pagan witch
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Posts posted by pagan witch
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42 & thanks for all the fish
As for white goods we decided some time ago to run the most energy efficient mains appliances we could and have an inverter than can cope with average use. From here we accept that we cannot run some combinations simultaneously - the largest loads we have are the elctric kettle (700w) a George Forman griddle (750w) and a hairdrier for SWMBO ((1,200w). If we use any of these we make sure that we aren't using any of the others.
This still leaves is sufficient to keep the full sized fridge/frezer running. We have standard domestic tv/vcr/dvd/hi-fi and computers on board too. All of these are happy to run off mains or the inverter without a problem. The tower computer lives on it's own UPS that will run it for around 15 minutes - this is long enough to finsish what we were doing when the mains fails and still do a controlled shut-down or swap to inverter or generator feed if we need to.
Our washing machine is a Candy - you will hear many people here saying that they are tolerant of all sorts of *ra* power supplies - a real bonus when on a boat. The inverter won't run it but our diesel gen set will - albeit a bit noisy.
We are normally hooked up but still like to watch the consumption that way when we are out cruising we don't have to adapt. We will use any of the eltircal stuff whilst cruising, but not whilst moored - out with the gas kettle.
I know that you canb get fancy auto changeovers for mains / inverters / generators. Ours is very simpl. One mains feed (not a ring) down each side of the boat with a fused plug on the end. In the cupboard are 3 double sockets, one each from the shore line, the inverter and the gen set. We simply plug whichever plug into whichever socket we choose.
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No problem with that for timing.
Have cruised from Anglo Welsh at both Trevor and Barbury and done a there and back so being a significant way up already is a bonus.
It is beautiful - go and enjoy.
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Technology may have moved on since my college days but I was taught that a diode was simply a 'one way valve' designed to operate up to a certain voltage / current. If you over do this then you can 'force' a supply through it the wrong way which may or may not destroy it depeneding on its' design and how much 'force' you'd applied.
If this understanding is correct then as I see it a diode of any size isn't going to help.
What you need to do here is prevent the charging cable from being required to deliver BT operating current. A diode, depending on which way you installed it would either :-
1) allow current to flow from the BT battery to the boat
2) allow current to flow from the boat to the BT battery.
Option 1 has no use at all - you are hopefully never going to be in a position where you want BT battery to feed boat.
Option 2 is what is already achieved without having a diode in.
I concur with previous replies that your BT is underpowered and is therefor trying to draw from the boat and the fuses are doing a great job in protecting an overload of that cable.
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I wonder how long that Tefal gadget will last in service - especially given the amount of limescale that our usually hard water deposits?
Ah . . . . I take it you didn't spot the filter that allows it to deliver 'pure' water then ?
When I looked into it a while ago the filter needed replacing every 6 weeks - didn't mention that in the ad did they ?
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Not an expert on BSS but I have 2 guesses :-
1) The risk from hydrogen is very low. It is so light as to dissipate at a very high rate and thus fall below its' explosive level very quickly and in doing so dissipates upwards thus finding its' way to 'safety' before it has a chance to be a hazard.
2) They accept that there really isn't an alternative practical way to start an engine so have to put up with them.
3) They realise that there is no way they are going to get people to abandon lead acid technology so let it be.
4) It is the BSS - we aren't meant to understand it or agree with it - just comply with it
That said the BSS is something I am in favour of, though some of its' rules and guidelines can be intriguing to fathom. I wonder how many houses would fail a similar scheme ? Why isn't there one ?
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Being a business can definately help.
Voda will not give me a phone contract.
Voda (same branch - same person) gave me a business phone contract on the spot. Wouldn't give my better half a phone contract but allowed me to add another to my business account to give to her.
T Mobile wouldn't give me a data contract.
T Mobile(same branch - same person) gave me a business data contract.
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Just a word of caution - Just because you can connect to it doesn't make it legal and as far as I am aware there is no way of knowing if you are connecting to someone who has carelessly left the conection unsecured - in which case you are bandwidth pirating and liable to prosecution (happened last year) - or someone who is public spirited and has chosen to make it accessible.
On a more positive note McDonalds branches now have free Wi-Fi in all of their branches and publicise the fact so you are pretty safe.
Either way I wouldn't trust any sensitive data over a Wi-Fi connection I didn't know.
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So given that this product works it seems that there is some physics here that we are all missing.
Assume whatever efficiency you like, it still makes hot (not boiling) water far more quickly than we believe it should be able to and even assuming it was on a 30 A mains spur of it's own (which isn't specified on the ad anywhere) this still only equates to no more than 8Kw - a fraction of the figures we are arriving at.
It seems to me like powered flight - the 'normal' concept of heavier than air = can't fly doesn't stop planes from flying - it just means that there is a bit of the physics being missed out - in this case lift factors created by aerofoil sections.
This heating gadget works - but we don't understand how.
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As I understand it this thing doesn't boil water - just makes it very hot. I remember hearing a discussion on it some months ago and from what I recall it pumps the water through a coil of diminishing diameter and the result is a raise in temperature akin to the 'hold your finger over the end of the bicycle pump' idea.
I do agree though that it takes a given amount of energy to do a set amount of 'work' so it seems most unfeasable. I'm wondering if the 'speed is entirely due to the fact that as it delivers such a small amount there isn't much in the way of thermal losses whilst it is heating whereas a traditional kettle of course radiates heat all the time it is heating up which must be quite a big loss.
Beyond this line of thought I start talking drivel . . . . . . .
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I wish to report a problem with the forum . . . .
Several of us have now agreed on something and no-one has put forward a counter argument
Is this a record ?
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We are liveaboard.
We have 12v halogen.
We have LED
So . . . as that seems to cover all of the bases . . . .
The 12v Halogens are only our 'reading lights' over the bed and thereofre don't get massive use but they last so long that I've only replaced one bulb in the last 3 years. Being 'bed time reading lights' I've never used them whilst cruising and therefore alternator charging (14.8v) but our mains charger (we are on hook up) seems to take our batteries up to around the same mark and so far no problem.
The LEDs we got from jmgoods .co.uk £18.99 for the Orbital (2 LEDs in one fitting) and are indeed very 'blue'. This suits our use at the moment as they are in the kitchen and the loo but I wouldn't call them relaxing. However we have used these with the engine running and of course whilst hooked up and no problem in the 1 year we've had them so far. They come wired with a black and red so I've connected them that way but the ones we use as deck lights (normal patio LEDs that I run off of the battery rather than the transformer that came with them) are also happy on whatever voltages I've managed to inflict upon them so far and are not polarity sensitive.
The LEDs seem to me to have the strange property of looking very bright but don't seem to give the illumination you'd expect from something so bright. Told you it was strange.
All in all glad to have a mix.
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When we got stuck at the top of Alrewas for 6 days last year due to floods BWB were brilliant. Came and collected rubbish every day. Collected and returned within the hour toilet cassettes and even delivered us 4 X 25 litre drums to self pump into which they offered to do every day we were there.
Sent them an e-mail saying so too - seems not many people bother to thank them when they get it right and they sent me a very polite reply.
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I agree with the comments re splash screen - by all means make that big, but once on your site then perhaps drop it down to no more than 25% of it's current size and get more info on the page.
After all once they are on your page the yknow who you are - hopefully they just want to buy.
Glad things are developing - I write web pages and the worst part is getting the theme right - after that it ain't so bad.
Good luck
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Have managed to get all the rubbers and the flap valve from Millar Marine - got it in for me (infamy - infamy - they've all got it infamy) - next day.
Guess I can look forward ? to doing a pump out this weekend and fixing it all then.
It seems that it isn't unusual for this 'valve' to snap off and end up in the holding tank to no ill effect. The only benefit I can see to having it (seeing as the one in the macerator should stop any back-flow) is that it would allow you to remove the toilet to unblock it regardless of the tank level.
Rubber gloves and peg at the ready then.
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Hmmmmm.
To add VAT multiply by 1.175 to remove VAT divide by 1.175 - simple.
Yep - header graphics far to big.
I agree it isn't very canal based
Me personal opinion is that is is bordering on commercial as some other posts have suggested but then again where else would you go to ask the opinion of boaters ? And let's face it if you ask a question on here you sure do get some opinions
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Tried the Aquafax web site but couldn't find much out. Looks like a phone call in the week or my local swindlers I guess.
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Needless to say meths is very flammable, so make sure it has all evaporated before firing it up!
Lee
That's one brilliant pun
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We had a similar problem (ours is ex Black Prince) so I built a slatted base for it. This has solved most of our problems.
However . . . The damp now accumulates down the side nearest the side of the boat despite this being carpeted. A long term liveaboard friend of ours suggested putting a row of cork tiles along the side of the bed and this seems to be beneficial but even so we have to pull the mattress out every other day and we try and turn it once a week. End to end one week, top to bottom the next.
Seems to keep on top of it.
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Kind of been touched on in earlier posts but the limesacale probably isn't doing any harm to the thermal insulation properties of your tank but what it is doing (if it is actually there of course) is to reduce the tank capacity.
So, if for arguments' sake you had a 20 gallon tank, took 2 gallons of hot out you'd end up with 18 gallons of hot and 2 gallons of cold - which after a short time would lead to 20 gallons of 'not quite as hot as it was' (a technical term)
You have intorduced 10% of cold.However if your 20 gallon tank is now only a 10 gallon tank due to limescale then when you take 2 gallons of hot out the resulting 2 gallons of cold replacing it means that you now have 8 gallons of hot and 2 gallons of cold - leading to 10 gallons of 'not very hot at all' (another technical term) You have introduced 20% of cold.
I'm sure that someone will point out all kinds of thermal models for this but that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.
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Needless to say be careful with the airline - high pressure air will undoubtedly dry it out but will also make dust / dirt / water fly all over the place so strongly recommend all round goggles (not safety glasses) and old clothes.
If it is simple to split the engine from the electrics I'd do that and get the engine running again whilst then getting the elctrics really dry. At the end of the day this is still 'mains' voltage.
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I have reached the conclusion that the little rubber flap that constitues the one way valve for my Tecma Macerating toilet (as fitted to Black Prince boats) needs replacing.
Last time I took the toilet to pieces this had become quite stiff and calcified and the thought of it snapping off isn't attractive.
Whilst I'm about it I guess it would be worth replacing both rubber bits - the connection from bowl to macerator and from amcerator to tank so was looking for some sort of re-furb kit.
Have tried looking at Tecma site and Lee Sanitation too but can't seem to find much in the way of spares.
Anyone got any ideas please ?
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Firstly I must agree that Camingazz seems to have reached the inevitable decision that this plan isn't likely to work, though not through problems with the benefits system but because of limited mobility affecting how safe he can be whilst boating.
I guess the forum did help answer his problem - even if it did shatter his dream.
The benefits system generally is a mess and it seems to me that it often fails the people who need it but looks after some others far better than it ought.I am sure that we can all think of examples of both.
I have a friend who lost an arm in an industrial accident and received, not surprisingly, substantial compensation. He has been able to get back into the workplace - albeit by making a big career change but will be the first to tell you that he'd swap the money for his arm back any day.
I simply don't know enough about Campingazz's situation to make judgement but I do feel sorry for anyone who loses their dream.
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I wouldn't mind strangers in my house as long as I had some acceptable references. In fact that's what I would like to do. I have a nice small house in Old Town Key West, Fl USA. My wife and I would like to do a one or so month trade. A canal boat for our house. Does that seem silly or unreasonable? That's a honest question. This trade idea came to me a couple of days ago when I was talking to someone who trades their KW home for other homes in Europe for their holidays.
Have heard much about 'house swapping' accross the globe and it seems to have a fair bit going for it, particularly if it means you can go somewhere that you normally couldn't. Never have been a happy 'tourist' but do enjoy 'exploring'.
Sadly for the topic poster though I'm not in a position to help.
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Just to add a bit of fuel to the fire but was told yesterday that battery costs will be going up by between 25% and 50% in the next month or 2
by our suppliers
( I'm in the motor trade b.t.w. ) but i would see no reason why this wont be the same with leisure batteries!
all down to the cost of lead apparently???
I was told the same by my friendly swindlery about October last year - he'd been told that lead had gone up big time, but strangley this does not seem to have got down to the recycling part of the world where the price of old batteries seems the be flat (pun intended).
Padlocaks
in Boat Equipment
Posted · Edited by pagan witch
I managed to persuade my local Community Beat Police officer that I was a high risk property and they gave me a very nice lock & hasp which they clearly feel is of a decent quality.
On a similar note I am told that some Fire Brigades will supply smoke detectors to boats FOC too.
Prevention is better that cure - and much cheaper in the long run so I'm with Chris £50 to make me less likely to be broken into is money I'm prepared to spend (unless of course the Community Beat team help me out).
Derbyshire are also offering Smart Water kits at a very low fee too - VERY reliable way to get your property back if you are the unlucky one.
Edditted to get rid of the spilling mistooks