canals are us?

Thanks for your recommendation, I have just sent them an email. I have emailed 4 suppliers so far. James

The boss white gets good reviews, but not had need to try it. Possibly replace seal and use boss white. James.

When I have installed boilers in stoves. On some of the fittings the inside has a flat ring/shelf inside where you can place a fibre seal inside and that compresses against that and the boiler stub. If not use plenty of PTFE tape. Both seem to work. James.

I'm painting my boat currently and with the winds last night noticed how drafty the old windows are. The seals have gone hard and shrunk on the hoppers and I thought I may well replace them with new double glazed windows. I have 6x 24x30 inches and one 18x24. Thinking standard hopper style with radius bottom. Or full opening glass. Looking for recommendations for a marine window manufacturer. I have emailed Wesley marine and channel glaze. Need to phone Worcester windows. Are there other manufacturers? Ideally like laminated glazing rather than toughened. How long does a double glazed units last on a boat before the seals go? Anyone claimed under warranty? My single glazed windows are 19 years old. Budget, ideally under £2000 with me fitting them. Many thanks. James.

Out on the canal cooking for just myself I would probably use 1-2 bottles at 13kg each year. I'm moored at the Marina and live aboard and around 18 months ago bought an electric mini oven as fed up of bending down to light the oven. So far still using the 3rd bottle in 5 years. I bought a 4th 6 months ago but not used it yet. I now just use the gas hob for veg, gravy, soup etc and grill. James

I'm a plumber by trade but gave up the domestic gas side in 2001. I fitted my boat rads and pipework as a gravity system from my boiler stove. It cost £350 in materials including the rads 5 years ago. I am self employed and charge £100 a day whatever I do including plumbing. A boat heating system is very simple and all I have seen use plastic pipe and fittings which is a doddle to fit. James

I bought a 1998 Liverpool narrow boat 5 years ago to live on and have had no issues. It wasn't fitted out by them but a self fit out which I like. What drew me was being a trad 50 footer I got more space inside and boats I had viewed were terrible at 20k and another 5k extra got me a nice boat for £25,000. I like the Beta Marine 1305 engine and it passed the full survey with flying colours. The surveyor that I found even said "if you don't buy it I will" He said that Liverpool had an unfair reputation by being a volume builder and we always hear of the bad ones but never the most likely satisfied owners. My boat has the scroll in it. What years did they do that? There are quite a few LB in our Marina. Another owner has a Collingswood boat and that hasn't had any issues. James.

The original owner installed a concrete slab like I discussed. This is an old pic as moggy put to sleep 3 years ago Christmas and have added back boiler and reclaimed parquet floor. It actually counteracts and ballasts the boat nicely as kitchen and bathroom, bed all on other side of boat. James.

Thanks Will hopefully sort it out. If not it will go in bin!!

Yes. In a house to building regs must be on a 5 inch thick non combustible hearth unless suitable for a 12mm hearth. I would fix vermiculite board over the floor and build a wood frame a few inches wider and 4 inches high. Inside screw screws sticking up out of floor, fill it with concrete at least 4 inches thick and tamp it down well and then tile on top. The screws are there to stop the concrete slab moving once set. Fireboard the walls around and above the stove with a 25mm air gap and tile. How about this! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hamlet-Solution-5-Multi-Fuel-Stove-5-0kW/362037338888?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D46150%26meid%3D8555cebf985a45f486405b9d95906bb9%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D253156730222&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 http://www.stovecentre.co.uk/woodburning/hamlet-solution-5.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkN3DlIys1gIVTrftCh3mUgDREAQYASABEgIp2_D_BwE James

I see your London way. Is there anyone you can recommend in my area near Burton On Trent, Staffordshire who can commission it properly with an analyser after I get it back and re-install it? Many thanks. James.

It certainly coked up early. We'll see. You do "get what you pay for possibly" See how it performs when it's been cleaned. I certainly haven't the equipment to commission it when installed. My webasto is fed from the main diesel tank 3ft away, so I'll draw off some fuel and check it for water/ contamination and then if poor, get it fully drained and refill with fresh diesel. Does Marine 16 have detrimental effects on the webasto using fuel treated with it? The engine conked out when going to the dock for survey 5 years ago and it turned out to be diesel bug. The boatyard drained all old diesel half filled with fresh and treated it with marine 16 and certainly the engine has ran fine since, but a webasto is probably more sensitive. I must have a look at the condition of the diesel and filters. Thanks. James

1 I just used a lever valve on the cylinder/calorifier return. One to balance the heating/hot water and one to shut off the hot water heating in depth of winter to give priority to heating but don't forget to open the lever to work the boiler hard soon after. 2 can be used on both as said. I have a car header tank on my system! 3. Heating pump is built in and 12 volt. If an ebay kit a gas tight exhaust and the copper fuel line with around 2mm internal bore. 4 All sorts available. 5, Mine is in my trad engine bay but above the swim above the engine mounted on the side of the boat. This is the original photo with old exhaust/ non gas tight exhaust. I soon installed the cylindrical one from another make heater which was around £75-100. Do not copy the installation as may not conform to regs. 6 Install 6kw of radiators as they like to work hard with no thermostatic radiator valves. Unfortunately mine has coked up and is off for cleaning under warranty. I don't use it that often as I have a boiler stove too. I'm wondering if it's poor diesel as some is 5 years old and 6 months ago added £30 worth. My system heats 4 rads of total output of 4.2 kw, no trv's as NMEA was very kind to answer my questions like yours and a 55 litre calorifier so the webasto a bit oversized for the system on my 50 ft trad narrowboat. I have always switched it off after 60-90 minutes as too warm. James.

When I bought my boat 5 years ago November I was looking for a new stove to replace my old diesel bubble. Wanted a stove with back boiler and thought of a squirrel but was put off by cracked components so ended up with a steel bodied cast iron doors woodwarm 4.5kw fireview. I burn smokeless or wood and so far cracked the left hand vermiculite brick. All other components look very good ie riddling grate, door seals, baffle plate and double glazed glass. I have used this stove as only heat source until last year when I bought a webasto TTC which was used very little and is in fact with The supplier to clean the burner as just goes through the start up procedure and smokes out exhaust, then stops with no heat. I lit it yesterday and lovely to watch the flames through the clear glass. It wasn't cheap though at £950 though with back boiler and rear heat shield. I have had villager stoves in the past and they have black glass and not as controllable. A boater friend has a villager heron and that really throws out the heat and owned for 18 years and would replace with another. Another boater I fire boarded and re-tiled their fireplace, have an arrow beckton bunny, that works very well. I do like stoves with a separate ash pan door as you can open it temporarily to get a good draw going. James