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Log
burners
in Portugal come in all shapes and sizes
from the home made ones to those of the funkiest design
to suit a variety of budgets.
Although
log burners/wood burning stoves have been the most
common form of
heating in Portugal
for many years, it is only now many other colder
northern European countries are catching on to their
benefits. Benefits which help the annual family budget
and the environment.
Reducing carbon emissions
has been at the top of most governments' agenda for some
years now. By installing a log burner/wood burning stove
for heating your Portuguese home, could help reduce your
carbon footprint, give you a warm glow of satisfaction
that you are doing a little to help climate change.
Burning logs has far less
impact on the environment. The carbon emitted has far
less CO2 than coal and wood is a sustainable fuel,
readily available in
Portugal. |
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The most
common type of
log burner in Portugal
is the Salamandra (wood burning stove), which is
a cassette like insert which fits seamlessly into
the opening of a fireplace, and can be found in most
Portuguese homes.
The cassette usually has a
glass door to the front providing easy loading of logs (lenha),
is usually lined with firebricks and has a pipe fitted
in the chimney ensuring smoke from the fire does not
fill the house.
Convectional Salamandra's (recuperador)
are fitted with fans and can be effective at
heating more than one room in the house. These systems
allow hot air, but not smoke, to be pumped back into the
room (and others if there are additional vents on the
first floor) once the fire has reached a certain
temperature. One of
the down sides of Salamandra's though is the need for a
fireplace for them to be sited correctly. If the
property in Portugal
you have purchased or are thinking of purchasing doesn't
have a chimney don't despair though as there are many
free standing log burners (fogão de sala)
available for sale in
Portugal. |
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Salamandra Inset |
Salamandra Log Burner |
Contemporary Salamandra |
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Free
standing log burners don't require a chimney to be
installed, though will need flue piping, allowing easy
installation. An exposed flue pipe is also another way
of ensuring the heat radiates out more effectively,
though you must ensure the flue
has sufficient space from flammable surfaces, like floor
boards, roof beams, etc.
These kinds of log burners
are available in either cast iron or steel. Cast iron
log burners are far superior as the iron heats up and
will radiate the heat more efficiently long after the
fire has gone out. |
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Cast Iron Log Burner |
Cylindrical Cast Log
Burner |
Contemporary Style Log
Burner |
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Cast
iron log burners though are weighty so if you are
thinking of purchasing one, make sure you have a team of
strong men (or women) on hand to help lift it into
place. Cast is unfortunately brittle and dragging a cast
iron log burner could cause it to break.
Steel log burners are in
comparison a lot lighter and easier to move. And
although steel is not as conductive as cast, log burners
in steel can still be as effective in
heating your home in
Portugal and
also come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs and
can be a little less expensive.
Wood burning stoves (Salamandras)
vary in price, however expect to pay around 1,100€ for a
good quality one. Free standing log burners are slightly
cheaper with cast iron and steel burners ranging between
349€ and 1,600€.
One thing to consider though before you
purchase a wood burning stove or a log burner, is the
capacity the item has to produce enough heat to warm
your home. Take care to read up on the kilowatt output
to ensure the stove/log burner of your choice is
sufficient to heat your Portuguese home. If you don't
you may be left shivering during the winter. Most log
burning stove manufacturers do display the Kilowatt
output of the fires they sell with hints on the size of
room this will heat. |
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