Paraffin Heaters - HELP NEEDED!!

[Sarahd]

Hello everyone.

To cut a long story short I am struggling a bit to keep our very old colombage house warm during the cold winters of Normandy.

I have heard that one of the cheapest heating options are the new free standing Paraffin heaters that you plug into the mains electricity.

I know that these are sold in the local DIY shops and can be purchased for as little as 150 to 200 euros.

Have to say one of these would make a lot of sense to supplement the central heating in our house (gas from a propane cistern in our garden fed to our combination boiler to feed our radiators) as I am finding the gas central heating option extremely expensive.

Can someone please explain to me how exactly these work and whether they are as economical as people claim - up to 50 cheaper compared to conventional central heating?

I heard these heaters only burn about 0.25 to 0.30 of a litre of paraffin per hour - Is this accurate?

 

Also - VERY IMPORTANT -

Where do I get the paraffin from and how do I store it????????

I certainly do not want a massive storage tank in my garden (I already have the gas cistern which is enough!) and would prefer a much, much smaller tank maybe situated in an outbuilding or my garage which, if need be, I could get refilled on a weekly basis.......or every two weeks. Whatever is more practicable.

Surely best option is a small'ish container that maybe I could put in the back of the car and go and get filled myself from a local paraffin supplier?

Got to be cheaper than having a tanker out!!!!!!!!!!! bearing in mind I only will need a small amount to feed my one paraffin heater - I live near a town so it would be no problem for me to go & get the fuel myself. I would probably only need 10 litres or so per week.

Do they sell suitable containers - would a suitable large capacity petrol can be o.k.?

Where and from who would you normally obtain the paraffin?

In my local town is a company called "Combustibles de Normandie" who I presume sell most/all petroleum based heating fuels including paraffin.

For someone in my position can I just turn up with my approved & suitable can for them to fill it up for me?

Could someone out there please provide guidance & advice to a girl slightly out of her depth!

Many, many thanks in advance.

Sarah (typing in the cold!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rodneyt]

Sarah,

These are available from most supermarkets and DIY stores and there are a few variations !

I bought a simple one recently from Mr bricolage and was only 56 euros.

The Fuel is also available at these places and comes in its own container.

They are very good for supplementing other heating sources!

rodneyt

[Nick Trollope]

We use a couple of these to supplement our central heating.

The fuel is available just about everywhere - called Petrole (excuse lack of accents) and is not to be confused with Petrol - big bang!

Don't buy the cheap ones (50E). Buy one(s) with an electronic regulator & about 3KW - they use about 1/2 the fuel of the basic models. Fuel costs about 80c/Ltr (bought "a la pompe" or "en vrac" - interesting thought), so running costs are not that low. We use about 15-20L/week when it is this cold. Buy a couple of 20L containers full (about 20E each) then take the empties back & have them refilled (16-17E). Buy the "low odour" stuff otherwise they can get a bit overwhelming when they start or stop.

Be warm!

[Jackie]

We buy our pétrole from Bricomarche and/or E Leclerc. They often reduce the price at the start of winter, paying about 14 euros for 20 litres this year. The poêle à pétrole we use is a Zibro Kamin and works very well. We decided not to have the electric fan version as there would be little or no heat during a power cut. We don't buy the expensive no smell pétrole as the standard stuff works well enough and only gives a brief smell on turning the heater off. This type of heating works very well as a secondary source of heat and is very economic to run. Refills are not any cheaper than the special price at the start of the season so it pays to stock up. Only one problem is what to do with all the empty 20 litre containers that accumulate in the barn!.............John not Jackie

PS These heaters do increase the humidity in the house and the risk of condensation so some ventilation is needed. They may not be good for asthma sufferers.

[Punch]

[quote]Hello everyone. To cut a long story short I am struggling a bit to keep our very old colombage house warm during the cold winters of Normandy. I have heard that one of the cheapest heating options a...[/quote]

Hello

It sounds like either your central heating is underpowered for the size of house or you need to  see if you can improve your house insulation first as these are the likely causes of having a cold house. Small things like blocking off holes, draughtproofing doors and windows can make a big difference. Even large curtains to divide up larger rooms can help. The Installation of thermostatic radiator valves, and other controls can improve on economy. Gas central heating although more expensive then fuel oil (or mazout), is still cheaper than electric or parafin heaters.

The parafin heaters are Ok for a stop gap solution or for individual rooms and there are some very good ones available nowadays with electronic thermostats and timers, BUT they will be costly in the long run, cause condensation, and do have a slight smell, even though you can buy odour free parafin, which helps a bit. The parafin is called PETROLE in France and this time of year just about everybody is selling it, Supermarkets, garages, magasins de bricolage etc; so you should have no problem finding it locally now you know the name. You can but it in large 20 litre containers which you just take back to refill. Some places have a petrol pump just like a garage to do for this parafin.The place you mentioned may do this. The heaters are often called "poeles a petrole".

I hope you get sorted, there is nothing nice about being cold

Paul, (typing in his lovely warm office but should have left for work by now!)

 

 

[Alexis]

We have a petrole heater.  It is the only heating we have. I've not seen the ones plugged into the electricity supply though.  These have batteries in for the initial spark.

They do smell a bit.  Best to turn them off and leave the room.  I use the cheapest fuel and buy a container a week if it is cold.  They heat up quickly and do their job. 

 

[Liz]

I would endorse the recommendation to buy one of the more expensive heaters. For the extra money you get ease of use, simply press the ON button to light and OFF to turn off. Avoid Piezo ignition like the plague! The fan assisted ones are very good indeed for a quick boost to your heating and a thermostat is handy if you want to leave it on for any length of time, we can pre-set ours to the required temperature.

They can be a little bit smelly on turning off and on but this soon disappears and it is ESSENTIAL to have adequate ventillation. So even if you take steps to cut down on drafts make sure your have a window you can open easily.

Petrole is easy to find in containers or en vrac (take your own container once you've got one) and you will need some kind of pump to fill your heater. Often a manual pump is included but you can get electric ones as well. Odourless Petrole is a bit more expensive but worth the extra.

I can't really comment on the expense as we don't use ours that often but, as they are only intended as suppplementary heating and you spread the cost by buying fuel only when you need it shouldn't be too prohibitive.

Liz (29)

[Sarahd]

Sincere thanks to all those who replied...........greatly appreciated!

I'm off to Brico-Depot to investigate now and plan to go for a slightly up-market version which plugs into the mains and has a thermostat and fan etc.

I need this to supplement our fireplaces (very old fashioned and rather inefficient but lovely) and also our back-up central heating.

Looking forward to warmer nights with the slight smell of paraffin in the air.............................

Happy Xmas in advance!

SarahD