Onewheeler
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Posts posted by Onewheeler
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10 minutes ago, ivan&alice said:
Hmm, good point. But isn't that the same problem with normal hot and cold pipes? What is the difference if it runs through a radiator?
Yes if we went away for long we'd have to have the system on a timer or drain it.
Radiators are designed to transfer heat and so will freeze more easily. Pipes can be insulated. You'd have to insulate them anyway if you propose a recirc system. That alone will increase heat loss and battery drain under normal operation. Radiators are also usually steel so will corrode. Dunno about finrads. It would be a right PITA to have to drain the whole system and refill it regularly and bleed it all.
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I think you're running tap water through the radiators with no inhibitor or antifreeze? Doesn't sound like a good idea. What happens when it's cold and you're away?
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I replaced an old Jabsco manual toilet (horrid thing) with a Sanimarine SN31 Comfort last year on our boat on the mainland. Lovely piece of kit and not expensive as these things go. I preferred the one with a two way rocker switch to pump out / fill, there's less to go wrong. It's not even very noisy.
I used to have an electric RM69 on our narrowboat. No end of trouble, it blocked frequently and very, very noisy.
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A 1/2" inch drive is handy for turning the engine crankshaft by hand. Or a dedicated big spanner. Don't forget to take it off the nut when you try to start the engine else it may wreck several hoses. I know about such things.
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On 01/11/2019 at 18:42, OldGoat said:
I'd take a slight issue with the above - what is more certain this year is that there are lock closures pending (EA are juggling their equipment and contractors around to get their 'best bang for their bucks' - and the dates may well change. In addition most of the hire fleets have closed for the winter season. All the larger boats on hire are fibreglass cruisers and AFAIK none have wood burning stoves, though some may have diesel fire 'ebersplutter' units. When we passed both Benson and Reading most boats looked as though they were finished for the winter.
A shame as I'd love you to come on to the Thames....
There aren't any closures planned on the Thames for a good distance either side of Oxford as far as I recall (I am hoping to do some winter boating). Whether College Cruisers or Anglo Welsh at Eynsham are open I have no idea. The Thames might be unnavigable, in which case with College Cruisers you'd at least be on a canal in a nice place. Otherwise one could have a pleasant week bimbling around Oxford and Abingdon.
Martin/
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Blowlamp.
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Fascinating. I was dragged up on the banks of the Thames in Fulham. There was a timberyard at the end of our road, can't remember the name but they described themselves as warehousemen and lightermen. Us kids used to watch barges of timber being towed in. It burnt down around 1972. We suspected an insurance job as it was replaced with luxury flats (starting at £19,000).
Martin/
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It's worth the extra for a MPPT controller to maximise whatever the panels can deliver. Size it generously in case you decide to add capacity.
Otherwise make sure that you have sized the panels to enable you to walk on the roof safely.
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When I get around to it I'm going to mount the nav lights currently in the spares box with flying leads and magnets. For the odd occasion when they might be wanted it will be no problem to put them in place temporarily.
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10 minutes ago, mayalld said:
Never buy handrails and use them as a shaft.
They are usually pine, and WHEN they break they will cause some nasty injuries.
Ours has lasted 25 years. Depends upon what you do with it.
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For a long shaft try asking for a mopstick handrail at a timber merchants. Usually 4.something m x 50 mm. Look for defects in it that might weaken it before buying and give it a good coat of paint if leaving it outside.
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We're in a boat share on the more civilised side of the channel. There is a share for sale still - see the for sale page, circa March. (PM me if interested!)
Advantages: it costs much less. With the right mix of people most of the skills needed for maintenance can be covered (we could do with a painter / decorator and a carpenter).
Disadvantages: one needs to fit in with the others and leave the boat tidy. Also need to find where other people have hidden essential things like the cafetière.
Martin/
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1 hour ago, Neil2 said:
how do people cope with the Thames locks where you are supposed to have fore and aft lines ashore?
Bow line round a bollard, ditto stern line, stand in the middle holding both. Avoid lunchtime when the lockie is on lunch break.Or, going up, tie one end on and control the other.
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On the Warwickshire Avon the locks do not behave nicely. I find it easier going up to tie the stern to a bollard and take a long line with you to the top gates. Operate the paddles a little at a time until you get a feel for what the boat is doing.
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7 hours ago, Boaty Jo said:
One thing to be aware of is that some of the northern French waterways are commercial and pretty large, some say not ideally suited to narrowboats.
This is partly because on-boat bollards are not ideally situated and gunwales and fore decks are not easy to walk around, particularly if you're in a panic.
With this in mind it's worth considering being dropped in mid-France, Migennes or St. Jean de Losne for example where there is access to smaller (and lovely) waterways.
The other point is that there is debate about how long these smaller waterways will be open due to funding. There are mutterings about closures so don't hang about too long.
All good points. However wash from the big boats is not really a problem when moving and they are mostly considerate. Mostly. Drag when moored is more of an issue. There have also been a lot of closures in recent years due to lack of water on the smaller and sometimes bigger canals.
Another thing to consider is how to operate locks. Are you single handing? Some of the locks are deep and need lines moved as you go up. You'll need to work out a procedure for going up and down. The usual method is to take a line from the front to a bollard and keep tension on it with the engine. Harder without a crew to control the rope.
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1 hour ago, Bee said:
Licence and winter moorings are frequently about 1/3 of the UK and Belgium and Holland can be even less.
The downside is that you'll usually pay an arm and a leg for water and electricity in Belgium. Typically 1€ per kWh or 100 L. It's usually included in the fees in France. Remember that Belgium operates as two countries: the licence in Flanders is fairly cheap, and free in Wallonia. I've not been, but I think it's even more complicated in the Netherlands.
Also, often the electricity supply is centre-tapped in Belgium which is confusing. One should not rely on neutral being on the "proper" pole of the connector. It's useful to have a phase-reversing adaptor (a pair of connectors cross-connected) and a socket tester - like https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-ms6860d-socket-tester/91596
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1 hour ago, J R ALSOP said:
Gas bottle connections are also different.
I think adaptors are available, but easier to buy a new regulator.
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8 hours ago, lifeintheslowlanes said:
So a self pump out pump to drop the tank out could be useful then... I had read about the length limits on pontoons and luckily being 45ft shouldn't have too much of an issue with that. Someone else had recommended joining the DBA too for info (and at £35 I figure it's probably worthwhile). Cheers for the advice!
If you've got a holding tank, you'll need to be able to pump out yourself. Ideally connect it permanently so you don't have to dump it all in one place!
The DBA is worth the fee just to access the online waterways guides. They are updated by members and are generally a comprehensive and accurate list of where it is feasible to moor, as well as facilities and costs.
Another thing: in France diesel is not seen much in marinas and is usually expensive. Most boats carry cans to fill up at service stations.
VHF is useful on the bigger waterways, and essential if you are going into Belgium.
There are specific regulations, and you can expect to be inspected occasionally. Fire extinguishers and lifejackets must be in date. You need a bucket on a rope for fires! Look at the DBA knowledge guides (but remember that a lot of the more complicated stuff relates to boats over 20m). I'm not sure if nav lights are compulsory or not (if not traveling at night).
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Hose connectors are nearly all bog standard BSP.
Shore line connectors are nearly all the usual 16A type.
It is very useful to have a couple of 30m mooring lines and some very big mooring pins.
Main difference is that nearly all toilet waste goes over the side. I've only seen one pumpout in France. Elsan disposal can be found at municipal camper van sites which are often waterside.
On many waterways the only feasible mooring is at dedicated spaces. Mooring online in the middle of nowhere can be impossible due to depth, rocky banks or wash from commercials.
A narrowboat is not ideal. Many moorings are on pontoons and limited to 15 m or less. It can be done though.
More specific advice on the DBA website but you need to join to access their very useful waterways guides and forum.
Martin/
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Possibly a 610mm shower tray which is the current standard size. Google will find lots. Something may suit.
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2 hours ago, Keeping Up said:
I once had the strainer on my pump break. The contents of the water tank deposited itself in the bilges & the water came up over the rear cabin floor, but up in the lounge we were unaware until the next time the kitchen tap was turned on at which point the pump wouldn't stop.
Ours decided to separate into two halves recently. Held together with a bayonet fitting but without the clicky bit at the end. It dumped 250 L into the bilge.
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1 hour ago, alan_fincher said:
Last time we used Cooke and Lewis units from B&Q, which were completely satisfactory. However B&Q are phasing them out and replacing with an alternate that seems to be inferior in every way, and gets crap reviews on their website, (and I mean really crap reviews, not offset by any good ones.
That's a pity, the C&L weren't bad for the price. I've just fitted a couple in my house. We were lucky to have bought just in time. It's worth adding some PVA to the joints to make them sturdier.
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It might be feasible if installed as an adjunct to a stove, and would make the boat feel very comfortable. Easier to fit on a new build. Maybe just fit it up the middle 1 m of the boat (assuming a narrowboat) as the edges are usually furniture. The ballast goes up the edges. Build a Celotex wall to separate the centre section from the ballast area, and line the baseplate with Celotex.
Typcial heating mat is 150 - 200 W/m^2. 50 mm Celotex has an R-value of 2.25 m^2 K / W so a deltaT of say 40 K water to heat mat would only lose about 17 W/m^2 to the water, anything left would warm your feet. 10 m^2 of 150 W/m^2 would therefore put over 1300 W into the boat. Not enough to keep it fully heated but it would certainly make the boat feel more comfortable.
Domestic underfloor relies on a low heat input over a large area. A narrowboat is only the area of a small room in a house.
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I'd try to keep it simple.
Tank H has webasto and engine
Tank V has solar (with its own pump and controller) and spare coil.
Fit the Webasto outlet with a three way valve (including midway option) to feed H, V spare coil or both.
Cold feed to V comes from hot outlet of H. DHW feed comes from V.
Normal operation has Webasto going to V or use solar in V.
Bathnight has Webasto powering H (and V if solar hasn't done much).
It sounds as if you don't use the engine much, but otherwise you could arrange a small recirculation pump from hot side of V to cold side of H (with a NRV in the cold feed to H and an expansion tank) to get hot water to V.
I don't know if you can get three-way valves for 12 V with a midway option, but otherwise take the actuator off and operate it manually (Womanually? Gender-non-specificually?)
Some clever Arduino programming with sensors could help, or get very confusing!
Martin/
Where to do a ~1 week WINTER holiday going through towns or cities (vs countryside)?
in Holidays Afloat
Posted
It certainly is, at least for a few weeks. Had to paddle baarefoot to get off the boat on Friday, it peaked at about 1.3 m over usual in Oxford. Back down to about a metre up but it will take a while to get to a navigable state.