Brinsail

We've had this problem several times this year, mostly with high flood water under bridges, but also frozen stand pipes. Now got several 25litre 'distilled water' containers (from the Gas suppliers) that fit discretely into the car boot, a length of hose with a 12v water pump from Braunston Chandlers. Works well, until I forgot to leave the Car running - quiet & efficient, but then had to jump-start the car... O.T.T. as usual, and now I've got it all working I suppose we'll have no problems for the next 3 years... here's hoping.

That sounds good Dor - can you elaborate on how you rigged the thermostatic control - I just tried installing our new washer direct from the hot supply, but didn't work very well. Still if I could control it using most heating from Gas would be much cheaper than Petrol Genny. Thanks

Sorry, but petrol engines (anything with spark plugs) operate totally differently. You basically need a fuel that evaporates for this kind of engine, like alcohol. However that's gonna be more expensive 'cos there's better uses for that. Your average University Chemistry Professor could potentially convert Chip Fat into something like petrol, but definitely not economical...

I work in the Diesel Engine industry - biofuel can be good for combustion, but a bit of an unknown as far as the reliability of really delicate engine components (Injection Pump & Injectors). Even the Fuel Injection Pump suppliers (won't name the one I deal with) are very cautious about giving any warranty on BioDiesel, or any higher than 5% mix. I'm unsure how big operators like Ford & Peugeot will deal with this. One of the big differences in Biofuel & modern Diesels is the sulphur level - whilst this is good for the environment and much lower sulphur is essential for long-life function of the catalytic convertors, it has some other properties. Sulphur component of fuel lubricates these very close-toleranced metal components and reduces wear. Some years back (high sulphur) fuels had anything around 150 p.p.m. (parts per million) or more. Now 'Low Sulphur' is about 15ppm and talking about reducing down to 5ppm, mostly for cars to keep their expensive catalysts working. Now if you're talking about a 40-yr old Lister, it definitely hasn't got a catalyst. Come to think of it I can't imagine any inland waterways boat having one - an unnecessary expense unless its legal requirement. However a 40yr old Lister is definitely used to higher-sulphur fuel & probably other different chemical compounds to some found in Bio-diesel. However, these old engines have probably lasted this long by some good luck and higher-quality engineered components compared to a 10-yr-old engine taken from a road vehicle. I'd probably be more concerned about inadvertant chemical wear on the more modern engines.

I've used the Wilko's brand plastic seal on very drafty patio doors in the house. It worked a treat to keep heat in. And the sticky tape even came off the gloss paint (with a little persuasion & kitchen cleaner) without damaging the paint. I've got louvred windows on the boat which are really drafty. So much so that I made acrylic inserts with discrete low-profile handles, and latched into the stainless steel frames on plastic clips. (All items you could buy from Wickes, B&Q or Homebase). If you fancy doing this I found through trial & much error that easiest way to 'cut' acrylic without shattering it is an angle-grinder with a very thin blade - go slowly in straight lines and it melts it. However Safety first:- essential you still use goggles and ear plugs. I went to this trouble as the plastic film added a kind of fuzziness to the view, but I have to say the plastic film is by far the best draft-excluder.

Sorry about repeated posts - but this is one closse to my heart: very nevrous about being away this holiday season too, but family committments, etc. PIR's that are described as 'CMOS' will be 12v - although most technically work on anything from about 7v - to 16v, so are often setup with 9v batteries, like smoke alarms. some cheaper / older electronics is TTL (which uses 5v, or close) these often use 3x AA batteries - eg. radio-control door-bells. I've considered large-scale lighting as described earlier, but we're pretty remote and get more wildlife (sheep, birds & trees moving in the wind) so if you're not careful all you'd get would be flat batteries over a week away. If you're in a marina, or public busy towpath with many neighbours - lights and minor noise would be vey effective: Leicestershire Police were selling (£5 token donation) 'garden shed alarms' which work on a pull-cord. Very noisy, won't drain the battery, but you do have to set-up a cats-cradle of strings that you inevitable end-up setting the alarm off yourself. House burgular alarms often have internal sirens that are really loud - discovered after setting one off once during a power cut. They're designed to drive the intruder out by sheer discomfort ! (if the outside siren didn't un-nerve them). I don't believe there's any law against this, although I stand to be advised if anyone knows different. I'd suggest this would only work with an internal PIR or sensor though, as neighbours would be really upset with false alarms for wild-life at this level of noise. Potentially you could hide an activation switch in cratch or water locker, (or somewhere underdeck for Cruiser-style), or even conveniently inside an air-vent; its only gotta be a switch. As well as Screwfix (they're stock changes too regularly to list) there's also Maplin, or RS Components - all with online shops. Good luck with the improvements. (one and all as I think most of us have a similar problem).

Significantly better than Northamptonshire Police then - we got burgled last year - at Christmas - but the police had a vague interest: after I chased-up with them twice, I gave up. apparently they weren't interested in the 15" screwdriver left, and all the photos I took. Luckily the insurance have paid up, as the theives absolutely cleared everything out - even several cupboards of tins, thick wool rugs, gas bottle, TV, african drum, cutlery, teddy bear, leisure batteries - everything, except the very well chained-up genny!

After enforced change of Washing Machine recently I couldn't find one that used hot & cold. Sorry Yep, I wanted to use the gas or diesel system to heat water, instead of electric - still looking as I'd replace the now new washer with one that used hot & cold supply - just like the old one did. I really considered searching for an old expensive washer going 2nd-hand, but the down-side is they're definitely not water-efficient - perhaps OK if you're in a marina or have a mooring right on a water point. Another point you may want to consider - Indesit machines are mostly not so deep - so they'll fit under worktops even if there's a curvature in the 'wall' or the hull narrows at the swim, etc. Just as a thought on power - almost all electrical appliances have a little label stating max power consumption. The old washer was 2300W - and sometimes tripped the overload switch on our Generator: listed as 2.6kVA (something similar to 2600W, but not exactly). The new washer is only 1800W - so big improvement, but I'd be a bit cautious of running it off a generator (or invertor) that has a max.2000W. We only had a limited budget, but if you can afford something like a Bosch, then you could find some at 1600W or 1400W, one I saw had an integral drier at 1600W, but was around £500 - but even that didn't have hot & cold water... Hope this summary of several weeks research helps. PS: If any Washing Machine designers are out there - not everyone has or wants to use Economy7 electric!