stegra

Ah. Right. I mean testing newly installed pipework for leaks before any appliances are connected. Stick push-fit stop-ends on the tails and pressure up. You can tell from the gauge if there's a leak but I'd always spray the joints.

Yep. I certainly had a 'roll eyes' moment when I saw it. Over-engineered and looks like it should be at Ferrybridge.

Yeah. Dry joints are quite alarming. I once stripped a domestic heating system and the majority of joints were dry; you could just pull them apart. As long as the pipe ends are properly cleaned using wire wool and some flux and the fittings aren't oxidised at all, they shouldn't happen.

Natural gas (domestic) mixes freely with air so can be smelt if there is a leak; The smell is actually added for this purpose. LPG is heavier than air so can gather unnoticed. Drop-out holes are normally provided to allow LPG to escape but if you put them in a boat you won't need to worry about what the inspector thinks. I don't know how the regs vary for different craft but movement of the structure is probably the reason for prohibiting soft solders. Houses aren't supposed to move. Pressure testing is normally carried out at 2 bar or more so any solder joint that isn't properly made should show up. Gas pressure, after the regulator, is a fraction of this.

Thank you, Peter. And thanks for the tips as well. I hadn't really thought about the floor being out of level when afloat. I would still anticipate placing internal walls perpendicular to the floor though. Is this not normally the case? It would seem an unnecessary complication to have to deal with angles when fitting kitchen and bathroom etc. I think access all round, steady footing and closer parking is a fair trade-off for having to climb a few steps. I managed get get a much earlier build slot than I anticipated for the boat so it's absolute panic stations now. I couldn't refuse because everything felt right and it meant I could do the build in the summer so warm and long days. The next available slot was several months later. I did the van over the winter and it was truly miserable. I'm pretty confident about doing the living space part of the boat; it's the boaty stuff that I'm a bit clueless about... obviously a major drawback! The next few months are going to involve a lot of learning. If you do decide to do your van, I very much recommend joining SBMCC. It's £15/year but the shear amount of information and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the members is incredible. There's no way mine would have turned out as it did without their help.

Why not a high tensile stainless steel bolt?

No, 12 foot wide. They're raising the gunwales a bit to meet compliance, which is what I wanted anyway. Thanks for the comments about the van above btw. I didn't notice those earlier.

What's the alternative? Are soldered joints allowed? I understand they're not allowed on road vehicles because of vibrations. I realise you can't put drop-out holes on the bottom of boats.

In that case, if the pipe is microbore, look out for those bite rings. Pretty sure this type of fitting has them. They look like this.

Really? I'm surprised. That works so well as a belt and braces method. Any idea why it's not allowed?

One of these? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Non-Return-Valve-One-Way-Hose-Connector-Up-to-1-Reg-Up-to-1-1-5-Lrg-/251795308233?var=&hash=item3aa02b7ec9:m:mk6Ww0hwMMil1nlAjGhu0wA

A good tip is to compress the fitting then open it, wrap the compressed olive and a few mm each side in PTFE tape (gas) then remake the joint. The tape wedges into the joint. It's unlikely but worth checking that none of the olives are actually bite rings. Only likely to be the case in the fittings to the appliance or an iso tap or manifold. Bite rings look like acorns and work differently. They are sometimes used in LPG fittings.

That's a fair point. I was a the point of settling for the warehouse yard but I've now realised that by ordering 50' vat exempt rather than the more expensive 45' with vat, it won't fit. I guess the distance of van to boat is something I hadn't considered much. Pretty determined to do it on hard-standing so probably not such an issue as afloat. Three months (full-time) is the target to get it livable rather than absolutely complete. I suspect most owner fitted live-aboards are never completely finished.

Thanks. I get it now.

Another option: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p87482?searchstr=sink%20trap But I don't understand this bit: The top of the sink then effectively becomes the height of the outlet.

I did a motorhome (seen here) about six years ago and I was surprised how long things took. I've been renovating houses, fitting kitchens and bathrooms etc. for over 25 years. It was quite a shock doing the van because a complete remodel of a large kitchen including strip back to brick, all new services, RSJs, shaped hardwood worktops etc. would probably take no more than a month. The van took several months and was certainly more technically challenging than anything else I've done. There was literally less than one inch of insulation under floor in which to run services including waste pipes. Weight was a key factor too as well as the concern of everything handling cornering and braking stresses. Obviously, there was no drive system to worry about and I'm probably not helping myself by going for electric drive, but overall I don't expect the boat to be significantly more difficult.

Not sure how dissimilar the DIY two-part is to the pro stuff. The gun stuff is very different; for a start it's open cell and far less dense. Gun foam will stick to walls and even ceilings with a little practice. It's best to dampen the surface first; this helps it stick and prompts the curing process. It's true that the gun foam is no substitute for the closed cell foam but it might be suitable for patching in depending on the circumstance. For me, the handheld is an utter waste of time and effort. Unless the effect you're looking for is; hole still in wall, trail of foam down wall to big blob on the floor; can in carrier bag, gurgling away.

Not sure if this has been mentioned in this thread but if you're going to be doing a lot then you can buy two-part closed-cell PU foam kits. If you go this route make sure you follow the instructions and don't let the bottles fall over otherwise the mix won't work. I don't know how small the kits can be but this is one I used about a year ago: https://www.abbuildingproducts.co.uk/touch-n-foam---200-complete-kit-pr-5203.php

A year without using a foam gun! Nah. It's the crack pipe of builders' tools

If you buy a foam gun you'll need to buy gun-grade foam. I've been using this for about 25 years. Once you have a gun you'll be finding uses for it everywhere. The control is so fine that I once wrote SBMCC on a two pence coin with foam to prove a point on another forum. On the other hand you can easily fill gaps a few inches wide. When you let go of then trigger, it stops; unlike the handheld stuff that keeps leaking. You can leave an unfinished can on a gun for months and then start re-using it. I don't agree that the gun should be cleaned between cans. The cleaner does more harm than good. Have a can of cleaner handy in case of mishaps though. I don't bother with expensive guns. I normally get several years use from the cheap ones. And none of them work if you stand on them and bend the shaft. As stated, a can of cleaner is handy so this might be a fair package but you can get guns for around £7. But stick with the metal ones. Fire-rated gun-grade foam Or bulk pack One last point. When changing the can, make sure the old one is completely empty by holding the trigger until no more gas escapes. Then close the control knob before fitting the new can. Blow any excess foam off the gun and then put it on the new can immediately. Make sure the can is held vertically (top up) when you fit the gun and take care not to cross thread it. Normally it's necessary to push the gun down onto the can a little to get the thread to engage. In use the can should always be upside down.

Blimey! A week! That's some going. I'm anticipating three months solid as a minimum. Though two months of that is likely to be head scratching.

Yeah. I'm going to be working on it full time so the rent won't be for too long I hope. If it was a weekend and evening thing I probably wouldn't consider a boatyard. Just thought it'd be good if I could get away with transporting only once before all the weight goes in and then be lifted straight in. It's shell only so needs to on land initially.

If you can spare a whole one pound, this stuff works surprisingly well on all sorts of things. It's got bleach in it so careful around fabrics,

That's RLL at Keynsham. I went to see them about the shell but the lead time was a quite long and probably would have had to fit-out in the winter. Price was right at the top of my budget as well, although you could see what the money was paying for. It's a consideration but not sure it's much more comfortable there than the pet food warehouse. He might not want me anyway after I went elsewhere but he quoted £400+ pcm for yard space so it's still business for him. Don't much fancy doing it afloat. Being able to use a spirit level and not having sheet materials suddenly throw themselves upon me seems a more comfortable option. I think the fear of financial ruin will be quite enough incentive to get the job done. I'll see what I can find out about Aldermaston. Thanks.

That's interesting. I live in Bristol anyway so know my way around for materials etc. Never occurred to; thought it would be busy with 'serious' boaty types. Thanks