Heating Apartment

[flying fish]

My wife and I recently purchased an apartment on the Monte Dourado estate and we hope to get the keys soon. My first concern is what to do about heating/ventilating it over winter when no one is occupying it with regard to mildew etc, is this normally a problem? Thanks in advance for any ideas

[Guest]

Get a cleaner to pop in once a weeks and Air everything........

[Guest2]

Ventilation is important. Humidity levels are a problem. Some people use Heatwafers to provide low level background heat when not there. For example they make wardrobe heaters that run on 60W
http://www.home-pt.com/uk/heatwafer.htm

[pm]

It would produce the same heat as leaving a light on, but cost massively more than a bulb to buy.

[Homme Poco]

Hello Pete
Do you know the average lifetime of a bulb here ? No?nore do I ,but it isn´t very long .I think a wafer heater would pay for itself very quickly.
HP

[Guest]

Lord, all this brings back memories of drying clothes around gas heaters before we dressed in the mornings! and furry pillows! black mould round the walls....
How about those little wall fans?They blow hot as well as cold? and probably not expensive?
Couldn't you let it during winter FF? That way the place would be kept warmer?Do you have radiator or open fireplace?
ellie

[tbbr]

Sooty mould does appear on the colder external walls and inside bathroom cabinets/cupboards etc if rooms are not kept well ventilated.
Moisture will gravitate to and condense on the coldest surfaces it was a major problem in the UK during the mass building booms of the sixties and seventies when concrete was the most used building material.

We had a problem last year when we let our apartment to a group of canadians who insisted on keeping the heating on all the time and did not open windows ( they said it was TOO COLD !! ).

The mould was easily removed with a mild solution containing bleach and dissapeared once the warmer weather arrived.

[elle]

Actually tbbr, the mould was on the inside walls of our Lagoa apartment, the sittingroom and bedrooms..But we hadn't any radiators just a couple of calor gas heaters.
We had a builder friend out there..a Brit fella married to Portuduese lady. Don't know if theres any truth in this, but he told us that Portuguese builders used sand of the beaches to make cement and that an orgasm in the sand caused the black fungi on the walls?

[pm]

An 80w heat wafer costs 47 euros. A tungsten bulb lasts at least 1000 hours, or around 6 weeks, probably more in continuous use. The heat wafer costs 60 times as much as a light bulb. Halogens last longer than tungsten but cost more.

[Guest]

360 weeks then,I rest my case.Our wafer heaters are at least six years old,and are on continuously in the wardrobes and airing cupboard.I would say that was better than a light bulb. We´ve never had to pay anybody to change them when we weren´t here or pay out to have the mould cleaned off the walls,and if the mould gets on your clothes then kiss them goodbye.
I expect you´ll start working out the interest on 47 euros now,you being a man of many numbers .
HP

[tbbr]

Elle, The major cause of your problem was the calor gas heaters.

They generate a huge amount of moisture as the gas burns.

DRY forms of heating such as " wafers " are much , much better.

But without good ventilation the problem will always be present during the period of warn days, cold nights and high humidity.
Organic materials in the sand will provide a catalyst for mould growth.

BUT all sands have some organic content unlesss specifically treated.

[Michael Crane]

Calor gas heaters put water into the atmosphere. When I worked for Rentokil we called them condensation manufacturers.

You need a drier heat and plenty of ventilation to combat mould growth. Warm, moist air will always gravitate to the colder parts of a property due to the inbalance of pressure. Try to extract the moist air at source, kitchen, bathroom; and keep doors to bedrooms closed to cut down the amount of water vapour getting in.

I spent 20 years of my working life getting rid of condensation. It can be controlled but you have to be aware of what's causing it . . . you! Uninhabited, empty, cold properties rarely, if ever, suffer from it. It's only when we start to live in a property that water vapour becomes a problem.

Here's a tip for the bedroom. Remember that the average sleeping couple generate approx two pints of water (as a vapour) each night. If you enjoy a healthy sex life you can more than double this

[Bruxinha]

I remember when I was a student having one of those gas bottle heaters and as well as obviously producing a lot of moisture, the smell used to make me feel quite ill...almost sick and a bit sleepy. I don't think they are very good for you but then being cold isn't nice either. Wafer heaters are definitely a lot better, as well, of course, burning logs in a stove burner or open fireplace.

I am also allergic to mould spores and when I go into some people's homes here, that musty, damp smell can be quite overwhelming. I can smell it on a lot of people's clothes here in the winter, especially older Portuguese people.

Tbbr is right about the bleach thing. It does clear the mould immediately off of walls but the only drawback to that, is your house ends up smelling like a public swimming baths for a day or two.

Yes, it is funny. A lot of Portuguese laugh at those of us from Canada or Northern Europe, when we say we are cold in the winter because they assume we must be used to it. But the difference is the central heating. We expect to feel warm inside buildings and they just keep their coats on. My Spanish mates were telling me that in Southern Spain they used to sit around a table with a type of small fire underneath and put the tablecloth over the table and them to keep warm. Sounded a bit dangerous to me.

Underfloor heating is lovely...hmmmmm but NOT cheap!!!!

[Guest]

Don't know if theres any truth in this, but he told us that Portuguese builders used sand of the beaches to make cement and that an orgasm in the sand caused the black fungi on the walls?

[blue]

Sorry that was me above.

Elle are you sure you heard your builder right?