The Sat-Dome

The ‘LOCK’ led on the sat-dome controller box hasn’t been illuminating for several months.  It hasn’t affected our ability to find the ‘dot in the sky’ but I did want to know if the LED had ‘blown’ or if there was something more serious.  I have been corresponding with ‘Olly’ from Roadpro who thought there might be a fault with the main circuit board.  According to Olly it would be cheaper to replace the board at approx £300.  As Roadpro are based in Daventry I decided to take the controller box to them.  I could have taken the bus but the walk would do me good.  I’ve walked from Braunston to Daventry twice before but have used the rural footpaths.  This time I decided to use the A45 which also has a footpath.

Roadpro is on the Braunston side of Daventry and Is about a 4km walk. This was going very well until the 2km point where I received a stabbing pain in my left foot. Every time I put my foot down the sole of my foot got injected!  Eventually I took off the shoe and examined the sole. An innocuous tiny twig was lodged in one of the small grooves in the tread. I was able to get a grip on it with my fingernails by flexing the sole.  And out came….

a thorn long enough to penetrate the sole and insole of the shoe.  The shoe now leaks…… but the pain has gone!

I had to do a little hunting to find the Roadpro premises, but got there eventually.

Olly was delayed by 10 minutes so I got to walk around their showroom and drool over all the lovely electronics.

Olly examined the controller box and before I realised it he had re-flashed the firmware.  We then went upstairs to the workshop where he connected the box to a sat-dome and ‘behold’ the LOCK led then worked.  At this point I hadn’t realised Olly had already updated the box firmware and I wanted to know what he had done.  Olly explained that the role of the controller box is to find the satellite and that it’s actually possible to eliminate the controller box by manually aligning the sat-dome to the satellite and directly collect the set top box to the dome.  But of course that would entail taking the cover off the dome on the cabin roof every time we moved to a new mooring. 

According to Olly the satellite companies change their satellite configuration settings every 3-4 years.  As a result Roadpro need to reverse engineer what the satellite companies have done and modify the firmware in the controller box.  The upgraded firmware then enables the box to lock onto the satellite.  Roadpro charge £30 to update the controller box firmware.  Olly pointed out that the bulk of the time taken in upgrading the firmware was in receiving, unpacking, repacking and despatching back the box.

If you have a sat-dome and are not getting a lock onto the satellite you might just need a firmware update.

I’ve now re-installed our controller box and we have the LOCK led. 

I have to say the walk back to Braunston wasn’t nearly a pleasant as the walk in.  It started raining,  But what really drenched me was the road spray from the passing semi’s (articulated lorries).  I had to strip off al my wet clothes in the shelter of the pram cover to avoid soaking the cabin.  And I wasn’t the only one trying to get into the warmth of the cabin.

Snowy Owl I do have a usb keyboard but it’s a little awkward using it as I tend to use the laptop on my lap whilst seated in the captain’s chair.  Eventually the laptop will become a remote computer doing some type of secondary task.   

Start again

Yes,there was no post yesterday.  The laptop battery went flat because I was playing doing some serious stuff on it all afternoon!

So you get two posts today and I will have caught up!

The weather yesterday was looking inclement, however I made the decision to wash and polish the starboard side of the cabin thinking that I’d now be up to date with all this polishing stuff.  I started the process wearing a raincoat and fleece but by the time I reached the polishing stage I was down to a T-shirt.  I swear this boat is getting longer!  The passing walkers had all the usual comments.  Male – “That looks like hard work”.  Female – “You’ll make it rain”. They were both right.

The photos don’t do it justice <but then I’m biased>.  The Craftmaster polish has bought up the Graphite Grey quite nicely.  Of course the roof is now dirty after the latest rain and will have to be washed again.

After all that work I went inside to cool down followed by a shower and change of clothes.  We then went to the Boathouse for the Sunday carvery.  Nothing wrong with the meal except the gravy was very watery.

NB Banbury Blue passed us during the day with a huge Australian flag flying from the stern.  The steerer mentioned he used to read our blog when they were in Australia and he liked the walking posts.  I haven’t done many of those lately…… which is probably why I’m so fat and lazy!

The next post will be slightly nerdy as I’m off to Daventry regarding the sat-dome.

Interesting Canal Information

It appears I might have partially fixed the keyboard problem.  I think the issue is me striking the keys too hard and I’ve desensitized the keyboard.  Well it was a cheap laptop which I modified with SSD’s RAM and a new wifi card so perhaps I’m expecting too much from it.  But it’s going to have to last a little longer because finances won’t stretch to a replacement at this time.

I received an interesting link from Mrs Tiggy regarding the blog post about the canal work below Hillmorton Bottom Lock.  The link is here Video Log.

Apparently volunteers are restoring the end of the old canal and the intention is to create moorings for restored working boats.  The video link also shows the work which has been done at Clifton Cruisers where the new owner has restored more of the old canal to use as moorings.  So two short stretches of canal that have been abandoned for 200 years are being re-watered and put to use.

Poor Jan had used all the cough medicine.   I have too look after her otherwise I’d poison myself with my cooking!  Anyway, I went to Daventry today and purchased more, making sure it was the ‘non drowsy’ version (so I could be fed).  Her cough has been sounding very nasty but hopefully she is now over the worst of it. 

Braunston AGAIN!

Last night’s rural mooring was very peaceful with Jan waking up to the sound of the wildlife.  I slept on!  I should mention that if you find the syntax in this post unusual and disjointed it’s  ecause the key with the letter following ‘a’ in the alpha et  now won’t work.  The space ar key is also intermittent. I think I’m going to have to tear down the laptop yet again. 

With all the oats that passed y us yesterday heading towards aunston Jan started to get concerned there wouldn’t  e any vacant moorings.  However that proved not to  e the case and we found our former mooring almost opposite the Boathouse availa le. 

Jan has  een feeling unwell so she stayed on Waiouru whilst I went off to dispose our ru  ish before heading to Midland Chandlers for some Fertan.  I’ve already sanded ack a couple of small rust spots to are metal and given them a coat of primer.  The Fertan will be used in the engine compartment where there is some rust around the prop shaft housing.

It rained during the afternoon so we spent the time in the ca in keeping dry and warm.

Hopefully tomorrow will e more interesting.  I do need to wash and polish the star oard (right) side of the ca in.   ut I’m not all that enthusiastic ecause I only washed and polished the roof five days ago and already it looks dirty!

We’re off!

It’s so good to be back on the move…… even if it’s back towards Braunston!  We pulled the ropes through the rings at 7.30am which just goes to show how keen we were to be on our way. It was  quite a squeeze past Clifton Cruisers as they had boats three abreast by their wharf and the outside boat was only secured by a centreline.

Both bottom locks at Hillmorton were empty and in fact all three were in our favour.  One worry was the water flowing over the top gates in the bottom lock.  Did that mean the second pound would be empty?

Behind us you could see the original alignment of the canal. 

Rose Narrowboats have two boats moored here and I wonder if they are responsible for clearing the trees from the old alignment?  This end of the disused canal might make good moorings?

The second pound was full and it was a quick transit up the flight.  I noticed this figure below the coping stone in the second lock.  We’ve been this way on numerous occasions and this is the first time I’ve noticed it.

NB Oakfield was moored above the top lock but there was no sign of Keith&Anne (too early?). 

It looks like the Canal Shop at Hillmorton Wharf might have closed or moved?

We pushed on in what was a rather cold and windy day going down Barby Strait and eventually reaching the mooring at Onley.  We haven’t forgotten you Les!

There has been more progress on the new Dunchurch Pools Marina since we passed two weeks ago.  It appears a large building is under construction and further south at the Braunston end the entrance was being completed.

We finished the day about a kilometre before Braunston.

!

Lovely day!

Hyper-active child

This will be a short post because of the antics of the hyper-active child that has joined us aboard Waiouru.  When let loose for the first time the damned washing machine became so excited that we had to physically restrain it from bounding around the boat.  Fortunately after several minutes it calmed down and settled in it’s corner making light tummy rumbling sounds. 

Halfie, the Beko appears to be quite happy operating on the power from the Victron inverter! 

Jan was (as you would expect) very excited about her new toy and did four loads of washing before calling it a day.  The last load was our raincoats which are now two years old and were looking very “boatie” (grubby).  Now we’ll look like weekenders when we cruise in inclement weather.  All this frenetic activity became too much for me and I went off to hide in the cratch where I cleaned the floor and rubbed down a couple of rust patches before applying some primer.

The final visit to Tesco has been made and we’ve topped up the water tank.  Off cruising again tomorrow…Hurrah! 

Washing Machine Part 2

Yesterday there was a text message from AO (www.ao.com) confirming the new washing machine would be delivered today between 7am – 7pm.  That was promptly followed by a telephone call confirming our delivery details.  The caller went on to explain he had a special deal for us guaranteeing we could have a washing machine for life.  I Immediately realised he wanted to sell me extended warranty.  The machine already has a 2 year warranty and it cost us £199 (less Quido discount).  The extended warranty cost £5 per month.  If we had opted for the extended warranty we would have paid £120 in the first two years for coverage we already had.  Assuming the seller had a 10% profit margin (it’s probably higher) on the machine then it cost him £180.   So by the end of the third year we would have paid the equivalent of a new machine.  If the machine didn’t break down by the end of the 3rd year then we’ve paid twice.  Our original machine was 5 years old and I could probably have repaired it except for the confined space on the boat.  So it’s not hard to see why we declined the ‘great’ extended warranty offer.

The first challenge for the day was to get the old machine off the stern and onto the bank.  Fair division of effort.  I devised the plan and Jan the labour.  The stern (counter) of the boat is curved which meant there was a water gap between the boat and the bank. It was probably a bit much to ask Jan to carry the machine across the gap so I devised a strategy involving the folding gangplank and rubber floor mats.  The wheels on the sack trolley are wider than the gangplank which meant she wouldn’t be able to roll the machine.  However by tipping the sack trolley handle forward towards the bank she could move the machines centre of gravity halfway across the gap.  Then by pulling on the trolley handle in the horizontal position the rear of the machine was dragged down the gangplank on the trolley axle.  Job done!

I wheeled the sack trolley up to the road where the washing machine will be collected for recycling.  No doubt 90% of the passing drivers thought I was fly tipping!  Meanwhile, back at the boat another text message arrived from AO notifying us the new machine will arrive between 3-7pm.

An updated delivery time of 2.55pm was received and I walked up to the entrance to the car park at 2.50pm to flag down the delivery vehicle. Imagine my surprise wen I realised someone had nicked our old washing machine during my absence!  If I had realised it was going to be stolen we wouldn’t have paid for the recycling!

With that excitement out of the way I settled down to wash and polish the cabin port side.  It now looks nice but no doubt that will change after the next spell of bad weather.  It’s already happened to the cabin roof!   Jan took the shopping trolley and went of foraging in Tesco.

The delivery vehicle eventually arrived at 4.15pm.  A very cheerful two man crew kindly placed the new machine on the back of the boat and then departed to complete their next delivery.  I think they were pleased the old machine didn’t need to be handled as they were behind schedule.

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking the new washing machine.  We then used our small sack trolley to manoeuvre it down the rear steps and into the stern cabin where I made all the necessary connections before sliding it into the compartment.

  

As I write this Jan is reading the user manual for her new toy!

Engine Clean

The engine looked like it might appreciate being cleaned and as there was no wind or rain I decided the time was right.  When last at Halfords purchasing oil for the next engine service I wandered down the cleaning aisle to see what degreaser they stocked.  After reading the various labels I opted for the 500ml spray bottle of ‘Gunk’.  Next time the engine needed degreasing I’d probably choose another product.  The Gunk worked, but not as well as I had hoped.

I removed everything from the engine compartment floor reminding myself that the entire area will need to have its annual clean and repaint once the weather gets warmer.  The next step was to wrap aluminium foil around both alternators.  This probably wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t know what the Gunk might do to the electrics.  Better to be safe than sorry!

 

175A alternator in the top right covered. 

It was then a case of spraying Gunk all over the engine starting with the lower part and then the top.  This might seem like the wrong sequence but as I had to drape myself over the engine to reach the lower half it made sense.  The engine was left for a few minutes and then I brushed down all the heavily contaminated areas with an old paint brush.  The last of the Gunk was sprayed on before I pressure washed the entire engine with a 240V high pressure water washer.  refilled the empty Gunk bottle with clean water to rinse down the engine.  Actually the bottle needed to be refilled five times.

The easily accessible parts were then dried with a clean rag  before I gave the top a polished with the last of the Craftmaster. Yes, I’m a sad individual with nothing else to do!

Of course all the oily and dirty water and used Gunk drains out of the bilge and into the canal then needed to be removed from under the engine.  The one advantage of using the spray bottle to rinse the engine was the small volume of liquid to be removed.  About 1½ litres.  I had intended to use an old sponge but the amount was so small that I was able to soak it all up using Tesco budget paper baby nappies.

By now my back and legs were telling (screaming) at me about their age.  However I pressed on managing to place a set of puppy training mats underneath the engine.  You might be able to see the end of one under the gearbox in this next photo.

 

Finally I realised all the soggy and dirt filled nappies and old puppy mats needed to be bagged and disposed.  Wish there was a cold beer in the fridge!

Washing Machine and the Drill

Both John and Ade queried how Jan was able to use the washing machine in the last post when we moved it onto the stern in the previous post.  Well the short answer is “She is a clever girl!”  However the more accurate answer is I’m not so clever and managed to reverse the order of the draft posts when publishing them.

We walked into Rugby yesterday and whilst there discussed the purchase and delivery of a replacement machine with the helpful staff in Argos.  No order was placed because their price was significantly higher than Currys.  Once back on the boat Jan put out a general call for advice from the boating “sisterhood”.  This resulted in her informing me we should consider www.ao.com as a potential supplier.  I looked at their website and identified the machine we have been considering was cheaper.  However there was no information regarding a cold wash cycle or if they would deliver to a narrowboat.  Their online chat was offline so I sent them an email with our queries! 

A decision was then made that if AO didn’t reply by midday Sunday we would purchase through Argos.  We awoke this morning to find an email from AO in our inbox.  Everything looked good and I started to place the order when Jan told me to order through QUIDCO and get another 8% off the already discounted price.  There was a problem when I reached the delivery location.  The nearest postcode to our mooring at Brownsover is on the opposite side of the canal.  There was no postcode for our side.  To get around this I have left detailed instructions on our delivery location.  We opted for free delivery with the first available day being Tuesday.  AO have advised they will contact us an hour prior to the delivery which will give us enough time to get the old machine off the stern and wheel it to the car park.  It remains to be seen if the plan works.

This morning I walked to Aldi after Jan noticed they had a portable hammer drill on their ‘specialbuys’.

It’s only 14.4V and 1.5A so not very powerful.  Even the user manual states it’s not suitable for professional use.  I already have a couple of powerful battery drills along with a heavy duty 240V version.  This one will be used for the lightweight task of driving screws into wood.

Fulfilling Day

We seemed to get quite a bit done today.  The first task was to move Waiouru across to the opposite bank and moor just short of the water point mooring.  This is a prime location and the reason for the move will become apparent.

The next task was to take the shopping trolley and rucksacks to Tesco where we bought everything needed to fill the galley cupboards.  After a week of use the water tank gauge was showing half full so I topped it up whilst Jan started the engine and then got the washing machine going.  The rotary clothes line was erected on the stern whilst the tank filled.

I then walk to the Aldi at Central Park. Jan had noticed one of the Aldi Special Buys was a rack capable of holding the pods for her new coffee machine.  Whilst there I made the impulse decision to also buy some digital callipers.  Back on Waiouru Jan took advantage of the sunny and mild weather to peg out the clean laundry on the line.

On my return I  stripped everything movable off the cabin roof before giving it a wash and polish.  I washed using the two bucket method which seemed to remove more dirt.  But that might be my imagination!  Now you know why we moved.

If I have enough energy I’ll wash and polish the portside tomorrow.  The cratch cover also needs to be removed and cleaned.  It needs it after after winter! There are still plenty of outstanding maintenance tasks.  We just need more suitable weather.   

Washing Machines

Yesterday Jan started the Candy washing machine on the final fast spin cycle when it suddenly started to make horrible noises.  I frantically called out from the bedroom “Turn it off….. turn it off!”  Jan managed to quickly reach the inverter and kill the 240V power.  After the two minute mandatory wait the washing machine door unlocked and she was able to remove the clothing.  Then Jan showed me the steel washer she had found inside the drum.  “Must have been in your jeans pocket” she said.  It didn’t look like any washer I’d recently seen!

This morning we tested out the machine and the noise was still present.  It’s a horrible grinding sound.  After examining the machine in-situ I came to the conclusion there was little I could do from the front and it would have to be removed from its cubbyhole.  Of course everyone knows how easy it is to remove a washing machine in a boat.  Eventually we managed to “jiggle” it out and into the aisle.  This allowed me to disconnect the 240V plug, water supply and waste hoses.  The machine still had water in it and the drain is at floor level.  We know that if the drain plug is removed up to two litres of water will run out (don’t ask how we know!).  The machine needs to be raised in order to catch all the water. But then I had a clever idea (doesn’t often happen). We have a step down between the back cabin and the galley.  The washing machine is in the back cabin.  So by moving the machine forward we could position the drain plug over the step and catch the water in a container placed on the lower galley floor.   That worked.

I was then able to remove the back panel and examine the inside.  Unfortunately this wasn’t much help.  The entire drum assembly isn’t accessible from the rear or front.  We were left with two options.  Move the machine into the saloon where there is more room and strip it down in an effort to find and rectify the problem.  Or we could buy a replacement.

Disassembling the washing machine in the saloon and attempting to fix the fault would have really constricted our living space with no guarantee of a successful outcome.  Consequentially we’ve opted for a new machine and decided to move the old washer out of the boat.  Now we thought of this situation when designing the boat.  All our large appliances will fit through the side hatches.  However Jan didn’t want to do this as it would involve moving the washer over her galley granite worktops.  She decided it would go out through the rear doors.  There are four steps to be negotiated and the area is rather restricted.  There’s also a fair amount of nice joinery, so this needed to be done with great care.  The obvious solution was for Jan to carry the washer out whilst I supervised to ensure the joinery didn’t get damaged.  I have a bad back and didn’t want Jan to have the same straining to lift the machine.  That’s when I got the bright idea of strapping the washing machine to our small sack trolley.  The plan got even better when I thought of laying the two mats over the steps.  So with Jan heaving on the trolley and me supervising we managed to get the washer onto the back deck.

  

Yes dear… you can have a short rest now!

I know some readers might think the division of labour might have been unfair.  But in my defence, she is younger than me!  And exercise is good for you!

After lunch I walked to Currys in the nearby retail park to look for a suitable replacement washer.  They had a Beko which would have been ideal.  Obviously we need it delivered and the old one recycled.  Currys could do this but they needed a postcode for the delivery.  We are moored beside the park which also has a car park.  I thought this would be an ideal delivery location but Currys have other ideas.  They wanted either a physical address or a marina.  We’re now exploring a Tesco option.

It’s been four years since the washing machine was installed and since we we’ve removed it we might as well check everything in the compartment is OK.  I’d actually forgotten how I’d configured all the services.

The light grey hose is the cold water and it runs to an isolation valve in the wet locker.  The waste hose is the white one.  I’ve taped a plastic bag over the end of the pipe and secured it with black duct tape.  The wast discharges through the side of the boat and into the canal.  I remember thinking I wanted all the waste connections that exit the boat through the lower hull to have a ‘U’ loop in them.  The idea being it would ensure canal water didn’t come back into the boat through the hose.  I’ve also noticed the electrical cables have dropped down and will need to be resecured.   It will have to be done tomorrow as I’m exhausted after all that supervision.

We’ve had visitors and a new boat

We were delighted when Richard and Emily visited us to spend a few hours discussing boats.  They are in the early stages of fitting out a 60ft wide beam boat and have been searching the internet for ideas

Richard & Emily

They have a blog <link here> which will no doubt please reader Ade and we have also placed the link on our blog list.  They have some interesting ideas, which should make a good read.

Shower Door Part 2

After breakfast this morning I peeled the duct tape off the magnet on the shower door frame confirming the adhesive had set.

The surplus adhesive looks a little messy but I’ll remove it with a razor knife.

The adhesive I used to fill the ‘T’ track in the door has also set but like the frame; it’s ‘lumpy’.  That can also be cleaned up using a razor knife.

After cleaning up the door frame I applied a thin smear of adhesive to the face of the magnet and then placed the piece of rubber (actually it’s plastic) buffer on it

 

The black plastic buffer was then secured with more duct tape

After cleaning the surplus adhesive off the door I had a smooth surface onto which I then applied more adhesive

The second magnet was them positioned on the new adhesive and secured in place using yet more duct tape.

All this adhesive should have set in time for our nightly shower.

After lunch I walked into Rugby and collected the Ebay tweezers from Argos.  Now I can make a start on the watch.  Of course it has again started working!

PS.  Jan said that as I’ve made the shower messy, I can clean it!

Shower Door Project–Part1

I made a start on the shower door magnetic retaining catch today.

The two neodymium magnets are 30x8x2mm and came with a strip of rubber between them to prevent damage during transport.  My plan is to retain the strip of rubber as a buffer between the two magnets in the hope it will minimize any damage should the shower door be slammed shut.

Our Ebay magnets costing £1 each

The first step was to clean up the rebate in the existing grey magnetized seal on the shower door frame.  I used a sharp wood chisel to make a level surface. 

The existing seal is held in the door frame by a vertical ‘T’ groove in the aluminium frame and I’m hoping there is sufficient strength in the remains of the seal and the aluminium frame to secure one of the magnets with construction adhesive.

The second step was to do a test to ensure the magnets and rubber buffer would fit into the rebate and still allow the shower door to seal.  I held them in place with some duct tape.

 

Removing the piece of original seal has created a deep enough rebate so I removed the magnets and filled the gap in the frame with waterproof construction adhesive (glue).  The magnets were then placed onto the glue and held in place with more duct tape.

 

Then I filled the ‘T’ channel on the shower door with construct adhesive.  This will be allowed to set before I trim off the excess adhesive to create a flat surface for the second magnet.

 

If you are wondering why I didn’t glue a magnet to the frame and door during this step it’s because I want to give the adhesive 24 hours to cure before I place any strain on both magnets.  It will also make it easier to align the two magnets during Part 2.

You may have noticed I zoomed in very close to take the above photos.  Jan had threatened dire physical consequences if I were to publish a photo  which might show an unclean shower. 

Just joking……she would never do that to me!

18 Months

It’s been 18 months since we last collected our ‘snail mail’.  Not having an address means we have gone to great lengths in our effort to avoid the need to receive physical mail. Theoretically we shouldn’t receive any.  But no matter how hard you try there’s always someone who wants to send you a physical letter.  Today we made the two hour car trip to retrieve 18 months of cumulative UK mail.  The pile of mail was about 6 inches high and as expected, 99% of it was junk.  Bank junk!  When you open 18 months of bank correspondence you realise just how much interest rates have changed.  Why do banks insist on sending you letters when you’ve elected to have all correspondence by email?  It’s a waste of their time and our money.

The mail only included one useful item.  We have been given a Tablet Caddy for an iPad.  Jan will be happy because I usually break out in hives if I go anywhere near an Apple produce.

 

Nice box.  I was expecting some type of cloth covered folder.

But this cover is rather rugged.  The iPad is held in a hard plastic caddy and then a rubber seal goes around the edge.  Then a clear hard plastic screen protector clips over the front.  Removable rubber flaps cover, camera, speaker, mic and On/Off switch.  It’s probably ideal for anyone who has to use a MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) outside.  Perhaps CRT boat license checker should have them? 

Pity we don’t have a solid fuel stove because we now have plenty of fire lighting paper.  We’ll have to keep all the paper until we’re on a rural mooring and can burn them on a towpath fire.  

The frog and the toad

We now have only one unmarried niece and despite her favourite uncle providing some wise advice she appears to be struggling.  I’ve previously explained that in order for her to find her handsome prince she needs to kiss as many frogs as possible.  Now the difficulty with this strategy is some girls struggle to differentiate between a frog and a slimy toad.

So this next photo is for our niece and attempts to demonstrate the behaviour of a toad.

Public bathing and the moorings

After almost constant rain during the night the towpath was looking decidedly muddy and flooded.  That’s when two of the locals appeared and started bathing outside the galley porthole.  This one was particularly cheeky and spent some time attending to their ablutions.

The moorings here at Brownsover tend to be very busy; particularly during the summer.  On one side is the park with water point, rubbish bin and elsan.  these are 24 hour moorings.  On the opposite side the moorings aren’t as nice but you can stay for14 days.  Of course during winter the 24 hour moorings revert to14 days.  We’re on the 14 day moorings and rather bemused by  the actions of the boaters opposite.  They have all been on the 24 hour moorings since we arrived.  There are plenty of vacant moorings on our side but they are apparently well settled.  Actually one boat left the 24 hour moorings yesterday…… for 15 minutes.  They are back on the same mooring but facing in the opposite direction.  I guess that will fool the CRT Checker!

This afternoon I walked back to the Argos store in Rugby to collect a second Ebay purchase.  We’ve bought two N52 Neodymium magnets for a small project.

N52 is the most powerfully rated neodymium magnet and these are 30x8x2mm.  Despite their size, it proved to be quite difficult to pull them apart.   My plan is to use them on the shower door.

We have a large (900mm wide) glas swivel shower door which has plastic coated magnetic vertical strips down both the door and jam.  The magnetic strips hold the door closed.  Except when the boat lists or rocks the magnets aren’t sufficiently strong to hold the door closed.  This was recognised during the fit out and a tower bolt was fitted to the top of the door to hold it closed when the shower is unoccupied.   

Recently we allowed the large port (left) diesel tank in the bow to get very low and as a consequence Waiouru developed a slight list to starboard.  That’s when we noticed the existing magnetic strips would sometimes fail to hold the shower door closed. 

My plan is to fit the two neodymium magnets to the top of the shower door with construction adhesive and see if that makes a stronger connection.

One there on the door frame

 

And the other at the top of the door.

Neodymium magnets are very brittle and can easily shatter if hit so I need to ensure the two surfaces don’t come into direct contact with any force.  

Ebay and the watch

My wrist watch has been starting and stopping which probably means the battery is knackered.  We walked up into Rugby with a short ‘to do’ list.  Jan needed to visit Dunelm Mill and Wilko whilst I had a doctor’s appointment to get a prescription for the next 6 months.  I also needed to visit Argos and collect the roofers squares I’d ordered on Ebay.  Jan was successful with her list however I didn’t do well.  I did manage to get the prescription but the pharmacy had insufficient stock. I’ll have to go back tomorrow.  The doctor also wanted blood so I walked to the St Cross Hospital only to find they had moved the phlebotomy department.  I eventually found it and fortunately there was a short waiting list.

Once back in Rugby town centre I noticed a shop advertising “watch batteries replaced whilst you wait”.  I asked the price and was told £5.  That seemed a good price as they had all the risk if anything went wrong.  The man behind the counter took my watch only to return a minute later telling me “This is a solar powered watch and it doesn’t have a battery!”  That’s when he lost credibility.  I then asked him “How does it run during the night?”  He told me “It’s solar” until he realised that was a dumb answer.  Then he told me the watch had a capacitor inside before conceding it had a battery.  But it was a special battery that they didn’t stock.  However he could send the watch away to have the battery replaced for £40.  Obviously I’m going to attempt the battery replacement myself.

Next stop was Argos to collect my package. The three ladies behind the counter must have been impressed with my name because they broke into song.  I replied with “Why why why”  and “Please release me, let me go!”  The situation started to get too risqué when one mentioned she wasn’t wearing underwear.  I managed to extract myself with my virtue intact.

Oh the roofer’s squares.  I saw them on Ebay at a special price of £7 for two.

It’s unlikely I’ll need to use them to measure the rafters for a new roof.  however they will make good set squares in the workshop.  The first thing I wanted to do was check if they were accurate.  I did this by standing them upright on a flat surface with edges together.  Then I pointed the light from a torch behind the edge to see if there was a gap.  They aren’t perfect, but will do.

Last task for the day was to go back to the laptop and look for tweezers on Ebay.  They will be needed to replace the watch battery.  I managed to find a set of four at £1.59, so that’s Jan’s birthday present solved!

Intermittent Hob Burner

Over the past month one of the gas hob burners has been difficult to light.  Sometimes it would light and then extinguish.  This has become steadily more annoying so today I decided to have a closer look at it.  Jan had thoroughly cleaned the actual hob burner where the flames appear through the slots and then cleaned the carbon on the metal stalk immediately beside the burner ring.  Initially this appeared to resolve the issue, but then the problem returned!

My knowledge of gas is very limited and I therefore decided to do some googling before attempting to dismantle anything.  According to Google the small metal stalk beside the ring is a thermopile, a metal probe (round and slightly smaller than your pinky finger) that converts heat from the burning pilot light's flame into a tiny amount of electricity — just enough to open the gas valve.

So my first thought was the thermopile needed replacing.  A replacement cost around £14 and can be purchased online.  It’s only held onto the hob baseplate by a nut and I was reasonably confident about removing and replacing it if I turned the gas off first. Then a small bell rang in my head.  “The thermopile generates a tiny amount of electricity when heated”  Perhaps the nut was loose and we had a poor electrical connection.  <look for the easy solution first Tom>

A quick check with a small adjustable spanner revealed the thermopile was indeed loose!  I nipped the nut up by one full turn and the hob has been lighting without issue.  I then checked the other three thermopiles finding another with a slightly loose nut.

So if you have a burner that won’t stay alight on your hob you might want to check the nut holding the thermopile to the base is tight.

The non existent leak

We’re back on ‘skinny’ locks with Jan working Waiouru down the three at Hillmorton this morning.  The plan was to stop and moor before the forecast rain arrives in the afternoon.

I had always assumed the arm into Grantham’s Wharf (photo below) was the remains of the original route of the Oxford Canal which was shortened in the early19th Century.  

However when exiting the bottom lock we noticed the trees on the right had been recently felled and the original line of the canal can now be seen.  Jan found the lock paddle mechanisms to be heavily greased; perhaps too heavily.  Yet they were still very stiff to operate.  They will probably loosen up when the canal starts getting busy in late Spring.

I hadn’t realised from Hillmorton to Banbury was more than halfway to Oxford!

For the last week we have both noticed Waiouru had a list to starboard (the right).  I was concerned we might have a leak with water settling in the bilge.  Jan was concerned the water might flow over the lip of the shower tray and on to the floor.  Then we realised we had a lot of temporary weight stored on the right and the large diesel tank on the port side (left) in the bow was on 20% full.  We filled the tank at Armada Boat Hire (65ppl) and the list has disappeared.