John R
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Posts posted by John R
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No mention of anything to do with tappets in the Beta manual! A call to Beta would be the way to go methinks!
I have a manual sent by email from Beta that is actually the Kubota workshop manual for the base engine.
Tappets are listed as check and adjust every 800 hrs. My Beta 43 does not have hydraulic tappets.
Suggest you get in touch with Beta and ask for the manual to be sent
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That's interesting. I've not even seen that datasheet before. The one I have states 110ahrs@20hr, 100ahr@10hrs and 80Ahrs@5hr. I'll upload a copy of it tomorrow.
And the thermal runaway I saw was way below that voltage. It was in bulk and still at around 13 volts.
But so far these are still the absolute dog's bollocks!
It is rare these days. Like the Yuasa 90Ahr I bought brand new that has never produced more than 80ahrs and was down to 60ahrs within about 10 deep discharges.
Like Darren, i was there at the begining of this battery, and it proably is the best battery in the world.I am retired some time now so a bit out of date. Suggest you look at Enersys UK website and check out Odyssey product which is similar intrenally to 12fv120 but without some of the bells and whistles such as shock resistance that are of very limited if any value on a boat. Odessey also has more capacity / size options.
I run Hawker 12volt tubular plate monoblocs "12TP110" which give excellent DOD and cycle life, see also XFC product, another good cycle life high capacity product due to its construction . See Hawker website
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I have some experince using danforth anchors to anchor trout fishing boats broadside to the wind. In these circumstances we have proved beyond doubt that the chain is the most important part of the setup. So cruial is it that on a test session, we sucessfully anchored with only the chain and no anchor but failed with the anchor and no chain in storng winds. General wisdom seems to be that you need at least twice the depth of total warp.
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In line with earlier posts, a friend of ours always says
"If it's yellow let it mellow
If its brown flush it down"
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I did this job earlier this year and found there are two "densities" of rope, hard and soft. The Morso squirrel needs the soft rope or the door will not close properly if at all if the correct diameter is fitted to the groove in the door (8mm I think). It really needs to be glued with high temp glue or it falls out readily.
try www.stove-glass.com, they were helpful and sent everyting I needed quickly and at a fraction of the cost of my local stove shops.
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I have read most of the posts and can see where everybody is coming from. There is one piece of data / measurement that would really change any battery monitor algorithm if you can measure it - acid specific gravity - you really would be able to tell SOC.
Digital instruments do exist but would be challenging to fit to typical boat systems but really would make a difference to the knowledge of what is going on.
Get your thinking cap on - yours is the best system so if anybody could do it !!!
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Our marina is 16 amp supply
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We were in Gloucester Docks a couple of years ago when they filmed aa episode of Bargain Hunt. To our surprise when the program came out my wife featured full frame in the opening sequence. I guess that now makes her a celebrity in this day and age. I see her every day.
We also saw Martin Bell MP crash into the bank big time on the Middlewich Branch many years ago.
Saw Timothy watsit and Prunnela Scales at Lapworth but don't suppose they really count.
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Lead battery cycling capability is mainly determined by positive plate construction and to a much lesser degree plate separation design.
When dischared to 0% as gibbo is doing the posive plate will bend and buckle when attemting to recharge and the active material (lead oxides) on the plates will fall off reducing capacity quickly and will very soon short out the bottom of the plates leading to complete failure.
As a rule of thumb starter and leisure batteries should not be dischared below 50% and good ie tubular plate traction or cycling batteries below 80%. Flat plate cycling batteries are capable of somewhere inbetween.
They should be sized for the appication accordingly - anything else is at best kidding yourself.
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In general smileypete is correct in what he says about the 644,ie thicker plates etc.
At the risk of boring people.
Starter batteries and leisure batteries are very similar in construction except that plates in leisure will be slightly thicker but also the plate separators will be lined with glass fibre mat. This is to reduce the possibility of plates buckling and active material falling of in the higher cycle regime typically seen in liesure appliactions.
Starter applications demand high current and so are built with the thinest plates possible as high current demand only really discharges the plate surfaces.
Both types will do both appliactions but in both cases life will suffer if wrongly applied.
However if batteries are abused by overcharging, over discharging and overheating they will fail early and you are best making do with cheap starter batteries ( an expensive overheated battery will fail due to internal corrosion just as quick as a cheap one will). Overcharging and overdischarging will cause capacity rundown, overheating is the most common cause of sudden catastrophic failure.
In general terms battery capacity is directly proportional to the battery weight ie the amount of lead in contains. Its ability to withstand cycling and deep discharge is proportional to the thickness of the plates and the construction of the plates in terms of both lead alloys used and plate type ie flat plate - the most common or tubular plate - typically used for traction applications. Don't be fooled into thinking that size of the container is everything - you would be surprised how much empty space there is is some boxes, however this then gives more space for acid allowing longer topup intervals.
As with all things it is all a compromise between cost, capacity, cycling, size, maintenance, etc and to some degree you get what you pay for unless you buy outside the specialist trade (ie chandlers). You must however look after them if you want them to last any time but one of the most important things for starting is how easily the engine starts ie will it start first time or not which is why car starter batteries last a lot longer and are much smaller than they used to be before electronic ignition, alternators and fuel injection.
Maintenance free, sealed, gel etc - well that is another, more complicted story with many more compromises and I believe in keeping it simple when the application is simple ie on a boat. Also there are many old wives tails and cons about. Just keep 'em as charged as possible, topped up above the plates and as cool as possible and they will serve you well.
What do I have 644 stater battery and tubular plate monobloc service batteries but without contacts I have I would settle for a good leisure battery here.
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We have a multifuel stove. The main reason was flexibility and reduced dependance on diesel /gas but the clincher was meeting 2 people who had suffered small diesel leaks from there systems. They could not get rid if the smell of diesel once traces had got in the underfloor cavity.
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We had a 10 yard length of wire corred washing line in Eldonian Village on the way into Liverpool.
This was then followed up by a 6ft alligator in Wigan which actually stopped the engine. Took some cutting of but the wife has a lifetimes supply of handbag material.
It was actually an inflatable raft.
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We did it in 2009 over the May bank holiday and had no problems at all. All locals where pleased to see the canal being used at last. Even the fisherman were pleased we stirred it up somewhat. Echo all the comments so far, its a great trip. Salthouse Dock remains the only place on the network where I have looked out of our side hatch and seen a swarm of jellyfish around the boat.
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I wrap black insulation tape arround the dipstick which makes it easy to see the oil level. Make sure you remove when the job is done, it might come off and spoil the gearbox internals if you don't.
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I just tried your route on my Canal Planner and got the same answer as you.
However if you add a 'via' location of Lapworth it should give you the answer you want.
I'm sure there are no 'small' locks on either route.
Personally I would also favour the Birmingham route
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One thing I don't think has been mentioned - make sure you don't run the engine with an oil level significantly above the maximum - if the crank hits the oil in the sump bad things happen fairly quickly!!!
John
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Hoping someone can help?
My cooker (500DIT) has developed a fault so that I only get full gas flow if I wiggle the lid about after opening it. Is there any adjustment i can make to the linkage to a gas valve if I remove the cooker from its location. The lid does touch the cabin side when opened but it always has and this problem only developed after 3 years use.
Thanks in anticipation
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TBH a comp fan will make very little difference to the cooling around the engine, a simple hole at the opposite end to where the engine airtake is situated will cause a far greater air flow through the engine compartment than any comp fan ever would. Put your hand over the air intake and you'll see what I mean, in fact don't as the suction is quite fierce
If your engine is in a wooden cocoon your air intake will usually be on top of the engine, if a hole or ventilation slot is made at the lowest point possible the natural suction caused by the air intake will draw air from lower down where the air will be cooler. You might already have your air intake out side of this cocoon though which is where it should be, but if not you need to ensure your engine is getting enough air to run efficiently.
Remember your engine needs lots of air, starving it of air by cocooning it will result in poor fuel consumption if not adequately ventilated. This is why car engine air intakes have an air collection duct usually somewhere around the front grille to capture air rushing through when you're driving.
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All the things you mention are the very things that concerned me during this project and I would be very interested in your comments regarding my solutions.
The wooden cocoon has gaps left at the base around the base plate where it is coolest to allow air to be drawn in to supply the engine. If this proved inadequate I intend to supply air to the air cleaner from outside via ducting but I am trying it first drawing air from within the cocoon to keep the induction noise down.
The fan I am fitting will be aimed at the larger alternator to supply cooler forced ventiation and the fan will be an 80cfm model which should supply more air than the engine needs at an assumed max engine speed of 2000 rpm. I can't decide whether to set the fan to suck or blow but intend to try both and measure the local tempreatue at the alternators.
Does anybody believe the engine or gearbox need air cooling over and above there water cooling.
Many thanks for the help so far
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Just fitted one to my Beta 43 and the difference is significant, now just a prrr - it depends on the silencer you already have and mine was small. Got mine from Whilton Marina - 32" x 12" and about £140 - they can adjust the length and position of the inlet and outlet to order. Fittings were 1 1/2" BSP.
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'Scuse me for nosing in, but the alternator should have a fan built in (if it's like any automotive alternator), it draws air through whilst running. Surely all you need do is supply an aperture to feed air to the alternator?
Derek
You are correct the alternator does indeed have a fan but I have been recommended to supply forced cool air to the alternator now I have boxed the engine in simply to improve the life expectancy of the alternators.
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You don't say what type of engine you have but if it stops via the ignition key it may have a supply to the injector pump.
The engine is a Beta 43. I will look at the injector pump area
Thanks
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Hi
Having surrouded my engine with a wooden cocoon I feel the need to supply some cooling for the alternator via a small 12 volt fan.
Can somebody help with where I can easily get a 12v supply from within the engine bay, perhaps from one of the alternators, that is only live whilst the engine is running.
Thanks in anticipation
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Hoping to be leaving our home mooring at Foxton and heading for Sharpness via the BCN - then maybe Bristol!! via the Severn.
Can't wait to get going
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Oh how I dream of an end to plastic bags and plastic bottles which are also everywhere these days.
What ever happened to string bags - they fit in your pocket when empty and hold no end of stuff. Tried to buy some on the interweb last year and the only source I could find was in New Zealand!!!
Anybody know of a source???
Best batteries?
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