Telstar

Hi Bod, Looking through the thread, your Keelblack had been on two years and was still in good condition in March '20. You then hauled out in Feb last year (Feb 2022) and work was required. Had the keelblack been on 4 years at this point? Or was an additional coat applied in March '20?

Hi Guys. Thought this thread was worth resurrecting. Seems like Keel Black (paint) is still a relatively little known product despite the early testimonials on this thread being very positive. It's now 8 years since this product appeared. There are a couple of historic follow up reports (all good) and no horror stories what so ever. Surely there are now a number of interesting (and hopefully positive) testimonials from boaters who have had this product in the water for 3 to 4 years (or more) Hoping it's still a hit as my NB is coming out next year for re-blacking. The traditional bitumen (Ballistic) I used last time presented the usual challenges. This is the website if you want to take a look. https://www.keelblack.co.uk/ Andy.

It would be interesting to hear from any forum members who use a sea toilet, on the permitted rivers, to hear their ethical stance on the matter.

Thanks both. This fills one of the puzzling gaps in my inverter understandings. Andy.

Thanks Eeyore,

I think I may have worked this one out. Looking inside the inverter, the internal wires are brown and blue and are labelled L and N on the PCB.

Thanks Eeyore, If I fitted a uk socket to the inverter, how do I determine which wire to connect to live and which to neutral? Andy.

Yes, sorry it's another neutral earth bond question. I have a Xantrex Prowatt 700i (700w pure sine wave) inverter which I keep as an emergency spare on my narrowboat. It has a euro (schuko) type socket and I have done the light bulb test across each of the 230v output terminals to earth. The bulb doesn't light so it would appear the neutral and earth can be bonded if needed. If I were to bond the neutral to earth inside a uk plug, then use a euro/uk adaptor, does it matter which way around it is plugged into the inverter? Cheers, Andy.

Highly unlikely if the exhaust tube is only a few feet long and no silencer fitted. The exhaust gets very hot and combined with the fairly brisk gas flow present, it shouldn't happen. You can lag the tube too if desired. 5mm dia copper tube from a chandlers is usually required in the engine bay.

No, they are very strong.

I agree, every installation I have seen, even the cheapo silencer makes a huge difference to the noise reduction (and annoyance for others) These look ok https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195500663220?hash=item2d84bf61b4:g:AWcAAOSwuDBfnbuW&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4P77ItC9QZx6wljft8vPBsZL%2B2jxuQ7Y%2F0wOhcoyQafyL97LIiDx3XKKy6iMfgQ8Gh9eqzNM7FDDZQhd1HYvhaZD%2FEL%2FcjyK3HFpPj0jbwqF9do02tNA%2FurSfT9%2F1OgogWvlepdpKMlOdxjM8D9R6CIR8%2FSwHXNQx0%2FUrYjdoiHYmvR5b4zbRPsvwEqtEqQrrhmnguQTY%2Fstev%2BiXFm9B5DPBSXcdhoAe8aRfj%2FDFeMEryGvIHYc0bkuDh23hxv%2BvjBlVGdn9fVeFgZ1VX68V39WlSohpNcTbt%2BjQ%2BYpO0Z2|tkp%3ABk9SR_yhua-qYQ

I've had both. Go for the 5kw. As said previously, note the advice on the exhaust system requirements for marine installations. Andy.

Hi Nick, I suspect your pipe is either 5mm, 6mm or 1/4." In any case, you must use the correct size compression fitting. Even if the pipe turns out to be 6mm, you shouldn't try to use a 1/4" fitting even though they appear close in size. Re-measure your pipe in several places and I reckon you might find it is 5mm OD. Andy.

Going back to your original question, unfortunately, you would certainly be liable (insurance wise) for damaging a moored boat in this situation. It would be deemed as an avoidable accident. Very frustrating but it's one of those many situations where you are virtually powerless without CRT and/or police assistance. It sounds like, even if it did move on, another might replace it and so the situation goes on, so maybe relocating would be the best option for a stress free life. Will your boat not come out at all or is it just really awkward?

I replaced mine with 2mm clear polycarbonate, carefully cut with a jigsaw. Finished job is perfect. Cost a couple of quid off ebay for an A5 sheet. Enough to do several. If it needs to be dished to clear the needle, or you want something that is easy to fit, I think you'll need a new tacho. As "TheBuscuits" said, the hour meter LCD is toshed anyway.

Hi All, The re-appearance of this thread has reminded me to update everyone on "L Shaped" progress. (Thanks Kevin) Completed it back in June. This is mid construction showing my chosen locker layout. And this picture shows completion. Converts to an extra long double bed. I built the oak table too from some reclaimed solid oak flooring. Removable legs, £20 off ebay. Seating side panels built from 12mm plywood which I oak veneered myself (right pain with my skills) Solid oak edging from afore mentioned reclaimed flooring. Seating surface from 9mm plywood and 50x25 PSE internally framed throughout. Seating cost me around £70 in plywood and PSE and another £50 for the veneer. Foam was £140 and the fabric about £100. The reclaimed oak for the table and the seat edging represents about £10 worth from the reclaimed job lot I bought. Hope this inspires someone to have a go. Andy.

Thanks Slim. Great advice. Andy.

Thanks Tracy, Sounds like it stores fine then under the right conditions. Andy.

Hi All, Just thinking about placing an order for some bitumen blacking for my 45ft narrowboat, it's coming out of the water at the end of this month. If I ordered a 20L tin and had 5L left over, does it store ok for a couple of years for use next time? Cheers, Andy.

Hi Tonka, I think that's the service kit for the later Hydronic models which does appear to have a combustion burner seal (visible in the exploded views) Andy.

Thanks @Tonka, Great collection of historic literature you have. Yup, the parts list doesn't show the "O" ring either so I reckon it is a typo in the written manual confusing the combustion chamber/burner (part 2) to heat exchanger (part 9) joint with the exchanger (part 9) to main body (part 10) joint. D5W been running on my bench test rig all morning now with no further issues. Thanks Tonka and @Ex Brummie

Well, I think I found the issue with my D5W (pre-Hydronic) water heater. Multimeter tests showed no dead shorts. I noticed the combustion fan cover was partly dislodged, and on removal, noticed it had been fouling the rim of the combustion fan. I have never been near this unit so it must have been tampered with by others in the past. The fan rotor had plastic welded itself to the cover, with friction, and kinda got stuck. Strange. I've only owned the boat 5 months but used the heater successfully many times. I sanded the damage to the cover and rotor smooth, reassembled, and it appears to spool up fine without blowing the 8A fuse. Full combustion run to follow. One more question in the mean time.... Should there be an "O" ring between the combustion chamber and the heat exchanger? It looks to be a face seal and the exploded diagram doesn't show an "O" ring. There certainly doesn't appear to be a groove for one either. However, the repair manual that Tonka kindly sent describes one at the bottom of page 14. Note, not to be confused with the heat exchanger to outer case joint which is "O" ring sealed. Any experience would be appreciated. Andy.

Will do Ex Brummie. I'll report back with further findings. Andy.

Cheers Tonka. Perfect. I'll see if I can use it to locate the issue. Andy.

Hi All, I previously had an issue with my year 2000 model Eberspacher D5W water heater shutting down on low voltage during start up. Always ran up fine with the boat's engine running though. So now, the unit doesn't run at all due to the Eber's 8 amp fuse blowing instantly as soon as I try to activate the heater with the Eber remote push/pull run knob. It was a tricky job, but I've now removed the unit and brought it home to address its issues. The water pump and combustion fan are free to spin and there are no damaged or shorted wires. Is the likely to be an issue with the Eber's so called ECU (silver "Hella" control module)? Cheers for any advice. Andy.