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Ok ok, I believe there have been one or two dogs go over, can't think of any people though. Still find it remarkable that no one has fallen off, and that H&S haven't insisted on railings being put in place.

Anyone who has been over the Pontcysyllte aqueduct will know how hair-raising it is when you look over the offside. It amazes me that more people and dogs don't get lost over the side. However, in the top of the offside edge are a series of square holes. They look to me as if they were designed to take railings. Does anyone know if this was the case and if so, were they ever fitted? (See the picture at http://www.narrowboatworld.com/ under Observations if you are not sure what I mean)

So, now I'll tell you how I got into boating. I had a friend ( well not quite - in fact it was my boss) who needed some major replastering donig in his house, so he bought a narrowboat to live on for a few months whilst the work was being done. This was 1989. We were invited out for a day with the children and had a great time. We went out with them a couple of other times over the next two years, as well as hiring a day boat from Nantwich with friends a couple of times. In 1992 the boat owner became ill (ME - wish I could have been a yuppie) and the boat was idle for a while. Then, after a year or two, his wife asked us if we would like to take Zeus out for a weekend. Now it shouldn't be difficult to guess what the answer was, so we took the boat out for the weekend. The following week, discussing the trip I suggested that we thought we would go down during the week and clean it up a bit - polish the brass etc. So she said that would be nice - keep the keys and if you fancy using it again feel free. So for the next three years we had almost unlimited use of a very nice 62 foot semi trad, occasionally giving the keys back for a weekend when their other friends were going out. We did basic maintenance and did a bit of painting etc. Now this was to me the ideal way to have a narrowboat: we had the keys, unlimited use, paid for diesel but everything else (this is the best bit) was paid for by the owners. Unfortunately after three years of this, the boat was moved, went into a boatyard for repainting, and was put up for sale. We had a couple of trips out, but eventually it sold. This was a bit of a disaster to us, but at the time we were not in a position to buy it. This turned out to be an expensive event for us, as after a year or so we decided we had to get our own boat. We looked around for a year or two until we spotted our present boat in a local marina. It was pretty much the layout we wanted, the price was (very) right so we became boat owners, now being 2001. Since then we have put on 1500 hours and go out nearly every weekend, with longer trips when we can.

Can't say, it was with the boat when I bought it. But it passed the BSC four years aga, and basically looks almiost exactly the same as the new one - fibre glass with straps. Seems to be about the same weight. Check the BS number to see if you comply.

Whilst few boats are stolen for sale, there have been cases where one partner in the throes of a divorce has sold the boat without the other partner, perhaps the actual owner, knowing about it.

No prob Bottle. I think if I was going to use an RCD with one of these, I would hard-wire the earth back to a separate earthing post rather than rely on the internals of the inverter. Incidently, talking to a friend yesterday, he says his TV works better on one of these little 150watt can inverters than it does off his 2000 watt pure sine wave jobby.

Interesting! All the houses I have come across, which as far as plumbing goes is probably about 20, all had upstairs cold taps supplied from cold tank, the exception being those with a combi boiler. Some even had downstairs taps fed from the tank with the exception of the kitchen sink tap. All sorts of ages too. That's why I thought that was the norm. I stand corrected.

Going back to the original question: If I was installing a fixed inverter, I would certainly link the earth to the hull, and use an RCD. However, with these little inverters, that you probably use for just one device, I just wondered if it really needed a separate earth to the hull. They don't generally have an earthing stud on them, so presumably rely on the negative dc input to earth. They are widely used in vehicles where presumably it is not a problem. The question arose from reading the electrical safety section of the new BSC details, that recommends an rcd.

Chris , I have to agree with DH: normal plumbing in houses is to havie a rising main with downstairs CW off, especially kitchen tap. Mains feeds CW header tank which feeds HW tank and CW taps upstairs. This is necessary as otherwise there would be a big pressure difference which would make showers impossible to balance. The exception is electric showers which need mains feed. Power showers on the other hand MUST be fed H & C from the same source. However, more and more houses are now fitted with combi boilers. In this situation, it is normal to have all CW taps fed from the mains, as HW is at mains pressure also.

Peiople have mentioned here using these little 150 - 300 watt inverters from Maplins and the like for running TVs etc. They usually plug into a lighter socket. Does anyone bother about linking the earth to the hull? I believe that is the normal practice for larger inverters. I suspect that the earth & neutral are linked anyway to the negative DC input, but what is the recommended way of using these? Also, in view of the proposed BSC amendment: "d. It is proposed a check will be made to ascertain that a residual current device is installed in 230V systems.", presumably these would need to have an RCD to be compliant. Anyone use an RCD with these? (although I think this will be an "advisory").

As far as I'm aware, there are no stoppages on the SU mainline until Nixons Bridge, which is past the winding hole beyond Shady Oak. Llangollen is open at Hurelston, though there are stoppages higher up. Pretty certain it is clear up the Middle wich. ~Check Waterscape.com for uptodate list.

Well, the boat has just passed its BSC (phew!) . The only thing it nearly failed on was the fire blanket. Mine was to BS 476 part 4/7 which was ok last time. However now apparently it has to meet BS 6575 or BS EN 1869. The examiner apologised saying the old one was quite adequate, but it had to meet the new BS number. Fortunately I was able to nip up to Aquafax while he was doing the gas test and get the right one, thereby avoiding having to have a repeat visit. Apparently this catches out quite a few so check your number! Incidently, in view of a previous thread, my regulator was spot-on at 39mb.

Not that one Maffi... I found the link eventually in the old forum: http://www.motoren.ath.cx/ Near the bottom of the list of links on the left hand side: Electrical: 12 Volt Handbook Alternator Handbook They are in pdf format, quite large, but make good reading. Also wide range of engine manuals, plus a few gearbox ones.

THe boat in question is in the Henhull winding hole, and yes, it's still there!

Stuart: Your twin system is really no different to two isolated systems. Use one alternator to supply the starter battery, the other to supply the service batteries. Keep the two systems separate (at least for now). If you are unsure of the basics, get someone who knows what they are doing to go through it with you - on your boat. Charging electrics is an arcane craft - there is still much mystery and magic involved. even the "experts" still disagree on many things. There is nothing to be ashamed of in not knowing all the ins & outs - we are all still learning. But better to get someone who knows to show you, rather than connect the wrong two wires and get a major fizzenundpoppen - that well-known german electrical problem. Can highly recommend the Reading course notes as linked to by Big Col. These are derived from lecture handouts and have the odd typo, but generally they are widely held in high regard, especially as they are free. There is also an american source for bvaot electrics that is excellent. I gave the link many months ago and don't still have it unfortunatley - I printed it out.

The flashes on the T&M north of Middlewich were used as a dumping ground at the end of the freight-carrying era. Some completely rotted away, some were salvaged for restoration and some bits are still visible. This boat restoration thing - how much boat do you have to use in the restoration for it to be a restoration rather than a replica? Bit like the old broom story: "A great broom this, I've had it for twenty years and I've only gone through two handles and three heads". I believe there is an "old" Bentley raced in historic classes - "Old Number one" I think it is. Apaarently about the only bit that survives from the original car is a little brass plate on the bulkhead. Sorry, thread completely diverted off the original line, well nearly. With the prospect of being able to replate a hull, replace engines, refit internals etc, maybe many boats will go on indefinitely, but they will be a bit like that old broom.

So why does bottled water have a "best before" date giving a shelf life of a matter of months?

I believe for a private boat the 10inch rule is advisory, so not actually essential.