CENTAL HEATING

   OOPS CENTRAL HEATING 

When we bought our Casa in Mula there were many types of heating already in the House.

We soon found out that the gas central heating was too expensive to run so we only use that to run the showers. We now have solar panels and run air cons in lounge and bedrooms for heating and cooling.

We also have a wood fire in the lounge which looks so cosy on those chilly winter nights.

Last year I installed gas heating/hot water (a propane combi-boiler, 7 radiators etc.). I did the work myself, apart from having qualified tradesman supply & fit the boiler, and finish off/test/certificate the gas work.

Total cost around 4300 Euros (including a masonry enclosure for the 12 gas bottles).

I think it would have cost 5500-6500 Euros to have all it done professionally.

The boiler was put into service on 1st October '19. Total fuel cost (propane gas) for the year was around 420 Euros. 

During lock-down this year, I added 4 more radiators.

hi yes thanks for the reply i was and can fit the radiators myself source them over here as the property im buying as an underbuild already done with a suspened ceiling and i wanted to fit copper pipe work just to avoid sagging (due to the hotter climate i can source a boiler here cheaply as well (i have a friend)but i have read gas is a dear option in spain so was thinking oil but not sure whats available and if i buy an oil burning boiler in uk its over £3000 just for that then the bonded tank etc etc 

regards ray

We have 12 x 11kg gas bottles. These are delivered at 12 Euro each. So our cost of propane (1/10/19 to 1/10/20) was around 420 Euros. This includes the gas hob

I used copper pipework (the plastic/barrier pipe sags). 

I'm not a brilliant handyman, but I did OK, no leaks. I used 15mm and 22mm pipe from Leroy Merlin (cheapest I could find) but I used "British" solder-ring fittings (not sure my skills were up to end-feed fittings, and I haven't seen solder-ring fittings for sale in Spain).

hi will60 

yeh cant really go wrong with yorshire fittings although there is a new plastic type now where you use a cramping tool looks good kit but stick with what you know ,so basically do you just have a regulator connected to a pipe fitted to the boiler and just swap it over similar to the calor gas ones also can you order stuff to be delivered i think theres a spanish screwfix and leroy merlins is that the same as say a B&Q over here 

cheers 

ray

Hi.  We have recently bought in Mula and wondered if you had to have your chimney swept and if so, can you recommend someone to do this?  We need a new wood burner installed too.

Thanks. 

We have 12 bottles (in 2 banks of 6) connected to a manifold with a cut-over valve (i.e. only one of the banks is connected at any time). 

The bottles do not have individual regulators, just connector valves. But there is a regulator after the cut-over valve that reduces the pressure to around 1.7 bar. The whole setup is contained within an enclosure to keep the sun off. There is also an isolating valve, at the exit of the enclosure.

A pipe carries the gas at 1.7 bar to the boiler, where there is a pressure gauge, and another regulator which reduces the pressure to 37 mbar.

This is a standard configuration here. The installation needs to be tested and certificated by CEPSA every 5 years. 

The flexible pipes connecting the bottles into the manifold are date-stamped, and have a 5 year life. 

At one extreme ...  from April-October, 6 bottles last 6 months (for hot water and the hob).

At the other extreme ... we had a cold snap in January this year, when 6 bottles lasted 16 days.

I have seen simple installations ... single bottle - regulator - flexible pipe - boiler, but a bottle would only last 2 or 3 days in winter.

Most of my supplies came from Screwfix.eu, but I don't think they are currently delivering due to Covid. I couldn't get Yorks fittings during lock-down, so I had to resort to ebay.

We haven’t had our chimney done in the 3.5 years we have been here.... haven’t even thought of it really. Now you have mentioned it, I will ask friends who have similar and find out for you..

Welcome to Mula... it’s a beautiful town!