Filters, fuel and Diesel Bug!

Having got the engine running (albeit from a 5L (1-gallon for Brexiteers) can), it was time to bite the bullet and drag out the box of components from Fuel Guard to assemble the fuel filter assembly.

My original plan was to have a recirculating fuel filter in the Potter's locker. After a bit of head scratching (seems to be a frequent event these days), I figured I could use the system as both a normal inline filter and a recirculating, polishing system.

The real question was where to locate it. The obvious place was the devoid-of-obstructions, newly-installed rear bulkhead, until I noticed that the filter was set up to flow the wrong way. More head scratching.

So the filter ended up on the electrically-crowded forward bulkhead. Due to space constraints, the pump and valve assembly had to be mounted separately.

A non-return valve was fitted to the engine feed line, to stop the fuel draining back. After connecting the feed and return lines from the main fuel tanks, it was time to focus on the engine room and back cabin roof lining. My ambition was to install the speedwheel and gear controls, but to be able to do that, I needed something to fix all the parts to. So it was on to cutting lengths of T&G boarding to line the roof.

Hopefully, a few more days should see the controls in place and the boat technically movable!

First run of the Gardner 3LW

I don't really know why it's taken so long to get the engine running, to be honest. The beautiful Gardner 3LW has been installed in the shell for months, but it's never really been a top priority to get it running. There have also been some good reasons why I couldn't, such the starter motor not being wired up, then finding that the starter motor didn't work properly, not having the exhaust components to hand, no gearbox oil cooler, no cooling system, and so on.
But mainly, it's just all those other jobs, like insulating the boat, which were really more urgent.

Anyway, the other day, the replacement starter motor arrived, courtesy of Iain Parker at ICS Online.
(Quick plug for this company here... they are very knowledgeable and incredibly helpful. Top service!) It only took a few minutes to install and was turning the engine over very nicely.

This gave me the motivation to get the gearbox oil cooler installed. This was a tricky one, because the gearbox was at one end of the engine room and the coolant pipes were at the other. I figured that the only place where it could sensibly be fitted, was on the engine bearer. Then there was the small matter of sourcing 10mm bore hose which could withstand 20 Bar!

The location of the cooler meant I needed a few more bends for the engine cooling system, but with those on order, I could now fill the gearbox with oil. The exhaust components were just screwed together by hand for now...

With the addition of some plastic tube and a can of fuel, it was time to try and bleed the fuel system. I struggled to find any useful information on the internet, so it was down to a bit of trial and error, made more complicated by the fact that the engine had to be turned by hand to allow the manual lift pump to work. During the months that the engine had stood idle, many of the fuel-related components had got very stiff, so I was worried this was going to be an issue.

However, after a number of unsuccessful engine spins, there was the unmistakable sound of it firing on one cylinder. A bit more bleeding of the fuel, another go with the starter, then all of a sudden, the engine sprang to life!

As the engine has no coolant at this stage, I was limited to the amount of running time, but was able to test the prop in gear, both forward and backwards. All seemed well, with a good strain being exerted on the mooring lines!

Now I was keen to check that the big 155 Amp, 24 Volt alternator was working. I found a 24V bulb and wired it up to battery positive and the Lamp terminal on the alternator. Another brief run of the engine saw the Sterling A2B charger spring into life, with a row of green LEDs showing. Next job is to fit a Hall effect ammeter to the cable, to show the charge current. First indications are that the pulley ratios are about right. Phew. The system will need more testing, by discharging the batteries, so they 'demand' full charge current.

Next jobs are to complete and fill the coolant system and make the permanent fuel connections; secure the silencer to the roof collar, etc. But these are minor things. It might not be too long before I'll be reversing Calbourne out of her mooring, onto the river for a little test cruise!

Happy days... good progress!

Cracking on with the essentials

It's been a funny old couple of weeks, but some good progress to report.

When I returned to the boat in the New Year, it dawned on mt that I had just over two months to get the boat into a sailable condition! The grit blaster and paint tunnel were booked for the beginning of April, so I had to be able to set off for Nottingham around 15th March.

This had the effect of focusing me onto 'Jobs That Really Must Be Done To Be Able To Move The Boat', instead of the jobs that I was most interested in!

I started writing a list and was surprised at how basic some of the essential jobs were, e.g.

• Fit tiller
• Get engine running: cooling system, starter motor, gearbox cooling, fuel supply, etc
• Flooring over propshaft
• Something to stand on whilst steering
• Steps to stern
• Water pump
• Install toilet (thankfully simple)
• Buy and fit fenders
• Ideally, get the cooker installed and working: two 11-day trips on 'ping' meals???

I picked the water pump as the first task, as I wanted it out of the way and thought it would be a quick win. It should have been simple: screw pump assembly to a piece of plywood and connect up. Until I realised that all the holes were covered by the pump itself, so I ended up having to fix captive bolts into the wood, fit the pump over, then fiddle and faff to get washers and nuts on. Four hours later...

Twin pump assembly, ready for in/out connections

Who designs this stuff? Don't they give any thought to the poor *** who's got to install it??

Having run the DC supply down the boat, I was able to test the pumps by pumping the tank contents overboard. The twin pump setup worked impressively, delivering through a 22mm pipe at full bore. They emptied the 900 litre tank in under 30 minutes.

The next key job was 'Get The Engine Running'! As with so many things on this build, one task is dependant on two or three others. The engine needs a cooling system; the cooling system needs a header tank; the header tank needs to go on s bulkhead; before the bulkhead goes in, the ceiling insulation needs finishing... and so it goes.

So it was out with the Celotex and spray glue, then off to the builders merchant to get T&G boarding, ready for the bulkhead. Happily, I'd pre-made the ash framework in the workshop weeks previously, so it was a fairly straightforward job to fit it.

Fitting the T&G boarding was a nice easy job, then I was able to fit the lovely brass header tank (supplied by Tony Redshaw Vintage Diesels) and connect up the feed hose.

The PRM 500 gearbox needs an oil cooler. This is not normally an issue on modern engines, because they arrange somewhere convenient to fit it. The problem with fitting a vintage engine is that... nothing fits!! The cold side of the cooling system is at one end, the gearbox is at the other, so the compromise was to fix the cooler to the engine bearer. This was another case in point - all the blasted screw holes covered by the unit itself!! I think these designers think we have flexible, right-angled screwdrivers!

Added to that, the PRM 500 manual states that the system needs to be rated at 20Bar. That's 300psi in old money. A lot of searching on eBay produced some rubber hose, sheathed in stainless steel. Hopefully it will be OK!

Next, the starter motor. I  had tried spinning the engine, but the starter failed to engage. The pinion just kept hitting the flywheel, making a terrible din and was starting to damage the flywheel rack.

A phone call to the most knowledgeable Iain Parker of ICS Online solved the problem. He supplied a rebuilt replacement starter motor, which took a few minutes to fit. The new motor worked perfectly and turned the engine over without a problem. Progress!

Having fitted the oil cooler, the next challenge was to route all the cooling water pipes around everything else. This involved ordering a bunch of various bends, but at least it will fit and work.

More on the engine next time!

Installing underfloor heating in my narrow boat

Just to recap a bit on previous posts...

One of the main reasons given for not installing 'wet' underfloor heating in a boat, is the lack of exposed floor area. This is a fair point - an awful lot of it is covered by various cupboards and other furniture.
But one day, I had a lightbulb moment, which was to run the UFH pipes along the hull sides, as well as the floor. Doing this would make a massive difference to the exposed area.

The only issue was dimensioning the thermal panels to fit. I needed to allow for three 50mm battens, to support the lining, and I wanted to run a 40mm conduit along the top for 230V cables. All of which left it very tight for fitting in the bends at the end of each pipe run!

But with some careful measurement, it all proved just possible. After a few false starts, I set to, cutting the panels to fit in between the battens.

The polystyrene panels make an awful mess when you cut them - the bits seem to get everywhere, but thank goodness for the cordless Dyson!

The panels were fixed in place with a few dabs of SikaFlex. So far, so good. I have a feeling that fitting and securing the pipes is going to be a little trickier!

This photo shows the port side, where the oil fired cooker will go. I have provided vents to allow fresh air to be drawn from the bilge. These line up with the combustion air intakes on the back of the cooker. The idea is to provide the required air without a draught, whilst ventilating the bilge.

Meanwhile, the celing still needed finishing. I had bought a couple of mini Acrow props - these proved to be absolutely invaluable as a third (and fourth!) hand, for holding the battens while they were secured with self-drilling screws.

Once the lengthwise battens were in place, I was able to add the remaining layer of 25mm Celotex and apply yet more foil tape to complete the ceiling insulation.

The BSS guys aren't keen on 230V cables being located with DC ones in the same conduit, so I've run two lengths of 40mm conduit right down the length of the boat to contain them in the roof space.

These should make it quite easy to connect up ceiling lights, as well as running the long cable runs to things like the tunnel light.

Well, that was it for 2018. I suppose, considering the boat wasn't launched till mid-October, I've not made bad progress. But I'm very mindful of the fact that in just over 2 months, I need to have the boat in a cruise-able and semi-habitable state. Around the middle of March, I need to set off on a 12-day trip to Nottingham, where 'Calbourne' will be grit-blasted and painted.

Hmmm... need to start thinking about the engine cooling system, exhaust, controls... plus a few other minor details!