John Devonald has some tips on a topic rarely considered.
This short article is really one I should have written before winter set in, but I am still getting queries from people about issues they are having with their cooling systems. Here are a few points and tips to, hopefully, help anyone who is unsure as to what it entails.
On most canal boats, the cooling system is a closed loop with a water pump that moves coolant through the engine to cool it and then into the skin-tank to reduce the temperature of the coolant before recirculating it back to the engine. Tap-offs are used to supply the coolant to heat a calorifier in some cases. It is basically the same as a car but with the skin-tank taking the place of the radiator.
Under the UK clean air strategy, the government has mandated that boats ordered from 2025 must use zero-emission technologies. This and many other changes are part of the UK climate change commitments to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Your answers to this questionnaire will allow us better understanding of the opportunities and challenges that boat owners are having to face.