Gates. Open or closed?

[nicknorman]

No, you're saving yourself work on a 50/50 bet.

I'd need to be a cleverer mathematician to be sure, but I think it is less that 50:50. It is a fallacious argument to suggest that since traffic each way is the same, you can expect one up, one down, one up etc. Firstly the nature of randomness means that it won't be like that even if it is random - if you toss a coin repeatedly you don't get heads -tails - heads -tails etc. Secondly it is not random, a cluster of boats leaves a popular mooring area, or a hire base, and so for a while the net traffic flow at a nearby lock flight can be pretty much one way.

[ROBDEN]

No, you're saving yourself work on a 50/50 bet.

 

Yeah but a 50/50 bet where both could gain.

[adam1uk]

 

Yeah but a 50/50 bet where both could gain.

 

And where you never lose -- only the person going the 'wrong' way.

[ROBDEN]

Yes that is perfectly reasonable on rivers - as you say there is lots of water going over the weir. But the same is not true on "proper" canals.

 

Yea OK I get the message, I'm being a grumpy xxx, but as I said this does come up regularly and the motive behind it usually seems to be looking for justification for not having to bother.

Not a grumpy xxx, maybe a grumpy xx.

You may feel better if you fixed your throttle lever.....I had one like that once.

 

Rob....

[nicknorman]

And where you never lose -- only the person going the 'wrong' way.

Or the people coming along next morning who have to spend 2 hours running water down a flight to the dry pound.

[ROBDEN]

 

And where you never lose -- only the person going the 'wrong' way.

Not if everyone did it, then it's back to 50/50.

 

ETA. Apart from the dry pound scenario.

Edited June 26, 2015 by ROBDEN

[spadefoot]

 

Yeah but a 50/50 bet where both could gain.

As Nicknorman points out, it's not always "one up one down" . If I follow you along a quiet canal, I lose every time, you do half the work, I do twice the work.

If you follow me, I do my fair share, you do yours.

[nicknorman]

Not if everyone did it, then it's back to 50/50.

No it isn't.

[DHutch]

 

If you close the top gate, doesn't the water from the previous lock flow down the by-wash anyway?

If the flow is greater then the leakage, and its not one of the locks with flow monitoring on The bywash, yes.

Closed? Why?

 

Will also speed up single handing.

You got any popcorn?

 

 

 

Daniel

[Robbo]

Poor maintenance then.

If going down the flight, what about leaving the bottom gates open?

 

On the Leeds & Liverpool, the locks leak mainly due to narrowboaters and not opening both gates and damaging the seal.

[nipper]

I am moored near Barrow deep lock and the gates are regularly left open.

 

Yes, thats because they are so dam hard to close, and it often takes more than one person to close them, and they leak like a sieve, despite major maintenance two years ago!

[b0atman]

I am moored near Barrow deep lock and the gates are regularly left open.

Usually because of boats moored on pre lock landing and it is a River lock.

 

If I am going opposite way to you then leave some gates open as it will be easier for me .But you will have to check out my CRT tracker to know that.

Edited June 26, 2015 by b0atman

[ROBDEN]

No it isn't.

Okay.

[Jess--]

I close all gates unless I can see another boat waiting to use the lock.

[churchward]

Reading another thread, it appears that someone has got their nickers in a twist because of gates being left open.

But why are we expected to close the gate/s after leaving a lock?

 

Rob....

The prime reason is water conservation particularly with narrow locks and the type of gates they use. There are exceptions but these are usually marked as such.

 

The other reason is making everything OK for the next boater. It is the case that if you are going down hill (say) and the next boat to use the lock is going up hill an open gate(s) will help them but equally if the next boat is going down hill also then you will have made more work for them because they have to close the gates you left open to use the lock. So unless you can see a boat coming or the notes by the lock say otherwise it is best to close the gates before you leave.

[bassplayer]

We always try to shut the gates but some gates, given wind direction etc, will always swing open.

 

We were coming through Braunston a couple of months ago. The boat a lock ahead decided they couldn't wait for us but to add to that they 'left' the gates open as they exited. I thought about running ahead to have a moan but thought better of it.

 

Just as well as it turned out. As we went through the same locks the wind kept blowing them open every time we tried closing them behind us. (We usually give up after a couple of attempts).

 

To add to the misery, another boater stormed up from the back of the flight (we didn't see them as they were round the bend!) and shouted at us for leaving the gates open...lol

[nicknorman]

We always try to shut the gates but some gates, given wind direction etc, will always swing open.

 

Yes this is true, although I think it's more to do with the angle of the gate hinge line, than wind. Also when you drive out of a lock, water has to flow in to replace you. This can either push open a bottom gate quickly closed, or, from the sloshing action within the confines of a lock, open a top gate recently closed. So it can be that a second attempt to close would be successful. However since the primary reason for closing is water leakage, if the gate won't stay closed it implies that there is not a significant leak and therefore it probably doesn't matter.

[Bettie Boo]

Ok, I know this question just highlights my lack of basic knowledge &/or understanding but I've got to ask.

 

Why is it ok to leave gates open on canalized (is this a word?) Rivers.

 

I understand about closing gates on canals owing to not draining pounds and water conservation, but why is it different on rivers?

[adam1uk]

Ok, I know this question just highlights my lack of basic knowledge &/or understanding but I've got to ask.

 

Why is it ok to leave gates open on canalized (is this a word?) Rivers.

 

I understand about closing gates on canals owing to not draining pounds and water conservation, but why is it different on rivers?

 

There's no chance of the water running out, because by definition, a river has plenty of water flowing all the time.

[bassplayer]

 

There's no chance of the water running out, because by definition, a river has plenty of water flowing all the time.

Sometimes too much as we discovered on the Soar once! Edited June 26, 2015 by bassplayer

[nicknorman]

Why is it ok to leave gates open on canalized (is this a word?) Rivers.

 

No, it's canalised!

[Bettie Boo]

No, it's canalised!

 

I find "z" isn't used anywhere near enough in British spelling - I like to keep it alive & well excerized

[nicknorman]

I find "z" isn't used anywhere near enough in British spelling - I like to keep it alive & well excerized

Ok, if you zay zo.

[spadefoot]

 

I find "z" isn't used anywhere near enough in British spelling - I like to keep it alive & well excerized

It duz get used in Zomerzet tho'.

[billS]

I think z is unnesessary and so does my pet sebra,

 

hoo I liberated from a soo.

 

I think is amaesing how many unnesessary letters there are in the alphabet. We kood get rid of c as well.