MustyBoat

If by Local Authority rates you mean Council Tax, we do pay this every month. It's a myth (one that other residentials believe in too...) that boaters don't or don't need to pay council tax. However, we don't actually get most of the benefits - not even a reliable bin collection service! Councils get in touch with us via our mailbox. I pay council tax every month, but I do know that many boaters don't realise / assume we don't pay council tax. For us, we actually have to get in touch with (or be contacted by) the council ourselves, and pay them directly. I'm quite confused now.. I never mentioned I was not prepared to pay the cost! Quite happy to pay - just having real trouble getting hold of Dom (phone offline) and the other carriers too. In my time here (2 years) there have been 2 boats that do pump outs in this area, but perhaps as someone mentioned they are on "down time" at the moment. I will visit a marina - it's just the trouble with not being here in the day while i'm at work etc - Dom could always do it in my absense in the past (with a bank transfer afterwards). Nope! Residentials are definitely not plumbed into the sewage mains. Otherwise I wouldn't have started this thread! Hold on just a sec - if you need a pump out, therefore have a tank system, there is no way to empty it into the cut... besides even if you could, which you cannot in any way, that is highly disgusting and illegal.

I'm not on facebook, unfortunately. Does anyone on this forum have these contact details?

Hello! Having a bit of trouble at the moment, our regular pump-out boat service who comes by on a regular basis has stopped coming... So, does anyone have contact details for a carrier boat in central London (near Kings Cross) that offers a pump-out service? Thanks!

Hi Deckhand - I don't close the damper too much - this is left to let air in and I promise you it's a very hot fire! When I say I don't leave the bottom open, I mean the mini-door that leads to the ash tray (that has the damper on it). This door I only open to initially get the fire going. Odana - thank you for this - I will definitely have a look as I can see there is a small crack in the back plate so maybe this needs to be replaced. b0atman and Paul C - we generally get our wood from a park nearby, which has a wood pile where they let you collect any they don't want. Recently it has been all dead wood (don't know what type though). Do you know what species would cause this smoke? I could avoid it in the future.

Hi BEngo - thank you for that advice - I think this may be a good idea. I'll give this a go! Do you know how long this would normally take? I know it's very dependent on what type of fuel/stove etc but just a rough idea. Another thing - I'm unhappy with excel because it creates a lava-like layer of hard rock at the bottom of the fire, so often I have to extract this from the grille when I notice it's blocked any air coming in. This would normally not phase me but I shoved my hand up the back of the fire to the flue the other day (it was cold don't worry!) and found lumps inside the flue, the same type that was formed by the Excel. Is excel killing my fire???! PS: BEngo - can I just leave the bottom of the fire OPEN completely (leaving the door/window closed) to do this cleaning process or burning it all out, or would that be too hot?

Hi Phil, our smoke is thick and white - and no longer does that thing where it goes clear after the initial lighting. It's always smoking now. Hi Keeping Up - we don't have a back boiler, though we did used to have pipes going from the back of the fire to radiators, however we had this system removed.

Thanks bizzard - I will give this a go. However... it goes against advice I've got (from one person) that "you must always mix your fuel"... hm! Anyway our carrier didn't have excel last time, that's why we're trying Pure Glow mixed with Home Fire. I'll try what you suggest and just have one type and see if this helps.

Haha, that's the one! Thanks. Yes, it's very weird. Causing neighbour problems (moored nearby but not beside) so I really want to sort it! Could it be wax residue fumes along the chimney from when we used to use wax to light the fire I wonder?

Hi, sorry I forgot to answer - yes we try to clean the chimney with a long brush every month or so, and did it a couple of weeks ago. We also clear out all ash and start all over again so to speak. We used to use a couple of fairy lights worth of wax to get the fire started, could it be that wax fumes have held to the sides of the chimney? We haven't used this method for a while now because of the fumes that came out when it happened. The normal set up: light the fire and close the door, but leave the bottom open until it's roaring, then add some more coal and close the bottom, keeping the twisty thing (don't know technical term obviously!) open enough to let in air and keep the fire going, sometimes all night. Nothing has changed on the roof, and we're moored alone.. very strange

Hi, we're using a mixture: HomeFire / Excel / PureGlow. ...and it's recently bought

I don't think it's that - the wood we use is completely dry (to the point of being brittle) and the coal is kept in a bin outside, and rarely gets wet or damp. Also - we've always kept the coal outside (and we have it inside in a scuttle for a day or so before putting on the fire) and not had this problem say a year ago...

Hi, I have a problem with my chimney and wondered if anyone else had the same problem. It's a wide-beam (well, 11ft) and we have a squirrel stove. We burn mixed fuel - wood and coal - but I have noticed that particularly in the last few months there has been excessive smoke coming from the chimney output on the roof. This is causing some problems in terms of neighbours etc, and it sometimes wafts through our vents/windows - but also is just a little worrying. Could there be something vital in our chimney that has disintegrated? We notice this most when we have just lit the fire - as could be expected - but to be honest it doesn't really settle down. Just think white smoke. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Thanks so much as always

Thanks so much, all! I will bear in mind what you say about ventilation and the pic of the insulation is perfect - just what I need. Does anyone know someone in London who would be willing to do this work?

Hi all, The boat was built in 2004. We are in London. Yes we had a full survey done in 2011 when we bought the boat, with no problems regarding to this highlighted problem. Dave P - unfortunately I'm pretty sure the guy before us fitted it out himself.. We heat using a stove and stove fan too, as well as an electric radiator on a timer in the corridor and another in the bedroom which is sometimes on in the evenings before bed. In regards to ventilation, we are guilty of closing the ventilators when it is cold, as it is at the moment and we do not have hoppers open either. Thanks!

Hi all, Our boat (52" widebeam) gets really bad condensation, to the point where the water is dripping down the walls. The walls are wooden and have started to swell. When we had our windows upgraded to double glazing (old windows still available for sale btw!) in order to fix this problem, we found that the walls are not insulated in any way. What I'm asking is that a) does anyone know a reliable boat builder who could rip out all the walls and thoroughly insulate them, and b ) is this definitely going to solve the problem? Thank you!