Down to the boat on Tuesday to do a bit more to the wiring and get ready for departure on Wednesday. On the previous outing we had noticed that the batteries were going flat sooner than we should expect, so decided to install some more of the LED lamps we had brought at the IWA festival, also looked round for potential drains on battery resources that might be causing our problem. One item could be that the fridge/freezer is working harder than necessary with it being enclosed in a cupboard and no provision for ventilation. I will have to look into how much the inverter draws and if the bow thruster trickle charger is a constant drain. Looking at the batteries none of the terminals has been greased and some at the back are showing signs of corrosion. I have wondered about the state of the batteries after they were run absolutely flat several times during the build, to what were reported as charging faults caused by ‘Beta’s equipment failures’ which I now suspect to be more likely caused by a chimps wiring. Yes I now treat everything I was told by the Harps with the greatest suspicion as so many things have been proven to be half truths or down right lies.
Planned on a Wednesday departure because the forecast for Tuesday was dire, but as it turned out it was a beautiful day. Blooming weather men Bah Humbug!
Had a gentle cruise down to Devils Elbow just below Zouch to spend the next couple of days there generally relaxing and doing a few running repairs.
Karen cleaned down ad touched up some of the places where the paintwork was flaking, but as you can see the primer is still sound.
There are bits like this all over.
While that was going on I wired in the last of the LED lights and rubbed down the right hand door frame for varnishing. This has been neglected as it is on the off side at our normal mooring.
Note that there has been no effort in the original build for any form of sealing around the door so water can enter under or around the door itself.
Added a new weather board at the bottom of the frame, the rest will be done when the new doors are installed.
Thursday evening the natives put on a show practicing in their war canoes.
Back to Pillings on Friday and got the hood up just as it started to rain. Perfect timing.
Saturday saw me out on the water again. You may recall we joined the Grantham Canal Society at the IWA show. Well those nice people asked if I would like to come and get to know how to operate their trip boat from Woolsthorpe top lock to the winding hole near Denton
2 comments:
OMG..... Everything I have read states you can't run batteries below 50% or you damage them. It it was done twice during the build then it may well be your problem.
Re your fridge. I have some knowledge of the pitfalls of installing standard fridges into fitted kitchens. Only those with a draw vent at the bottom, through the kick board, and an outlet vent at the top, at the front, should be fitted into an enclosed space, unless provision has been made in the cupboard and work top for a standard fridge to ventilate via a good circulation of air. Holes should be provided in the bottom of the cupboard, and a grille should be placed in the work top to give this circulation. If it isn't - as you have discovered, it will lead to the fridge overworking, with premature failure also being the end result as well as discharged batteries. I have known fridges with insufficient ventilation fail within their first 12 months, with no claim on warranty due to incorrect installation. So best to put on your priority list. I also agree with Tom, in that the capacity of your current batteries could have been reduced by previous complete discharges. Regards, Peter.
Post a Comment