Daftmare

So you did not use "both" at all? J. Again, not using the "both" setting. Interesting, because we usually run on "both" all the time, just switching to 2 when moored. But I can see what Chris is saying about keeping a starter battery just for starting - will have to see what starter battery we actually have. The others are definitely just leisure ones. I have a feeling that the answer to this IS going to be simple - not charging enough. But thanks everyone for your input. Jo.

Hi Sorry for the confusion. I was trying to convey (not very well) that our bilge pump switch on the control panel is not connected. There is a bilge pump, and the float switch is used to turn the bilge pump on and off. The float switch is wired directly into one of the batteries (not very well in my opinion). It has been in use quite a lot lately, as we had a problem with a leaky stern gland over several months (now fixed). The float switch automatically worked the bilge pump when enough water was present to float the switch into the "on" position. There is not much room down in the bilges for this to work efficiently and it was sometimes getting caught on something, leaving it in the "on" position once the water had pumped out. However, this float switch has been disconnected for the two months that the boat has been at the boatyard (having the engine mountings replaced) and the stern gland problem fixed. Jo. I try very hard to remember to use 1 and not 2 for starting the engine. The kids all know to switch to both as soon as we are under way and to switch to 2 as soon as we are moored up. We never forget to switch to OFF when we leave the boat. Its usually after a stop for tea or something, that I forget to switch back to 1 to restart the engine again. I hadn't realised that it would make much difference which battery I used for starting, really. Jo.

Thanks again Alan. I must admit to knowing little about batteries. We have four - one for starting and three for domestic use - I imagined that they are all the exactly the same sort of battery, we didn't buy them for specific uses. Having said that, our friendly local engineer provided the starter battery, so it might be a special type - will check with him. Jo.

Hi there and welcome to the forum. I think you will have the most fantastic time cruising the caledonian canal. It is something I have always wanted to do - so jealous! I am sure someone will be along soon, who has done this trip and will give you more advice about hiring, etc. 2 weeks is not too long - its your honeymoon after all!!! Cheers Jo

Hi Alan Well well, I wasn't aware that what we had was so rare - very interesting! Our switch does allow us to start the engine with the domestic batteries only. I often do this by mistake, forgetting to switch to "1" to start the engine after a period moored up. Jo.

Chris, thanks for this. It was a prop shaft repair that the boat went in for in the first place, and new parts have been put in. (Forgot all about that!). We will definitely check this out as well. Jo.

Hi Paul Paul at All Aboard has replaced the engine mountings. I think we will see how we go and if in the next couple of visits I still feel sick, we will go back to him and ask what can be done. He has definitely changed something. What is a "head steady"?? Jo. Hi Alan We have a Lister 36hp engine. Been no trouble at all until now. The engineer is not unscrupulous, so no problem there. But I agree we need to investigate the engine mounting change further. It has to be that, as nothing else has changed. Jo.

I don't think its the fridge, Nick, because the little fridge light goes off when we turn the isolator switch to off. I was just using this as our reason for not keeping any batteries running when we are not there. However, we have had problems with the isolator switch in the past (thought that was fixed though) so you MAY be right about it not isolating everything - but what else is there? Jo. Thanks Allan We will get a multimeter and start investigating. Thanks everyone for your comments. Jo.

early days J.

Yep, as said in first post - tried putting engine in neutral and changing the revs, made no difference. The engineer did say that the engine mountings he has put in are different to what was there ....not soft ones???? Jo.

Thanks for this. You may be right to say that we are not using our system correctly. I admit that I always thought that it was the starter battery you saved, to enable the other batteries to be charged off that if they went flat. Our battery isolator switch is labelled "1" for starter battery and "2" for domestic batteries and "both" for, well, both. When we leave, we always turn the isolator switch to OFF, leaving nothing running. The float switch (which is our "automatic bilge pump" - the bilge pump itself is not wired in), is connected directly to the batteries - not sure which battery though - will check. Our problem is that if we leave any of the batteries on, there is a little green light on the front of our 12V fridge which stays on all the time (even if we turn the fridge off inside, so that it is not cold). There seems to be no way of disconnecting this fridge light. It would flatten the batteries in no time. So, our battery isolator switch has been turned off all this time. Jo

Chris, I am suitably humbled, chastened, embarrassed. We do not know enough about our batteries, clearly. I do know how important they are, however. We do not have a separate battery charger. No idea of the size of our alternator. Cruising all day is 8 hours not 4. We will get it all checked out. Thanks Jo

Hi Chris I am sorry to divulge that we are measuring the charge this way - "we have been out cruising all day - so our batteries must be well charged up"!! We will get ourselves a multimeter. We will think about disconnecting the batteries in the winter time. There is just a float switch, which has been known to get caught on something in the bilge and stay on, but I think that it had been disconnected for the time the boat has been at the dry dock/boatyard (8 weeks). Jo

Thanks Robin, Oh dear. It was definitely the VIBRATION that was the problem, not fumes. I can only assume it is the new engine mountings causing it, as I have been fine for three years. I hope that the kids/visitors who spend more time down below when we are cruising than me (being the skipper) will not be similarly affected. If anyone has any ideas on how to cure this, please let me know! Jo.

Thanks all The batteries were replaced last year so are pretty new. They were dead when we got back to the boat in March 2008, and we had assumed (rightly or wrongly) that we had foolishly flattened the batteries ourselves by trying to run the webasto central heating on a timer over the winter - which meant we had to have the battery isolator switch ON to run the timer, but this of course also ran the little green light on the 12V fridge. Over time this flattened the batteries, or so we thought. Not being technical at all, and neither is my husband but the batteries have a little hole you look into, and we think that if they show white they need replacing, if they show black they need charging and if they show green or degrees of green this is the degree of charge. They were black, no charge and after a short while with the engine running (half an hour at tops before I started feeling sick - see other post) they started to get a green tinge. I have no idea how fully charged they were to start with. Trying to remember when we last went out. We only took the boat from Ham Manor Basin to the dry dock (10 mins) on 14 December. Before then it would have been October half-term since the batteries had been fully charged up. We do not have a bilge pump wired up at all, but we have a float switch which is wired directly to the battery and this MAY be the problem, I suppose it could have got stuck on. J.

Hi We have just had new engine mountings fitted, as our engine had been about to take off and fly, it shook so much. However, on returning the boat to its mooring (having run it down from the boatyard on its starter battery), we found that we couldn't even run the radio as the other batteries were flat. SO decided to run the engine for a little while to charge them up. But I immediately started to feel sick, my ears started to hurt. Never happened before! I almost had to get off the boat. Tried putting the engine into neutral and in forward gear to find another level of vibration, but no good. In the end, we just turned off the engine. Anyone know what is going on? Jo

Hi all, For the second season in a row, we have returned to the boat to find we have flat domestic batteries. Is it normal for the batteries to run flat on their own, if not used for 6 weeks or so? Or should we be looking for something that is draining them? Jo.

Thanks Tony, will PM you for your phone number before we set off - weekend before Easter. I would definitely be interested in parking arrangements nearby, in case we have visitors. Cheers Jo.

Contratulations on your mooring success. Now just got to find the perfect home to put on it. Well done. J.

We are clearing and putting up a new back fence in our garden. Gotta get it down now, because as soon as the better weather comes we will be on the boat every spare minute! J.

They must live extremely boring lives if they need a TV in EVERY ROOM.

Try Hilperton Marina? Jo.

It most certainly does. Thanks Chris. Jo.

Thanks, will check at the weekend, but have a feeling we have single coil only. Would it be a blonde thing to say if I said the calorifier is horizontal, because its situated under the double bed? J. PS - Does anyone have a view on whether it is more cost effective to get hot water this way, than running the main engine? Same diesel, but more work for the Webasto and hence more maintenance (did I just answer my own question?).

Thanks for all the tips and advice. We are 56ft and quite used to hairpin bends, so will be OK. Either useless or fantastic at turning depending on the wind! We will look out for the hire base at Radcot too. Jo.