Gas heater v paraffin heater

I'm heading over shortly for a few weeks and I believe it can get very cold indoors in the evenings and at night.

I have air conditioned heating, but I don't like it. I am considering buying one of the above and would appreciate advice from the board.

How much does each type of heater cost, where can you buy them and also where can you buy fuel.

Also, are there any big disadvantages of one over the other.

Tanks!!!


Murt.

I don't know much about paraffin but I can tell you that gas heaters put a hell of a lot of moisture into the air.
Moisture makes mold, a big problem in Spanish houses that are left empty for long periods.

get a couple of plug in electric panel heaters,or buy some thermal underwear keeps you warm cheap enough at decathalon,

both types of heaters you are thinking of, emit vast amounts of moisture, which as has been pointed out can cause mold and damp problems, as Glassman says plug in electric heaters are the answer. Leroy Merlin/Brico and various other stores sell a large range of electric heaters from 400 watt up to 2kw. If you are concerned about dryness in the air as a result of an electric heater, just leave a small bowl of water in the room, which helps replace moisture as it evaporates.

Inverter aircon units are probably the most efficient form of electrical heating. They give 2-3 times more heat output per KW of electricity compared to other types of electric heaters.
The disadvantage is that it feels cold as soon as the aircon stops blowing out the hot air. Using aircon in conjunction with the 400w wall mounted panel heaters overcomes this to a certain extent. The panel heaters take a while to warm up andcool down, so they create a ‘thermal mass’ that smooths-out the bursts of heat that you get from the aircon. Don’t forget to fit reflective film behind the heaters, otherwise all the heat house into the wall.
Rugs on the floor, heavy curtains, drought excluders etc all help as well.

Please don’t use a free standing gas or paraffin heater, they put all of the Products of Combustion into the air that you’re breathing, as well as releasing moisture into the house. If you do insist on going down that route then buy a Carbon Monoxide detector, it could save your life.

Pete.

Loads of people use Gas Heaters so don't be put off. Keep doors open indoors including wardrobes ones and see how it goes. Depends on the type of property you have. Heat rises in a house so it's better than a small apartment. Lived in both and only ever had a Gas Heater. You're outside a lot in Spain so no need to keep the place hot all day.

Hope you take in what Pete is saying wise words,I personally cannot be in a room with portable gas heaters,so I assume paraffin would be the same,try the humidifier route first you might save money

We have always used a gas heater and never had any problems.

Juanita wrote:We have always used a gas heater and never had any problems.

same here.

Paraffin would be the most expensive option as it has shot up in price. We had one years ago in our flat and, even using the non-stinky stuff (which was even more expensive) would smell especially when turning it off. We'd get a whiff or paraffin in the air for ages.
We have one gas heater which we use for an hour or so because it gives a pretty immediate heat. However ,we have good ventilation (open staircase with very high ceilings) and we leave a window open upstairs. It's also much cheaper than paraffin nowadays and odourless.

For the majority of heating we use the inverter aircon which, while taking a bit longer than the gas fire to heat the rooms up, works out cheaper and is far more comfortable than the direct heat from the gas.

However, the best thing we ever did was change the windows to the proper double-glazed type and the fitters made sure there were no draughts. Also fit draught excluders on internal doors.

We also have a carpet in the living room for the winter months. A couple of 3x2 metre carpets fitted together gives us a lot of carpetted area and really does make a difference.

The most important bit are the windows, though.