philjw

Quite so. I am intrigued to know how the split charge relay, possibly 2 relays, would be wired to charge both 24 and 12V batteries. If the starter were to be 24V and is separate from the domestic I would expect two engine batteries. The OP talks about "the engine battery". Perhaps the split charge relays are something else?

How would this work then if the domestics are 24V and the engine 12V? Would this not mean that when the relay is energised the full voltage of the 24V alternator would be applied to the engine battery?

I met a grass snake in the water on the other side of Braunston on the South Oxford a couple of years ago. It was swimming really well. I think this one is also a grass snake not a Burmese Python.

Not with the weight of the engine sitting on them. Loose would mean that there is a gap between the engine bracket and the top nut. If there is a washer below the top nut and you can spin the washer then it is loose.

Which bolts did the yard tighten? There are two sets, one which is nuts on studs at the gearbox output flange end and bolts at the prop end. The prop end ones need to be really tight and done up in the right order. I would have another go at getting these ones done up properly. Don't overtighten the ones at the gearbox end though - these are steel studs threaded into alloy so will strip easily.

You should be able to feed charge to both batteries from the charger by connecting the charger positive to the same battery terminal that the alternator is connected to. Negative to the common negative. Check that the negatives from both batteries are connected together. Don't rely on crocodile clips, use crimped on ring terminals. If the alternator feeds the domestic battery then if this is position 2 on the switch just the domestic battery will be charged on position 2 but both batteries at the both position. It's possible that the fuse in the charger lead has blown - check with your multimeter.

Has anyone tried cat litter for this job? Sounds like it should be absorbant like sawdust.

Run the nearest hot tap to the machine until you get hot water through to ensure that you miss the cold water that has been laying in the hot pipework.

Have a look if you can at Hugh McKnight's "Cruising French Waterways". I've just been reading about the very region that you are interested in in that book. It is not a full on history but does cover some.

You will probably need to lower the temperature of the hot water to, say, 40 C to be able to use the lower temperature programmes. It's likely that an engine heated calorifier will be at a much higher temperature. Some calorifiers e.g. Surecal have built in thermostatic mixers to reduce the delivered water to a safe temperature but if yours does not you may need to fit one.

Modern washers with electronic controls don't like anything other than pure sine wave inverters. If yours is a modified sine wave then you will need to look for a machine with mechanical / clockwork controls. Ours is fed with water at around 40 degrees from a thermostatic mixer valve for wash and rinse. The inverter is 2.2 and copes well. It could also handle the heater before I added the thermostatic valve but took a lot longer for a wash.

If there is a chandlery that you could visit you should be able to recognise what you need. Last time I changed pigtails I didn't need to think about it, just picked up the standard item off the shelf.

It's interesting that all of the castings seem to be broken in the same place. This looks more deliberate than accidental to me and I would have thought that it would have needed something heavier than a windlass to break that thickness of cast iron, brittle as it is. The gear was designed to drop slowly so once the ratched was released there would be no need to en-engage it again. Another one of those mysteries lost in the past.

You can still see the remains of the ratchet ring around the spindle where you place the windlass on some of them. They were much flatter than the rack and pinion ratchet wheels on, say, the Grand Junction locks. I still wonder why they are not still in use.

I asked what the arrangment was back in 2017. Ray T posted this which says that there was a ratchet: 387,951. Sluice valves. BENCE, E. H., Municipal Engineering Works, Langley Green, Birmingham, HAM, P. S., 70, Victoria Street, London, and MORGAN, E. I., 8, Wolverhampton Road, Sedgley, Birmingham. Aug. 24, 1932, No. 23694. [Class 68 (ii).] A sluice valve is operated by screw gearing of such a pitch that the valve, when raised and released, will descend by its own weight. The Figure shows a gearing for raising a flat sliding valve, not shown, at the lower end of a non-revolving rod 14. It comprises a gear case 19, 20, containing bevel wheels 23, 24 rotatable so that the nut 35 raises the rod 14. When raised, it is retained by pawls 33a, 33b engaging with ratchet wheels 30, 31 ; these may be released by overturning a link 34, and the valve then descends. The stop 37 is fitted with a buffer 38, or may function as a dashpot. In a modification, the rod 14 is keyed to the wheel 23, and rotates in a nut at the upper end of a tube attached to the valve rod. Buffers are fitted at the lower edge of valve ; they may be removed to enable the valve to be removed. Edited July 17, 2017 by Ray T

The current arrangement for holding up the paddles on the Ham Baker gear is not as they were designed but is a later modification. You cannot read anything of the original designer's intention from the way they are now. I favour keeping the pawl engaged but ensuring that it is holding before removing my windlass.

I don't know what make of bottle you have but blue is usually butane and red propane. At least this is true for Calor. If you have a left hand threaded male connector that screws onto the bottle that should be propane if it is or is like Calor.

So with the shower head removed, how does the flow compare with the taps? Is it possible that you have one of those fine strainers in the line?

You could try your vinegar on the shower head. That would be the obvious point of blockage.