Tipping Ash Into The Canal

[ditchcrawler]

Baisingstoke Canal rangers still use it to seal the gates I understand

[MustyBoat]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the replies. I think I'm getting the general consensus that one shouldn't tip it into the canal.. fair enough. I'll try the cooling tin thing. Winter is such a pain!

[carlt]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the replies. I think I'm getting the general consensus that one shouldn't tip it into the canal.. fair enough.

Really?

 

Looked about 50:50 to me.

 

I never tip it in hot, by the way, even though I am against land-filling anything I still had a small galvanised dustbin to cool the ashes before thinking about the best means of disposal, rather than binning them and giving them to someone else to worry about.

[XAlan W]

I wonder if the OP has heard stories about working boatmen chucking hot ashes into the water, in an attempt to seal the seams on leaking wooden boats?

Would not be able to do it present day, but at the time I first started out with a working boat (1960) I was advised (told) by the boatmen to tip a small amount of ash lock side (out of the way or by the side of the stop plank structure if there was one) it could be used to rack the gates, paddles,or spread on the gate walkways, lock sides,during the winter when it was icey

[DHutch]

I must say, often stove ash goes overboard, particularly if running the stove overall a weekend/week and ashing it out on the move as you can directly tip it through the window. Else of an evening, holes o the towpath.

 

The ash from the boiler only needs doing ever 3-4 days or so, at which point theres a bin liner full and that normally goes in the domestic waste, else depending on the area, on the towpath or allobg the hedge.

 

All in the main, as far as I know, as good as any other option.

 

 

Daniel

[blackrose]

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Edited November 4, 2013 by blackrose

[Unkown contribution]

Tipping ash into the canal has been common practice for many years, as already stated, this practice can change the Ph values of the canal due to the alkaline levels of the ash and therefore can affect the wildlife and fish. It can also have an adverse affect on the silt analysis process during dredging investigations, C&RT have to analyse the silt before reviewing disposal options, non hazardous material can sometimes prove to be a benifit to agricultural land and be a very cost effective means of disposal and benifit the land (and more dredging (length and volume) gets completed as a result of this).

 

Ash contains Benzo Pyrene (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzopyrene) and can make a non hazardous silt become hazardous over time, greatly incresing the dredging costs (or getting less dredged for the budget).

 

The last point (and i guess a little bit finiky) is that by tipping ash in to the canal you are technically fly-tipping!

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Well, Gravity fed Diesel heating doesn't look so bad now,does it.

In fact,probably the same as Coal & Wood,but without the hassle of my last post 50.

Tipping ash into the canal has been common practice for many years, as already stated, this practice can change the Ph values of the canal due to the alkaline levels of the ash and therefore can affect the wildlife and fish. It can also have an adverse affect on the silt analysis process during dredging investigations, C&RT have to analyse the silt before reviewing disposal options, non hazardous material can sometimes prove to be a benifit to agricultural land and be a very cost effective means of disposal and benifit the land (and more dredging (length and volume) gets completed as a result of this).

 

Ash contains Benzo Pyrene (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzopyrene) and can make a non hazardous silt become hazardous over time, greatly incresing the dredging costs (or getting less dredged for the budget).

 

The last point (and i guess a little bit finiky) is that by tipping ash in to the canal you are technically fly-tipping!

 

Why so mysterious ?.

[Unkown contribution]

mysterious ?.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Hi ya and welcome to the forum by the way,

Ive just noticed it was your first post

'The Unknown Contribution'

Edited March 12, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[Unkown contribution]

Thank you, sometimes being unkown is for the best

[Jambo]

From the London Boaters email list a while back:

 

I had a few words on Twitter with Theo Thomas at Thames 21 who is currently trying to raise awareness about dodgy waste water connections that run into the River Lea. The Lea is currently the most polluted river in the UK.

 

I wanted to know the effects that some of our boater waste might have if we let it straight into the Lea or the canals. I'm pretty sure there's no one chucking their sewage into the cut, but there's probably a lot of us pumping our grey water (shower dregs, washing up water) out, and possibly emptying coal ash. A couple of points that might be of interest:

 

When you mix coal ash with water you get Calcium Hydroxide, which is extremely alkaline. Theo said this would be very bad for any fish that encountered it and would flee if they could. He also said, coal ash on the grass wouldn't do it much good either, and recommended once cold, bagging it up for landfill.

Undiluted grey water is also harmful to the river. He recommended if possible to at least chuck it on the bank, so it has a chance of being filtered through the soil and diluted by rain water. Depending what's in it, it shouldn't be too harmful to vegetation. A washing up bowl to intercept this type of waste water could be a good idea.