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JRT

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Everything posted by JRT

  1. You could also try Ed Shiers at Four Counties Marine Services He's always done excellent work for me and is very approachable.
  2. Thanks everyone. I'll follow all your very helpful advice and see how it goes. I'll let you know
  3. Thanks Tony. I'll certainly heed your advice and give it a go next time I'm at the boat. You're a star!
  4. Thanks everyone. To answer some of the questions .....it's a charger not a combined charger/inverter. The fuse is a 25A spade type that plugs into the charger board. Sorry, I don't know where it sits in the circuit. All I did to the starter battery was disconnect the clamps to the two terminals, removed the battery, tested it and then put it back reconnecting the clamps to the terminals. I'm pretty sure it was all back the way I found it and don't think I disturbed anything else. From what everyone has said it could be the master switch(s), the ignition switch, the multiplug or a combination of some or all. I know where to get new master switches and I can clean and cable tie the multiplug. Anyone know where I can get a new Isuzu marine ignition switch?
  5. Ref the 25A fuse problem - yes that's what my neighbour at the marina postulated too - something is drawing more than 25amps. What on earth could that be though?
  6. Thanks guys! Yes, one of those cheapies with the removable plastic red keys! Two in fact. If it is those what should I replace them with? I've also checked the plastic connection block. It looked ok. Interestingly, and something I forgot to mention, is that the rev-counter isn't working either and I read someone that takes a feed from the alternator. Could that be relevant?
  7. Just before Christmas I was on my moored boat for a few days. As I usually do I check everything and start my Isuzu engine just to be sure all is ok and it was. Between Christmas and New-Year we were on the boat again and on Thursday we decided we’d go for a short there and back trip along the North Oxford. However, when I came to start the engine there was nothing. Turning the key produced nothing. No lights. no alarm, no heat to the plugs and the engine wouldn’t turn. Everything was dead. I knew the batteries were well charged via the solar panels and the Shark MSC2612 charger but hauled the starter battery out anyway to check. My multi-meter showed 13.5 volts across the terminals so, reassured by this, I put it back. Back to the key now and still nothing! However, after some fairly blue language and a couple more tries the engine fired up and has done so every time I’ve tried it since. However, there is not the reassuring alarm when turning the key and the engine charge light remains firmly on but again the alarm is silent. I’ve had the instrument panel open, cleaned all the terminals and sprayed with WD40. Still no change. The alternator was professionally fitted a few months back so I think this is unlikely to be the culprit but my other half then pointed out that the fuse warning light was illuminated on the Shark charger. So, I disconnected the boat from the shore power, switched everything off and waited five minutes before lifting the Shark casing to change the 25A fuse. I tried to change the fuse on three occasions but each time the fuse blew before I could insert it in fully. There were even a few sparks from the terminals. We’ve left the boat now and I’m pleased that the solar panels will charge the batteries over the coming days thus saving them from damaging discharge. (They were showing 54% charged this morning and even after a few hours dull daylight had risen to 63%) Frankly, I have no idea what is going on. Engine runs but charge light remains on but without the usual audible alarm. The Shark charger keeps blowing fuses but is now isolated. Are these faults related or just coincidence? Before I call for professional help does anyone have any ideas? I’d really appreciate any help and opinions.
  8. You could always try one of the USB powered desk top fans. (There are loads on Amazon). I have one on my boat and it works a treat.
  9. £15 at Dunchurch Pools marina . You pay for a token. They are really nice people there so if you are struggling to DIY they'll help you out.
  10. I’ve just returned from a trip up the Leicester line and back and I’m left wondering if anyone is actually maintaining the canal these days!? In places calling an overgrown ditch a navigable canal is a huge stretch of imagination. It would also seem that pounds with enough water in to navigate a narrowboat through are quite a novelty. One near Aylestone Fields was only about 18” deep. Some lock paddles required the strength of cart horse to shift and in one place a poor narrowboat was hung up on some sort of underwater obstacle and could not be freed even with a tow from another boat. (It took about an hour to refloat it using some dark arts I believe) Yes, there were lots of nice blue CRT signs all over the place informing us of this and that and what a wonderful resource the waterways are but these were mostly about as much use as an ashtray on my motorbike. Oh, and I won’t even mention the very lengthy waits at the Foxton and Watford lock flights. So, what do I pay my CRT licence for? It’s clearly not so they can maintain canals so they are fit for the purposes of boating! PS. Would the m%ron who is moored very close to the water point at Norton junction please move your boat. Your immensely inconsiderate mooring is causing a lot of inconvenience and means that those seeking water have to have the navigational skills of Magellan to get anywhere near the tap.
  11. There is little or no evidence of electromagnetic fields having any long term health effects .....the overall evidence for adverse effects of EMFs on health at levels of exposure normally experienced by the general public is weak. The least weak evidence is for the exposure of children to power frequency magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia. see Electric and magnetic fields: health effects of exposure - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  12. A few months ago I bought a decent 58ft NB for £50k. For the most part, and having had it surveyed prior to purchase, it didn't need anything doing to it and has been fine. OK, I've spent a bit since - solar panels fitted, bigger alternator installed, spruce up inside - but other than blacking and 4 new leisure batteries none of these had to be done. (The batteries were a pain though as I needed to be a circus contortionist just to see them let alone replace them!). £40k for what your after sounds about right but be careful, there are some right wreaks about. Always, always get a survey done prior purchase.
  13. Thanks Alan. Sorry for being such a ignoramus. I'll get my voltmeter out when I'm next on the boat and see what's what. Given that the boat sat for a year before I acquired it and the problems I've been having, it seems those advising I need new batteries are probably right.
  14. Isn't the Sterling Advanced 4 Step Alternator Regulator the monitoring equipment. If not, what do I need?
  15. Thanks for all your advice everyone. It's a Sterling inverter - 1800 W continuous, 2800 W intermittent. There's a Sterling Advanced 4 Step Alternator Regulator and a Shark Switch Mode 26A automatic battery charger. We were cruising for about 5 hours. All that said it seems the consensus is I need new batteries.
  16. So, we were out cruising this weekend and, because we have a 240V fridge, we left the inverter on all the time. Fine the first night (we were hooked up to the main in the marina before we left) but waking up after the second night we found the 12v alarm sounding and very little charge left in the batteries. So, do I need new batteries - there's four 110 Ah leisure batteries - or should we ditch the 240V fridge and go for a 12v one? (I should also mention that we have a brand new 90amp alternator and, other than LED lights and charging our phones, there are no other major power draws being used on the boat). Any advice would be gratefully received!
  17. Thanks again everyone. Time to get the multimeter out and do some measurements! ?
  18. Hmmm. Thanks everyone. I'll check the isolator switch when I'm back on the boat at the weekend. The voltage at the front of the boat with the TV on is 13.1V so with voltage drop due to distance from the battery bank that's fine isn't it?
  19. Thanks Tony. If it was the alternator that problem has been removed as I had an uprated one fitted today. The batteries seem to hold charge well as we ran 12v appliances the evening before with no problems.
  20. I'm still getting used to the foibles of the boat I purchased a couple of months ago. Nothing major, just me getting used to how things work and learning what to turn off and on and when. One thing has me puzzled though. While out cruising the other day I put the inverter on while we were moving so my better half could dry her hair. Everything worked fine for a while but then all the 12v supply inside the boat just disappeared - no voltage at all. Switched the inverter off and the 12v supply reappeared. Electricity is not my strong point but I'm guessing the alternator/batteries just couldn't couldn't cope. Anyone got any other ideas? I'd be grateful for your views.
  21. Thanks for all your advice folks. All is much appreciated and I've clearly some investigating to do. Engine maintenance I can do, I can even do some basic electrickory but plumbing I hate even on land!
  22. I'd very much appreciate some help. I have just bought myself a narrowboat and have been on it for week. Everything seems fine and I'm very pleased with my purchase. However, there is one thing, which may or may not be a problem, that is puzzling me. From the calorifier/water tank in the engine bay is a hose leading to a suspended container which filled with clear water and overflowed into the bilge over a couple of days. I emptied the container yesterday and there was an inch of water in the container again this morning. I have no idea of what is going on and I was hoping someone does. In case it helps I have a gas fired boiler and central heating. I've attached photographs (ignore the Fertan)
  23. Thanks guys. All wise and sage advice. Maybe I'll just do one YouTube clip to explain why I won't be doing any more!
  24. By the middle of next week I should be the proud owner of a narrowboat. I was just wondering about the rules of narrowboat ownership though and wanted to ask if it is compulsory to do a YouTube vlog of the trials and tribulations of narrowboat ownership and a video diary of my travels? I ask because it seems, judging by their prevalence on that platform, that it most definitely is compulsory. Some on YouTube are very good, some less so and some banal in extreme and I'm worried that, if I do have to do one, mine will fall into the latter category. So, is it compulsory? ?
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