Riddle me this ?

Never a nice thing to be shelling out large chunks of money. January is our boat license renewal month. I will have detailed in other posts the cost of having a boat on the UK canals. 

Boat licence 

Mooring fees

Insurance 

Maintenance 

Having just paid out for this years licence I took a look back at the last few years of licence costs and the increases Canal and Rivers trust have applied 

So we are £1,352,72p lighted in pocket from today. Have a look at those % increases and the corresponding RPI ( on which my pension is calculated). The principal is more painful than the amounts. 

In my life I manage the income and expenditure as one is finite each year so the other has to match ideally be a bit lower or our savings get reduced. Not rocket science. But like our successive governments they  just don't seem able to balance the books..... but why should they worry as unlike me they have a  legal right to extract more money when they want to and what route to objection have we got... well two really I guess, both are the same but for different reasons - don't pay?

Don't pay as we have sold the boat 

Don't pay and join the club of many others in society who put the load on the mugs who do pay to try and keep some degree of progress and normality? 

I came very close today to joining the above lot..... I wonder what C&RT would have done ? Offered me a payment plan? Reduced my contribution ?  Removed my boat ? Given me a cuddle and told me it would all be ok ? 

Could I have legitimately challenged them over my non payment as a protest at their incompetency? I am one of those limited few who see the canals as a transport infrastructure for boats. I watched a fishing video recently and the match was on a canal and the bloke was moaning about boats while advising to mix soil into the ground bait... the dredging costs were not far from my mind as I marvelled at his fixed negative point of view on canal boats. I wondered what his fishing clubs section rental fee increase was this year? Or the cost of a paddle board license, the cost to walk the tow path, the cost to cycle the towpath, the cost for famers to remove water from the canal. You might be getting the picture  - the boaters pay !

Ultimately I have a choice  - sell and shut up. I love the canals and they have been an integral part of my life for many years so for now I'll try and keep calm and carry on.

Tempting tempting tempting

Electricity seems to rule an ever bigger chunk of my life. Ever since installing the solar panels and house battery at home ( as well as the EV)  I am monitoring  and tweaking ever more. 

I woke this morning to read of my good friend Mandy of NB Don't Panic and her questions to the 12v boating group ( a decent helpful group in the main) around a move to lithium on her boat. 

The boaters reading this will be aware of the benefits of Lithium, it is running our cottage at the moment and has been doing so for getting on three years now. It also now propels us across the country in our EV... so why not on our boat? 

Space.... Tony built a cruising  boat not a liveaboard. The engine battery bank space is well constructed but limiting. Not a problem if you cruise each day as the limited lead acids we got with the boat would get a charge each day to replenish them. I replaced them with initially sealed lead acids for ease of maintenance  they last about 5 years which is the 'norm' then AGM's which were bigger in amp hours capacity but had the same 50% use restriction and the same level of slow sulphating and therefore the same expiry time. 

Lithium clad boaters know lithium can go to a much lower state of charge  and charge much faster. The evangelists and more techy will put in hybrid systems with carefully set BMS parameters and sometimes longer charging leads to control the charge. The hybrid being the partner 'spare' AGM or lead acid that is there to protect the alternator when the lithium's shut off their charge receiving when full... like turning off a switch and the alternator needs to have somewhere to momentarily direct its charge to otherwise it'll kill the regulator/rectifier  - my understanding please comment if I have anything here wrong? 

Therein has alway been my problem of a hybrid set up - space. A decent sized lithium does not conform to the standard AGM battery sizes so I could not fit in a starter lithium and the hybrid support battery. I did consider using the starter as the hybrid battery but the general consensus was that was not the best idea - I need to understand that more ?

I have of course and still do consider adding in a a larger portable solar battery that I have mentioned in other posts  - I use the Ecoflow but like the Aferiey. However £ for £ a 'separates' install is cheaper* especially as I already have the charger and the solar controller so would only need the lithium battery but what I would also need and do not have is space.  

So the other option and why Mandy's post was of interest is she is having what I think is referred to as a direct system... no extra hybrid support battery but a DC-DC charge controller. This basically takes the charge the alternator is giving to the starter battery and the dc-dc controller links the starter to the lithium so when the engine is running the starter is getting the charge and the charge controller is charging the lithium.... the charge controller can be adjusted to not overload the alternator - Mandy's got the same size alternator as I  have  - 70 amps 

It would also get rid of a lot of Smart bank Smart gauge wiring as the battery has its own Bluetooth ( and heating) for information on charigng and state of charge etc. 

There is a lot to like about the approach Mandy is taking and I will watch with interest her experience which I have no doubt will be a good one. 

Right off to deep dive into DC-DC chargers and Lithium batteries I may be a while ! 

*Plus the separates gives a bugger capacity at lower costs but removes the duel use of the solar battery where we can bring it home and use it in the cottage. My Ecoflows when not on the boat run the pond pump and filters 75 w an hour  x 15  = 1125 W/hr's which gives the main hour batteries that much more capacity  - as an example of the duel use 

Heating and toilets and gauges

If you mooch around the blog I am sure you'll find repeat mentions about both topics. Sitting here in the cottage reading of Adam and Adrians composting loo and having recently chatted  '$hit' with our boaty neighbour Mandy my thoughts are to my waste products when on the boat. 

Before the storm the other day I lifted the man hole cover in the back yard and emptied the contents of a heavy cassette I'd brought back from the boat. It was heavy and in chatting to Mandy she said one consideration for her for the move to the composting loo was just that the weight of the cassettes to the point she was only half filling them to make them more manageable. At the moment we go to the red light  - side note, I did suggest to Rachel we adopt a process whereby whoever triggers the red light changes the cassette. In a rare excursion from equality of roles she told me that was a blue job !! 

So  the idea of building ( or buying) as composting loo for 2026 is on the cards. One job added to the list.

SKIP TO THE BOATY BIT BELOW IF NOT INTERESTED IN HEATING CALCULATIONS 

Heating is a challenge here at the cottage  - not an issue as we have multiple systems. Again side note and one really for me to detail for my future self consumption ..

We have recently  cancelled out air source heat pump install. I liked the idea of a new system that was paid for in the main by the Government  350% efficient ( the SCOP  - Seasonal coefficient of performance for our install was 3.5 - 1 kw of energy in 3.5 kw of heat out) Our oil boiler is 93% efficient or should be as it is a condensing boiler. However it is not as it does not condense as the return temp is about 50c - the circulation temp is set high as we have all cast iron radiators in the cottage. 

So I did the calcs ( shout if if you disagree) 1 kw of electricity is 29p right now so with a SCOP of 3.5 1 kw of heat would be 29/3.5 = 8p

Oil contains 10.35 kw of energy per litre. So our 90 % efficient boiler produces 9.3 kw of heat per litre

A recent fill up cost us 66p inc 5% vat per litre 

So it is costing us 7p per kw for oil 

Of course if we could get cheaper electric the cost for the ASHP wins  - we have solar and batteries but the tariff we are on would not work for us for cheaper electric during the day 

I asked Chat GTP about the relative movements of UK heating oil and Electric pricing for the next 5 years..... the answer in the broadest of terms was electric will be going up year on year while oil will remain reasonably static. In a candid webinar Octopus's management also said electric would continue to rise in cost over the short to medium period.  

We are saving about £1800 per year to heat our home have hot water and run the EV. The gains on an ASHP would be marginal  - £300 per year was their estimate. I replaced the whole burner head on the boiler late last year - cost me £500... that is in effect the boiler replaced so should run for another 10 years which is their service life and the life almost to the month of the last one. 

I will add another rad in the kitchen in the spring/summer and maybe add an immersion so we can turn off the oil boiler in the summer or warmer months.

Right  - not sure where this is going but I have electric heating in the annex/dog house that works very well. We have two wood burners - the bigger one was lit today to warm the whole house and give the main boiler a rest... 

BOAT RELATED CONTENT ...

I also recently installed a cheap Chinese diesel heater in the garage  - it is running now to heat it up for me to go in a do some bits on the bikes. £80... it uses the same tech as the Eberspacher but at a fraction of the cost. I run it on heating oil not diesel. The garage is uninsulated so hard to warm up - I tried 2kw electric heaters but they were expensive and inefficient. I do use that in the home office that is well insulated and it get the temp up where by the far infrared panel takes over - I love the heat they give off. 

I could see me fitting a diesel heater in the forcabin for quicker spring/autumn heat when the stove would be to much. Another job....

Gauges - I run a Home assistant instance on a PI5 mini computer I have sensors around the house and a Fire tablet in the lounge showing and controlling a lot of stuff...

Can you spot when the diesel heater went on ?

I am sure that would heat the boat up very quickly  - just take a bit of power but that is where the Ecoflow would come in - or maybe that hybrid lithium battery set up should be installed? 

Had a lovely walk today, took a footpath that takes us near the quarry over behind the two farms, made a nice change and was easier walking than on the roads.

A rambling post but a decent diary entry... might be back on the boat soon? 

Another tough day for the cottage

We think our cottage is over  250 years old.... we have some historical reports done by a previous occupier that shows it on the earliest OS maps. We really need a historical architect to come and look at it and give a verdict. 

To give some canal context, our cottage sits in the Churnet valley and the Caldon canal runs below us to the north east. 

The Caldon Canal's key dates include its Act of Parliament in 1776, completion in 1778 (main line), opening of the Leek Arm in 1801, near closure by the 1960s, and its significant restoration and reopening for leisure in 1974, marking a new chapter for this historically important waterway connecting Stoke-on-Trent to the Peak District. 

Key Milestones:

• 1776: Act of Parliament passed for the canal's construction, primarily to transport limestone from Cauldon Low to the Potteries.
• 1778: Main line of the canal completed, running from Etruria to Froghall.
• 1801: The Leek Arm built to supply water from Rudyard Reservoir to the summit level, including new locks at Hazelhurst.
• 1840s-1850s: Saw increased traffic due to ironstone discoveries, boosting its commercial success.
• 1960s: The canal fell into disuse and became virtually unnavigable.

•1974: A major restoration effort by volunteers and British Waterways brought the canal back to life             for leisure craft. 

It would therefore make a lot of sense for the cottage to have been built around the same time as this industry was in the area. Of course the area has always been farming - this is where mine and Rachels views differ, she believes it was always two cottages and now its is one ... people often think it is semi detached based on the fact we technically have two front doors ! My view is it was a cottage with an attached barn, the fact one side of the cottage has had the walls lifted to make the roof line match further encorages my view. I guess the architect would be able to give a clear winner on that score.

The point for the blog entry is Ivy Cottage has stood stoically from possibly the start of the construction of the canal in the valley to today and hopefully for many more years to come. In those years I can only imagine the weather the cottage has seen and yesterday was a blizzard for a few hours.

We lost power for a short period but other than that we woke to a thaw of the snow that arrived as promised. I didn't venture out only watching from the cctv cameras we have.

It's set to freeze tonight and not get much above freezing tomorrow then maybe more snow on Sunday before the rain arrives and washes it all away  - as well as the salt. I am getting a bit stir crazy here despite much to do ! 

Anyhow for interest  in those 250 years our cottage has seen .....

British history from 1775 to the present day is marked by immense change, including the loss of the American colonies, the height and decolonization of the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution, two World Wars, membership in and withdrawal from the European Union, and significant social and technological shifts. 

1775–1850: Revolution, War, and Industrialisation

This era saw Britain become the world's first industrialised nation and a dominant global power, despite significant conflicts. 

• 1775–1783: American War of Independence results in Britain formally recognising the independence of the United States of America.
• 1788: The first edition of The Times is published.
• 1801: The Act of Union creates the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1805: The Battle of Trafalgar confirms the Royal Navy's command of the seas.
• 1807: The Slave Trade Act abolishes the slave trade in the British Empire.
• 1833: Slavery is fully abolished throughout the British Empire.
• 1837: Queen Victoria ascends to the throne, beginning the Victorian era.
• 1830s–1840s: The Chartist movement campaigns for democratic reforms, including universal male suffrage. 

1850–1950: The Victorian Age, World Wars, and the Welfare State 

The 19th and early 20th centuries were characterised by imperial expansion and major domestic reforms, followed by global conflict and the establishment of modern social welfare. 

• 1858: India officially becomes a colony under direct British Crown rule (the British Raj).
• 1867 & 1884: The Second and Third Reform Acts significantly expand voting rights to more men.
• 1877: Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India.
• 1899–1902: The Second Boer War takes place in South Africa.
• 1914–1918: Britain is a major participant in World War I.
• 1928: The Equal Franchise Act grants women the same voting rights as men (over 21).
• 1939–1945: Britain is a key Allied power in World War II; Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister in 1940.
• 1947: India gains independence from British rule, marking the beginning of rapid decolonization.
• 1948: The National Health Service (NHS) is established, providing universal healthcare. 

1950–Today: Post-War Britain, Europe, and the Modern Era 

The latter half of the 20th century and the 21st century have seen Britain adapt to a post-imperial world, engage with European integration, and navigate the challenges of the modern era. 

• 1956: The Suez Crisis highlights Britain's diminished global status as a "second tier" world power.
• 1969: British troops are deployed to Northern Ireland as "The Troubles" escalate.
• 1973: The UK joins the European Economic Community (EEC), the forerunner to the EU.
• 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes the UK's first female Prime Minister, ushering in a period of free-market policies.
• 1982: The Falklands War occurs after Argentina invades the islands; the UK successfully re-takes them.
• 1997: Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister in a landslide victory for "New Labour", and Britain hands Hong Kong back to China, ending over 150 years of British rule.
• 1998: The Good Friday Agreement is signed, a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process.
• 2003: The UK joins the US-led invasion of Iraq.
• 2005: The 7/7 London bombings kill 52 people and injure hundreds in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the transport system.
• 2010: A coalition government is formed between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats after a hung parliament, with David Cameron as PM.
• 2016: The UK votes to leave the European Union in the Brexit referendum.
• 2020: The UK officially leaves the EU after a protracted negotiation process.
• 2022: Queen Elizabeth II dies and is succeeded by her son, King Charles III.
• 2024: The UK general election results in a landslide victory for the Labour Party, and Keir Starmer becomes Prime Minister. 

Prepping for a 'multi hazard event'

Of course on the boat the prep is mostly done in that you are responsible for your own heat power and water as well as waste, very much off grid living  - which is why it is a bit attractive to me. Having said that is it hard work and I have the upmost respect to those living on the cut. The marina dwellers have the umbilical cord of power and water on the pontoon as well as toilets and showers on site so really not the same hardy boaters as those on the canal.

When we were aboard we saw it first hand with daylight bringing the boaters out to top up water while the various water points were still unfrozen, chopping wood for their stoves bringing coal into their boats for their stoves and getting provisions from the local shops as certainly where we moor the lanes would easily become impassible. That is more to do with the type of farming as it is mostly arable not dairy. The dairy farmers round us do some lane clearing to enable the milk tankers to get to the farms to take away their milk. The other year one skidded off the lane near us but again there is a lot of decent heavy equipment on the farms to extricate the tanker so it wasn't stuck for too long. 

Here at the cottage we are supposed to be in the line of fire for storm Goretti which is reportedly  bringing the multi hazard event. Being boaters and having lived out here for a good few years now we have an understanding of what the impacts might be. We are lucky in that we do not get too many power outages here ( tempting fate) and where they do occur they are usually quite quickly resolved as the transformers that are on our lines are in the local farmers fields.

But having been caught out with the beast from the east which turned out to be the flame detector on the oil boiler unit ( I now have a spare plus others ) where we or rather I didn't have any heat in the cottage for four or five days  - Rachel was on the south coast in the cottage down there. The 8kw stove that is in the middle of the cottage was a god send as it kept me and the whole cottage warm. 

I have since brought the  Ecoflow and extra battery plus I have two generators at the cottage a 2.2kw that still needs a new choke, I have fashioned a repair but I also have the Honda 1kw that is uber reliable. The latter can recharge the Ecoflow in a couple of hours  - the benefits of the Ecofow battery are detailed elsewhere on my blog. I'd not be without one here or on the boat and am looking at adding extra when the time and budget it right. 

So I have both fires in the cottage set to be lit, I have the Ecoflow fully charged and whilst not go a full 5 litre tank of petrol for the genny I have three motorbikes with petrol in their tanks I can syphon off if needed. I've also filled the storm lantern and we have oil lamps and candles as well !

I'm following the line of thinking if I'm very prepared then I'll need non of it....

The smaller 4 kw multi fuel stove that can get the lounge up to 24c white easily 

This is the 8kw stove that is a wood burner and can eat through logs very efficiently but we do have a decent store of those for the remainder of this winter 

 I'll let you know how we get on....

A tale of two locations

I  woke this morning after a very long sleep last night to snow at the cottage and a photos from our boaty neighbour Mandy off NB Don't Panic. I do feel a tad guilty but we needed to be home for a variety of reasons.

All is not lost  - I may have made noises about investigating the diesel heaters readily available on Amazon and elsewhere. Well after another  long day with a decent amount. of icy road miles I came back to one left outside from the committed Amazon drivers. This one is destined for the garage for polishing and fettling bikes in hopefully a warmer environment. If its proves practical then I have some plans for fitting one on the boat......

A new low for us

There was eerie sounds on Percy in the small hours....  not heard for many years. As the canal froze and nature locked Percy into her icy stronghold the smallest of movement on the boat creates a creak and a groan quite unique in the world of sounds. Steel and ice holding tight to each other and the movements seem to echo under the water.... I would what the fish think of it ? 

The photos tell the tale of our early morning ...

I've been putting the coal cage in overnight as that controls the burn and does not make the boat too hot. As you can see we woke to 16c in the boat and -7c outside the boat. The engine room that is unheated next to the bathroom was 3c. The three logs I have left will soon bring the boat up to 20c 

The canal has lost the battle with the cold and now frozen over hence the creaks groans and strange echos in the night 

The frames of the windows has ice on the inside 

It is a lovely winter wonderland outside but as you might imagine quite bitter.

Colin and Viv have got a roaring fire going, even with the smoke going straight up the wood smoke smells quite fragrant.

I can't recall being aboard in such low temps and its gratifying that Percy's systems ( touch wood) have been a match for the cold. I do recall a particularly cold spell when I was living aboard at Fradley - a boater was trying to beat the ice and failed

Part 2 even more power even less progress 

I did go out and help him reverse back to the junction up three locks. He got some abuse from other boaters as they don't like the ice being pushed against their boats as it removes the blacking as does cruising in ice of course. 

Running for home later as we have a decent amount of snow forecast  up our neck of the woods ( as well as here at Shebdon.) Percy will be drained down and locked up and left in peace until the next time. 

Maybe some walking along the Caldon in the snow ?