Refueling
Was just finishing the evenings entertainment last night (making some shelf brackets) when I noticed that the eco fan on top of the stove was no longer spinning - the fire had gone out. I'd checked the tank for the stove the day before and had worked out I had about 2 days running left on minimum heat, but of course hadn;t considered that the outlet is about 2cm above the bottom of the tank.
Luckily it wasn't too cold last night, and I lit a couple of candles when I got up this morning for a sense of comfort. After talking to my colleagues in Denamrk and Sweden on our early morning call, I went to make a cup of coffee. 'Wonder when the gas will run out' I thought. Right now was the answer, so it was out onto the front deck to swap the connector over to the spare bottle.
When the shop opened at 9:00am I was able to take the empty gas bottle and a jerrycan over and get some more gas + diesel. Strictly speaking, they should'nt let me take marine diesel away in a can, but as my car is obviously not a diesel, they took pity on me. While I was there I re-stocked on electricity tokens, so I should be covered for heat, cooking and light for a while.
One thing I've realised is that tank capacity makes a quite a difference. My water tank is only about 50 gallons, so needs refilling every 7-10 days. I've made this a little easier by running a hose along the roof to the front of the boat where the filling point is, as I can see a time will some when the marina hose will either be frozen, or the roof covered in ice. The stove tank, which is seperate from the engine diesel, is only about 54 litres - enough for 8 days running on the lowest setting (24 hours a day). Perhaps I should just wash less, and be colder, but I can't see that being a popular move.
Hopefully an early christmas present will help out on the cold front, watch this space. :)
Was just finishing the evenings entertainment last night (making some shelf brackets) when I noticed that the eco fan on top of the stove was no longer spinning - the fire had gone out. I'd checked the tank for the stove the day before and had worked out I had about 2 days running left on minimum heat, but of course hadn;t considered that the outlet is about 2cm above the bottom of the tank.
Luckily it wasn't too cold last night, and I lit a couple of candles when I got up this morning for a sense of comfort. After talking to my colleagues in Denamrk and Sweden on our early morning call, I went to make a cup of coffee. 'Wonder when the gas will run out' I thought. Right now was the answer, so it was out onto the front deck to swap the connector over to the spare bottle.
When the shop opened at 9:00am I was able to take the empty gas bottle and a jerrycan over and get some more gas + diesel. Strictly speaking, they should'nt let me take marine diesel away in a can, but as my car is obviously not a diesel, they took pity on me. While I was there I re-stocked on electricity tokens, so I should be covered for heat, cooking and light for a while.
One thing I've realised is that tank capacity makes a quite a difference. My water tank is only about 50 gallons, so needs refilling every 7-10 days. I've made this a little easier by running a hose along the roof to the front of the boat where the filling point is, as I can see a time will some when the marina hose will either be frozen, or the roof covered in ice. The stove tank, which is seperate from the engine diesel, is only about 54 litres - enough for 8 days running on the lowest setting (24 hours a day). Perhaps I should just wash less, and be colder, but I can't see that being a popular move.
Hopefully an early christmas present will help out on the cold front, watch this space. :)
posted by flatplane8 at 10:30 AM
4 Comments:
How do you rate your ecofan? I am still unconvinced about them, and haven't really heard many narrowboaters opinions.
As for not washing - I think you should revel in the opportunity.. over time the grime will build up and you will have an extra layer of insulation which will save on heating.
Bones
Don't really know about the ecofan. It sits there spinning and stirring up the breeze, but I'm sure I would've been able to live my life without it. My main critisim is that it looks a bit out of place, as it has all the ascetic charm of a low-end Argo stereo. ;-)
If you wash too often it just confuses the dogs.
I've got an early Christmas present for you. Some petrol and a box of matches. It will warm you up, and entertain us too.
I'm saving the viking funeral for a little bit later in life.........but good idea, keep them coming.
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