Maintenance After Lockdown

Vital checks and tweaks before turning the key

As lockdown restrictions ease and inland waterway navigations open for the summer season, people will be keen to cruise the waterways again. But with boats left sitting idle for a period of time, River Canal Rescue is reminding owners to carry out some post lockdown maintenance before setting off.

Managing director Stephanie Horton says recent common issues are:

Batteries

If your engine won’t start, consider the health of your battery; is it in a good condition? Look out for corrosion of the terminals, as this can occur if a boat has been inactive for a while, and check the voltage. This will help indicate what state the battery is in.

If below 12.5V and the engine will start, the battery is likely to need recharging, so run your engine for a few hours. If the voltage doesn’t increase, it’s a sign the battery needs changing. If batteries are lower than 10V, it may be prudent to take them home and try to recharge, but there’s a chance they won’t recover.

There are often misunderstandings about what battery to use, its electrical capacity, and charging. Starter systems must have the right batteries. A cranking battery delivers a high output quickly while a leisure battery delivers a lower continuous output. Battery charging times can vary between systems, however, a 70amp alternator charging four 110amp batteries from ‘flat’ will take between three and five hours.