Hello to everyone here! I seem to have arrived with a bit of a bang, haven't I. I'm sorry about that but, having read some of the obvious trolling that had been going on I felt compelled to speak out.
I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but it seems to be the only place I can put it. My question is fairly simple (I hope). I have a 7.5 tonne van and am looking to bring it over with me to Italy when I finally move here full-time (next
You could use either aluminium oxide grit or glass beads to clean your limestone without any serious issues with damage. Sand would, I suspect, be too course and aggressive for your stone though, so be careful if you use it. You will find the best people to talk to locally would be the marble and stone yard - marmisti - who will know tradespeople able to help you with your problem.
Hold hard before taking steps that you may very well regret. Firstly, talk the matter over with your lawyer and listen carefully to what he tells you. Secondly, negotiation has to include you as well as your geometra. Offer to pay for the work that has been completed to your satisfaction and detail your reason for your disatisfaction with the rest. In writing. Thirdly, remember that legal action in Italy can be very expensive, so don't start or even threaten something which may well end with your losing more money than you actually have. It can happen. Fourthly, please do not take any notice of people that suggest you take matters into your own hands and break the law. You will lose that one as well as completely ruin any chances of any kind of a negotiated settlement. And, to the person that suggested that the geometra is trying to scare you: He wouldn't waste his money on a padlock if he wanted to do that, I promise you. He would just scare you. End of. PS. The Carabiniere have no interest in domestic or commercial disputes. Firstly talk to your local Polizia Locale and for financial problems to the Guardia di Finanza.
I've been reliably told by a senior source in the NHS that if you hit the mosquito firmly and quickly on the head with your family bible, it will trouble you no more. Ever.
As you will know very well already, sagraisolar, precise tank sizes are dependant absolutely on the individual circumstance and existing equipment on site, rather than the hypothetical 'clean sheet' situation - although from the point of view of an installer/agent it is the most desired one. So, tell me, what do you think of multi-tank soluutions where one heat source is pointed to one tank and a lower temperature source is pointed to the other, with suitable connections between the tanks, of course. I must say that I find your comment regarding "cheap European stoves" to be a bit beneath you though. I might understand your saying that cheap stoves are pretty crappy but not to try to fly the "British is best" flag in Italy. Might I just remind you of the problems that Hunter had with poor quality boilers in the past? Just to name one cheaper British brand. I appreciate that you sell Clearview products, but that doesn't give you any rights to diss the engineering products from an entire continent, including Germany, Sweden, Italy, France and Switzerland. It makes your sales pitch look a bit thin.
I undertand you point, Annec - although, for most of us, money is a very real concern. I am familiar with your 'stove' and it does have a look that is hard to find in anyone elses product. I see that you have not used it in the kitchen as a kitchen range though - which was what it was actually designed for originally. Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not criticising you at all, just pointing out that your choice was because of considerations other than pure practicality, which is a nice position to be in - especially with such an expensive cooking stove. Esse actually sell a more conventional stove as well as the 'old-timer' that you have, but it is actually a very average cooker when compared to a 'Brosely' (actually an Italian made La Nordica stove) or a Sideros - to name but two brands readily available here in Italy. I have, in my time, had both a Rayburn and an AGA 4-oven cooking range and have to say that it would be nice to find something similar. However, the AGA really doesn't burn wood and the Rayburn makes a very poor fist of it - although it's pretty good when you feed it with peat (yes, I have done). So, my point is to suggest that the Union flag is left firmly at home when it comes to spending your hard-earned cash on something that needs to last for many years. If you are comfortably off, however, life becomes more of a hobby than a struggle and actual costs don't really matter much. Italians are pretty good when it comes to making things - far better these days than in the UK, in fact. So don't think that Italian made means that it is badly made. It might, if you buy cheap, be cheaply made, but if you spend the kind of money that (excuse my bringing it up again) an Ironheart cooker costs in the UK, you can buy a very, very good Italian one - although the design will be Italian to suit the Italian design sense. Again. I'm not having a go, just trying to suggest that people not waste money on English stuff when they are chosing to live in a 'foreign' country and things can be easier, cheaper and much better suited for use in that 'foreign' country if actually bought there. Enjoy the baking and, especially the insulated covers (not as good a the AGA ones though!).
OK, I guess no one here has heard of any of the biotermocamini type cassette fires (assuming there are more than one brand), so I'll try to find out in other ways. The only comment I'd make now is for people to think twice before buying a stove/boiler/fire/anything in the UK to bring over here and install. Firstly, you can't fit a stove yourself unless you are an Italian approved installer. Straight forward and just the same as in the UK. There are sensible reasons for this requirement with any fuel burning item as whatever fuel you burn, it makes lots of poisenous gasses which, if not properly fitted, will kill you. It pays to be safe here unless you want to commit suicide, of course. The other reason to think twice is that you will have forfeited the guarantee by importing it into Italy and you won't find anyone in Italy that is qualified to repair it either. It might be comforting to have a nice shiny stove 'made' in your mother country, but it will cost you loads to have something that was quite probably made in Italy in the first place - but without the pretty little badge with a union flag on it. You pays your money and take you chances, I guess. Or, better still, if you are in Italy, buy Italian as it will be both guaranteed as well as repairable here. Now for a look at the accumulo solare thread. :D
Oh, I nearly forgot. "or even enough photovoltaics to by pass ENEL altogether." You can't by-pass Enel, sorry. The electricity your panels would make is sold to Enel at a contract rate, changeable each year and credited to your electric bill account. The electricity you use is still bought from Enel (or Edison if you fancy a gamble) at the same rate as it costs you now. The only way around this is to have a huge and expensive battery bank for storing the electricity you generate. Not sensible at the present time though - unless you are a ecowarrier millionaire with a desire to burn money, that is. :D
I guess the sensible response it to suggest you ask the plumber - assuming he is qualified to install heating systems, of course. If he is a heating engineer he should know more about them that you might tink, as they are pretty common items in Italy as they are normally supplied with 'real' solar heating systems, with quite a few companies making them up to some very large sizes (look at the ones from La Nordica, for example). I think they are a good idea, but remember that the ones with electric water heaters in them are going to cost you an absolute fortune if they should ever turn on. Some (non-advertising!) links are below. http://www.lanordica-extraflame.com/en/56/6/0/67/products/wood-burning-p... http://www.riello.it/catalogo-190.html?step=sottofamiglia&key=Product+Line|R-IT-PL-0002049|- http://www.energiapositiva.it/prodotti.html?page=shop.product_details&ca...http://www.thesolarshop.eu/acatalog/Solar_Water_Cylinders.html OK, enough. There are loads more if you want to look - just search with Italian words and it will all become easy - even in English!
Hey! I'm not advertising anything! I'm just looking for some help and information. Is the reason I got no response before because you thought I was advertising? I wouldn't mind owning the company - come to think of it, I wouldn't mind owning any company. But I don't. Nor do I work for any of them. I'm just trying to find out the best way to heat a house, with the minimum of costs - and gas certainly doesn't push any of my buttons! Good luck with paying the gas bills though.
As none of the experts seem to know what a Helios Biotermocamino fire is, I will pass on what I know of it. It is a fire that burns both pellets as well as wood in the form of logs - it has a very large firebox for woodburning. It also is able to burn other fuels such as maize and sunflower seeds without any modification. The largest model has a 34Kw output split to both air and hot water, which will heat a 300m2 house fairly easily (800m3 volume), although smaller models are also available if you have a smaller house. You can get both an 'open circuit' model as well as a 'closed circuit' pressurised model to fit in with your existing or planned plumbing system. The largest model has a 100kg hopper for pellets, so can be left for quite a while if you are going out or away for a couple of days. What else can I add? Mabe a link in English? http://www.heliostecnologie.it/ING/BIOTERMOCAMINO.asp Whilst I am here, for anyone wanting a kitchen range type cooker, it might be worth pointing out that the Brosely range are actually made by La Nordica in Italy and sold as La Nordica throughout Italy - so no need to rent a van and drag one back to Italy. Also whilst here, if Patrick Littlehales is reading this here (no need to put your hand up to your real name) might I suggest you check your spelling of agriturismo on your "Big Heating" page - you have it wrong. Cheers.
Comments posted
You could use either aluminium oxide grit or glass beads to clean your limestone without any serious issues with damage. Sand would, I suspect, be too course and aggressive for your stone though, so be careful if you use it. You will find the best people to talk to locally would be the marble and stone yard - marmisti - who will know tradespeople able to help you with your problem.
Hold hard before taking steps that you may very well regret. Firstly, talk the matter over with your lawyer and listen carefully to what he tells you. Secondly, negotiation has to include you as well as your geometra. Offer to pay for the work that has been completed to your satisfaction and detail your reason for your disatisfaction with the rest. In writing. Thirdly, remember that legal action in Italy can be very expensive, so don't start or even threaten something which may well end with your losing more money than you actually have. It can happen. Fourthly, please do not take any notice of people that suggest you take matters into your own hands and break the law. You will lose that one as well as completely ruin any chances of any kind of a negotiated settlement. And, to the person that suggested that the geometra is trying to scare you: He wouldn't waste his money on a padlock if he wanted to do that, I promise you. He would just scare you. End of. PS. The Carabiniere have no interest in domestic or commercial disputes. Firstly talk to your local Polizia Locale and for financial problems to the Guardia di Finanza.
I've been reliably told by a senior source in the NHS that if you hit the mosquito firmly and quickly on the head with your family bible, it will trouble you no more. Ever.
As you will know very well already, sagraisolar, precise tank sizes are dependant absolutely on the individual circumstance and existing equipment on site, rather than the hypothetical 'clean sheet' situation - although from the point of view of an installer/agent it is the most desired one. So, tell me, what do you think of multi-tank soluutions where one heat source is pointed to one tank and a lower temperature source is pointed to the other, with suitable connections between the tanks, of course. I must say that I find your comment regarding "cheap European stoves" to be a bit beneath you though. I might understand your saying that cheap stoves are pretty crappy but not to try to fly the "British is best" flag in Italy. Might I just remind you of the problems that Hunter had with poor quality boilers in the past? Just to name one cheaper British brand. I appreciate that you sell Clearview products, but that doesn't give you any rights to diss the engineering products from an entire continent, including Germany, Sweden, Italy, France and Switzerland. It makes your sales pitch look a bit thin.
I undertand you point, Annec - although, for most of us, money is a very real concern. I am familiar with your 'stove' and it does have a look that is hard to find in anyone elses product. I see that you have not used it in the kitchen as a kitchen range though - which was what it was actually designed for originally. Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not criticising you at all, just pointing out that your choice was because of considerations other than pure practicality, which is a nice position to be in - especially with such an expensive cooking stove. Esse actually sell a more conventional stove as well as the 'old-timer' that you have, but it is actually a very average cooker when compared to a 'Brosely' (actually an Italian made La Nordica stove) or a Sideros - to name but two brands readily available here in Italy. I have, in my time, had both a Rayburn and an AGA 4-oven cooking range and have to say that it would be nice to find something similar. However, the AGA really doesn't burn wood and the Rayburn makes a very poor fist of it - although it's pretty good when you feed it with peat (yes, I have done). So, my point is to suggest that the Union flag is left firmly at home when it comes to spending your hard-earned cash on something that needs to last for many years. If you are comfortably off, however, life becomes more of a hobby than a struggle and actual costs don't really matter much. Italians are pretty good when it comes to making things - far better these days than in the UK, in fact. So don't think that Italian made means that it is badly made. It might, if you buy cheap, be cheaply made, but if you spend the kind of money that (excuse my bringing it up again) an Ironheart cooker costs in the UK, you can buy a very, very good Italian one - although the design will be Italian to suit the Italian design sense. Again. I'm not having a go, just trying to suggest that people not waste money on English stuff when they are chosing to live in a 'foreign' country and things can be easier, cheaper and much better suited for use in that 'foreign' country if actually bought there. Enjoy the baking and, especially the insulated covers (not as good a the AGA ones though!).
OK, I guess no one here has heard of any of the biotermocamini type cassette fires (assuming there are more than one brand), so I'll try to find out in other ways. The only comment I'd make now is for people to think twice before buying a stove/boiler/fire/anything in the UK to bring over here and install. Firstly, you can't fit a stove yourself unless you are an Italian approved installer. Straight forward and just the same as in the UK. There are sensible reasons for this requirement with any fuel burning item as whatever fuel you burn, it makes lots of poisenous gasses which, if not properly fitted, will kill you. It pays to be safe here unless you want to commit suicide, of course. The other reason to think twice is that you will have forfeited the guarantee by importing it into Italy and you won't find anyone in Italy that is qualified to repair it either. It might be comforting to have a nice shiny stove 'made' in your mother country, but it will cost you loads to have something that was quite probably made in Italy in the first place - but without the pretty little badge with a union flag on it. You pays your money and take you chances, I guess. Or, better still, if you are in Italy, buy Italian as it will be both guaranteed as well as repairable here. Now for a look at the accumulo solare thread. :D
Oh, I nearly forgot. "or even enough photovoltaics to by pass ENEL altogether." You can't by-pass Enel, sorry. The electricity your panels would make is sold to Enel at a contract rate, changeable each year and credited to your electric bill account. The electricity you use is still bought from Enel (or Edison if you fancy a gamble) at the same rate as it costs you now. The only way around this is to have a huge and expensive battery bank for storing the electricity you generate. Not sensible at the present time though - unless you are a ecowarrier millionaire with a desire to burn money, that is. :D
I guess the sensible response it to suggest you ask the plumber - assuming he is qualified to install heating systems, of course. If he is a heating engineer he should know more about them that you might tink, as they are pretty common items in Italy as they are normally supplied with 'real' solar heating systems, with quite a few companies making them up to some very large sizes (look at the ones from La Nordica, for example). I think they are a good idea, but remember that the ones with electric water heaters in them are going to cost you an absolute fortune if they should ever turn on. Some (non-advertising!) links are below. http://www.lanordica-extraflame.com/en/56/6/0/67/products/wood-burning-p... http://www.riello.it/catalogo-190.html?step=sottofamiglia&key=Product+Line|R-IT-PL-0002049|- http://www.energiapositiva.it/prodotti.html?page=shop.product_details&ca... http://www.thesolarshop.eu/acatalog/Solar_Water_Cylinders.html OK, enough. There are loads more if you want to look - just search with Italian words and it will all become easy - even in English!
Hey! I'm not advertising anything! I'm just looking for some help and information. Is the reason I got no response before because you thought I was advertising? I wouldn't mind owning the company - come to think of it, I wouldn't mind owning any company. But I don't. Nor do I work for any of them. I'm just trying to find out the best way to heat a house, with the minimum of costs - and gas certainly doesn't push any of my buttons! Good luck with paying the gas bills though.
As none of the experts seem to know what a Helios Biotermocamino fire is, I will pass on what I know of it. It is a fire that burns both pellets as well as wood in the form of logs - it has a very large firebox for woodburning. It also is able to burn other fuels such as maize and sunflower seeds without any modification. The largest model has a 34Kw output split to both air and hot water, which will heat a 300m2 house fairly easily (800m3 volume), although smaller models are also available if you have a smaller house. You can get both an 'open circuit' model as well as a 'closed circuit' pressurised model to fit in with your existing or planned plumbing system. The largest model has a 100kg hopper for pellets, so can be left for quite a while if you are going out or away for a couple of days. What else can I add? Mabe a link in English? http://www.heliostecnologie.it/ING/BIOTERMOCAMINO.asp Whilst I am here, for anyone wanting a kitchen range type cooker, it might be worth pointing out that the Brosely range are actually made by La Nordica in Italy and sold as La Nordica throughout Italy - so no need to rent a van and drag one back to Italy. Also whilst here, if Patrick Littlehales is reading this here (no need to put your hand up to your real name) might I suggest you check your spelling of agriturismo on your "Big Heating" page - you have it wrong. Cheers.