Bobbybass

Clear now .... brilliant!

Not a total stoppage...but a caution. We have just come off the Thames... through Reading town centre and then the County Lock. Heading for Waterworks lock...105...the canal is quite low. As a result many trees have their roots exposed ...which have dried out...and the trees have either fallen over or are just about to. There are now quite a few across the canal. We managed to pass through with our narrowboat...just...but if you had a wide beam you are going to part with a lot of paint.! You are also forced to go away from the centre of the river into the shallow reed section. Over the years...I've seen many leaning trees...but there are now a lot of substantial trees in this section about to go over....so take care !

We are currently at the Cunning man pub..but won't be able to get much past Aldermaston for the next day or so. The canal...and towpath is totally closed. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/22856-kennet-and-avon-canal-300-mtrs-east-of-bridge-29-frouds-bridge

I bought two from Wilko for £5.99 each and they're excellent.... Solar power...and movement detection. My complete CCTV system was stolen and all I had was a nice photo of a hooded scrote holding up two fingers....sent to my phone. The CCTV system was the most valuable thing on the boat !!

I use a multi tool...and a stack of blades..it's like a power chisel and can undercut the bitumen.

I use a battery multi tool......and slice with the blade like a power chisel to remove the blacking. You need a lot of blades as they heat and melt the blacking. Then.....flap wheels...... Sorry....but I think you're back to square one.....

Just seen a news article....that although the UK is ok for petrol supplies, a sixth of diesel comes from Russia with suppliers running short. The government is supposedly pondering a diesel rationing system in the near weeks. I wonder how that would affect us...🤔

I didn't read the question properly...so deleted. .

Is it very old ? Thetford have a three year guarantee on much of their range. It's not a ....return to base.....they will send an engineer canal side....they did with me.

Sorry.... My phone is very limited and I didn't realise it had already been posted. Please ignore.... 😳

I've just put a link in this section...to a comprehensive article about overplating. You may like to read it....

This makes for sobering reading. https://www.iims.org.uk/the-dangers-of-overplating/?fbclid=IwAR3yy0NuKt6avkd4q1AdINCFeClXg5SwKOh95AGOevLpRZz1YTblGRBEFA0

As I said previously.....I was ok for about five week on the Thames.. couldn't feel better....but then became very ill with a helicobacter infection.... commonly caught from contaminated water. This was confirmed by hospital tests. Interesting this article just appeared: https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/food-drink/youtuber-feels-ill-after-catching-21709117

I can't be definitive about this but : last year I did a Thames run for two months. Towards the end I was getting horrible acid indigestion and reflux. It got worse and I was chewing my way through boxes of Rennies. When I left the boat the problem carried on until one night I was ambulanced to hospital with a bleeding ulcer. I stayed there for a week while it settled and tests concluded I was suffering from helicobacter pylori...a nasty but common infection often caught from contaminated water. It is the most common cause of ulcers. As I said....not definitive...but timing wise I have my suspicions. 🤔

My thoughts exactly... You don't want your engine compartment filling with carbon-me-backside. I'd put my hand over the outlet...and blow...and make sure it's sealed...

Silly I know ....but : it says charging and AC available.... I've got a manual landline switch over i left my battery charger in circuit when i was not on the landline....and turning the Inverter on...starter charging the batteries. Trouble was...I was charging them from themselves...so it read 14.2 volts....but they were dying !.

When I leave my boat for a period of time...with only solar....I link both battery banks with some jump leads.

I would have thought that running thrusters continually while in a lock...some being very slow....the batteries would be out before the boat 😄

I had this with my pump out pipes and also the vent pipe that never got touched by anything. I argued with Leesan that the dry vent pipe had gone porous and stank with a strange sweet odour...they said it couldn't. I cut a six inch section and posted it to them to smell.. They never replied.

What you have to bear in mind about Vactan is that it's a rust converter. It converts the rust into a surface suitable for painting over. If you paint it over bare shiny metal it has no grip and will just form a skin which will flake off. I've used it really successfully in the past by applying over rust...then lightly wire brushing the treated area before painting. I don't use it on non-rusty bare metal. That needs an acid primer. Bob