# Anthracite Supplier in Portugal?



## AJ! (Jul 15, 2016)

Hi All,

Am considering importing a solid-fuel burning cooker / water heater to Portugal. The manufacturer recommends using a smokeless fuel, specifically Anthracite. Has anyone come across a supplier in Portugal (Sintra area preferably)? I spoken to people who know what it is but not where to buy it. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
AJ


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

Don't do it ! Choose another fuel as Anthracite/Coal/Coke are not distributed well here and if you can get them shipped will prove expensive. If it breaks then you won't find spares either. Wood pellet boilers are way more efficient and the fuel is much cheaper and widely available.

Alternatively why not look at solar energy (free) coupled with large storage tank + a heat pump for zero solar gain days.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

As MrBife says, don't do it.

Anthracite is coal related & PT has no coal........ it does however have shed loads of trees & wood pellets come from trees so are available everywhere & as cheap as (wood?  ) chips


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## AJ! (Jul 15, 2016)

Thanks for the reply, really good to know. I've come across pellet burners for central heating before but not combined cooker and water / central heating. Will have a look to see if such a thing exists. 

I suppose theoretically a solid fuel burner should work with wood pellets too. Might email the sales rep and enquire. Am not particularly concerned with maintenance as there is not really anything to go wrong. Electrically powered cookers are a different story I know but the model I'm looking at is simply a lump of metal with a space to start a fire.... what can go wrong?!!

Cheers,
AJ


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## AJ! (Jul 15, 2016)

Also, yes, definitely giving serious consideration to solar power options. Am in the process of gathering quotes. I just for some reason have always been enamoured with the idea of having a traditional cooker that heated the whole house. I initially thought of trying to run such a system off solar energy but it seems the cookers that run central heating can't be heated electrically. Must be some problem with electricity and water.... who knew?!

AJ


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

I think you are overlooking the fact that in summer you don't need room heating whereas you do need a minimum amount of hot water. Many, myself included, cook outside through the summer on a Gas BBQ/Gas hob. Even in spring or autumn you may not want the heat generated by 'a lump of metal with a space to start a fire'. 

In my view its best to keep all these things separate and to heat water with solar or gas (or both).

Lots of info and discussion on this elsewhere in this forum if you do a search


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

Were you in Sintra last winter?

It was awful. Cold, wet and windy.

We have been living here for six months and swore we would jut live like the previous owners ..... wood fire in the living room, stove in the hall, old gas bottle water heater.

No, just too cold and the wood expensive .

I've considered central systems (gas and pellet), large gas tank in the garden, pumps, controllers, digging, running radiator pipes in the floor and on and on.

Finally, we are going to fit 2kW electric heaters, fan assisted; we spent E 800 on firewood and this goes well toward the cost of electricity. It goes against the grain to use secondary power but there you are!

That just leaves a simple solar system for the hot water .... haven't decided about that yet.

I don't think there is an easy answer to this except to say that wood pellets keep popping up as ideal.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

SpiggyTopes said:


> Were you in Sintra last winter?
> 
> It was awful. Cold, wet and windy.
> 
> ...


For what it's worth, we renovated our place in two separate stages and quickly found the best and most cost effective solutions were: 

Insulate everything REALLY well.

Good double glazed doors, windows AND shutters.

Gas fired hot water because it's pretty much instant & cheap as chips.

Wood pellet burning boiler linked to central heating radiators that can be switched on/off by zones & which can also provide hot water as an alternative to gas.

We chose all electric cooking because it irritates the hell out of me when you run out of gas halfway through cooking a meal & I often cook outside on a BBQ and/or smoker in the summer.

We looked at & rejected the solar hot water system because of relatively high purchase cost compared to life expectancy & then compared that to the gas fired option.

Oh & electric blankets on the beds in winter.


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## SpiggyTopes (Feb 1, 2015)

I forgot to mention the electric blankets ..... yummy!


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