becks101

We're with Craftinsure and our policy includes contents cover. I had to ring them to ask about it as it wasn't mentioned on the website, but we've had it for the last two years with no problems.

We used to have an Ikea Klobo sofa (currently 90 quid on the Ikea website) which was width: 146 cm, depth: 78 cm, height: 72 cm. Was great, till the cat was sick on it. Now we have a 'pvc/leather look' Tempo sofa (just search Google and you'll find lots of places that sell it). Cost us £150 and is width: 140 cm, depth: 81 cm, height: 94 cm. Is very comfy if a bit creaky cos of the pvc. I'd recommend both - and no cat!

Is there any way to get rid of the brown chimney stains once they're there? Or is that wishful thinking?

Hello all, We had our narrowboat painted last year and it's now (over)due for a clean and polish (been waiting for some sunny days). I wondered if anyone can recommend a good eco friendly cleaner and polish to use? Many thanks Becks

We have a horizontal calorifier in the engine bay, but are having problems keeping the hot water hot. We heat it via the Alde 3010, which is on for an hour in the morning, and there's enough hot then - just - for two showers. But by evening, there is absolutely nothing to do the washing-up with. Does it sound like a problem, or is it just something to live with?

As the OP, I just wanted to say thanks for all the replies about what size ecofan to buy. We bought a three blade one on Saturday and have really noticed a difference. Even the bedroom, at the opposite end to the stove, is now fairly toasty, and we're very pleased with the fan.

Hello all, Apologies if this has been done to death on this forum, but although I can find loads of discussions on 'ecofan or not?', what I'd like to know, having decided to purchase one, is what size do I need? I live on a 58 foot narrowboat and the stove is by the front doors. I understand there are 2 blade fans and 3 blade fans, but which one is suitable for the size of my boat? Thanks in advance for your help, guys

Hello, We've had boat and contents insurance for our residential narrowboat from craftinsure.com for the last year, and just renewed it last week. I had to phone, rather than get a quote through the website, as it's not mentioned online, and they're nice, helpful people. I spent some time last week gathering quotes from other companies for contents insurance, all of which were substantially higher than craftinsure's, hence staying with them for another year. Haven't had to make a claim yet so can't tell you how good they are at that side of things, but I've had no problems (with my albeit limited experience of them) so far. Hope it's helpful, Becky

Thanks for your advice, David

Hello, Second query of the day! We have a Liverpool Boats narrowboat, and it currently has no seats in the bow, which is starting to get on my nerves, both for the lack of storage and the difficulty in getting in and out (especially as you have to duck under the cratch cover at the same time as getting over the bow sides). Preferred option: can anyone suggest where we might be able to get some seats made and fitted? Alternative option: Hubbie says he can do it, but I think it will take him months to get round to it! If he does though, what should he make them out of? I thought the same thing as the engine bay cover - Hexagrip - would that be sensible? Thanks very much

Thanks very much for all your help, guys. I will disable the Smartgauge error codes and continue at the higher charging rate. But before doing so, I will have a closer look at our apparently 'maintenance free' batteries to check if I am supposed to be topping them up and whether something has blown.

Hello, thanks very much for your advice. We'll alter the absorption voltage on the charger to 14.4, and set the absorption time to 6 hours. The battery voltage when on charge is 14.9. They were almost 100% when we left them. We've only had them about six months, so I hope they're not sulphated!

Hello, I seem to be having more than my fair share of problems with the batteries in my narrowboat and would be very grateful for some advice please! We have 1 starter battery, and 3 domestics. The domestics are 220Ah Elecsols. We also have a Phoenix Multi charger/inverter, set to fixed (not adaptive) mode, with an absorption voltage of 14.9, a float voltage of 13.8 and an absorption time of 4 hours. We also have a Whisper generator and a Smartgauge. We usually live aboard but have been away for 2 months, during which we turned all the power off. We returned on Thursday and have been trying to charge the batteries. The Elecsol leaflet we have says that the batteries are fully charged at 12.8, 50% charged at 12.4 and totally discharged at 10.8. However, the Smartgauge keeps flashing an 'E 03' error code at us when the generator is on, which I understand means too high voltage. When we switch the generator off and leave it a couple of hours, it says the batteries are at 12.25 and 67% charged, which doesn't make any sense to me. My queries are: 1. Have we set the charging voltage incorrectly? If so, what should the charging voltage be for Elecsols? 2. Why is the Smartgauge saying the batteries are at 67% when the 12.25 reading doesn't agree with that? 3. What are we doing wrong?!! We really need some help before we bu**er up the batteries any more than we probably already have! Thanks very much, Becks101

Thanks very much for your posts - it's always nice to know I'm not doing the wrong thing!

Hello, Our narrowboat has sprayfoam insulation but in taking off a couple of internal panels at the weekend, I noticed some small gaps, I think where some radiators used to be. I was therefore thinking of supplementing it in those gaps with Rockwool or similar stuff. My question is, is Rockwool/Eco Wool/Sheep's wool suitable material? Won't it get damp and a bit yucky if it soaks up condensation, or does it work well on boats? Or can anyone recommend another type of insulation for this situation? Thanks very much for any advice, Becks