Hello
We have had our 2bed apartment for just over a year now. Our dilemma is..... what heating to buy.
We have been the only visitors during the colder months - and have managed with an oil/electric heater so far. I shall be going out in November and want to put some more heating in place but don't know which type to choose. I've heard that eco-electric panels are cheaper to run but don't give immediate heat. I know a lot of rental property in Spain use the calor type gas heaters but I'm a bit nervous of those as I had a bad experience with one on a holiday not long ago.
Any advise would be much appreciated.
Blodyn x
What heating to choose...??
What heating to choose...??
I love Wales - but oh the rain........
We've been having the dilemma. We did consider a woodburning stove but ruled it out on the grounds of cost as we're not over very much in winter.
In the end and after much advice we've opted for the eco electric panels. We've not really tested them yet as it was still quite warm last week.
I did put them on just to see and they didn't seem to give out instant heat but we thought we would use the oil filled heaters to get the room up to temperature and then use use the panels to keep it there!
Another option for an apartment might be air con/heating units as I'm told these can be very good.
In the end and after much advice we've opted for the eco electric panels. We've not really tested them yet as it was still quite warm last week.
I did put them on just to see and they didn't seem to give out instant heat but we thought we would use the oil filled heaters to get the room up to temperature and then use use the panels to keep it there!
Another option for an apartment might be air con/heating units as I'm told these can be very good.
Hi Laluz
Thanks for that. I must say that I am drawn to the eco panels. The majority of reviews I've seen about them have been quite positive but (the ying & yang I suppose) the negative one or two comments are that they took ages to warm the room & ended up costing more.
I think you have the best compromise of having the instant heat for a short while from the oil filled heaters then the panels carry the heat on. I'm not ready to go down the AC route just yet. We have ceiling fans in all rooms and seemed ok this summer. Its just the winter now!
Thanks again,
Blodyn x
Thanks for that. I must say that I am drawn to the eco panels. The majority of reviews I've seen about them have been quite positive but (the ying & yang I suppose) the negative one or two comments are that they took ages to warm the room & ended up costing more.
I think you have the best compromise of having the instant heat for a short while from the oil filled heaters then the panels carry the heat on. I'm not ready to go down the AC route just yet. We have ceiling fans in all rooms and seemed ok this summer. Its just the winter now!
Thanks again,
Blodyn x
I love Wales - but oh the rain........
Blodyn, you sound to be thinking along the same lines as us.
The area we are in is not yet a year round destination so we don't as a rule have rentals during the winter months and we ourselves only visit for short breaks, in fact this coming winter we will only be there for 5 days in January.
It doesn't therefore, make sense to me to spend a fortune at this time. We've taken the view that if & when the house is occupied in the winter we will re-think things but for now this is the simplest and cheapest option.
The area we are in is not yet a year round destination so we don't as a rule have rentals during the winter months and we ourselves only visit for short breaks, in fact this coming winter we will only be there for 5 days in January.
It doesn't therefore, make sense to me to spend a fortune at this time. We've taken the view that if & when the house is occupied in the winter we will re-think things but for now this is the simplest and cheapest option.
Blodyn...when we started renting we bought electric radiators for each bedroom in the villa . We got rid of the bottled gas water heaters and installed electric emersion heaters. We also have a wood burning stove in the living room..but if you are renting (for safety purposes i.e. carbon monoxide poisoning), I would strongly advise not to get bottled gas heaters (which seem very popular in Spain). Our villa is totally run on electricity (apart from the wood stove)...which is peace of mind for us.
We are having the villa fully A/C (hot & cold), ready for December 2006..so can't comment on the pros and cons of hot A/C during Winter until it has been fully operational.
We are having the villa fully A/C (hot & cold), ready for December 2006..so can't comment on the pros and cons of hot A/C during Winter until it has been fully operational.
Hi Crystal
Did you see my post on Xmas renters, my opinion on a/c heat for winter is there. I think it is adequate but if the property is empty for some time it does take a good few hours for the property to heat up. Last time we went in January, we asked our managers to put it on about 6 hours before we arrived and it was nice and warm and yes, we then turned it off when we went out as it didn't take long to re-warm. The only down side for me is that the floor area from your feet to knees doesn't warm up enough ie sit on sofa with legs on sofa type thing. Other apartment owners have commented on this.
Did you see my post on Xmas renters, my opinion on a/c heat for winter is there. I think it is adequate but if the property is empty for some time it does take a good few hours for the property to heat up. Last time we went in January, we asked our managers to put it on about 6 hours before we arrived and it was nice and warm and yes, we then turned it off when we went out as it didn't take long to re-warm. The only down side for me is that the floor area from your feet to knees doesn't warm up enough ie sit on sofa with legs on sofa type thing. Other apartment owners have commented on this.
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
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CostaBlanca
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:58 pm
- Location: Costa Blanca
Hi,
The gas "estufa" was (still is) the heater of choice for most homes here on the C.B before central heating became popular as it was economical, efficient and more or less instantaneous and of course was only required during the short cold period of the year. I still have one in an apartment where I only have long winter lets and explain the safety guidlelines for its use. I change the tubing/regulator as required but other than that, I have done no other servicing.
Now, the combo AC/heating units appear to be most common heating option for apartments and townhouses. Some new developments have preinstalled underfloor heater - delightful
Just had a quick seach on the web, these are the symptoms of exposure to Carbon Monoxide for info purposes.
Tightness across the forehead
Severe headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting.
Coma, intermittent convulsions
Depressed heart action, slowed respiration.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous gas which can be produced if the Gas Fire is not working correctly. It is difficult to recognise as it has no colour, smell or taste. Symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to that of a viral infection. It effects the mental ability causing a person to become incapable without knowing.
Maria
The gas "estufa" was (still is) the heater of choice for most homes here on the C.B before central heating became popular as it was economical, efficient and more or less instantaneous and of course was only required during the short cold period of the year. I still have one in an apartment where I only have long winter lets and explain the safety guidlelines for its use. I change the tubing/regulator as required but other than that, I have done no other servicing.
Now, the combo AC/heating units appear to be most common heating option for apartments and townhouses. Some new developments have preinstalled underfloor heater - delightful
Just had a quick seach on the web, these are the symptoms of exposure to Carbon Monoxide for info purposes.
Tightness across the forehead
Severe headache, weakness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting.
Coma, intermittent convulsions
Depressed heart action, slowed respiration.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a highly poisonous gas which can be produced if the Gas Fire is not working correctly. It is difficult to recognise as it has no colour, smell or taste. Symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to that of a viral infection. It effects the mental ability causing a person to become incapable without knowing.
Maria
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CostaBlanca
- Posts: 253
- Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:58 pm
- Location: Costa Blanca
Laluz,
Must check out the British Gas website for the alarm, many thanks for that.
Here, certainly in the past, I think that there is more of a risk from an exploding gas cyclinder due to faulty tubing/valves and lack of ventilation than from gas poisoning. All gas water heating installations are supposed to be checked every 5 years and a certificate issued.
Maria
Must check out the British Gas website for the alarm, many thanks for that.
Here, certainly in the past, I think that there is more of a risk from an exploding gas cyclinder due to faulty tubing/valves and lack of ventilation than from gas poisoning. All gas water heating installations are supposed to be checked every 5 years and a certificate issued.
Maria
I think you can buy the CO detecting alarms from Argos.
Partridge, the AC unit in our bedroom didn't seem to throw out much heat, we had an engineer look at it and all it needed was a 'gas top-up'...it's working fine now. The other AC unit in lounge is larger and seems to working well on the heat setting...both these units are over 5 years old. I can't wait to get the new models installed to compare the heat between the new and old models.
Partridge, the AC unit in our bedroom didn't seem to throw out much heat, we had an engineer look at it and all it needed was a 'gas top-up'...it's working fine now. The other AC unit in lounge is larger and seems to working well on the heat setting...both these units are over 5 years old. I can't wait to get the new models installed to compare the heat between the new and old models.
Two yrs ago we had a bad experience staying at an apartment with a gas heater.
It gave us a welcoming heat ( it was february) but within about 20 minutes our eyes starting going red and stinging, and we started to get tension headaches. After much to-ing & fro-ing with the rental agent...'nothing wrong with it, have changed the gas bottle, it's fine'.... we decided we wouldn't use it for the rest of our time there(which fortunately was only a few days).
We found out much later that it was probably a faulty valve - although the agent wouldn't admit it to us.
I'm sure that our experience is the exception rather than the rule, as so many people on the CB seem to have them - but it has left me very nervous of them.
Blodyn
It gave us a welcoming heat ( it was february) but within about 20 minutes our eyes starting going red and stinging, and we started to get tension headaches. After much to-ing & fro-ing with the rental agent...'nothing wrong with it, have changed the gas bottle, it's fine'.... we decided we wouldn't use it for the rest of our time there(which fortunately was only a few days).
We found out much later that it was probably a faulty valve - although the agent wouldn't admit it to us.
I'm sure that our experience is the exception rather than the rule, as so many people on the CB seem to have them - but it has left me very nervous of them.
Blodyn
I love Wales - but oh the rain........
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Alan Knighting
- Posts: 4120
- Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:26 am
- Location: Monflanquin, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Spot on! Every litre of gas produces a litre of water. If an unusual amount of condensation is forming then the exhaust gases from the heater are finding their way into the house. If the heater also produces carbon monoxide that's in the house too and that is dangerous, it can kill.Ros wrote:Hi All,
My husband whose a plumbing & Heating engineer says that condensation on the windows is a good sign things might not be right as well.
Fluffy
Re. combined A/C heating units.
Hot air rises, cold air sinks so the positioning of the unit is the problem. We inherited high wall mounted units that were great in the summer but in the winter we had freezing cold feet and very hot heads, maybe ceiling fans would help move the hot air around. Most houses in Spain are built with hot sun in mind and are very cold in the winter.
As we are permanently on site and are keen to develop off-season trade we went for solar heated central heating in all rooms and use the A/c units only in the high summer, we are lucky enough to have a house that is never roasting hot.
If we were starting from scratch we would have gone for under-floor heating instead of radiators but the extra upheaval at the time didn't seem worth it.
Hot air rises, cold air sinks so the positioning of the unit is the problem. We inherited high wall mounted units that were great in the summer but in the winter we had freezing cold feet and very hot heads, maybe ceiling fans would help move the hot air around. Most houses in Spain are built with hot sun in mind and are very cold in the winter.
As we are permanently on site and are keen to develop off-season trade we went for solar heated central heating in all rooms and use the A/c units only in the high summer, we are lucky enough to have a house that is never roasting hot.
If we were starting from scratch we would have gone for under-floor heating instead of radiators but the extra upheaval at the time didn't seem worth it.