Narrowboat Operating Procedure - Lighting the Oil Stove

A Kathrein satellite dish mounted on the roof. This dish is connected to a control unit that is programmed to search for selected satellites in the sky, no matter where you are and no matter which way you are pointing. New satellites can be added to the system if you know their location and transmitting parameters. The control unit remembers the last position in the sky of each satellite you have found, and the last list of channels that it downloaded from that satellite. You can tell the control unit to update its list of channels for a satellite you have found at any time. You will have to let the system search again for each satellite that you want to use whenever to boat has been moved.

You cannot use the satellite dish while you are moving! As soon as you start the engine, the dish will retract. This is to prevent you forgetting to retract the dish when you set off, and shearing it off when you pass under a low bridge!

You can only pick up television and radio stations from a satellite if the dish can see it in the sky. The programmed search will do its best to find the satellite, but if it can't see it you can't use it.

Details of the system and how to operate it can be found in procedure HT-Overview

The "Oliver" has 3 domestic batteries and one starter battery for the engine. The batteries are charged from: The engine when it is running The WhisperGen when it is running The shore line when it is connected If none of these circumstances apply, then electricity is drawn from the charge stored in the domestic batteries and will eventually run down. There are two classes of electrical circuit installed in the boat - 12 volt DC and 240 volt AC. The 12 volt DC circuit powers all marine equipment and the low voltage halogen lights. There is also a standard automotive cigar lighter socket in the rear cratch. There are 12 DC circuits on the boat, each with its own breaker. The breakers should all be "on" when the boat is occupied except for the headlight circuit. This breaker should be "on" only when sailing through a tunnel or when sailing at night. The 240 volt circuit is powered from the batteries through an "inverter" - a blue electrical box installed in the electrical locker at the rear of the boat. The inverter takes in 12 volt DC current from the batteries and puts out standard UK 240 volt AC electricity - and naturally it powers all the standard UK domestic appliances and power sockets on the boat. The load capacity of the inverter is 2500 watts - 2.5 KW. If more than this is drawn then some circuits may shut down or the inverter may cut out and the red "fault" light comes on. If this happens then turn off whatever is causing the overload and turn off the inverter and then turn it on again using the black switch at the centre of the inverter box. The inverter generates heat as a consequence of its operation, and is fan cooled. You may hear a quiet hum coming from the electrical cabinet when the fan cuts in. There are 4 240 volt circuits on the boat, each with its own breaker. There is also a master breaker for the AC supply with GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt) protection. The large domestic appliances each draw just about the full capacity of the inverter - the washing machine, the dryer and the dishwasher all draw the full load of the inverter, and so can only be used one at a time. Turn on any two together and you will overload the inverter. There is a master isolation switch in one of the rear lockers. In the home port, this should always be left "on". If the boat is left for an extended period of time then the shore line should be left connected and the inverted switched to "charge only". When the engine is running then the batteries will be charged from the alternator bolted to the engine. When moored, the engine is usually turned off. The shore line should be used to charge the batteries if there is shore electricity available, and if not then the WhisperGen should then be turned on. If any or all circuits stop working then the following should be checked: That no breakers have tripped That the inverter in still turn on, and that no fault lights are on If possible, a source of charge should be running - the engine, the WhisperGen or the shore line. All the usual precautions should be taken when dealing with electricity - it is the same electricity that you have at home, and it is equally dangerous if not treated with respect!

The WhisperGen

The WhisperGen is a small external combustion engine. It burns diesel oil and generates about 1 KW of electricity, which is used to charge the batteries. A by-product of its operation is heat, which is used to heat the domestic hot water and the water in the central heating system. The WhisperGen gets around the traditional narrowboat problem of where electricity comes from when the engine isn't running. British Waterways does not allow noisy engines to be running between 8:00pm and 8:00am. The WhisperGen is fairly quiet, and can be run at any time. In practice, there is no real need for it when the boat is moving. The engine generates all the electricity and hot water that is needed and the oil stove heats the boat very nicely. It's a wonderful device when the boat is moored; turning it on warms the boat and provides all the hot water you can use - as well as keeping the batteries topped up. It's reasonably economical on diesel oil - it claims to use about 1 litre per hour. Though it's relatively quiet, it's not silent, and the wheezes and grunts that it makes does spoil the peace of the countryside where you might be moored if that's what you took the boat out to enjoy. A typical usage routine might be: When moored at the home marina and using shore electricity, turn it on for a couple of hours in the morning for showers and to warm to boat up on cold days. When traveling, turn it off. When moored away from shore electricity, turn it on in the morning for a couple of hours. It will turn itself on if the charge in the batteries falls below a pre-set threshold, and charge them up for you. The WhisperGen is normally left in "heat manage" and "Autocharge" modes. The first will balance the direction of energy to the central heating and the hot water tank, while the second will have the WhisperGen start up automatically to charge the batteries if they fall low. There is an isolation switch (with a bright red handle) in the engine compartment that can cut off the WhisperGen from the batteries and the rest of the boat's electrical circuits. This switch is normally left "on".

Water

There is a large water tank built in to the front of the boat. Though it appears big, modern living demands a lot of water; with a typical demand for daily showers, laundry and coffee, a tank of water will last 4-5 days. You should not wait for it to empty - fill it frequently! Running out of water is unpleasant. You can fill the tank at the home marina, at any other marina (where they might levy a small charge), or from one of the many taps that British Waterways installs along the canals. There is a water hose in a locker at the front of the boat. The BW taps are usually in a locked protective box. This box can be opened using the BW key that is on the same key ring as the engine ignition key and the door key. Allow time to fill the tank - it can take over half an hour if the tank is down and water pressure is low.

Hot Water

A tank in the hull draws fresh water from the holding tank in the bow of the boat. This water is heated from 2 sources - waste heat from the engine, and the WhisperGen. If you run out of hot water then either the engine or the WhisperGen must be started. If you run out of water completely, sail the boat to a marina or a BW water tap, and fill up. If the boat is moving, the engine will generate plenty of hot water. If you are moored then you should use the WhisperGen.

Heating

There are two primary ways of heating the boat: The forced hot water central heating, powered by the WhisperGen The oil stove in the saloon. Both options use diesel fuel drawn from the main fuel tank at the rear of the boat. The oil stove is remarkably powerful; even on its lowest setting it pumps out a lot of heat. To light the oil stove, follow procedure STV-001 The central heating system is of the conventional kind found in many British homes. There are two radiators, one in the saloon and one in the bedroom. Both have thermostatic valves on them, and they can be adjusted individually. Normally, it's better to leave the bedroom radiator on a cooler setting than the saloon; the bedroom is smaller and get gets too warm. There is also a heated towel rail in the bathroom that serves as a radiator there.

Gas

There are two propane gas bottles in a locker at the rear of the boat. The only appliance on the boat that uses gas is the cooking stove. If it fails to light then it's likely that the gas bottle currently being used is empty and the supply should be changed to the spare bottle. However, check this carefully before you do. Sometimes an air lock gets into the gas line and it takes a little flow to push it out. If you can hear a faint hiss when you turn on a gas ring and push in the knob, then there is gas coming through - keep trying. The gas stove bears the usual safety features of propane stoves. To light a ring, the grill or the oven, turn the appropriate knob an push it in. You will hear a faint hiss. Push in the spark button on the stove; it will fire a spark into the gas every second or so until the gas lights. Keep holding the knob in for another couple of seconds - the safety thermostat has to warm up to keep the gas flowing.

The Toilet

The toilet is a marine flush toilet that empties into a holding tank in the hull. The toilet is flushed by pressing a button at the top rear of the toilet pan; one press for a light flush and two presses for a strong flush. The toilet is designed to be economical with water. The level of waste is monitored electrically, and there is a small panel on the wall above the toilet showing the current level in the tank. The lights show either "empty", "low", "medium" or "full". When the tank is full, or nearly so, you must take the boat to a marina to be pumped out. Some marinas have installed coin machines that make you do it for yourself, but most have staff on hand to do it for you. If you do have to do it yourself, follow procedure T-001. Part and parcel of the pumping out process is to add some "blue" to the tank to keep it sanitized. It is also advisable to flush a little blue down the toilet every now and then.

The Satellite Television and Radio Receiver

A Kathrein satellite dish mounted on the roof. This dish is connected to a control unit that is programmed to search for selected satellites in the sky, no matter where you are and no matter which way you are pointing. New satellites can be added to the system if you know their location and transmitting parameters. The control unit remembers the last position in the sky of each satellite you have found, and the last list of channels that it downloaded from that satellite. You can tell the control unit to update its list of channels for a satellite you have found at any time. You will have to let the system search again for each satellite that you want to use whenever to boat has been moved. You cannot use the satellite dish while you are moving! As soon as you start the engine, the dish will retract. This is to prevent you forgetting to retract the dish when you set off, and shearing it off when you pass under a low bridge! You can only pick up television and radio stations from a satellite if the dish can see it in the sky. The programmed search will do its best to find the satellite, but if it can't see it you can't use it. Details of the system and how to operate it can be found in procedure HT-Overview



The "Oliver" has the following utilities: Fresh water Hot water 12 volt DC electricity 240 volt AC electricity Forced hot water central heating Oil stove heating Flush toilet with holding tank Propane gas Satellite television The source of most energy on the boat is diesel oil, with bottled propane gas fueling the cooking stove. When you are moored at the home mooring at Welton Hythe or at some other full service marina, you can draw electricity from the national grid using a metered shore line.

Electricity

Operating Procedures		1

	Utilities