Big COL

Hi Alan Carbide lamps run on acetylene, modern things these didn't you know All you need is some calcium carbide, water and away you go used prior to the Davy lamp, the latest thing in narrowboats. A steel tube full of acetylene, lovely, thats the way to go.

Scottessery Seen this many times twice on new builds. The way we solved it was to run a heating loop through the whole of the damp area, which in one case was the complete length of the boat. The heating loop consisted 22mm plastic pipe screwed to the floor down and back again. It only needs a few degrees of warm air to stop the condensation. This is assuming that you have some form of central heating on board. If not you neeed to find a way to get some warm air moving through there.

Ray Try a google search for 12volt water solenoid valves. A lot of washing machines and dishwashers have 12v water inlet valves on them, a visit to the local tip or scrap yard may be worthwhile. You should be able to source a new one for around £20.

Hi Ray A 12v mag valve when energised will open the port and allow the water to flow. De-energise and the valve will close stopping the flow. Source of supply any electrical wholesalers, major plumbing merchants, or on line.

Hi Dor Tee piece fitting and two 12v mag valves = A 12v zone valve. Or if you could live with a priority zone control you could use a drayton thermal bypass valve no electrics involved.

Proper Job How can you have a thermal system with the pipes at skirting board height?

Hi Tim Wouldn't want to meet you on a dark night then 40 years ago, my then brother in laws dad was a farmer, and he had a field Marshall driving a corn drier. We were always given the job of starting it with the two man starting handle. We did note that when he had to start it a cartridge and smoldering blotting paper were used. Not so with us it was "git on that andle and git the bloody thing guing". Now we were then two strapping youths and swinging a tractor starting handle was normally no bother but this monster was something else. When the De-compressor ran off the groove in the flywheel the piston would stop dead and would have us doing somersaults over the starting handle, much to the amusement of others.

How is it that Marshall engines were not used in narrowboats? Was it the fact that you needed two people to turn them over. I would have thought they would have been an ideal engine, single cylinder loads of low down power. I have never seen or heard one in a narrowboat.

Rubbish you give up too easy it's next to The Hens Teeth

Hi Robin How/why would you plumb a finrad in parallel, they are designed to work in series. Are we talking single pipe rads or twin pipe rads? With a twin pipe rad you could double up the flow through both pipes and run a separate return which makes it a three pipe system. If the amount of finrads required has been calculated correctly then they are as good, if not better than standard rads. I run a twin pipe finrad system using one flow one return on a 70' boat for heating and hot water, fed off a Hurricane, and it is more than adequate. The rads I used are rated at 500wpm (watts per meter)

Ah Bottle Make sure that you are part P approved before you use one, or G-d will get you

Hi Biggles A priority port valve will do this, it has a variable control that will maintain the pressure selected on the control regardless of load, as apposed to a flow diveter that will control the flow but not be stable to the load put on it.

Hi Churchward I'm not a filter man but I am aware that thers is a difference in the sizes across the different makes. It's not knowing just what is ok, that's the problem.

Hi Chris I tried a crossland 5004 on my 1903, it's only half the size (length that is) of the one I was replacing. Had to refit the old one, am in the process of obtaining one from Beta. I have since seen a 5004 on a 1503,but that does not say it's OK just because it fits.

But not the way to fill a greaser.

Not a boater then?

Hi Machpoint 51db at 7 meters will be outside any nuisance level, and so long as the users are happy with the noise level then any one else will have to put up with it.

Hi Mike There is one that I can think of that would fit or could be easily adapted to fit. They are made to fit on the powa- caddy electric golf trolley. Any well stocked golf equipment shop or the pro shops on the golf courses will have them. Have a look on Powa_caddy web site. I am almost certain that there will be other makes of golf trolleys that will make a similar holder. Fore right Big Col