heating your home in the winter

a member of our community had a wood burning fire installed last winter .He sent an email to the president about it but got no reply,Our AGM is this week and the president says its illegal and should be removed Spanish law says the chimney should be a certain distance from e roof  it is the neibours don't like the look of .ddoes anyone have any good advice as to what to do thank Maggiepat

You may receive more detailed information from others, but the President's comment seems a bit simplistic to me.  In the UK there is more concern of the distance of flues from windows that open where I believe the general minimum distance is 1 metre.  In Spain who knows - I've seen a building where the flue of a log burning stove is less that a metre from the roof which is of non-standard construction, built of combustible material.

It is likely that your neighbours should have asked for planning permission and obtained a building licence, so if I were them I would apply retrospectively as a matter of urgency.  But first off, a quiet word with the local council would do no harm - often this process is easier if a local Spanish architect is employed, which may save them money in the long run.

Please forgive me for asking what may be a daft question, but if someone has a working fireplace with a chimney, what the heck are they supposed to burn in it? 

olive wood.

We went thru loads during the winter we spent in Spain.

Its cold in winter.

Ross

Just related to heating houses, did the Brit Gov stop the winter fuel payments to pensioners living in warmer climes?  I seem to remember the proposal was for a temperature limit.

They are planning it but I have got my Winter fuel payment every year so far.

Olive wood, I should have guessed, do you have to pay for it or haven't the olive growers cottened on to that yet? 

first of all you have to buy the wood not steal it

Rolly I phoned Pensions and Credit the other day. And they advised me that the rules change from this winter regarding to winter fuel payment. Even if you go abroad for a long winter holiday. And they only pay if it remains an average lower tempature than southern UK normally in the country of residence or long term winter holiday.  Although how there going to check out wether you have been on a long holiday. Remains to be seen. Probably be told it has to be declared as a change of circumstances. So we may not get it in future.

Hi, and yes, tammydog.   After I posted the question I went onto the .gov website and it said you can no longer qualify if you are resident in a country with a higher average winter temperature than any part of the Uk - or something like that.  

I hope those who were expecting a payment are aware that it is not going to arrive, and I suppose the pension people will know who has a pension paid to Spain?   Same old same old I suppose, those who live in Spain without declaring themselves resident will continue to get the payment.    

maggiepat,

You've missed out the possibility of it being given away, but why let the truth get in the way of a false accusation? 

Roly 2- if they  are Stupid enough to live under the radar, then they will not be receiving free health care, unless they are abusing the  EHIC, of course, so it is in their interest to be legal in Spain.

of course, there are ways of ensuring that people don't stay under the radar!

I agree camposol, but I do know people who continue to live under the radar...

So you know what to do then....a quick call to the DWP will suffice!

There is a woman that I know who spends her life spying on work collegues and neighbours, she reports folk to the relevent department/authority on the mearest suspicion of them breaking a rule, no matter how minor. She is hated by many and mistrusted by all, god help her if she ever makes a mistake.

I'm not saying that people should be spying on their neighbours. But if you know someone who is flagrantly breaking all the rules , and couldn't give a damn, whiles others are doing their best to live legally then it's your moral duty to do so.

I'd think far more of someone who had the guts to tell the suspected law breaker to their face, even if they required the services of a minder. 

Thought this was about heating your house in the winter.While Ive no problem with these dicussions. I would love to know about heatingin the winter please. Maybe type, costs compare results  Ect. Maybe this should be put on a new thread under another heading. Sorry but I was only repeating I was told when I informed by them. Letting someone know the new rules this year.  But I think if you have paid you're way in Uk all your working life and your not rich and you need winter heat abroad. Then you should be entitled. But that's another subject again.

Our neighbours had a log burner fitted last year. The fitter ensured it complied with all regulations (yes, strange as some may find it, there are regulations about it in Spain). They have a mid-terrace house so had to be extra careful about chimney siting. If the people you mention had it properly fitted then I'm sure they would have done the same thing.

Log or pellet burners are ideal as they heat up the house very well. Bit awkward to turn them down when it gets very hot, though. Any wood can be burnt in them but olive is one of the best as it is slow burning and gives off a good heat. We have several stockists around us who deliver by the trailer load.

Paraffin heaters are very good but, even with the new "odourless" type, tend to smell a bit especially when turning off. They, along with the portable gas heaters, put a lot of moisture in the air which can cause condensation so a good dehumidifier is often required. You should also make sure they are not left unattended and there is plenty of ventilation. IMHO only good for large rooms with good egress such as high staircases.

There is also the aircon heating but can work out expensive if you have the basic aircon fitted. An inverter is cheaper but the ducted type is far more economical.

We have other neighbours who had night storage heaters fitted (they heat up bricks (or similar) inside) which operate on the cheap rate and release heat from the bricks during the day. This did work out a bit expensive sometimes.

Now that this area is coming into the 20th century (yes, I know it's the 21st but this area takes some catching up) with mains gas, there are companies that fit radiators as central heating. Not that expensive at around 2000 euro complete with all pipe work but you do end up with pipes on the outside of walls and doesn't look particularly aesthetic.

Mind you, with the winter we've just had here, we hardly had to use any heating. One of the important things is to get the windows and surrounds properly double glazed and sealed. Even with our old windows fully closed and shutters down, the wind would still whistle through. We had the proper thing fitted a few years (at about half the cost in UK) and they really make a difference. Our doors are fully flush so no draughts come in that way but the windows were making it quite chilly. The patio windows in the bedroom were like walking past a fridge with the door open.

(seems odd talking of heating with 36C outside at the moment).

OK it's in the UK not Spain, but our son and his partner have just bought a three story terraced cottage in a Derbyshire village. They have a multi fuel fire that hasn't burned any solids for years, I suggested putting a smoke bomb into the bottom of the flue tube, if the flue is clear this would surely show if the chimney is up to the job.