DarrenG

@cheesegas could you share the flow? I really like power monitoring and cycle approach, it's a clever way to adjust consumption to match the available solar. Thanks

Hi, I want to get another centre line, and am wondering what you preferences are for the diameter of rope, 12mm, 14mm, 16mm? I think 16mm would be nicer to grip and handle, albeit heavier to work, and of course more expensive. Is there an argument for a thinner rope? Cheers

As noted above I didn't initially for that reason, but as but the first respondent confused it with a book, it seemed appropriate after all. Not that it really matters, nobody else tried to answer the question anyway 😃

Perhaps I should have included the link, https://waterfreedom.co.uk/ seems to be a UK company selling a filtration system, I didn't want to just appear to be plugging a site/product. Reading a bit more of their FAQ's it seems like it is not without running costs, e.g. you can opt for a £600 annual charge for servicing including all the filters, but still no "guarantee that the water is safe to drink". Seems like a clever idea, but think I'll stick to CRT taps for now.

Hi, Has anyone tried a Water Freedom system? Just saw an advert in Towpath Talk, as was intrigued, but the website is a bit light on key details i.e. like price! (I do dislike it when you can't get a simple answer to something like price without having to risk a hard sell sales pitch) Thanks

That's quite an impressive header tank you have there, just don't stand up too quick when you finish If you did reconsider using the shower hose, for info the water regulations for a house prohibit a shower hose that can reach into the toilet bowl, unless you have a "fluid category five backflow device", which needs to include an air gap. Keep the filler pipe short and I reckon the plastic tub qualifies! Not mandatory on a boat, but would seem sensible to protect your drinking water to that level on your boat https://www.waterregsuk.co.uk/downloads/public_area/guidance/publications/general/info_leaflets/prevention_of_the_risk_of_backflow_in_the_design_of_domestic_bathrooms.pdf

I'm no expert but words always work better 😀 There is normally a button, bottom right of each post, it is a grey circle with a white arrow inside, hover over that and choose your emoticon of choice.

For a modern narrowboat I think you'd need to talk to a boatbuilder as suggested. I wanted some plans for historic craft (a good few years ago) so contacted the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester. They have plans, and would make copies, for a fair price.

I am several years out of date, my state registration as Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer in microbiology lapsed a while back, and science moves on. Clearly nobody else has ever relied on previous "knowledge" and posted without verifying again. I do find the stupid comment rather obnoxious, but I appreciate the correction and thank you for the reference in particular. I found the conclusion point "the role of the routinely not cultivated bacteria" interesting. My false knowledge was based on what we (back in the day) assumed were sterile samples, either because of the selective media we used, or because we just didn't test appropriately for these alternate non-pathogenic bacteria. Sorry @Kate_MM for trying to incorrectly correct you. Perhaps the point is whilst it may not be sterile, is it a risk?

Urine is sterile, just ask your GP for a sterile pot, collect it midstream and drop it off at your local microbiology laboratory, and they will prove it. However unless your collection and storage uses proper aseptic technique, it very quickly isn't! 😁

Monocrystalline panels , often abbreviated to mono, use a single silicon crystal to a unit. Polycrystalline panels , often abbreviated to poly, use a multiple silicon crystals to a unit. Monos are supposed to be more efficient than poly, but you generally pay more for them of course. Perc or Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell, is another technology that is apparently better, which can be combined with Mono is seems, although better than what I'm not sure. I'd check the specs and look at efficiency ratings, and also calculate the price per W (of that efficiency). Then look at the size of your roof, avoiding obstacles and it will probably narrow the choice down a bit, get the most efficient panel that makes the best use of the roof space. I'd get larger, better panels now, and plan to add to them later if you find you need more capacity. Buying a cheap panel that wastes space would be the worst as you'd probably bin it later if you wanted more panels in the future. The price variation for suppliers was also quite extreme when I was researching, I ended up with some much more efficient Victron panels (with a much longer warranty) that came out cheaper than some unbranded units just by switching between a reputable/popular supplier.

A clear plastic A4 document wallet does a good job of holding a Nicholson's open on a double page, e.g. https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-a4-clear-polypropylene-document-wallets-pack-of-5-p-1430748 Naturally it always starts to rain when I haven't bothered to bring the wallet up with me, so my guides are a mess!

Thanks, I think that is rather clever, I'm going to give this one a go. Not surprising that wood is the most common it seems, and maybe some types are better than others, but I wasn't keen on the way it absorbs some of the fuel which makes bits of grit and dirt stick to it easily.

What type of dipstick is best? In his case wood may not bend, but cable fish rods as suggested would. I'm actually interested in what people use for dipsticks?