it is now. The question is what material to use? Is MDF a suitable material bearing in mind it would on occasions get wet (if the wife forgets to close them in the rain). B&Q sell exterior ply in sheet form of the thickness I need, but would it do a decent job? The sheets I have looked at appeared to have a nice top grained finish which I thought would look OK when varnished. The other point in their favour they can cut the sheet into the size I can handle and the price is about what I can afford. Any suggestion about the above and also about gluing/fixing the sheet material (whatever it is ) to the metal would also be welcome.

Hi Mike. The Volvo Penta 2003 is a 28hp.