Yakbird

Cheers, Keith. Yes, I was assuming a calorifier was more like an immersion heater. I understand now that it needs an external heat source. I'm getting there slowly! Just been reading about them here: http://albionwaterheaters.com/MarineCalorifiers.html Steve.

Well, it's not running much of a system at all at the moment, as the only things that are connected are the lights and the inverter. But it's wired for 12 volts, not 24. Only got one alternator, which is 12 volt. But the boat has changed a lot since the original owners had it as a hotel, so they may possibly have had a 24 volt system. I'm still very much at the learning stage with it, and a lot of it is still a mystery to me. Hence all the dumb questions. But it's slowly becoming clearer. Quite a learning curve involved. Steve.

Alan, you might have noticed from my thread about batteries that I don't bother charging them, I just buy new ones when they go flat. Nah, seriously, I do get your point. I'd prefer to keep it if possible as it's a pretty decent and expensive piece of kit, so I'll have a look at the possibility of replacing the motor. I wonder what the original owners did with it then, as they certainly had it running when they were operating as a hotel. Cheers, Steve. Cheers, Strads. Yeah, that sounds like the best option then. I might even email Saniflo and see what they recommend. Steve.

Yeah, this battery is currently eating sh*t on the floor of its cage.

Hmm, so more batteries or get something else then. Okay, I'll have a think about that then. Cheers, Alan. Steve.

Cheers, Chris. I sort of figured that, but would kind of like to avoid getting any more batteries. I was wondering if I could just use a 12-24 volt transformer.

Thanks, Alan. Okay, that makes sense. I won't go chucking anything away just yet then. They were disconnected by the previous owner who stripped out all the interior of the boat and disposed of a lot of it. I believe he was intending to refit the interior as a liveaboard rather than a hotel boat, but he gave up on it and sold it. They seem to be in pretty good condition. The boat safety inspector is coming to have a look in a week or so, so I'll ask him to check them out. Thanks for the replies, Steve. Cheers, Chris. I'll have a read up about that. But for now I'm inclined to stick with what I've got rather than forking out for another heater. It won't be getting that much use anyway. Steve.

Sorry for all the questions. I've got a 24 V macerator toilet, and I'm wondering how to go about connecting it to my 12 volt batteries. I believe it's doable, but can anyone give me a basic idea of how to go about wiring it up? Cheers, Steve.

Sorry, didn't mean to suggest it was an instant water heater, just a water heater. It's definitely an Alde, though I don't know which model offhand. It's a tall rectangular thing anyway. Hmm, so maybe I do need both then... Cheers, Steve.

Hi folks. I bought something of a wreck of a narrowboat last Autumn, and finally have some time to get some real work done on it. It's got both a calorifier and an Alde water heater, neither of them connected. I don't know much about either of them or what their capacities are, so I'm wondering why there would be two water heaters. It used to be a hotel boat, and has a lot of water storage capacity, more than my requirements. So do I need both, or can I just keep one of them, and if so, which would be the best one to install? Thanks, Steve.

Ah, that sounds like that then. It's only a car battery charger I've been using, so that's probably not too great. But yes it was left discharged for something like six weeks realistically. Thanks, folks. I won't be doing that again then. Steve.

Hi, one of my leisure batteries got drained recently (due to the inverter being left on while the boat was unattended). There was only one leisure battery installed at the time, along with a starter battery. I've since had the engine running for quite a few hours over several days, and have even charged the battery with an AC charger, but it still won't power anything, despite the charger (and voltmeter) saying it's fully charged. My other leisure battery powers everything that's currently connected (lights and an inverter mainly), so there's nothing wrong with the wiring. I'm still learning about boat electrics etc, and still pretty ignorant, but I can't fathom why the charger can tell me the battery is fully charged but it won't act like it. Anyone got any ideas? Cheers, Steve.

I actually use a very long centre line that I can make into a stern line if I need to by tying the middle of it to the stern. Haven't got any (of my) lines round the prop since about the second day I had the boat. Spending a deeply unpleasant hour squeezed through the weed hatch with a Stanley knife sure teaches you to be careful in future! Steve.

I find it's worth having longer bow and stern lines than usual for singlehanded boating. They help with all sorts of things. In locks, they mean you don't have to climb ladders carrying ropes, as you just throw them ashore and pick them up when you get on the lockside. Also useful for general mooring, especially when there's a wind blowing, as you can always get them ashore and retrieve them, even when one end of the boat has drifted a long way out. I tend to take the boat right up to the gates going up or down, and tie it to whatever's available. Tie both ends if you're going up and have to empty the lock first. Open the gates, pull it in by hand (just as quick as getting back on and off again). Secure it with quick release hitches. Operate the paddles, adjust lines as required. Do it fairly slowly, and stay alert. Don't trust anyone else to watch your boat for you. Leaving the lock, open one gate, motor out, stop dead just outside the lock, close the gate, get back on, away you go. Takes some practice, but it gets pretty slick after a while. I don't leave the engine in gear in locks, as I want to be totally in control of it via the lines. Just take it all slow and steady. Steve.

He did say it was suggested, not actually just done in the way you suggest, so the answer to your question was already in the post. It was all a bit confusing, though, I agree.