Bobbybass

I phoned up my flat to check...a woman answered and said 'come on over...there's nobody here'...so I went on over....and there was nobody there.. Bob

Enjoy

That seems a silly argument...ill thought through. I pay my boat license and that entitles me to moor and use towpaths..get water that is paid for by BW and the same with pumpouts..and BW pay to local councils for this....so there is a contribution to local councils. Under your philosphy...if I rent a caravan in Wales for a week and walk into various towns...I better apply to the local councils so that I can pay them for walking on their footpaths and using the public loos...tourist information..buses...maybe a 'roaming around town while on holiday' license. Also..have you any concept of how much it costs to collect and then redistribute money ? You would probably have to add £5k to each and every boat license to cover the costs of the new systems and staff. You pay for council tax..it goes to that council...so...you had better start working out every single council area you go into and ask for bills.. Do you pay a 'blanket fee' for walking or parking while on holiday. Are you advocating that when you do this..say by bus or car...you should pay a fee ?. If not..why do you think that boaters should be different ? Bob

As I said ..'above'..this seems to be down to councils..? Brighton and Hove are happy for my unfurnished flat to be empty..although it has a fitted oven..but no fridge..microwave...washing machine... They give me zero rating..although there is a numnber of months for that..(maybe 6 max.?) This may be your problem....if the seller already used up the '6 months'..? The furnished student house...I pay for the few empty weeks..but get a 10% reduction... I should have thought you would get a reduction...but would have to argue that. They need the cash....get fighting !! Bob

I have 2 properties I rent out. An unfurnished flat...and a 'student house' which is furnished. If the unfurnished flat ends up empty for a month or so...I am told by Brighton council..they require No council tax. The students (student house ) get a 'zero' exemption when they move in. There is always a time...of maybe 2 weeks...when the students leave...and before the new ones moved in. As its furnished..I have to pay council tax for these weeks..but the council give me a 10% rebate..( but I had to nag to get this ) The council say...if I removed every bit of furniture..it would be elligable for zero. This fits in with Lewes council...where a friend of mine over the road..ran a 'one at a time' hairdressers in a little converted area at the back of her house. She paid a small business rate for this. She was diagnosed with cancer....and had 6 months where she had chemo etc...and there was no way she could hair-dress...but the council wanted full council tax unless she removed every single fitting...sink etc. I guess different councils work the system different ways...and thats the thing to remember....DON'T take their word for anything...!. They need the money...so argue your case...!! Bob

Just a warning..probably too late.. If they are the thin ones that sort of...snap into little chunks...do they have tiny white flecks like cloth in the tile..? If so..it was usually ASBESTOS !! I lived in a block of flats for a little while where inspectors condemmed the tiles and put little asbestos warning labels on them. No..I didnt know that...and have removed them in the past..!! Bob

One of the main forum problems is that the thread starts to change after a while.. Sorry tp hear about your loss of coal.. Did you know that the groundhog, Punxatawny Phil...came out of hibernation on the 2nd...and predicted and early spring.. Bob

I ran mine to the bus...BUT..I put an inline fuse just before the connection in case the regulator fails and shorts. Bob

Me again...!! All good stuff here.... Someone did say..check the filter...and I forgot about that. On the inlet..or is it outlet..?..of the metering pump is the world smallest fuel filter.. It is where the pipes attach to the unit...worth checking that for blockage. Remove the pump and do that on a work surface....its a pig to find if you drop it into the bilge !! Funny old things Eberspachers...like Marmite..you love them or hate them... I love mine....and as someone else said here...I attached it to the bulkhead by wingnuts..and can remove...strip and rebuild in about an hour... I found a guy on Ebay....something like 4by4Andy ?? or 4x4Andy..? He does secondhand bits and is great...knows his stuff... I bought a whole decoked body from him for £35 and when my air fan went..I had one (secondhand) next day for £40. Eberspacher charge about £240 for one you have to modify.. If I find his name on Ebay..I'llpost again.. Yup...here he is..Andy : 07 84 355 61 07 There is a big fault..that is not the case here...and that is the main fuse holder for the glowplug. Becuase it carries a large current...16amp..the springs on each end of the fuse heat up..and over time cease to be springy. You can keep bending them..but they will work loose again. I fitted 2 thick cables and put them into an external fuseholder..that hangs outside of the control box. This has made an amazing difference in reliabilty and funny shutdowns and is also easy to replace the fuse if it goes..although mine doesn't now I have made this 'mod' Bob

I have this on my boat...it was surveyed 3 years ago and the surveyor said it would last about 7 more years. Mine is caused by rolling the plate that makes up the bottom.I have been told that at the 'mill' they stack several lots of thick plates on top of each other (each several inches thick) and then it is rolled/squahed to make a thinner plate..mine is 12mm. If this is not done correctly then the plates may not properly 'adhere' and I'm told that is what has happened to mine. When it was blacked last year..I asked for an inspection and they said it was almost like it was 'delaminating'. I was told that there was not much to be done..but just monitor it and have a new bottom when it was too bad. My original surveyor did recommend blacking the bottom plate..which isn't usually done..as the blacking would fill the pits. I had this done (Rose narrowboats near Rugby)..although they doubted the wisdom of this as they said the bottom plate just gets scrubbed off. I asked Rose Narrowboat about what happens when it gets too bad..they said it is rebottomed over the top of the existing plate. I asked..about internal fitments..but they said nothing has to be removed...and they often do this with their own hire boats when they start getting older. I asked price...and this is dependant on steel price at the time..they estimated then to be £3-£4k. They said..the boat is brought in over the top of the plate..and it is then welded around the edges..over the old plate. Bob

Not sure what model you have..? The pump should not run slowly...it has to inject a measured amount of fuel into the heater. There is nothing else that controls this amount of fuel...it is solely the metering pump. There could be a blockage of some kind in the injector pipe..? I will say the following...and state that it is 'only my opinion and I will not be held responsible' I think...as others say..it may just be coke.?? In order to check if fuel is coming out of the pump into the unit...you need to make sure the glowplug is not running..( because you dont want loose fuel and an ignition source) ...but you still need a load as if the glowplug is there.. Remove the fuel pipe and put into a jar to catch the fuel. Make yourself a dummy load...I use a 12volt cabin light bulb...and wire it in place of the glowplug...so the wire/bulb is not near the fuel.. You can then start the Eberspacher...you should hear the water pump and fan fire up...there is a delay as the control unit makes sure things are running and that there is a load for the glowplug...the pump will then start to tick...and you should see fuel going into the jar... You will then see the dummy load..the bulb...click on and off.. If you are ...reasonably adept at these things...you can put a good quality meter across the power lead at the Eberspacher control unit...and read off the voltage.. If you have a good set of scales ( I use my Salter kitchen digitals) you can actually measure the amount of fuel collected...match it to the voltage you read off from the control unit...and compare it to a chart on the Eberspacher site to make sure you have the right amount of fuel. The whole thing will shut down after about a minute...as it thinks there is fuel and a spark...but it does not see the signal from the sensor that tells it there is a flame. If not run for a while..or you have just serviced it..you will get LOADS of white smoke from the exhaust. This is becyuase it soaks down from the unit and into the insulating 'bandage'.. Do NOT chicken out and stop the heater. You have to burn it off...it will go...but takes a...spectacular while! You need to get to grips with the workings of it...but they are very good if you do so...and do the occasional decoke. Mine is now 14 years old...and well used. I bought a spare 'centre boiler bitty' on Ebay...and rotate them for decokes..but about every 2 years.. Fire on the button..very happy with it Good luck.. Bob

I paid for mine online at start of December...and chased....but have only just received it. Was told it must have got 'lost in the snow' Is this the 'snow' that exists in the heads of people that work for BW ? Bob

Using a my Whitegold meter...my cells read about 17.4 volts when disconnected from the controller...I read this was about right..? Bob

I'm not sure thats needed with solar cells..I think thats only for wind turbines...? My terminals go live...when the sun is gone..which fits in with what the supplier told me..?

No Idea..what make of regulator you have..but mine has 2 terminals with a picture of a lightbulb on it. When I asked the supplier..they said..you dont connect that..its just an automatic night time light that...you can put a low power bulb on it and it will come on as the light fades..? They said the large illuminated on/off switch controls this. I asked of the switch affects the charging circuit..but they said no..it was only for the night-light bulb. No idea if that is right...mine has not been connected to anything( the light bulb terminals) for 3 years...and seems to have no affect. The cells charge fine whatever the switch setting.

Yee haa...lets have a hanging !!

We had a sort of nicotiney...swirly pattern with flowers.... We bought some very dark blue dye...and were very pleased with the result.. You can still make out flowers..but they have become shades of dark blue...and look quite nice now.. Bob

Not familiar with this at all..but its not 'shimmed' is it..? You dont just measure the clearance..and then adjust it by adding or taking away measured shims..? Just an idea. Bob

Hi.. Other have answered quite well...so I'll just add five-penethworth.. I changed my banking...Orange phone ..tax..etc to online... A relative opens up stuff...and scans..email if its important.. I go to the post office and use 'post restant'...(spelling maybe..?)..they tell you how to address it for this. I haven't been charged for that..understood it was free..? Car wise...I have gotten rid of mine now...as it means I dont have to come back to the same marina...and I can just hire when needed and not pay summer marina fees.. When I did come back..the brakes vibrated badly where the pads touched the disc and cost £400 to fix !! It started OK as I put a 20w solar cell on the back window ledge. There is a new law that has been 'signed' comes in the next few months. You cant just let the insurance lapse on a car even if its in the garage ( continuous insurance). If you are not using it...you have to SORN it the same as you do for road tax...( usually a pain then to UNSORN it ) They will have power to fine for a garaged car unless you do that. Doctors..etc..a bit more tricky...I haven't told mine I'm gone...and so catch a train back if needed. I was very ill earlier in the year..I went to Rugby hosptal..they put me on the computer as a 'traveller'.after debating how to handle a person with no home address...and I got in ahead of the queue and got preferential treatment for being an ethnic minority !!. I feel aother thread coming here !! Bob

Is that the bit that goes to the 'roundhouse'.? I hired a row boat...and thought that was hard going...!! Wouldn't like to take a NB there..? Bob

No..? Well...I come down under the bridge..to the town....go under it...turn at the pub..back under the bridge..and moor immediatley on the right..just far enough to not get bridge noise.. I have stayed there several times...nobody ever asked for money.??..and when I asked the guy in the fishing shop at the bridge...he said it belonged to the council and nobody should ask for money..!!? There is free 24 hour mooring near Boulters lock..(below it) have stayed there several times... Goring..yup thats a good one.. Maidenhead....if you moor after 7 and leave at 6.30 the 'collector' comes on his way to work..so you miss him...I moored 7pm Saturday..he has a day off Sunday..and I left at 6.30 Monday...and circled and enjoyed Bray until the lock opened.. Windsor....I moored to the island opposite the kids fairground. They say to buy at a ticket at the leisure centre or buy from collector ..and I did that for one night..(leisure centre) but the guy behind said 'wait for the collector..he never comes'..so I did...for 5 nights..and he never did.. As you say..over the way at Eton..they are straight there.. I agree about the Nicholsons...but I did find some of the moorings..were actually a little way up to where they were shown in the guide.. Was on Thames for a month this year...and only paid mooring 4 nights...and that was to be in a place to meet guests... A lot more 'self service' locks than I have seen before though.. Bob I used to moor on the town side.at Wallingford...and it said 'buy ticket from council office'..and I went there and they said..'dont bother...we dont have any 'collectors anyway'... They have now built a nice new mooring on the other side..but it is now 'patrolled'..in theory ?