Heating In winter

Very interesting article Toon, will have to see what I can bring from the UK

Interesting but nothing about electric heating.
I may add a gas heater to what we have already bought to bring over but burning gas produces a lot of water, which could defeat the idea of having dehumidifiers running too.
Glad I've got my arctic clothing.

yep we need them now redmik.....lol

we are running a mix if gas heaters and air con heat...at the moment and have just bought an ethanol heater via amazon to see how they fair with the cold....just waiting for it to be delivered....so will advise on its performance..i have seen them demonstrated just not sure how well they will do - so have bought a cheapy from UK (only 75+10 p&p) so its worth it to try it out.

I'd be very interested to see how it works out and costings, thanks.

Strange that there is no mention of Introducing building regulations that would insist on simple things like double glazing, cavity wall insulation, damp proof course etc. All of these measures would make a difference in both summer and winter to heating / cooling costs.
After watching building work on flats close to us I am shocked at the shody and cheap materials and workmanship used.

Terry

Couldnt agree more

I have looked at bottled gas prices here in UK and prices in Malta seem to be actually cheaper. I know you have to run the heaters more, which increases overall costs but...............

Also one Portable Gas Cabinet Heater 4.2kW costs £59.95p (appx E74)here in UK.
I'm wondering if I should buy here and bring over?
Any comments?

PS. It's -4.5C in our back garden this morning.

you can get heaters here as cheap as 60 euros....but like everything else its largely dependant on where you but it, if it includes an extended warranty as some do.... and of course quality.

we have had ours for 4-5 years and theyre fine..altho the oldest one - the ceramic radiants are starting to break up....

GAS heaters start around €50-60

Thanks both, in that case I'll save my money and freighting space.

tearnet wrote:

After watching building work on flats close to us I am shocked at the shody and cheap materials and workmanship used.

They are just maximising the profit

In my neighborhood an apartment house is built at very low cost standard (e.g. without car garage in the basement and only 1 row of hollow bricks for outside walls).
They told me that the house will cost about € 100-120k (without any interior finishings) because it will be built with the help of "friends"
Watching the construction works, the used materials and the time schedule gives me a time travel back to the 1960's
The 4 apartments will be sold each at around 80 - 100k (penthouse) ... and since 2 apartments are already sold, the building project is a success - even before it is finished !!!

(btw, who buys a flat, especially here in Malta, before it is finished and can be viewed ?)

Markus

redmik wrote:

Thanks both, in that case I'll save my money and freighting space.

Yesterday I bought 3 new gas heaters of "better" quality of burner plates and valves (i.e. Made in Bulgaria, not in China) at a price of 78,- each.
I received a "big" discount (of course ) and had to pay only 210,- and also got 3 regulators for free

What about Solar Power central heating??

http://www.energie-solar.co.uk/

Solar power has been an attractive option for buyers of property especially with the feed in tariffs but they've recently either been lowered or removed...not really an option for renters and id guess there arent many properties with it fitted in the rental market......

another interesting site..

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog … ogId=10053

This is a very timely post. Because my sole reason for logging on tonight was to ask WHY THE BLOODY HELL HAS NOBODY MENTIONED WHAT I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS WEEK !

Quite frankly I've never known anything like it. Probably the closest I can get to describing what life has been like this last week is to ask you to think about how "wet" you can get if venturing out unprepared in the early morning on a particularly foggy English November day. Only this is the indoor equivalent.

When walking into my "local" tonight I was asked the customary "how are you". I won't repeat my reply, but I was then asked if I had aircon. When I replied "no", the response was "but of course you're running a dehumidifier". When I replied "no" again, I got a look as if to tell me I must be mad. My host then proceeded to tell me how on a really bad day in December she can ship up to eight buckets from hers. EIGHT BUCKETS ! Is it any bloody wonder that I've been sitting in my apartment quite literally feeling my clothes getting wetter by the minute.

George, toon. You offer up a great deal of informaton for which I've already had cause to be in your debt. But not having this subject up as a "sticky" is a major faux pas. People absolutely MUST know about this situation. It's not even about keeping warm. We can worry about that once we're dry !

Phoned mum and dad earlier...(in-laws that is) and it was apparently 19 degrees today (fishermen always keep good records). Hey! I'll swap that today.

It was lovely this morning - Outside.

It was quite pleasant until late this evening - Outside.

IT'S BLOODY MISERABLE INSIDE !

i think you will find Darkman that there are items discussing this but many just dont believe it.....until, like you and I and so many others, experience it.....it is indeed the worst thing about Malta, being wet/damp indoors with out rain......and three months or so of it.....dont let it dampen your ardour...LOL

dampness is awful - dehumidifiers are a boon this time of year, as are electric blankets and heaters......

How long have you been living in Malta?....  I asked mum and dad. 

All our lives(75+ years) they said......as if I should have been surprised.

And your children? (yes I can start a sentence with and)...Yes, they too, have lived all their lives here.

And all your friends (and those in the village, the quarter and indeed the rest of the Island) that you know?

Why do you ask?......was the curious question.

Because those who visit, and some who stay a while, feel cold in the winter....I said.

Oh!....why's that?

MikeInPoulton wrote:

How long have you been living in Malta?....  I asked mum and dad. 

All our lives(75+ years) they said......as if I should have been surprised.

And your children? (yes I can start a sentence with and)...Yes, they too, have lived all their lives here.

And all your friends (and those in the village, the quarter and indeed the rest of the Island) that you know?

Why do you ask?......was the curious question.

Because those who visit, and some who stay a while, feel cold in the winter....I said.

Oh!....why's that?

a hardier breed I'm afraid Mike.....we have become a softer breed with all the modern day "taken for granted" appliances etc etc etc ......

an interestign take - so what was your answer to the final question? and how did the conversation then progress.

toonarmy9752 wrote:

MikeInPoulton wrote:

How long have you been living in Malta?....  I asked mum and dad. 

All our lives(75+ years) they said......as if I should have been surprised.

And your children? (yes I can start a sentence with and)...Yes, they too, have lived all their lives here.

And all your friends (and those in the village, the quarter and indeed the rest of the Island) that you know?

Why do you ask?......was the curious question.

Because those who visit, and some who stay a while, feel cold in the winter....I said.

Oh!....why's that?

a hardier breed I'm afraid Mike.....we have become a softer breed with all the modern day "taken for granted" appliances etc etc etc ......

an interestign take - so what was your answer to the final question? and how did the conversation then progress.

Now, that's what furthers my argument against air con etc. It's about not letting the body acclimatise naturally and build its own defences.
Also an interesting thing I found out and that is that women have appx 400% more cold receptors on their bodies which is why they tend to feel cold more than men. One practical significance is that to have an office of mixed gender staff is not as productive as having men in one room and women in another with separate heat controls for each room!
A little bit of useless information for you :-)

TheDarkman wrote:

George, toon. You offer up a great deal of informaton for which I've already had cause to be in your debt. But not having this subject up as a "sticky" is a major faux pas. People absolutely MUST know about this situation. It's not even about keeping warm. We can worry about that once we're dry !

I would demand a refund of your subscription fee to this forum. You clearly aren't getting your money's worth.

georgeingozo wrote:

TheDarkman wrote:

George, toon. You offer up a great deal of informaton for which I've already had cause to be in your debt. But not having this subject up as a "sticky" is a major faux pas. People absolutely MUST know about this situation. It's not even about keeping warm. We can worry about that once we're dry !

I would demand a refund of your subscription fee to this forum. You clearly aren't getting your money's worth.

I can't. If it had been a financial investment I could have worked to get it back. But my time is lost forever 

toonarmy9752 wrote:

MikeInPoulton wrote:

How long have you been living in Malta?....  I asked mum and dad. 

All our lives(75+ years) they said......as if I should have been surprised.

And your children? (yes I can start a sentence with and)...Yes, they too, have lived all their lives here.

And all your friends (and those in the village, the quarter and indeed the rest of the Island) that you know?

Why do you ask?......was the curious question.

Because those who visit, and some who stay a while, feel cold in the winter....I said.

Oh!....why's that?

a hardier breed I'm afraid Mike.....we have become a softer breed with all the modern day "taken for granted" appliances etc etc etc ......

an interestign take - so what was your answer to the final question? and how did the conversation then progress.

Indeed we are toon and I suppose that it is us that needs to adapt and overcome.  The article you signposted at the top was quite interesting with a good balance of pro's and cons for each alternative heating method.....at least you have offered choice with this.

However, as someone here once said about the local population, it will take about three generations to change the mindset and see improvement in building regs and quality.....we will just have to be patient I suppose.  Anyway it would be interesting to hear your feedback on the ethanol heater you are trying - possibly a good way ahead for heating.

And Mick.....I love interesting facts like yours (cold receptors and all that)- there's a place on our Tuesday night pub quiz team if you are interested.

just had the ethanol heater delivered today from amazon.....only 5 days..so well done amazon uk.....

bought some ethanol to try it out and got about 4 hrs of good quality heat out of 1.5L. - the fire consists for three 0.5L pots.
it burns slower and with less heat if the ethanol is cold, and if yoo use a ceramic wool...apparently..... havent got the wool though, well not yet, still experimenting with it. gonna try another experiment tomorrow...but so far am impressed with the heat output and we have a large open plan living dining and kitchen area....its now only a case of finding a good cheaper source of ethanol, local village sources are expensive 3.50e/L....but I now know a place where i can knock the price down to 2.40e/L...but I think realistically need to get to down to under 2.00e/L

on the upside the aesthetics of a flame make it feel so much warmer

watch this space

Bio-ethanol £1.95 lt in the UK

Rocking Ken wrote:

Bio-ethanol £1.95 lt in the UK

so that equates to 2.40e

am sure if i could buy in bulk - barring storage issues - a better price is possible.

And if it gets really cold you can always drink it

georgeingozo wrote:

And if it gets really cold you can always drink it

George, please invite me to that party when we get over.....

Toon...great feedback already chap - looking already (price permitting) a positive source of heating; may invest in one for when we stay over in the cold months.

Watching your space fella.....

it belts the heat out but i think it may be too expensive but saying that its nice to see a flame and no smoke, clinker, soot, ash, fumes.

am gonna try something early evening when we get back from the pub..so will see how that goes.

hmm smells just like white spirit to me. and could well be drinkable....reminds of my meths drinking days ...but have mellowed now - sundays only - and its welcome break from 20/20 and buckfast cocktails.

Hi Toon, I'm really interested in this option and thanks for info so far.
Would you tell me which heater you bought?
(I understand if you don't want to.)
Thanks.

toonarmy9752 wrote:

it belts the heat out but i think it may be too expensive but saying that its nice to see a flame and no smoke, clinker, soot, ash, fumes.

am gonna try something early evening when we get back from the pub..so will see how that goes.

hmm smells just like white spirit to me. and could well be drinkable....reminds of my meths drinking days ...but have mellowed now - sundays only - and its welcome break from 20/20 and buckfast cocktails.

If drinking meths, it's best to use only surgical meths and orange juice helps the taste I used to use it when cleaning optical equipment.
A squirt into an engine's carburator produces interesting results too!

I bought it from Amazon Uk, more as a cheap means of trialing it than anything as the larger ones here are mega expensive and it would be foolish to spend that sort of cash if it proved to not be a viable option.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Fireplac … 760&sr=8-1

these are available in red black silver and white....they are in a glossy finish - very simple design and supplied with wall fixing kit, snuffer and three 0.5L cans....altho its wall fixing it can be stood on the floor on its own, we tried it that way last night

the reason we chose it was not only price but the simplicity - the equivalent ones here are over 200euros.

you can buy the single burners for them too and the wool and the fuel saver plates all separates...

£75 plus £10 P&P to Malta arrived from Holland in 5 days.


gonna wall mount it today



NB I even investigated and negotiated direct a woith a Polish Supplier bringing a different style but a real high quality and although the pricing was superb at less than half price....the carriage killed it at almost the same price as the fire, which basically brought it into line with local pricing...

Thanks Toon, that has caught my eye.
I'll do some more research on it.
I'd be interested if you find a good supplier for bulk ethanol to reduce cost.

We investigated various makes of ethanol burners in the UK a few weeks ago and got lucky! B&Q had their last few for winter  on sale and we managed to get 2 for £99 each. They are quite large and give a beautiful hot flame. It's called Blyss and there is a YouTube demonstration of it by B&Q on the internet.
A shared bulk purchase of ethanol would be a very good idea. We will only be arriving in April (various unavoidable delays)but would be interested for the next winter.

Just been looking at these burners and must admit they are pretty versatile and esthetically nice and pleasing to look at. Beats the old fashion calor gas heaters.

Question. Does it HAVE to be wall mounted?

mine is and we tried it free standing last night - no problem with the free standing - we opted to wall mount it this morning as we have a rather too curious cat.... and we have lit it up - and we is mostly snug as a bug in a rug