help I would like to put central heating in my older style villa but do not want to dig up the tiles. does anyone have any suggestions and can you recommend a good plumber/central heating co. to do this for us. any help and advice would be gratefully appreciated

suggest an arrow wood burning stove with a back boiler..ours runs 9 raditors...works well installed by alan langely 919699194. keep all the pipes exposed in case you need to get at them.

only problem i think you will find is that if it is older villa you wont have double galzing or any insulation at all...might be better to put air con units which double up as heaters and dehumiders.. contact woody at SACL
problem they have is that they are liable to power surge damage.

whatever you do..always keep it simple dont start with all this underfllor heating lark
..the only techonolgy you want here iin the algarve is

on and offable

thanks guest for your help. i have already emailed sacl. and will contact central heating co. tomorrow. very grateful for your quick response. rosie.

Rosie,
Just a quick note on the aircon to heat - I have aircon and I find that they are not much good in winter as they do not heat the surfaces in the room. Besides damp and cold beds/couches etc the heat also disappears quickly after you switch them off.
Furhtermore, I find the aircon air very dry and I for one can not sleep with it on as I will wake up with my throat resembling sandpaper.

Just a lot of hot air, really

The cheapest solution for all seasons is a combination of aircon units for the summer and heatwafers paired with dehumidifiers in winter.

As far as central heating goes:
If you want to install central heating without tearing up the floor they will have to lay the pipes round the outside of the house and penetrate in where you want the heaters. Although they are insulated, you will loose a lot more heat to the cold ground outside as the distances are a lot longer.

Feel free to email me for more info.

G.

sorry to diagree but i i found heat wafers utterly useless...they are alright for a wardrobe..but a room!!!

if you put heating ipes in my advice is dont put them outside and then in at the place you want..try if possible to keep them inside..as the pipe itself is working as a continious radiator.

the biggest problem you will have is the house itself..all the surfaces are cold..if you have say old wooden windows they can leak cold air in

spend some money on new double galzed windows for a start

The Heatwafer efficiency depends on the size of the room and if you leave them on 24/7. A 7-10 Sq mt bedroom will be warm after about 8 hours with a 600W heater. To get a comfortable bed add a dehumidifier to that and Bob's your fathers brother. Big living rooms or rooms with high ceilings are better served with a log burning stove but can be managed with two or three units.

The windows are a good point - no good heating rooms that are not insulated.

also worth checking if you go down the air con system is your power supply to the house..is it 3 phase. what are the amps ...we have three phases here but if we have an electric heater kettle and grill on at the same time..BING...darkness..power cut off.

do check before, but if you ask woody (hes australian sport) he should know by looking

Condensation can be a problem in Portuguese houses, and I’ve recently discovered a neat little dehumidifier. It consists of a little plastic basket holding a bag of silica gel (bit like a giant teabag), which attracts moisture that then drips into a plastic tray. Put one of these in the bottom of your wardrobe keeps your clothes nice ‘n fresh.

Like the sound of the giant tea bag - where can we buy these in the Algarve?

Digger--wish we'd had those when we lived there!
I well remember the mushrooms/fungi mould growing on the apartment walls and damp clothes each morning--draped around gas fire to dry---
damp pillows/sheets--gawd--no wonder Ive got a dodgy knee and it could all have been saved by a giant plastic teabag Incredible

Think you've got a winner on your hands Digger.
Now all you got to do is get hold of hundreds of the plastic teabags
and sell them on this site,you'll make millions!
seriously, do you know if we can get them in the UK?
Thanks
Tricky

these things have been around for 5 years...alright for a wardrobe...but really you do need a dehumidifer..iI have ours running now and we are pulling out about 4 litres a day and its just a medium sized bedroom

Don’t know where to find them other than Carrefour in Lisbon. Next time I’m there I’ll make a note of the name on the box, and see if I can come up with the manufacturers website or something. Watch this space.

ORDER NOW! Send your blank cheque to: dirty digger developments c/o Tricky

type in silica gel on google