jetzi

I opened my engine bay and I found that my air filter assembly fell off the engine. I was fiddling with it 2 days ago and I obviously didn't tighten it properly. It has been idling for maybe 1 or 2 hours since then. Could I have done any damage running the engine without an air filter? is there anything I should do about it?

I'm also a bit surprised that the electric motor would need keel cooling. But if it does, I don't know that relying on a calorifier would work, surely once your hot water is up to temperature the calorifier will stop cooling the motor? What is a more pertinent question to me is what is going to cool the diesel generator if it is in the bow? I assume that is air cooled? Surely the diesel generator will produce more heat than the electric motor - it feels like the cooling is the wrong way around - water cooling the diesel generator and supplying a calorifier, while the motor is air cooled or with that very small skin tank you mentioned, would feel like it made more sense? That little notch out of the bearer doesn't really bother me. Doesn't look so neat but it can't be material, the motor will weigh much less and vibrate much less than an engine so I'm sure those bearers are probably serious overkill anyway. I have no idea what I'm talking about though, this is just my gut feel.

Thanks, I got it about 70% of the way on now. I actually boiled the hose in a kettle of water and then whipped it straight out and pushed it on. I have some blisters to show for it but combined with the jubilee clip on it I think it will hold. It's unbelievably tight though!

I am trying to get a 13mm inside diameter radiator hose onto a 16.5mm and 15.5mm hose tail. It's for my calorifier circuit. I'm pretty sure it's the same size as the old hose I took off (in fact, I measure the bit that isn't stretched out by the hosetal as only 11.5mm). But I can't for the life of me get it more than halfway onto the hosetail. I've tried a bit of fairy liquid, heating the hose in boiling water and swearing at it a lot, no dice so far. Should I give up and get a 16mm ID hose? Or will this be too loose? If I should persevere with this 13mm ID hose, any tips for getting this on?

I wouldn't consider it if I wasn't thinking about a change anyway. You are probably right though, I'm just dreaming. What types of boat do you find are going up in value?

It seems like the price of narrowboats has skyrocketed recently. I've been living aboard my boat 3 years now and I have a bit more money than I did when I first bought her so I could afford an upgrade or at least a change, if there was anything on the market that is! I'm wondering about capitalising on the current high demand. Sell my boat now and buy back in winter maybe. When the novelty of everyone's new boats has worn off some, people are allowed to go on holiday overseas again, maybe some people realise boating isn't for them or they can't afford the upkeep and flood the market with secondhand boats. I'm even half tempted to get a new build but I bet the queues for those must be crazy. Then again I like my boat and I have no particular reason to sell her... grass is always greener I guess! The obvious downside would mean living on land for the next few months... not exactly an appealing prospect but I guess I've experienced worse. Anyone else looking at the prices of boats at the moment and having thoughts like these?

What I said was "say there is space for another boat and I move on immediately if someone fills it". Obviously overstaying is selfish if you're filling the last spot. But if things are quiet, say it's a Wednesday in the off season, and there is space for 4 boats of which you are the only one, say you're in little used drain and not one other boat has passed in the last 2 days, say the weather is a bit miserable. Moving on just because it has been 48 hours isn't really following the spirit of the rule, is it? I have no idea what it's like on these waterways, my impression is that much of it is quite remote and perhaps underused. That's why I'm asking. If the 48 hour rule is there because there are hundreds of boats competing for dozens of moorings then obviously I am not advocating hogging the most accessible mooring on the network. I'm trying to gauge whether the only way to visit this area is to be boating full time (4+ hours cruising every other day come wind, rain or high water) or if I'm going to be able to hold down my (remote) job while I do it, and still have time to actually explore the countryside off-boat. I guess all one can do is moor up where it seems like you won't cause a problem and be ready to move if anyone asks, like your guide says.

Thanks! Very helpful. I count about 100 moorings between those two maps, and using the measuring tool it seems they are about a mile and a half apart on average, which makes it seem feasible again. Is it considered acceptable to hop the shortest distance (consecutive moorings)? What about wild moorings? Are you against them entirely @Loddon?

1. 48 hour moorings everywhere makes these waterways next to impossible to visit unless you are boating full time. That's a pity. 2. As I said I am careful to not be in anyone's way, I don't believe in following rules for the sake of them but I do believe in being considerate. I'd never overstay anywhere if I was potentially using a mooring someone else needed. But I respect your perspective and I wouldn't be selfish on this or any other network. 3. As discussed throughout this thread wild mooring is considered OK in places, it sounds like a "48 hour rule" applies to wild moorings as well? I'd like to think if I owned grazing land next to a waterway that had boaters moor on it sometimes I wouldn't have a problem with that. If it was my garden maybe it would be a different story! 4. Paying the landowner to moor would be an option, but how would I go about finding such places and such landowners? Overstaying in poor weather conditions and strong streams I presume is acceptable? As a rough estimate, if I was to go from 48hr mooring to 48hr mooring every other day, how much time do you think it would take to cover the whole of the Anglian network? A month (~15 moorings)? Three months (~45 moorings)? Last question, what's the rough distance between moorings - a 2hour cruise each or so? - and how likely are they to be occupied when you arrive? Thanks!

Thanks for a really informative guide @Scholar Gypsy! I have been desperate to visit the Anglian waterways ever since I started boating. I have a few questions that are specific to my situation. I'm a continuous moorer. I want to go everywhere but I like to do it as slow as possible because I want to see more of the places I'm in. I tend to cruise around once per week. Ideally I'd prefer to spend 4, 5 or even 6 months on the Anglian network, perhaps over summer next year. It sounds like there are very few moorings available, even though I would join FOTRN and GOBA. On the Gt Ouse system you mention that the moorings are all 48 hours, are the moorings on the rest of the Anglian waterways also only of very short duration? Is overstaying ever possible? If the mooring is quiet, is there any harm in overstaying a little (say there is space for another boat and I move on immediately if someone fills it). Regarding wild moorings, would I be creating a nuisance of myself if I spent a week in a spot? (Obviously with utmost respect to the surroundings). I think I understand the license situation but I could use a double check of my workings! I currently have a CART license for my 65' boat that will expire end of November. I would buy a new 12 month CaRT license in Dec 2021 (1116.14). Then upgrade to a Gold license a month later refunding 11 months. Effectively this is a pro-rated cost of 1116.14/12 = 91.01 for Dec 2021. Then it's a 1425.60 Gold license plus 100 for the pass - total £1616.61 for Nov 2021 to Dec 2022. But I'd only be able to access the MLN from April 2022 so I'd want to time it right to get the best value for money! I'm pretty concerned about the weather and strong stream conditions, particularly if there are so few moorings. I'd be new to rivers and drains, is my concern warranted if I would be in the area from April-August or so? I get a lot of grump about wanting to move slowly so I understand if this is not a welcome question, but I really try to avoid getting in anyone's way, For example I never sit long on popular moorings even if I'm technically allowed to (I prefer more remote places anyway). Thanks again!

I am sure that there are many different situations, especially on rivers which have different rules, but gthis is my understanding of the moorings situation in London. Generally speaking when you buy a boat with a mooring you are only buying the "right to rent" a mooring - in theory you don't own any "equity" per se other than the boat and you can lose this right very easily without compensation. You can change your own boat if you are renting a mooring, but you normally cannot transfer your mooring to someone else. You cant sell your right to rent the mooring so on paper this roght is valueless. The loophole is that you can sell your boat that happens to have a mooring. I have seen boats that are literally underwater fetching 50k because they are on a desirable mooring. In practice yes the value of the "privilege" of having a mooring often goes up. So if everything stays the same, a 100k boat+mooring might fetch >100k next year. But whether or not the rules or the situation will remain the same by the time you sell is a gamble. It is my considered opinion that buying a boat or "the right to rent" a mooring, or both, should not be done as an investment. The risks are high and any reward will be low (and possibly negative). I might be wrong about all this in which case someone will be along soon to correct me, but this is my understanding of the situation.

Thanks this is really helpful. I don't know what my fresh water accumulator is set to, I can't get to the valve unless I cut away some of the wall (which I'm willing to do but only if really necessary - and I'm not sure how accurate my bike pump is at measuring pressure anyway). My freshwater pump is marked at 2.1 bars (30 PSI) operating pressure. So I expect my current accumulator must be set around 26 PSI / 1.8 bar? So the EV I get for my calorifier should be set to 30 PSI / 2.1 bar? What size is a "huge one"? My current accumulator is probably about 2-3 litres (judging from the external size), so 12 litres sounds a bit on the large side. Can I insulate the EV to try to keep the water that expands into it warm, or is that pointless because of how long the majority of the water in it will be in there for?

Alright, thanks, I'm convinced. Also means that I can fit a NRV to the cauliflower, may as well add an isolation to it as well for maintenance, so something like https://www.screwfix.com/p/pegler-8028-isolating-check-valve-15mm/2059v So what pressures should the two EVs ideally be set to? And what size EV is appropriate for a calorifier - according to this link water expands 2.5% every 100 degrees F, so 5% perhaps over the normal operating temperature of a calorifier - so 12 litres should be plenty (https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-potable-expansion-vessel-12ltr/714kk )?

If there is an accumulator on the calorifier, won't the pump fill that one too? Or is the idea that there are two accumulators at different pressures?

Calorifier doesn't have a NRV at the moment. I could fit one but I don't really see the benefit. There's about 5m of cold feed pipe between the calorifier and the nearest cold tap, and over 10m between the calorifier and the tap we use for drinking water. So I judge the risk to be rather minor. Thanks for that! My cylinder has convex top and bottom and is marked Grade 1. So that suggests that my 3 bar PRV is appropriate then.

I wouldn't know what the pump cut out pressure is, but it must be less than 3 bar because otherwise my calorifier PRV would be leaking water into the canal. If the hot water EV had an equal or higher pressure than the cold feed EV, then that should protect it, right? Actually, I'm struggling to accept that a second EV can be beneficial, unless you have a NRV on the cold feed into the calorifier. Pascal's law states that the pressure change anywhere in a closed system is transmitted instantaneously everywhere else in the system. So it shouldn't matter whether you have an EV at the cold pump feed or at the calorifier, either way your system is protected. And then you have an extra layer of protection in the calorifier PRV. I think I've convinced myself off the second EV ?

Yeah, I accept the diminishing returns. But I can't see how more insulation can be potentially less effective that less insulation. A second coat will always keep you warmer than only one coat, even if it does increase your surface area.

My old calorifier split after several years of good service (and after a "temporary" repair continues to give me service a year later!). I have one accumulator at the fresh water pump and the calorifier is 55 feet away at the other end of the boat. I'm installing a new calorifier and I hadn't planned to put in an EV. Changing my mind after reading this thread though, given that the cost of an EV is about 10% of the cylinder, Unfortunately I don't know what the pressure rating of my new calorifier is, the data sheet doesn't specify. I had planned to just re-use my 3 bar PRV from my old calorifier. I have pasted the data sheet the vendor gave me in case anyone can advise on the working pressure of that calorifier. https://heatmyboat.co.uk/product/twin-coil-marine-calorifier-hot-water-tank/?attribute_size=600+x+450+(24"+x+18") So, if I assume that the maximum pressure of the calorifier is 3 bar, would I want an EV that was slightly less? There's an affordable 2.7bar 12 litre EV at screwfix for 37 gbp. https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-potable-expansion-vessel-12ltr/714kk

I've read this a few times and can't get my brain to accept the physics of this. Would like to be convinced if this is true! Regarding contact with the hull, I completely accept the utility of an air gap to reduce conductive losses. But instinctively I feel like increasing the thickness (up to say an inch or two air gap between cauli and hull) has to be beneficial. Whether or not the thing you are insulating is round, you're increasing the surface area of the object. So this should apply equally to any kind of insulation where the thing you're insulating remains the same volume, right? And because when an object gets bigger, volume increases much more rapidly than surface area, you get much more insulation volume for your surface area. If you increase the thickness, you aren't increasing the surface area of the cauliflower. You're increasing the surface area of the insulation. So you're insulating a mildly warm foam surface, keeping it slightly warmer and reducing the temperature differential between the cauliflower and its insulation. I'm installing a new cauliflower in the engine bay under my cruiser deck soon and had been planning on filling every available space with insulation... so would love to be corrected if I'm wrong!

I want to put lockshield valves on my calorifier as well, so I can balance the flow and avoid short-cycling if necessary. The calorifier has 22mm compression fittings. However the lockshield valves that I find are all designed to screw directly into radiators. Does a 22mm elbow with a suitable valve exist? Or should I rather use a normal 22mm elbow and an inline gate valve to control the flow? (something like https://www.toolstation.com/made4trade-gate-valve/p16924)

Makes sense. Could I ask specifically what brand and what quantity you used? Since the engine cooling system is huge, I'm going to need comparatively more of the flush product, right? Sticking with the Prestone brand, it comes in a 1 litre bottle for around 12 gbp, which is intended to do a car system which is typically less than 10 litres. It's not going to be affordable to buy 8 of these (100 quids worth) to do one flush! I presume the output of this flush also needs to be disposed of as hazardous waste by taking it to the tip for recycling?

Interesting, so is the "antifreeze and summer coolant" term they always use just marketing? Would water perform better than antifreeze (apart from the freezing and corrosion). Apologies, I meant de-ionised water. Intention is to reduce the corrosion. It's minimal compared to the cost of the antifreeze so I'd rather use the recommended stuff. Thanks, it's helpful to have an idea - I think that my 100litre in total is an overestimation, but it's in the ballpark. Is it a good idea to try to flush out the system with clean tap water before I refill it? There is a fine bit of orange powder (i assume rust) on the existing pipes from the heating system.

My plan was to include an air valve in a tee at the top of the coil (like you get in radiators) so that I could run the engine with it slightly open, pumping coolant into the calorifier circuit until I see coolant spewing forth, then close that valve. Turn off engine. Top up coolant. Repeat as needed. I have a vertical calorifier and a cruiser stern so there isn't a good place for a header tank inside the engine bay. However it's a fairly modern engine (Beta 38) and the current calorifier isn't much lower than the replacement, and that doesn't have any bleed valve or anything, so it seems it wasn't a problem last time. That's a pretty clever idea! I could just use a piece of plastic pipe, not too worried about spilling coolant... considering that I need 100 litres of the stuff! I don't really want to use concentrate as my chief concern is preventing corrosion inside my engine and central heating system. So if I did do this I would want to use distilled water. So I figured I may as well use ready mix. But won't low concentration be lacking in corrosion-inibiting abilities and/or have a reduced heat capacity (and therefore poorer performance)?

Thanks, I'll mount the calorifier as low as possible and use the lower coil for the engine, hopefully this will avoid needing a separate header tank. Sense check before I go out and buy 100 litres of coolant on Monday - does that amount ring true? Seems like an awful lot for one boat, but as I need to minimise downtime I can't drain the coolant to see how much I need! I think the advice to find an agricultural supplier is good. Also, need to find a tip near the canal that will take my old coolant. Any suggestions for either supplier or waste centre in the Shropshire area would be helpful (I hear Rugeley has a waste centre near the Trent & Mersey).

Slightly related question - didn't want to start a whole new thread. The coil in my new calorifier that will be run by my engine is higher than coolant cap on top of the engine. How am I going to fill the coolant once this is installed? And won't the coolant in the coil, being higher than the overfow pipe, simply drain out until it's level with the top of the engine?