Knowle Hall Wharf

We stopped at Knowle Hall Wharf last night so the engine and hot water tank could cool down overnight ready for Ian Taylor to fit a new immersion heater. The old one had stopped working at the end of last year and I’d confirmed it was the immersion heater, rather than the wiring that was the problem.

The crack in the building outside the wharf gets larger every time we visit but it’s still standing there.

First task, at Knowle Hall Wharf, is to remove the old immersion heater. We knew it was faulty, showing a short circuit, but no idea why. It was a long one and had to be bent to get it out in the confined space of the engine compartment but look at this.

It had split along much of its length. That was a straight length of copper tube with a heating element inside when it was fitted 12 years ago.

While the bent shape was caused during the removal, but the split along much of the length was already there. Suggestions about how to recycle or reuse the old immersion heater included:-

• Spraying it gold and mounting it on a plinth as first prize in a design competition
• Mounting it on the roof as a television aerial instead of the bent coat hangers some people use.

There’s Ian Taylor with the old heater in his left hand and the new one in his right hand. The new one is a short one as that’s easier to fit in the cramped space of the engine compartment.

Ian built our boat back in 2007 and has done all the work on it since then. Now owning and running Knowle Hall Wharf we’re very happy with his work, and his sense of humour, and always go there when anything needs doing.

Tomorrow we’ll be heading through Knowle Locks after breakfast and descending Hatton Locks in the afternoon as we make our way towards Willow Wren Training, our planned stop for Saturday.