Lock Advice

Hirdsp

Hirdsp

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My boat neighbour told me of a lunch time mishap next to him. A boater was operating the electrics whilst wife did the ropes. The rope had got caught so 5tns of boat was dangling! He went to cut the rope (and his hand) and the boat came crashing down to the puddle and nearly into the neighbour’s boat....do locks on electrics allow you to re fill mid cycle which would have been the safer and cheaper option?
 
As soon as you realise there is a problem CLOSE the sluices. This will stop any further ingress or outflow of water. Depending on the nature of the problem you can then open the sluices at the opposite end of the lock to, in your case, raise the water level in the lock again and release the strain on the rope.

NEVER cut a rope under severe straim like this unless it is a last resort.

This sort of problem arises more often than many people realise. I have also seen boats with their sidedeck fendering caught on the lockside and the boat tilting dangerously as the level drops.

There was a really tragic case a while ago where several people lost their lives in a canal lock when a narrow boat got caught over the sill and the boat filled with water. If someone had realised they should close the sluices immediately the problem was observed that could have been avoided.

I have emailed this post to angelaq at the EA as I think it would be interesting to hear their 'official response'.
 
Although Tony is correct in what he says, I do not think it is possible to halt the emptying process with the new type of electric lock unless it is in "lockkeeper mode". I have pondered this for some time trying to think of what can be done in such a situation. There isn't even an emergency cut off button to halt the process.
I will interested to hear the EA's response as we could all learn something useful.
 
Some of the locks (Old Windsor or is it Romney for instance) have a big red emergency stop button which closes all sluices immediately - even if the public power is off.

Not noticed anything similar on the new style "push once and forget" lock electrics.
 
The newly modified locks (Cookham and above - excluding Hambledon) have in their instructions the message which states:-
[ QUOTE ]

In an EMERGENCY close the sluices immediately by pressing the ‘CLOSE SLUICES’ button ONCE.


[/ QUOTE ]

see here

but then nobody reads instructions.
I've never tried it as it confuses the mechanism and screws up the cycle.

To my mind it's incumbent on the volunteer lockkeeper to keep an eye on other boaters sharing the lock with him to make sure that their vessels are managed properly.

There may be some reason why an emergency stop button was not incorporated into the design; could be-
Cost or,
Nobody uses them or,
the above is good enough??
 
That's interesting, and a relief! I was under the impression that pressing any button once the cycle has started had no effect at all.
I don't remember seeing those instructions! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Although Tony is correct in what he says, I do not think it is possible to halt the emptying process with the new type of electric lock unless it is in "lockkeeper mode". I have pondered this for some time trying to think of what can be done in such a situation. There isn't even an emergency cut off button to halt the process.
I will interested to hear the EA's response as we could all learn something useful.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I did wonder that, would be interested to hear the EA response, as it would have been too late not to cut the line from what I heard. It was at lunch time, but the lock keeper came out to help once the rope was cut bless him!

Nice to have met you the other weekend Boatone!
 
This happened whilst I was waiting for Days lock only a couple of weeks ago, I was chatting to a narrowboater whilst he was holding his ropes and his wife operated the sluices, due to me distracting him /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif he didn't notice his rope had got locked off and as the water rose it started to pull his boat over, the rope was attached to the roof. He was about to run for a knife but his wife pressed "close sluices" the sequence stopped and then she just reversed the process, no harm done.
Definately better to do this than start panicing and cutting ropes, more damage likely to be done by cutting the rope than leaving it under strain.

Ps. I didn't deliberately distract the narrowboater by the way /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
see here

but then nobody reads instructions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Further complicated as there are at least two, maybe more, different procedures depending on which lock. The notices (where there are any) are not always in an easy place to see. At least one lock I remember the notice was at the bottom of the pedestal below/behind the wheel!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ps. I didn't deliberately distract the narrowboater by the way /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

It's so easy to be distracted and just a moments lapse can get you into trouble.

I learnt about rope handling and dangers the hard way in the MN and once saw a wire rope break and the whiplash decapitate a crew member on another ship. A sobering experience and never forgotten..... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Fortunately thats unlikely to happen leisure boating but fingers can easily be lost and arms or legs broken if not worse......
 
[ QUOTE ]
........ He was about to run for a knife but his wife pressed "close sluices" the sequence stopped and then she just reversed the process, no harm done.
...........



[/ QUOTE ]

Good to know that it works, and that all was well in the end.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
........ He was about to run for a knife but his wife pressed "close sluices" the sequence stopped and then she just reversed the process, no harm done.
...........



[/ QUOTE ]

Good to know that it works, and that all was well in the end.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks to the quick thinking female in charge, must be a narrowboat thing eh /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
On all the locks with the "retro-fit" electronics i.e. the ones with the old arch-shaped pedestals with the box on top - One push of the "sluices close" button at the offending end of the lock will stop the water going in/out.
This action will NOT confuse the system and it can be done at any stage in the lock cycle.
Once the sluices have finished closing, one touch of the "open sluices" button at the other end will reverse the lock if required (if the boat is hung-up/down).
Once the appropriate level has been reached, the problem can be corrected and everything is back to normal, simply press the sluices close button at this end and restart the original process at the other end...
Hope that clears that up for everyone! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
I am one of these rather odd people who likes to read instructions and was aware that there is a way of stopping the cycle. I am also very conscious of the need to do this having seen my boat caught on the side of the lock at Caversham and another time I got a rope got locked back on itself going upstream at Sonning. The locks were manned and the problem was soon rectified, but the first incident in particular was quite frightening as the lock keeper was busy chatting and did not notice what was happening until we shouted across with the boat listing at an alarming angle.
 
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