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Author Topic: Just Brain Storming.  (Read 1198 times)

w3526602

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Just Brain Storming.
« on: October 20, 2021, 06:36:44 AM »

Hi,

I woke up this morning, and wondered how those with similar challenges are dealing with them. Here is just one of my findings.

https://www.electric-cars-are-for-girls.com/electric-narrowboat-conversion.html

According to the book "The Horse on the Cut", a single donkey can pull an 80 ton canal barge ... slowly. My own experience of bow-hauling my 2-ton 20ft Norman canal cruiser, single handed, from Lower Maunsel to my Bathhurst moorings, about six miles, agreed with that ... until the wind blew the other way. It was normally powered by a 1.3 Ford Escort cross-flow engine, and Zenith out-drive.

Speaking from ignorance, I'm assuming that an electric boat  is fitted with a small electric motor, and a F-N-R gear box, designed to drop onto a couple of "strakes" nailed to the hull (one size fits all)... or maybe directional control is simply a switch?

Does anybody have further knowledge of what is available in battery powered motors/controls, their versatllity in dropping into dark places, and cost?

I appreciate that "boaty" people enjoy standing in cold puddles, while tearing up £5 notes.

602
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w3526602

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2021, 06:57:37 AM »

Hi again,

Try this for size in your browser bar.... electric motor in new narrow boat images

602
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w3526602

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2021, 07:10:57 AM »

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nathanglasgow

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1967 Rover 10(ex mil 2a swb)
1970 lwb  ex Singer sewing machine factory Clydebank fire appliance

w3526602

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2021, 11:33:27 AM »

Hi Nathan,

I just logged on, to find your reply. Thanks for your efforts. However, I've got the link below stored in my "click C" memory, so I'll get it posted here before I lose it.

https://canalboatuk.com/the-electric-narrowboat/

At least this place makes a suggestion about prices (sit down before reading). But then, a marine hose clip costs twice as much a a vehicle clip, and an aircraft hose clip cost ten times as much.  ???  Probably because they can. Strange that a complete battery powered car costs similar to the difference between  diesel and battery powered boat.

Whatever, it gives us a line to get under. I don't think I've driven more than 20 miles in a day since we moved to MK, about three years ago.

I'll get back to your link later, and thanks again.  At present, I'm just pondering on "WHAT IF".  Realistically, taking Barbara into account, I should be thinking about a battery powered London "black cab". She would find it difficult/impossible to struggle into the back of saloon car, and insists that she would need the proximity of a steering wheel to use as a "struggling bar".

602

PS, Recently, a Local Authority "flyer" came through our letter box, offering various grants ... including, I think, solar panels for the roof of our bungalow. I filed it under WPB, and now wish I hadn't. Does anybody remember the details of the offer?


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w3526602

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2021, 07:30:58 AM »

Hi,

I done some Googling, found this ... solarpanelgrants.co.uk, which seems to suggest that we MAY be entitled to "something", due to Barbara's day and night Atendance Allowance (maybe I should read that again?)

Working through the building check list, there was a question ... "Which way does your house face?" Surely they want to know which way the roof slopes? Can somebody tell me how to answer that?  :stars

Detached bungalow, nominally 40ft by 22ft. The roof ridge runs North/South, so half the roof gets unobstructed sunlight in the morning, and the other half gets unobstructed sunlight in the afternoon. That seems ideal to this little mind. ???

Just to complicate things, the detached garage (more of a small man cave) uses the same size roof trusses, but turned through 90", so half the roof faces the sun all day, but the other half gets the sun most of the day, but the sunbeams hit it at an angle.

Both bungalow and garage roofs have a 45* pitch.

Back to the drawing board.

602
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Herald1360

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2021, 12:53:59 PM »

Best is a south facing roof but a split installation on east-west roofs isn't too bad. Either east or west will give about 80% of the output vs a south facing system.

Don't know whether you can use more panels to get back to the nominal 4kW peak output allowed within the present domestic FiT regime though.

Edit: Apparently there is no FiT regime any longer, so you can fit as many panels as will go (or you can afford!)
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Wittsend

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2021, 02:00:36 PM »

For optimum sunlight interception you'll need to get your builder to alter the pitched roof angle(s) to 52 degrees  ;)





 :cool
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Who's a then ?
 

w3526602

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2021, 05:08:22 PM »

For optimum sunlight interception you'll need to get your builder to alter the pitched roof angle(s) to 52 degrees  ;)

Either east or west will give about 80% of the output vs a south facing system.


Hi Both,

Thanks for those snippets.

Can I assume that 52* is roughly where we are in relation to the Equator? If so, the Wobble of the World is working against us during late Autumn, Winter, and early Spring?

On the other hand, being a bungalow, we have perhaps twice the roof area of many modern semi-Ds, with the back half of the garage giving nearly as much as a modern terraced house. I assume that solar power is not stored? (unless it's in a vehicles batteries).

At this stage, I'm mainly interested in storing electricity to power a vehicle. Most of our journeys nowadays are under 5 miles each way.

Our bungalow seems well insulated, as gas bills are remarkably low. Water is only gas heated for the room radiators, and hot water to the kitchen and bathroom sinks. The oven and hob is electric. Central heating and hot water are gas, but the old "biddy" who lived here before us (and bought it new in circa 1985) ripped the bath out, and replaced it with a "wheel-in" shower (with access too narrow to let a wheel-chair in ... :thud ... something not obvious when viewing the property. We removed the fixed screen and replaced it with folder). The plan is to extend the bathroom into the hall cupboards, and install a proper bath.

Barbara yelling that my evening meal is getting cold. I will return "bahden bucrah" (or however the Arabs spell it.

602
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Wittsend

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Re: Just Brain Storming.
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2021, 07:02:52 PM »

Just put the bungalow on a turntable and hinge the roof. The whole show can then be computer controlled to track the sun and maintain optimum angle to the sun  :first
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