mudslide
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Posts posted by mudslide
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Probably technically illegal as birds, their nests and eggs (for most species) are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
yes don't get me wrong we didn't rob nests , just found the occasional egg by the side of the cut , once right by the gangplank , an early morning delivery , better than the milkman .
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So what has caused the recent rapid decline in the eel population? Surely catching them commercially has all but died out.
MtB
Has anyone heard of the elver eating competitions held in some villages on the Severn . I saw one 20 years ago , pints of elvers washed down with pints of cider . I wouldn't like to have mowed the village green the day after !
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Remove a large pike from its area and then the young pike will survive putting more pressure on the fish in that area .
Introduced problem fish I believe can be removed like Zander and American crayfish.
When fishing rivers like the Severn and the Humber then how does it become alright to take Salmon ,Cod ,Dabs etc. or does the wording tidal rivers change the rule ?
I believe the same problem occurs if you remove adult crayfish , it actually increases the population and so is illegal . But what about ducks , I have to restrain my Asian wife as she likes her poultry fresh . We have dined occasionally on ducks eggs though that we found in the hedgerows .
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Everythings fine now thanks , I eventually received a reply so there was a delay . I e-mailed when I didn't receive a prompt reply because I'd been trying before over a 3 month period with no luck . Thanks for your help.
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Thanks Paul , that worked . Wonder why the passwords never arrived ??
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Yes I have had this problem too with the same genset. Switch your inverter charge side to Weak AC to reduce the effect, or do as I did isolate ALL the 240v system when running the genny to charge. If you want to pm me I can tell you more about this but not in a public arena. I have now done away with the 230v alternator and have this weekend started using my reworked 12v genset. This is the blog link so far. Sorry can't do a Linky on the I pad http://dcgenset.blogspot.co.uk
I think 12v generation is a better way to go. It is after all what the engine does so well.
ETA it's the genset causing the problem NOT the Victron. Nor will the Victron clean up the poor sign wave which is the core of the problem.
Thanks for the confirmation . I suspected the genset was at fault and have isolated any sensitive 240v appliances . I only now run these from the inverter or the landline .
So the message is 'beware before spending a fortune on a large genset' ,
I don't need 6kva just to charge the batteries , I was hoping to have the genset kick in to relieve the inverter load or when the batteries reached a low voltage . All this is possible with the Victon but not practical if the genset fries the appliances.
I have yet to try 'surge protection' as suggested , I will get round to it when I can afford to risk another induction hob .
I like your modification to the Vetus , I'll study it a bit more and get back to you with some questions .
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Don't know if the Victron has a surge protector or not, but I believe it just passes through whatever the genny sends and when it needs to assist it it matches the wave.
Have you tried using surge protectors for your devices? I do and not had a issue yet.
No I haven't tried surge protection , I'll give it a go.
Thanks
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Reading through this thread I noticed a few people have an inboard genny which they run while watching the TV and using other appliances.
I have a 6.5 kw Vetus connected to a 3kw Victron combi so I thought I would be fine . However when running the genny I've fried the following 240 volt appliances :- TV,DVD,Microwave,Induction hob and chargers for phone and computer . This happens intermittantly so it's obviously spikes in the system that I can't predict . I now only run simple devices - kettle,toaster,radiant hob,immersion heater,iron,power tools etc .
The Victron is supposed to smooth any spikes from the genny but I'm not happy , everything works fine off the inverter but not being able to run the genny without switching off certain appliances defeats the point in having it.
Has anyone else experienced this ?
Should I be looking for a fault in my Victron ? (trouble is it's an expensive business replacing appliances to test any changes).
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Yes i found the screws rather tight,but they did move ok.Is your Toby behind your stove?As mine is mounted to the right at the front,and is easy to get at (After taking off the side panel off).Looking at the snow falling here at Welford Hythe on the GU,I'd leave it alone until its less cold.My fathers pet phrase used to be "If it ain't broke don't fix it". At least you stove is sort of working ok at the moment.
Anyway good luck with the stove.As we are turning our's off and going home for Christmas tomorrow.
Have a great Christmas all.............Dave & Diane on NB Urquhart Castle
Yes the Toby's behind the stove , it's in a corner but not the corner model . Was hoping to travel from Derby to Lymington for Christmas but I may be staying on the boat.
Have a good Christmas.
Roy and Ly on Bentley
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I replaced the Toby because it was getting harder to turn the stove off.I was having to use a pair of pliers to turn the rod.I purchased the new one,then fixed the old one.I can't remember what i did,but i then sold it on ebay in good working condition.The buyer was so pleased with his purchase.
Have you attempted to adjust the low fire screw yet? As its a piece of cake.Just do it tiny bits at a time.Probably the reason your manual tells you not to adjust it is becauase they want you to call out a fitter to do it for you.And that won't be cheap!
If you adjust it to a correct flame set on one then you should burn less oil.The reason also that you are getting so much carbon build up is because of the inefficent yellow flame on that setting.
We have ours set on one all the times,and can just about bare my hands on the rads.
Re your rads not getting hot.....At the back of my stove i have a 15mm copper pipe with an air bleed valve on top.You may have air in your system.I did, and could not believe how much air came out,and it also made the central heating pump run a lot quieter due to no air rattle in the pipes.Bleed your rads too.
Not sure what you mean by "Must admit with a nice blue flame it's running hotter than necessary" sounds like its running how it should if its getting hot.
Good luck...Dave
Thanks again , I meant that it's too damn hot when it runs blue but if I turn it down it runs yellow !! Will try all your ideas - Ice and snow again tomorrow but I'm warm with my Bubble.
Update :- the morning after .
Well I did my best !
The low fire screw is impossible to turn . Access is not good so after burning my shoulder on the flue , dropping my glasses behind and melting my torch I've given up until I can turn it off and apply some wd40 - won't be for some time yet
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That sounds like a lot of fuel you are using.We reckon that we use 3.5 ltrs in a 24 hour period set on number one.You say that when you run on number one it burns with a yellow flame.What you must take into account when it is as cold as it is today the oil thickens up and flow is decreased,therefore the fire does not get hot enough to create enough heat for the chimney to draw.
I only say that because i had the same problem. Last year i had to fit a new oil control valve.the paperwork said "This unit is set at the factory,and should not need any adjustment"....... WRONG !!
I installed the new unit.She fired up a treat,and kept on getting hotter.It was begining to go out of control.so we had to shut the oil off quick and contacted Harworth Heating (Bubble stoves)
I'll get to my point soon eh...I had to reset the High and low fire settings on the control valve.
This was a very long drawn out process,with lots of periods of waiting ten minutes while the flame stabalises.In actual fact it took about a week to get it right....Dont laugh!!
Ok back to your yellow flame.It sounds to me that you need to adjust your low fire screw on the control valve.If your fire is like mine then the low fire screw is the one towards the back of the valve.And the high fire screw is very close to where the stove heat setting control rod joins the valve near the front,and it should have a blob of red paint on it.(Check your manual).
Once you have located the low fire screw,turn it only about one quarter turn,making a note first of where it was set before you move it.Don't expect instant results,and could take ten minutes to notice a change.
So put the kettle on and be patient.
Sorry if this went on a bit,but i'm begining to finally understand bubbles after 3 winters.Let me know how you get on.Remember small adjustments!!!
Dave
Thanks for the info , and thanks JR also .
Seems like I'm not getting the best out of my Bubble .
I'll try a taller chimney .
When run on 1 it also use about 3.5 ltrs in 24 hours but cokes up in a few days , also on that setting it doesn't heat up the rads enough in this weather.
I'd thought about adjusting the low fire screw but chickened out when the manual implied it shouldn't need to be adjusted. Then thought about it and assumed that I would only be adjusting the low fire setting (1) to the burn that I now get on (3)-i.e would it make any difference to my fuel consumption . If I leave it as it is , at least I can turn it down if I'm prepared to clean it more often . Must admit with a nice blue flame it's running hotter than necessary .
Why did you replace your Toby ?? - maybe I need to do that but I'm hoping not.
Cheers
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I've owned and used a Bubble stove for many years and have always lit it with a match
When I want to lit it, I turn the diesel on at the fie, then the tap near to the stove and then inthe engine room to turn the tap on of the header tank
By the time I have taken the elements out of the stove, the diesel has started to spread across the bottom of the pot and is easy to light. It is easier to get to stay a light with some carbon from the last burning. The supply of diesel is then turned down to just above minimum and with areasonable amount of diesel in the stove, it burns well at the start and then settles down. This method means I can light the fire when first arriving at the boat so then go to unloading the car etc. The fire also has an Ecofan on the top which helps to move air around the boat
Good thread this as there's not much info on Bubbles here .
Now to my question :-
I've never been able to run on low setting without a yellow flame - the optimum setting seems to be 3 when I get a nice blue conical flame . On this setting I use about 7 liters in 24 hours and have to de-coke it every 12 days to keep it blue . How does this compare with other Bubble users ??
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There has to be.a review.procedure.whereby the council.state their reasons and give you opportunity to.reply
They stated that I'm not paying the tax so I don't qualify - fair enough as long as I know - they suggested that I could pay the tax but didn't insist.
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Admittedly there are a few benefits available - a free bus pass (with restrictions on when it can be used) and a £250 subsidy for winter fuel. Both available to over sixties. The free TV licence doesn't kick in until age 75.
I've just been refused my bus pass . A boat dweller not paying council tax is not entitled in Derby-shire .
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Thanks Neil ! that'll give me something to think about over the dull winter - doesn't sound too easy and probably expensive to transport 60ft to Calais . Perhaps I'll try hiring a barge first (http://www.cruisefrance.com/barge-holidays-map.htm).
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I have just bought another boat which I am living on, it came with a AAA rated 230V fridge, not sure if this normal but because of this I need to leave my invertor on al night.
Would this consume more power than having a 12V fridge? I think the fridge is rated at 55 watts.
I also have 230V lights as wel as 12V so I am thinking of changing it all for LED's (any good suppliers would be appreciated)
Dave
Try these
You can e-mail him from e-bay and deal privately . The LEDs are as good as those from 'other companies' . He is reliable . If you want the 'spike suppressor' offered by 'other companies' you can get the components from
part nos 1175867,9884971
the 'other companies' do offer a nice bulb adapter so you can fit your LED into a standard socket .
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He would be potty to come back.
Even in the centre of Le Mans, the Port de Plaisance charges 550 Euro/year for secure pontoon moorings with free leccy, showers, pumpout (rare!) and water. It you want to leave your boat on the other village pontoons, most are free. No licence fees on these non VNF waterways (run by the Department), no BSS. All you need is insurance and UK SSR registration....which you can do on-line for £25/5years.
As for fenders in France, all of the commercials have them dangling down, even some narrowboats get properly kitted out
Please please tell me more .
I've just returned from two weeks of sun and wine in France to the wet and windy Midlands . My thoughts turned to a long cruise on the French canals but I can't find much information on how to do it ! Don't fancy the 'Narrow Dog' route so any info would be gratefully received .
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Ok no fighting form an orderly queue please…..
On a serious note I did discover when closely examining them that the front one does not ride over the bow meaning if it hung up on a gate it would pose a risk to the boat.
Chains adjusted now.
No worries Richard if I don't get it repaired I will bring it to a future banter' as - I say you'd be very welcome to it.
as for doing it myself - I still can't tie a decent knot in a rope so I'd stand no chance making one of these.....
I bought this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knots-Cut-Clive-Field/dp/095576002X
Have just re-covered all my fenders at a very reasonable cost . Buy the rope in drums from a specialist rope supplier - 30 pounds bought enough to make two tipcats and a button . It was simple to do but took a while . You'll need a Swedish fid too , I got mine at Crick from the book supplier.
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p.s. Chris W always used to say something like "You can't possibly be charging your batteries enough - I'm sure you are killing them", but whenever I have chosen to use that £3 SmartGauge substitute, (a battery hydrometer), it has always told me that he is wrong, given our usage and charging patterns. And I only have a 70 amp alternator, (one). And I don't have an external alternator controller. Even then he was still wrong, (for our boat, and usage of it).
Ok got to put my twopenneth worth in !!
I'm now the proud owner of 'new' batteries - I've got my 3 quid hydrometer (recently) which did a grand job of showing up the faults in my old setup.
I'm going to use it to check all the cells of the new bank for future reference . I've got a Victron monitor which is good for measuring amps in/out and volts but for measuring true SOC using the hydrometer it would appear that I have to disconnect everything , leave it for at least 2 hours , then isolate each battery (if i want to check voltage) and take it's SG readings - seems to me that a smatgauge would make it a helluva lot easier . I want one but I've blown the budget on batteries - should've contacted Vince sooner - should've bought that hydrometer sooner
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Get rid of the bad batteries, apart from slowing down the charge and basically causing the whole battery bank to under perform. There is the outside chance of a fire risk should the duff cells decide to heat up (i've seen individual cells boil their electrolyte away and start to smoke significantly)
Checking sealed batteries can be done by creating a load on the individual battery and measuring the voltage, any duff cells will be shown up with a corresponding drop in battery voltage.
This load can be applied via the engine starter, just pull the engine stop and crank it over.
There are drop testers available for 12 v batteries but they may cost £60 or £70 but basically do the same job.
This is all seat of the pants type testing, inevitably, others may have different ideas as to the suitability of this advise
Thanks for that
.I was commenting on the ease of using a hydrometer to check for dud cells without having to isolate the battery from the bank . Can't think of an easy way with sealed batteries ??
Good point on the fire risk - 2 cells had boiled dry and must have been a recent failure as I checked levels about 2 months ago - the other duds still had plenty of electrolyte.
The hydrometer check is going to be a regular thing with me from now on - so is drilling a hole in sealed units the way to go ??
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Forget why - just move it to the correct place
(The why is probably because someone thought "If I put it in the middle, that'll give me the best average")
Tony
Yep , I guess that was why - just checked the installation guide and it's very clear where it should go
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I bet they weren't
Tony
Too true - mine aren't - A yard installed the bank and Victron and apart from routine maintenance I never checked it till now . It obviously needs a few more straps to balance it (see other posts) and I'm still investigating why the monitor is connected to the + in the middle of the bank ??
Thanks for the reply Gibbo and your other helpful threads - just need one of those 'other' devices now to keep the juices flowing .
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Any battery with 'dead' or shorted cells will pull down the voltage of the batts to which it is paralleled so once detected a bad battery needs removing. It can be given some tlc on its own but normally they are unrecoverable.
The magic eye is only indicative of the end cell to which it is linked.
To re iterate IMO you will not get anything useful out of a battery with one cell down.
Agree - get the batteries with dead cells out of the system and "bin" them - see how you get on with the remainder and whether the remaining amp hours is adequate for your daily consumption ( down to 50%) and if not, consider adding some of Vince's batteries or replacing the whole bank with e.g. Vince's batteries... ( budget permitting) which are £25 each - the reports that people give about them are very good. Do a power audit and ensure you are adequately and fully charging them as this inadequate charging) is the biggest killer of batteries...
Nick
Thanks gentlemen , I'd almost expected that !I'll pull them out tomorrow .
Just thought that a bank of 36 2v cells with 7 bad might have more capacity than a bank of 18.
Already posted to Vince - hope he gets some more soon.
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Here's a couple of questions I've not been able to find an answer for on any of the 'battery' sites.
I have six 12v batteries in a single 12v bank . I have a Victron combi charger/inverter and a battery monitor.
The batteries are about 5 years old and I recently noticed a drop in performance.
It was time to do some maintenance so I bought a hydrometer and have identified 2 batteries with 2 dead cells and one battery with 3 dead cells.
I will be replacing the bad ones but :-
Q1 - in the short term is it better to remove the faulty batteries now ?
Will I get better performance (amphours) from a bank of 3 good batteries - or 6 batteries with 7 bad cells ?
Q2 - my 'battery monitor' did indicate a problem as the '% state of charge' dropped faster than usual and the Voltage dropped faster.
but if I had 'maintenance free' sealed batteries how could I have identified the problem batteries without a lot of swapping about ?
( is it true that the internal hydrometer in these batteries is only showing the condition of 1 cell )
I look forward to your comments
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Which fish can I eat?
in Fishing, Cycling and Walking
Posted · Edited by mudslide
Thanks for that , it was the 70's , a bit more than 20 years ago as stated .