A 'Keeping Warm' question.

[Retardedrocker]

 

Everyone knows that narrowboats are almost tropical in winter, but I have a question.

 

My bow doors are fitted with a Venetian blind and when it's windy a draught blows through the vents. It's not really a problem, however, a draught is a draught and I would like to stop it but, of course, I don't want to block the vents cos I might die.

 

What do you all do?

 

Cheers,

T.

[dogless]

We have a lined curtain which we draw across the doors in cold weather. However there are no vents in the doors so I don't know if that will help you.

 

Rog

[Grassman]

We turned ours to face upwards rather than in a downward direction. That way we still get the necessary ventilation but don't feel the draught around our feet and lower body. And on the basis that hot air always rises, and cool air entering through the vents is thus quickly negated by the warm air in the upper part of the boat.

 

I'm not saying it's a perfect solution but we noticed a big improvement.

[Nightwatch]

If you have a cratch hear the well deck.

 

If you don't have a cratch he the town where you are.

 

The previous post with the turn over the vents suggestion is problem more useful.

[Retardedrocker]

If you have a cratch hear the well deck.

If you don't have a cratch he the town where you are.

The previous post with the turn over the vents suggestion is problem more useful.

Yes, what you said........I think.

 

Cheers,

T.

[system 4-50]

I've put my vent(s) in the cabin side. Can't tell yet whether this was a good idea or not.

[Arthur Brown]

Look at your boat with a BSS guide in hand. Check that the required ventilation IS provided but that excess ventilation is controlled. Having a gentle breeze at +10C in the summer is lovely, but when it's at -10C in the winter it's expensive and dangerous.

 

Remember however that each human body loses about a pint of water daily to atmosphere and that will condense (usually into the wardrobe!) if you don't vent it adequately.

 

Your stove needs room ventilation to disperse any unflued (leaked) fumes (which are poisonous) Your Kitchen needs ventiation to remove steam before it becomes condensation.

[ditchcrawler]

Non of my low level vents go straight into the cabin. At the stern it is beside the door and inside the boat it opens in an area lick a cupboard with no door where mooring pins, chains ropes etc hang just to the right of the slide. At the bows the vent is in the short mast that carries the tunnel light but the vent faces back towards the boat, not forward to be in the wind. If you have room you could put a baffle plate on the outside in front of the lovers spaced off by say three quarters of an inch that would still give a free air area of 15 square inches on a 6X4 vent

[Retardedrocker]

 

Recently, when my boat was examined for it's BSS the examiner did a calculation of the ventilation and said it was way over what the BSS requires.

 

Even so, I'm reluctant to obstruct any of the vents, although it's unusual if there aren't a couple of windows open somewhere.

 

T.

Non of my low level vents go straight into the cabin. At the stern it is beside the door and inside the boat it opens in an area lick a cupboard with no door where mooring pins, chains ropes etc hang just to the right of the slide. At the bows the vent is in the short mast that carries the tunnel light but the vent faces back towards the boat, not forward to be in the wind. If you have room you could put a baffle plate on the outside in front of the lovers spaced off by say three quarters of an inch that would still give a free air area of 15 square inches on a 6X4 vent

 

Thanks ditchcrawler.

 

That could be a plan.

 

T.

[Guest]

Everyone knows that narrowboats are almost tropical in winter, but I have a question.

 

My bow doors are fitted with a Venetian blind and when it's windy a draught blows through the vents. It's not really a problem, however, a draught is a draught and I would like to stop it but, of course, I don't want to block the vents cos I might die.

 

What do you all do?

 

Cheers,

T.

 

Best 22 quid I ever spent.

[MtB]

No-one has pointed out yet that the hot products of combustion inside the solid fuel stove can only flow up and out through the chimbley if an equal volume of fresh air is free to enter the boat. Same for the Morco if there is one.

 

Some of this air will be entering through those door vents, so obstructing them may not be a Good Idea.

 

I remain to be convinced low level vents are necessary though, as the necessary combustion air can easily enter through the roof mushrooms.

[mattlad]

I remain to be convinced low level vents are necessary though

Surely, on a boat, if they were too low ......Errrrrrr......... water would ......errrrrr....... come in........?

[Retardedrocker]

Best 22 quid I ever spent.

Cute. They'd be handy on the bike as well.

 

T.

[MtB]

Surely, on a boat, if they were too low ......Errrrrrr......... water would ......errrrrr....... come in........?

 

Well given the OP was talking about low level air vents through the front doors, same might apply on entering the boat!

[Catnip King]

I'd just put a bit of fabric over it and open the mushroom up some more down that end.

[ditchcrawler]

No-one has pointed out yet that the hot products of combustion inside the solid fuel stove can only flow up and out through the chimbley if an equal volume of fresh air is free to enter the boat. Same for the Morco if there is one.

 

Some of this air will be entering through those door vents, so obstructing them may not be a Good Idea.

 

I remain to be convinced low level vents are necessary though, as the necessary combustion air can easily enter through the roof mushrooms.

Agree, I was not suggesting obstructing but baffling them. still the same volume of air flow but no force 8 gale when the wind blows

[Bobbin]

My boat has a vent low down in the door, and yes it is a bit cold about the feet. Just wear THICK SOCKS problem solved!!

[ditchcrawler]

Agree, I was not suggesting obstructing but baffling them. still the same volume of air flow but no force 8 gale when the wind blows

[Retardedrocker]

My boat has a vent low down in the door, and yes it is a bit cold about the feet. Just wear THICK SOCKS problem solved!!

More elegant by far than longjohns.

 

I'm quite taken with the baffle idea. Might get the guys at work to knock something up. 316 stainless if I can't find brass.

 

Thanks to you all for the ideas and entertainment.

 

T.

[ditchcrawler]

More elegant by far than longjohns.

 

I'm quite taken with the baffle idea. Might get the guys at work to knock something up. 316 stainless if I can't find brass.

 

Thanks to you all for the ideas and entertainment.

 

T.

Make sure the posts are long enough to get the correct area for air flow. The perimeter of the vent times the post length should be equal to or larger than the rating of the grill.

[Retardedrocker]

I certainly will.

 

Cheers,

T.

[Retardedrocker]

 

Just a bit of an update.

 

I eventually decided to conduct a cheap and low tech experiment and bought a couple of inexpensive bath towels and a couple of lengths of dowel and a pack of brass cup hooks. I suppose you can see where this is going.

 

I screwed a pair of cup hooks into the door frames fore and aft, sewed an open ended hem in the top of the curtains and shoved the dowels (cut to length) through the hems. Suspended the dowel/towel assemblies on the cup hooks and the draught are all gone.

 

They make a huge difference and even on the couple of days the temperature fell to -2 it was toasty all through the boat.

 

Having proved the principal, I'll sort something a bit more elegant, but it's a cheap solution at less than a fiver and the towels can always be used as.........well.........towels.

 

Cheers,

T.