NickAndAnne

Thanks for this. I had the boat serviced a week ago, and had them check and replace the antifreeze for the engine and the radiators. I will do as suggested for the pump. Nick

ETA: As bottle points out the selection switch on main unit has a Remote position. In this position the remote panel controls the No I don't have the remote. I am sure you are right about the model being discontinued. I think it was fitted in 2002.

So it is a Dakar Combi from Mastervolt. I checked the lamps on it today, and it seems that it automatically switches between charging and inverting depending on whether the shore power is connected. So based on the advice received: A ) if I don't fit the heater, then I should leave it switched to charge the batteries. B ) if I do fit the heater, then it would be better to switch it to remote, so that I don't drain the batteries if (when) the shore power fails. I drained the domestic water supply and left the taps open. As the calorifier is now empty, does this mean I shouldn't run the engine or heating as both supply hot water, or doesn't it matter? Thank you everyone for your helpful comments. Nick

It is a grey, rather than blue box, and I am sure the name printed on it began with D...., but I didn't want to admit this earlier as it really is stupid to only know the colour! The idea of putting the heater on board was actually so that we could continue to use the boat over the winter. I had this vague idea that it might prevent pipes and tanks from freezing, so I wouldn't have to drain everything down. However, as I have used up most of my leave for this year, we would only be able to do the odd weekends, or a Sunday lunch at Tixall, for example. But I do agree with you, winter is a great time to be out and about - we brought the boat back from Chirk to Great Haywood at the beginning of the year, and almost had the canals to ourselves!

I will grab a photo of it tomorrow when I go back to the boat. It does have a three stage charger built in (bulk/absorption/float), but this only seems to happen when the switch is in the 'up' position. Middle is off, and from memory (which you already know is poor!) in the 'down' position only one light comes on, leading me to assume that the battery charger is off. The Hoover works in this position which is why I think it might be a pass-through. The good news for now is that it does no harm to the batteries leaving it on charge, it means that the automatic bilge pump should always have 12v available. I haven't fitted the heater yet, so there is no power draw, otherwise. Thanks!

Thanks for the prompt reply! I can't remember the make of it, even though I looked this afternoon. Doh! Will write it down tomorrow. It does have battery charging as well as inverting capabilities, one setting simply bypasses the inverter and supplies power directly to the sockets. The other setting is used when cruising to supply the 240v, but if the shore line is connected it works as a battery charger. I appreciate your help. Nick

Hi there, This is my first posting, although I have been following the site for some time. I see there are many knowledgable people on here, so wanted to ask for some advice. We bought our narrowboat last February for leisure cruising, and have now settled her down for the winter in the marina. I have shore power, and am thinking of running a low wattage heater as some kind of frost protection. Should I leave my inverter on all the time charging the batteries, or just switch it in to pass-through mode? Can the batteries be damaged by being left on charge all the time? Thanks in advance for your help. Nick