Bargebuilder

Is the reason for asking primarily to protect the environment, or to protect the skipper from having to breath in particulate laden exhaust? If the latter, it may be that a wet exhaust would reduce particulates released to the air, flushing them instead into the water. The other advantage of a wet exhaust is that the gasses are cooled and so their volume is reduced which reduces noise where they exit the boat. Even from a dry exhaust, eventually particulates will settle somewhere, land, water and most worryingly, your lungs.

What was the voltage of the battery before you started charging it? A flatish battery may be dragging down the voltage. Were the engine revs high enough for the alternator to be able to achieve its optimum output?

Does your Vetus stern gland look like the one in Richard 10002's picture? I have one that also drips but it looks very different.

It's been suggested that the exhaust of modern boat diesels is actually more dangerous to health than that of vintage/traditional diesels. The claim is that modern engines, although emitting visibly clear exhaust which is not as choking or pungent, the particulate matter size is dangerously small, whereas traditional engines presumably only produced large, visible particulates, which it is suggested are safe or at least safer. Could this be the case, or is it more likely that traditional engines produce more particulates of all sizes.

On 10/07/2022 at 18:23, MtB said: Yes I have proof, thank you for enquiring It would have been great to have seen some proper research, but I suspect that there isn't any.

I think we all read and understood what you said.

In your previous post on the thread to which you were contributing you wrote: "I’ve stood behind the stack for my lovely JP2 for 30 years and I’m still here…..and I’m not going to give it up anytime soon." So I assume that you were talking about narrowboat engines.

Oh but you did, and I quote: Have you considered the environmental impact of making a new engine every few years along with the ECU etc and the rare metals that needs so you can feel green??….maybe ask those in developing countries where the minerals are mined how they are getting on and how their environment is?

So are your saying now that ECUs are currently not used on the small diesels fitted to narrowboats, so the use of such metals is not an issue and no damage is caused to the countries where such metals are mined because a narrowboater buys a new diesel engine?

They also fit steam engines and electric motors.

Why not indeed, it's your choice as to how healthily or otherwise you lead your life. Not wishing to breath in diesel exhaust is rather different for being green. I've never had a boat engine with an ecu, even recent ones: what sort of proportion do engines with ECUs make up amongst narrowboat diesels? I doubt that the amount of rare metals in narrowboat engines is of much significance, apart perhaps for those boats powered by batteries and electric motors which may have more.

Lots of life long smokers say something similar about their habit.

The engines of such narrowboats tend to be the wonderful old traditional ones that are lovingly maintained and regularly polished. They are also often quite smokey: you certainly know when entering a tunnel if such a boat has been through in the previous hour! Some of the owners of these boats are convinced that their exhaust products are not harmful to their health. I hope they are right because they must breath in a huge amount of it in a day's cruising.

You may well think that, but is it true? It's certainly an often repeated statement, but the scientific proof that is 'said' to exist is never forthcoming.

Yes, probably anodised aluminium, but my powder coater did offer a gold colour too, so it might be a powder coat finish; it wasn't a great colour though.

Not sure how polluting steam coal was or how well steam rollers would work with smokeless fuel. I suspect that the exhaust of old technology diesel engines that replaced steam might have been more dangerous to health than was coal smoke, but at least modern diesels are a great deal cleaner than old ones.

I'm not sure whether you were unlucky or I was lucky, but my 15 year old powder coated and double glazed windows are still in excellent condition. Perhaps slightly faded and a bit less glossy, but no cracking, flaking or blistering. Mine were made by a company who specialise in commercial sea going vessels, such as pilot boats, where perhaps standards are higher than for companies that only supply the hobby market; I don't know. These were the people: https://technauticmarinewindows.co.uk/

Perhaps someone should make a 'dashcam' for boats to record such incidents should evidence be needed at a later date.

But would they pass such a test. Not sure if it's relevant, but this table indicates the progress made as standards have been tightened over the years; PM being particulate matter. It may be that owners of traditional diesel engines who regularly inhale their exhaust are trying to convince themselves that it is safe, and not a cause of heart disease and possibly cancer too.

"The new generation of diesel engines for boats have a significantly better environmental performance than the traditional engines. Smoke and fumes are things of the past, and there are around 60 percent less emissions." Lifted from: http://advantage-environment.com/experiences/modern-boat-engines-are-better-for-the-environment/

Of course you do.

To keep full or to run dry for the winter is a subject about which there is now much argument. Traditionally it was accepted practice to top up to reduce in-tank condensation, but the new formulation of diesel seems much more likely to feed diesel bug, so many amongst the yachtie fraternity recommend running the diesel low towards the end of the season and draining the tank completely at winterisation time. Of course, yachts have smaller tanks, but if you've ever been unfortunate enough to have had diesel bug, you certainly won't want a large tank full to polish or dump.

You should see the £120k grp cruiser he recently bought, it made me wonder If I chose the right career path.

I have a close friend who is a brick layer and he earns £250 a day building domestic houses, so saving a little fuel amongst all the other costs, not least the dramatically rising cost of materials, won't make much difference even to the bosses.

And a two tonne digger is very small.