cheesegas

I have the same one, but like most Zanussi machines it doesn't like Victron inverters. If you fill it with a thermo valve set to 10 degrees hotter than the wash temperature, you can unplug the element inside and it doesn't try to heat the water. Uses around 400w peak during the fast spin cycle.

I hope this is irony? It's particularly hilarious as recently in Kensal, London, a couple of trees came down and blocked the canal. Reported to CRT almost instantly but they didn't clear it, and the old guys continuously mooring in that area were firmly of the opinion that they pay their license fees and the CRT should fix it, despite it blocking the way to the nearest water point. In the end, a couple of young guys moored nearby popped out on a dinghy with a little chainsaw and chopped the tree up into little bits whilst the old boys looked on laughing...

Yep, thats definitely in the minority though. There’s a bunch of boats in Kensal that haven’t moved for years too, the CRT only seem to care in a small number of cases, or if the boat is abandoned. Sunk ones last years too.

There's multiple boats being lived on in London which haven't moved from a certain popular 7 day mooring area for a long time, the longest around 4 years - the CRT simply don't bother to enforce the rules. No BSS or visible registration number. As for living in London? I cruise from Leighton Buzzard to the top of the Stort to stay in the South for work, being freelance. London has by far the best public transport links, I remember being just 30 miles outside of it to get a bus to the station, only to discover it doesn't run on weekends and comes twice a day!

Always have backups for power and heating…even something like running out of diesel is possible with a new engine. A 5 litre can which you can easily walk/cycle to the nearest petrol station with will not be enough diesel to reach the pickup tube in your tank, but in a genny it’ll be a good few days of charging. Enough time to sort out a diesel delivery.

Thanks. Ordered a Facet and will get some new hard lines made up. Found some blurb on another forum which mentions that it’s a cam actuated pump, so it can only be the diaphragm. Or the injection pump…which I hope it’s not!

Thanks both. Unfortunately I can’t find even the complete lift pump anywhere, not even a part number. It’s a 30 year old engine but starts and runs perfectly. Hoping it’s a shaft seal rather than the diaphragm - if it is, I may have to remove the lift pump, blank off the hole and install an electric one. I’ll do the vacuum test on the pump too, thanks!

Hi all. Mechanical question this time… I’ve noticed the engine oil level is increasing, smells of fuel and seems thin, signs that diesel is getting in somehow. Going to send a sample for analysis though anyway. It’s an Isuzu 3KC1 with a mechanical lift pump, mounted next to the injection pump. What’s the chances of the lift pump leaking vs injection? And before I pull it apart, anyone know if the lift pump is rebuildable using off the shelf generic o rings/oil seals etc? I can’t find a rebuild kit anywhere… Oh, and all fuel lines are external so I’m guessing it’s got to be one of the pumps. I’ve attached the pages from the workshop manual about fuel delivery, and it doesn’t mention a lift pump at all, only injection! Thanks!

The gearbox and engine crossmembers of my 1980 Land Rover have been kept perfectly rust-free by this built in system...

I have a generator for two reasons - redundancy and the washing machine. Zanussis simply don’t play nice with Victron inverters, so once a week I fire up the genny for the wash. It’s also handy for power tools, as a 1600w chop saw inrush current will trip my 2kva inverter. Oh and one final use…with a 240v pump, it’s very useful to save a boat from sinking. Used it a couple of times to help neighbours like this.

If you view the boat as a hobby, you’ll be fine. There’s always something to fix and improve. If you see it as a chore, you’ll tire of it quickly.

On size, myself and my partner live comfortably on a 45’ cruiser stern. We work from home a lot too. It’s got a small front deck as the gas locker is at the rear, so little space is wasted and the water tank is big, 1000l - enough to go two weeks and run the washing machine twice. Rear deck is useful to hang washing out, and use as a workspace in summer. Also means that you don’t have to climb over an engine box and then go through a second set of doors to get into the boat. Saw a lot of trad sterns and didn’t like them because of poor access from the rear - I like being able to get in/out from both ends of the boat easily. The smaller the boat the easier it is to turn. 50’+ often means to have to travel for a while to turn it around. If you’re buying second hand on the lower end of the market, stuff will break on the boat. Lots. Get good at general repairs or it’ll be more expensive than renting. Are you going to be continuously cruising most of the year? Or in a marina some of it?

Ooops. Didn't see that, thanks. One side of the switch needs to go to battery positive, the other to the engine - starter/alternator/control panel etc. You're allowed some things to go direct to battery bypassing the switch though - solar/bilge pumps/alarms/critical nav stuff but this must be fused seperately.

Yep he's correct. To pass the BSS, every boat needs a battery cutoff switch with a sign above the deck, visible if any deck boards/hatches are closed. https://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/requirements-examinations-certification/non-private-boat-standards/part-3-electrical-installations/battery-master-switch/

Thanks, I’ve seen those. The issue here is that the operation of the unit doesn’t match the manual however, and there appears to be multiple hardware/software revisions and versions of the manual.