Triss48

Thanks for this. As I use a MacBook I will have to check that I can use a USB socket for the connection rather than the wireless receiver.

It has always bugged me when in a city that I can't make use of hotspots such as the Cloud or BTOpenzone largely I guess because I can't get a strong enough signal inside the boat. Anybody with experience of booster systems using an external aerial and an internal box to transmit inside the boat?

I had a visit on Friday when moored at Lady Capels. Twenty something blond, head through the door - "just wanted to see what it was like. Often thought of living on a boat". Many responses came to mind, but she had her fella with her, and he was BIG.

Nightmare coming back from the pub, not being all that sure where the front door was!

That would do it, Gets round the pressure issue, but would need a extra pump to circulate the water in the CH circuit. Thanks for the info. Works in the heat exchanger solution.

My boat is powered by an Isuzu with two cooling circuits. One to a calorifier for hot water and the other to a swim tank. I have a Webasto running three radiators and a calorifier. The heating system is not pressurised. I need information/advice/experiences of making use of hot water from the engine to heat the radiators so making use of hot water created during cruising or battery charging rather than have it go to waste. My idea is to use two way valves on the radiator feed and return installed before the Webasto/header tank. Hot water to the rads would come from either the Webasto or the engine and be returned to either the header tank or the swim tank. There would need to be a bypass to allow normal operation probably with a cut off. The radiator circuit is in 22mm copper with 15mm radiator connections so pressure will not be a problem, but what about the load on the engine cooling pump when it has to drive the water 30m. The hot water from the calorifier is nearly hot enough to make a cup of tea after about an hours running.

I fitted double glazed units throughout. Wouldn't be without it. Warmer, quieter and condensation on the frames only on the coldest mornings. Even then, only wipe the bottom nearest the wood, as the rest dries before it travesl far enoiugh to do any harm. Decided on a version that has the whole of the central section lifitng out - great for cleaning, escape and selling icecream to passers by in the summer!

Having fought for the best a part of 4 years to achieve reliable heating first with an Eberspacher and then a Webasto I have now reached nirvana and am warm! The final answer lay with the fuel supply. Webastos are very sensitive to how the fuel is delivered from the tank, the quality is not usually a problem. The pipe run has to match specification on size and distance. The easy way to check is to disconnect the fuel line from the heater and then start up the unit. It will stop after it has failed to fire. Put a jam car to collect the fuel. If you get a good squirt of fuel with each click of the pump then the supply is OK. If not go through the process a few times to see if it improves - there may be air in the line. If no improvement then there is a problem. Possibilities are a knackered pump - genuine Webasto pumps are not cheap or they lie with the pipework. Do you have a fileter between the tank and the pump? This causes problems as the fule line is rather tahn the 3mm the Webasto recommend suddenly increased to a few centimetres for the filter bowl. It is just too much for the pump to cope with. Incidentally, I got a telling off from the dealer for taking mine part, it was only with much difficulty that I got any warranty work done. Good luck

Is it a Shoreline? If so the nice people at Shoreline will send you a self fit bit of kit that renders the fridge less sensitive. I had the smae probelm and that fixed it.

If yours 12v is a Shoreline, then they will supply a self fit gismo to reduce sensitivity to low voltage. Reduces the no-no level to 9v ore thereabouts.

They are admittedly significantly more expensive than a basic steel one, and also have the disadvantage that a Sea Searcher will not pull them out if you are a bit of a silly Billy. Put 2 or 3 non stainless jubilee clips round the handle near the socket end. Gives just enough attraction for a rescue.

I tried this arrangement on my boat, but no luck. Any secrets to making it work?

I tried to run my TV this way cuttin out the 240/12V transformer supply. There was just too much fluctuation in the supply as the fridge or the ebersacher cut in to give stable picture.

All washed, now how about drying? I have a dehumidifier form B&Q draws under three amps at 12V. Hang towels up in the saloon, and they are dry overnight, with the residual heat and the moisture being taken out. Helps with condensation too. Triss

Thanks, Daniel. I am marina based at present as I am still a wage slave. I have a 5 year program to improve my boat to go cruising in my dotage (assuming BW hasn't priced us all off the canals). I have already hit the pure sine wave issue - washing machine controller and hifi amplifier unhappy. Over the years it's a situation thats not going to get better, so pure sine wave it is as kit will only get more picky as old items are replaced. I understand that the issue of you can only take out what you put in. My question is indeed how to keep the batteries topped up. The general idea is to install a 160Amp alternator and link that to the batteries, but how? An all in unit such as a Victron? Separate units like the Sterling Power set up advertised in April's Waterways World. The latter appeals as I already have a good quality twin output battery charger for when shore power is available and in the event of failure individual components can be replaced rather than the pricier alternative. Tom PS What's a microwave? Lack of space meant I ditched mine when moving onto the boat. I haven't missed it in three years.

What is the consensus on inverters? Starting from a 160Amp alternator dedicated to the domestic side, what do I connect it to to provide 240V say 3kW (Washing machine, vacuum, microwave and power tools, possibly small mains freezer)? I have decided against any 240V engine mounted generator as half power at idle revs is not all that practical. Battery bank is currently 440AmpHr with 4 conventional batteries. Adequate for now as I am still tied to work, but given expected battery life, I will be replacing before I go cruising in my dotage in 5 years. Triss

I have nothing but LEDs in the saloon, kitchen and bedroom. Most of them are warm white MR11-A21LED from Ultraleds. Direct replacement for halogen - even the larger ones. As the 12v lighting circuit was buried behind the panel along with the polystyrene, I run them off 3600mA transformers from Maplins (order code L48BQ) connected via a fused spur to the 240V power circuit. Avoids the voltage fluctuations as the transformers are regulated. The saloon has eight bulbs that consume 0.6Amp, so even with the loss in the inverter the consumption is well down on any alternative. Perfectly good for reading all b ut the smallest print. Triss

Never thought of it to be honest. The loop was already in place as was a radiator in the bathroom. Installing from scratch, I agree that yours is the neater solution. I feel a trip to a plumbers merchant for a towel rail coming on. The bathroom radiator could do with replacement and a couple of 22m end stops can't be all that expensive. Plus one less valve to fiddle with. Triss

I have just gone through three years of heating hell. I bought a boat with an Aldi gas boiler feeding three radiators via a 22mm loop. No connection to calorifier (hot water by instantaneous gas heater) Stage one was new twin coil calorifier and Eberspacher D5W (Aldi and water heater abandoned to get as much gas out of the boat as possible), and larger radiator in the saloon. Early mod was to add a restriction at the far end of the 22m loop where flow became return to make sure the last radiator heated up. This version lasted 18 months. The Eberspacher despite monthly glow plug cleaning was always failing, some time expensively. I then just did straight swap with a Webasto Thermotop C. All was well for a while before I started getting failures. Like others it was running for 45 - 60 minutes then cutting out and also failing to start on the timer. I spoke to BK Marine at the Birmingham Show, subsequently delivering the Webasto to them for checking. The result was the replacement of the circuit board under warranty as it was set for too high a voltage - marine versions should have a 9V lower limit, the replacement of the glow pin with the new ceramic version and a general service. The ceramic pin draws less than half the current of the older version so is great for use on battery power. Other lessons learned: Plumb the calorifier across the flow and return just like a radiator (My original install had the calorifier in the flow only. Too much risk of building up back pressure in the boiler restricting flow and causing early shut down). Have some form of restriction in the 22m loop past the last radiator. I use a standard ball valve shut down about 50%. If you have thermostatic valves, don't plumb the last radiator as part of the flow and return, or there will be no flow when desired temperature is reached. The latest Webasto thinking is that header tank should have two connections to the return, so that ll the water flows through it giving and easy path for air to bleed off. The two pipes are bridged by a valve controlled pipe that allows water to flow directly rather than through the tank. Imagine an H formed of 22m pipe with the header tank connected across the top of the H, the valve in the horizontal bar and the return pipe connected to one foot and the boiler inlet to the other. Other variations: To provide summer hot water, I have change over valves that direct the flow and return to a 1m long 22m pipe in the bottom of the wardrobe rather than the radiator circuit. This leaves only the calorifier in the circuit, so hot water and no unwanted heat. 20 - 30 minutes of running gives a full calorifier of hot water. Good luck

I have been living on board for five years. All bar one at Packet Boat Marina near Uxbridge. Fine while I was working in Watford. However, new job, new location - at Dartford. 60 miles each way along Europe's biggest car park. Me, the car and the environment are all fed up with it. So, does anybody out there know of any secure moorings to be had to the east of London? Minimum services needed would be water electric hook up and an elsan disposal point. Any help would earn my undying gratitude.

However you make the connection, subscribe to Onspeed - around £19 pa. Accelerates the download speed by up to 4 times through file compression, which helps the cost if you are on a tariff that depends on volume of traffic.