Lock etiquette - grrr

[bulto]

At least you missed the two green bouys in the dark. Sunday lunchtime an EA launch went the wrong side of the bouys in broad daylight.

 

[oldgit]

Doh !

Instructions on the lock operating pedestal tell you to close the gates & empty the lock end of story

Unless of course some idjit is pushing the sluice down button for nearly 5 mins wondering why the lock is not filling ?
No names no pack drill .

 

[BobMod]

Stormforce.. Does that answer whether sluices are to be left open or closed? I think my point is yes I followed the instructions on there as they stand but it would be good to get clarity on Sluices open or closed on rivers since they operate differently to canals.. In this greater scheme of things.. Is it important? Not really or is it? Probabaly not with Weirs..... But it would save an overwieght middle aged chap the 100m run to close the far sluice....

People of all differing abilities hit the thames and clarity of instruction can prevent mistakes. I is not being critical, I was providing constructive feedback from a novice perspective..

 

[BobMod]

Oh.. and oldgit that would have been me Monday night... It was more like 2 mins before I realised I was being particularly special and perchance the other sluice was left open...

 

[MiskinDriver]

Not true for all rivers either though.

The best bet is to follow local instructions on individual locks. Locks requiring gates and sluices to be left in a specific way often have a list of instructions adjacent to follow.

Canal locks are an easier affair, leave the gates you exit from open with the sluices on the gates closed, unless of course there are instructions that say otherwise.

No argument re the river locks, but on canals - close everything. The only exception (unless there are specific, displayed rules for that particular lock - and I only know one or two) is if there is a boat visible coming the other way - in which case leaving the gates open is a matter of courtesy.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

>>>
No argument re the river locks, but on canals - close everything. The only exception (unless there are specific, displayed rules for that particular lock - and I only know one or two) is if there is a boat visible coming the other way - in which case leaving the gates open is a matter of courtesy
>>>
K&A certainly used to have lock based rules and regs last time I kept a boat there.

 

[Chris_d]

Canal locks are very different to Thames locks, it is obviously very dangerous to leave sluices up as someone unfamiliar with them could release the safety catch and trap a finger or damage the sluice by dropping it in an uncontrolled fashion, but leaving anything open on the Thames is fairly benign and only going to cause inconvienence.

 

[boatone]

I agree that for other rivers, with proper gates.
BUT on the general canal system with a preponderance of LTTTs Best Practice is to leave all gates closed.

My take on the reason is that on a river there is always an amount of flow, so a small amount of leakage through a top gate is of no consequence.

However, on a canal with little or no flow (as when there is no traffic), then a series of leaky top gates can waste a lot of water.

Mike, of all the discussion and banter on this thread I find this argument of yours the most compelling. Many canals rely on on surface water drainage and have no natural flow to keep water levels high, particularly in times of drought. Witness the Basingstoke Canal which is usually closed throughout the peak summer months because there is just not enough water in the upper levels to sustain repeated lock movements.

To some extent, the Thames is also vulnerable during a drought such as we experienced fairly recently when lockings were restricted. In such circumstances leaving all gates and sluices closed is nothing more than responsible behaviour.

Situation isn't helped when the EA's own instructions and literature are at odds with each other and unlikely to see any reprints of The Users Guide To The River Thames in the foreseeable future with cash so tight.

 

[TrueBlue]

Mike, of all the discussion and banter on this thread I find this argument of yours the most compelling. Many canals rely on on surface water drainage and have no natural flow to keep water levels high, particularly in times of drought. Witness the Basingstoke Canal which is usually closed throughout the peak summer months because there is just not enough water in the upper levels to sustain repeated lock movements.

To some extent, the Thames is also vulnerable during a drought such as we experienced fairly recently when lockings were restricted. In such circumstances leaving all gates and sluices closed is nothing more than responsible behaviour.

Situation isn't helped when the EA's own instructions and literature are at odds with each other and unlikely to see any reprints of The Users Guide To The River Thames in the foreseeable future with cash so tight.

Thank you for your support, Tony.

I was beginning to feel I was A Voice Crying in the Wilderness. Prepare Ye the way.... Plink, Plonk (A musical joke).

 

[rotrax]

Not true for all rivers either though.

The best bet is to follow local instructions on individual locks. Locks requiring gates and sluices to be left in a specific way often have a list of instructions adjacent to follow.

Canal locks are an easier affair, leave the gates you exit from open with the sluices on the gates closed, unless of course there are instructions that say otherwise.

Hi, As a regular canal boater since the early 1970's as far as I am aware it is recomended practice to drop all paddles (sluices) and close all gates when leaving a lock. Canals,especialy at their summit levels can have serious water supply problems and some lockgates are very leaky. Closing everything helps conserve water and keep boats moving. I must concede that one of the most infuriating sights as you leave a lock is to see a gate swing open due to poor balance. If you go back to close it, it will always do it again! It is unlikely that you will have instructions on lock use at a lock, exept at tourist hot spots and staircase locks-Foxton for example. Hope this helps.Good boating.

 

[Riverleak]

The correct way to leave a lock on the river Thames is to have BOTH sets of gates closed and leave the lock empty or emptying of water, I have seen many a time when the lockie has to struggle around the lock with heavy bags of shoping etc where the lock gates have been left open, after all it's not like the old days when we had to wind the locks opened or closed, nowadays were spoilt with the power system, I also believe that if you keep the lock more empty than full it helps reduce algea build up on the step wells and wear and tear on the gates therefore making them last longer