electrical bits

Spent the last few days trawling the internet for various bits and pieces I need to get Phoenix back into tip top shape... some easy to find, others less so... or at least less so at sensible prices!

I need 10 overhead lights... currently we've got teak discs, with a brass fitting on each... replacements are £40 each... ouch. However, i've found a source of just the brass bit at £12 each... much more like it... they've also got 10W bulbs in... OK for a couple, but 10 of them will be a bit heavy on the batteries (OK, we're unlikely to have them all on at the same time)... so want LED alternatives... which are £15 each.... have found a supplier of a converter from bayonet to G4 connections, that also provides surge protection... and then the LED G4 bulbs are 95p each from eBay... total £3 a light fitting.. much better!

Then its on to bilge pumps... again, not cheap... looking at about £80 a pump by the time you've added float switches... but have just found a supplier of slightly smaller pumps (still well recognised, good quality brands) that cope with 350Gph, but if I fit 3 of them, then that's enough... if the water is coming in faster than a 1,000 Gallons an hour, we'be got bigger problems!

Then on to shower pumps... jeepers! £100 each.... so that'll be only one heads with a shower unit then.... and it'll also save on taps/shower head fittings too..

After that, its nav lights.... need a tricolour... but 'er indoors is buying me the NASA LED Tricolour as a crimbo pressie!

I'll worry about the steaming light etc later.

Finally, I need instruments, so that when Phoenix is lifted, I can remove the old log and sounder and fit new ones... was going down the Raymarine route with ST40s, but can get two of the new Garmin colour instrumets for the same money.... and they are multi display... in fact as they include more cabling than the Raymarine ones, actually they work out cheaper!

They are NMEA2000, but also have an NMEA0813 input... so plan is to have Standard Horizon VHF with AIS receiver, sending NMEA to a Raymarine e7 plotter, which will also output GPS info to radio and instruments... neat set up, that allows me to have an iPad down below that repeats e7 display, as well as lots of other funky features.

Not onboard this weekend... too much to do at home... but back on the case soon!

Tidied and quit!

Got up this morning, and started to fit the battery cabling to fit the Sterling A2B and the battery charger, to find that the terminals on the new battery cables have holes in a smidgen too small to fit on the 3way and isolator switches... no problem, there's more than enough material in them to enlarge the holes slightly, only I didn't have the required tools with me... so did a whole load of tidying up, and came home.

There are parts of the boat that I haven't seen in several weeks!... I also brought home a good pile of cushions, so that as I complete the battery wiring, I can start tackling the stripping and varnishing without either covering everything in dust, or having to undertake a major rearrange everytime I start a new area. Probably a good thing to do this time of the year anyway.

This weekend has been really positive. I feel like i've made some major progress. What it has done is made me realise that I need to get on and get the gas and fridge done, as then i'm getting close to having a habitable space, where I can spend an entire week without having to nip out every two days for food, or can eat properly, rather than living on snacks....

With the forepeak largely cleared of clutter, I can see me getting that part of the boat well under way before too long.

It will be frustrating being able to finish an entire cabin, but not get the headlining completed, but that will be almost the last job, as the dust will play havoc with new headlining, and the material is sufficiently expensive, that it will just have to wait!

Hot water!

Another fine day of progress!

Old calorifier removed, new one in, pipework to galley sink, and immersion heater wired up.

The old calorifier was an absolute pig to get out. All the connections were rusted to the point that I had to cut them off, and it was buried deep in a locker and needed lots of dissmantaling to remove. When i finally managed to undo the bolts holding it in, which required contortionist skills, i pulled from the top of the immersion heater, which promptly crumbled it was so rusty!

New one was the same size, so fitted neatly, but the take offs were in a different position, so i'll lose 6" of wet locker, but can live with that.. Still to reassemble the locker anyway.

The pipework was easy, other than when i removed the end stop from the cold water system, despite having turned the pump off, i'd forgotten to open the tap and let the pressure off, so soaked myself with a jet of water... Only an accumulator full.

And then I had a stroke of genius. In the saloon is a lit switch for the old battery charger... No longer needed, but i had enough 240V cable to route to it, so now the immersion is nicely switched in a visible place... saves a hole in the seating area too!

Left it an hour, and joy beyond joy... Running hot and cold water, at least to the galley anyway. I'll extend it to the heads as i start working on them.

Tomorrow i'll start fitting the new battery charger, the 3 way switch and the isolators, so that the domestics are serviced properly. Currently i'm running everything off the engine start battery.

And then, clear the forepeak and start getting all the wiring in and working my way backwards... Tons to do, but progress is very motivating!