we ran out of fuel!

[kookie]

Yesterday, I really hated living on my boat.

Hubby has been ill since Christmas, spent almost 10 days in bed from Christmas eve, flu with a secondary chest infection.

Half way through last week, I started feeling really off. Ive been off since monday. We are not people who take time off work willynilly, I dont think Ive been off where I work, and Mark hasnt been off work ill in over 15 years.

Anyway, we almost filled our fuel tank up just over a week before Christmas, it was just over 3/4 full. With us being off colour, and the weather, we havent been anywhere, and have only used the fuel for the central heating and hot water. We dont usually run the central heating, with usually being at work all day, other than an hour in the morning and evening. We have used it more this last month, but I wouldnt say excessively. On Monday, the heating wouldnt switch on, ok, thinks me, there will be enought fuel to get round to the diesel pump. I thought the pipes would have been set up in a manner so you couldnt drain your tank using the heating.

Mark is feeling slightly better, so we begged some help with the ropes, and off he sets.

We had only just left the mooring, and the engine cut out. Bollox!! Thank heavens it was a weekday, and not very windy. We got towed round to the pump filled up, and had to then bleed the engine. It cost us £270 to fill it to the brim, so if it was over 3/4s full to start off with, I reckon we must have used around 230 pounds worth of fuel to keep warm. for a month.

I was feeling awful, mybones ached where I didnt know they existed, my head was banging I felt like crying, my dogs were going stir crazy cos we havent walked them properly in a week, and I desperately wished we still lived in a house. I was feeling too ill even to feel embarassed about what anyone else thought about us running out of fuel.

To top it all, I darent put the heating on now if thats how much these heaters cost to run (is it possible to fit a back boiler with a bubble stove?)

 

Now, the fuel guage is stuck showing empty.

 

Any other time, I would have laughed

 

sorry for the moan, I feel a little better about it now.

[Ray]

You haven't sprung a fuel leak, have you?

[Chris J W]

Oooo. You have my sympathies. Hope the sun starts to shine on you again soon!

[denboy]

thats an awful lot of fuel in a month

[Chris Pink]

sorry for the moan, I feel a little better about it now.

 

Gosh, much sympathy for you.

 

Boating can be well hard sometimes. Everything either full or empty at the same time and it's raining or snowing.

[zenataomm]

I think that needs investigating when one or both of you feels up to it. If you were losing fuel you'd smell it no matter how bunged up with the snotties you were.

I'd suggest either you weren't so full as you originally thought and/or some scroat has half inched it whilst the pair of you were horizontal.

 

Anyway it'd be a good idea to alter the feed for your heating so that it becomes dry leaving the engine feed still wet.

 

Fingers crossed for you.

[steelaway]

Yesterday, I really hated living on my boat.

Hubby has been ill since Christmas, spent almost 10 days in bed from Christmas eve, flu with a secondary chest infection.

Half way through last week, I started feeling really off. Ive been off since monday. We are not people who take time off work willynilly, I dont think Ive been off where I work, and Mark hasnt been off work ill in over 15 years.

Anyway, we almost filled our fuel tank up just over a week before Christmas, it was just over 3/4 full. With us being off colour, and the weather, we havent been anywhere, and have only used the fuel for the central heating and hot water. We dont usually run the central heating, with usually being at work all day, other than an hour in the morning and evening. We have used it more this last month, but I wouldnt say excessively. On Monday, the heating wouldnt switch on, ok, thinks me, there will be enought fuel to get round to the diesel pump. I thought the pipes would have been set up in a manner so you couldnt drain your tank using the heating.

Mark is feeling slightly better, so we begged some help with the ropes, and off he sets.

We had only just left the mooring, and the engine cut out. Bollox!! Thank heavens it was a weekday, and not very windy. We got towed round to the pump filled up, and had to then bleed the engine. It cost us £270 to fill it to the brim, so if it was over 3/4s full to start off with, I reckon we must have used around 230 pounds worth of fuel to keep warm. for a month.

I was feeling awful, mybones ached where I didnt know they existed, my head was banging I felt like crying, my dogs were going stir crazy cos we havent walked them properly in a week, and I desperately wished we still lived in a house. I was feeling too ill even to feel embarassed about what anyone else thought about us running out of fuel.

To top it all, I darent put the heating on now if thats how much these heaters cost to run (is it possible to fit a back boiler with a bubble stove?)

 

Now, the fuel guage is stuck showing empty.

 

Any other time, I would have laughed

 

sorry for the moan, I feel a little better about it now.

Hi there

What a Bugger!!!

It seems a bit excessive I have an Eberspacher that I estimate to use .75 ltr / hour and I am told that the Webbasto is about the same.

You must also have a huge tank - nearly 500 ltr@.60p

Rgards

Alex

[kookie]

I don't think we have a fuel leak, I've been all round looking for slicks in the water, and the floor round the engine and tank is dry.

The feed is a priority in the better weather.

We were also supposed to be drydocked at Mills on the Erewash this week to get the hull done, typical. Weve tried to arrange this 3 times in the last 6 weeks, and the weather stumps us each time. Nothing seems to be going our way at the moment. OMG! the sun has just peeked through the grey!!!!!!!

Edited January 17, 2008 by kookie

[Chris J W]

I don't think we have a fuel leak, I've been all round looking for slicks in the water, and the floor round the engine and tank is dry.

The feed is a priority in the better weather.

We were also supposed to be drydocked at Mills on the Erewash this week to get the hull done, typical. Weve tried to arrange this 3 times in the last 6 weeks, and the weather stumps us each time. Nothing seems to be going our way at the moment. OMG! the sun has just peeked through the grey!!!!!!!

 

Sssshh!!! You'll scare it away ...

[stuart]

so if it was over 3/4s full to start off with, I reckon we must have used around 230 pounds worth of fuel to keep warm.

 

Well thats about £7.50 per day, or about 12.5 litres of fuel per day - half a litre an hour if it was on 24/7

[bottle]

Well thats about £7.50 per day, or about 12.5 litres of fuel per day - half a litre an hour if it was on 24/7

 

Beat me

 

 

Got the same answer.

[steelaway]

I don't think we have a fuel leak, I've been all round looking for slicks in the water, and the floor round the engine and tank is dry.

The feed is a priority in the better weather.

We were also supposed to be drydocked at Mills on the Erewash this week to get the hull done, typical. Weve tried to arrange this 3 times in the last 6 weeks, and the weather stumps us each time. Nothing seems to be going our way at the moment. OMG! the sun has just peeked through the grey!!!!!!!

 

Was the fuel pump zero'd --- or do you have a huge fuel tank?

[Dylan]

If you were losing diesel into the cut, you would know in no uncertain terms. One of my NB's had a pinhole leak around the thru tank rudder tube, and it was amazing how much diesel sat on the water. If you were leaking diesel into the cut at that sort of rate, you would get a visit from the evironmental agency I suspect. Far more likely there was less in than you thought, or like me a couple of years ago, somebody has been around with a pump. I have a lock over my filler cap these days.

[kookie]

Was the fuel pump zero'd --- or do you have a huge fuel tank?

supposed to be a 350 ltr tank, but we put 390 in, it's right, cos we did it, and I checked, and at Sawley it's 70p ltr!

[steelaway]

supposed to be a 350 ltr tank, but we put 390 in, it's right, cos we did it, and I checked, and at Sawley it's 70p ltr!

Hi There

How is Sawley copeing with the floods?

I heard yesterday that the Trent was coming over the flood gates?

 

Alex

[chris w]

Hi there

What a Bugger!!!

It seems a bit excessive I have an Eberspacher that I estimate to use .75 ltr / hour and I am told that the Webbasto is about the same.

You must also have a huge tank - nearly 500 ltr@.60p

Rgards

Alex

 

Webasto's use only 0.25 litres per hour (0.5 litres per hour for the first 20 mins after ignition)

 

Chris

[kookie]

Hi There

How is Sawley copeing with the floods?

I heard yesterday that the Trent was coming over the flood gates?

 

Alex

tis over the 1st gates, its about 18 inches below the second gate flowing onto the cut (or it was this morning at 9am)

Apparently last time it was flooded was 2000. Weve only been here a few months, but we lived in Long Eaton for over 12 years, and its about as bad as I've ever seen, my lines are well loosened! Keeping an eye on everyone elses who aren't here.

Edited January 17, 2008 by kookie

[Yoda]

Think I have the answer to your problem, it's the faulty fuel guage. You stated that the tank was 3/4 full but it could not have been if the fuel burn was as stated. you would still have fuel. The guage misread the amount which was much lower than 3/4 full.

[Machpoint005]

Yoda could be right, but being a suspicious and cynical old sod I'm inclined to think someone has been helping themselves...

 

This is going to become a bigger problem when (if!) red diesel disappears.

 

Ian

[blackrose]

And we were just hearing on another thread, about how economical Bubble stoves were to run?

[kookie]

And we were just hearing on another thread, about how economical Bubble stoves were to run?

 

Its not the Bubble in question. We have a standalone solid fuel Bubble stove. It's the Webasto I'm talking about. So I was wondering if you can have a back boiler fitted to an existing Bubble. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Edited January 19, 2008 by kookie

[Boaty Jo]

You are about right with the fuel consumption. Presumably you have a decent sized pressure-jet boiler or a large drip-fed one and a ruck of radiators and water heating.

Having it on 24/7 will certainly shift fuel at an alarming rate.

We have what is probably a similar set-up with a programmable stat in the lounge.

Diesel in Holland was about 90 eurocents / litre last time we filled up - 1000 ltrs - ouch.

 

Jo

 

Sorry, guilty of not reading posts properly. We have a Kabola pressure jet running 10 rads and water heating and use about the same as your Webasto hwen its on 24/7 - it does sound as if you are using an awful lot.

Edited January 19, 2008 by Boaty Jo

[bottle]

Kookie

 

I would expect these people to have the definitive answer Harworth Heating

[kookie]

Thank you.