Scarlet Pimpernel

Forgive me for requesting the info - I had no intention of re-starting the debate (again) so lets stop this thread now. Thanks again for all your help - much appreciated.

Thanks richard much appreciated

Can anybody help me please. I was impressed with a fellow boaters self pump out system which seemed a better arrangement than mine. He had a connection that screwed into he pump out boss which he said cost nine pounds or thereabouts. Into this he attached the inlet to a whale gulper pump. Can anyone tell me where I can buy one of these plastic connections as I wish to modify my set up. And yes before you say it I did forget to ask hime where I could get one!

I have a Coolmatic fridge which is 7 years old. It never stops running, so consequently runs my 3 leisure batteries down over a period of 24 hours. Me thinks it is duff and has degassed. Would I be right? Any views?

What sue is saying is that BW don't want people to do self pump outs at Elsan points.

Couldn't agree more. It's not just about the money - it is about choice! Furthermore we have had some very bad experiences at marinas who just could't be bothered. Desperate to have the tank emptied, we have received comments such as "You must be joking - I've got better things to do" to "I'll tell you what you do want" and that's after spending some £700 with them over the last few months. We have aslo received comments such as "we have boats to get hired out and we 're too busy" without any concern for our plight. In the latter case there was no offer to suggest an alternative. We feel as though we're being treated like the stuff we want to get rid of. Secondly we've found the BW cards useless. Despite claims one has plenty of time (9 minues max) often the pump out stops after 5-6 minutes and there's no chance of a rinse despite what it says on the instruction panel. Oh! I feel as though I've started something here. By the way, we have just invested in a pump from the US for £67.67. Admittedly there was a shipping cost of £24 , but is was far cheaper than one from the UK at £159 plus £12 delivery. Well yes we all love a bargain! And yes, I enjoyed saviing some money. Who doesn't? Cheers Alan

Thanks for the tip. Went to Aldi yesterday and picked up two cans - what a bargain!! They must have had a run on them as mine were the last two on the shelf Cheers Alan

Thanks Andy. Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. Have looked up the Jabsco pumps on the internet and have put a bid in. Let's hope I'm succesful. Regards Alan PS. 'er indoors is well pleased

What a great idea! Except the canal was frozen upto 2 inches thick. Tried smashing it with the boat pole to no avail. Then found a house brick and couldn't break the ice with that either! Cheers Alan Thanks for the info. Have looked on Ebay and found a site that has a lot of Jabsco 12v pumps. So have started bidding - lets hope we are succesful. Alan

Hi everyone, Whilst scanning the forum the other night I came across a respondent who mentioned that he had purchased a pump out kit off Ebay for something like £68 As (new this year continuous cruisers) we, like many others were frozen in solid for 9 days at the beginning of January, in one of the bleakest landscapes for miles. Our water supply ran out and as we have a macerator wc, we had no option but use the water from our fresh water containers to flush the loo. But what if we needed a pump out whilst we were frozen in? This got us thinking there must be an alternative to relying on the odd Marina for a pump out, which for some reason we need to do almost once a week. At £14 a time , it's no joke. What we would like to do is pump out the tank ourselves and dispose of the effluent in a responsible way. If you are reading this and are the person who bought the pump out kit, then we woulsd like to hear from you. On the other hand if there is someone else out there who can help, me and er indoors would like to hear from you. Regards Alan

Thanks Leo. As far as I can see there is no inline filter between the tank and the pump. However, there is a clear plastic cap on the end of the pump though which I can see water. Could this cap house some sort of filter? Strangely the pump has got better as the weather has got warmer!! I have no accumulator either, so the problem can only be with the pump. Any further advice would be welcome. Many thanks. Alan

Ours is a Johnson pump which has satrted to play up. We trun the tap on and wait.......and wait...........and wait for a good 10 seconds. It doesn't sound a long time but when you are waiting to fill the kettle, it seems like for ages. Sometimes when the pump finally kicks in, it starts then stops, then starts, then stops. And then on occasions the pump rattles like mad even when the tap is turned off. So we are going to bite the bullet and invest in a new pump as it sound very much like a problem with the diaphram unless anyone can suggest another reason.

We will be renting our house out for 12 months while we continously cruise. Do we need a TV licence for the boat if we cancel the one for the house? Apoligies if there is a already a topic on this but can't see one. Can anybody throw some light on this - we want to be legal!! Cheers.

Thanks for your all your comments - most appreciated. We're going through a big learning curve right now!!

Hi, We're new to the forum, so not too sure if we've put this question in the right place! My question is:- Can anyone tell us why if there is an especially tight lock, there is an advantage in going in stern first? Obviously this can only be done when winding points make it possible. Just talking to someone the other day who nearly lost their boat in Hurleston Lock going in bow first, but who then turned round and went in stern first with no problem. Just would like to know in case we come across the same problem. Can anyone throw some light on this please.