Cheetah7

We are looking to buy a gas fire to plug into the pipe in our house.

Does anyone have any recommendations of what make of portable one to get - we are looking to spend no more than $500.

I have heard that some of them are more economical than others, this particular one had good reviews but goes for just under a grand and we cant afford that

TITAN 151 / GALAXIE 212 / GRANADA 252

Now we have acclimatised, I can really see us feeling the cold this winter.

leave_n_on_a_Jet

Gas Fires in Oz are a KIN rip off, You can buy an air con unit, Water heater or gas boiler etc cheaper.

I have no idea why thye cost so much as the build cost is very low.

You could buy one cheaper on www.ebay.com.au most are second hand, make sure you get one that turns the gas off if the oxygen level in the rooms drops.

Also make sure its the correct gas type eg LPG or NG for what ever your supply is.

James

Cheetah7

OMG, I didnt even know about that? excuse my ignorance but what is LPG and NG?

Siren & Brian

You will find that most are around the $1000 mark.

homewardbound

Natural gas - ie. from the mains

LPG - from a bottle - like the barbie gas

Aircon units are hellish expensive to run in the winter - my elec bill HALVED even though we had the air con on in summer, it costs loads more to use it as a heater.

ABCDiamond

I bought a Gas Fire when I was in Sydney, but it wasn't flued, which is what I was used to in the UK.

Consequently I could smell the fumes more than I expected.

Not a problem to people who are accustomed to non-flued units, but maybe to someone who is.

You can get them set up as flued, but I never even thought about it at the time I bought it.

Cheetah7

Ive found one for $500 but its a little one and I need to measure my room to see if it would be the right size.

The one I like is just under a grand.

I have a nose for gas, I smell the slightest amount of gas and have picked up on 3 gas leaks at my house in the UK - well one of them was my neighbours. Transco used to call me 'the gas detector'

We have a bayonet type thing coming out of the wall. I wonder how much of a problem fumes would be? I can smell the slightest whiff of it.

Notts_bloke

You don't need a heater in Perth. Save your money and buy a jumper.

OzzieGunner

It depends on the size of the space you need to heat. Have a look at http://www.rinnai.com.au/ for information on products and installation requirements

If you have a bayonet fitting look at the unflued heaters, these are portable and can be pugged in for the winter and then disconnected and put away once it warms up. They do not have a flue but the emissions for them are low enough to be very safe however there are requirements for permanent ventillation. The Rinnai 516TR is a good heater which you will find on ebay for about $500. If you buy second hand get it serviced by an authorised agent

I used to be the Product Manager for Rinnai a few years ago.

Pete

Gems

Last year on ebay someone was selling various new portable gas fires for around $300.

They were similar to the portable calor gas fires in the UK (However Aussie version) You just refill gas bottles.
Looked similar to this on top of the page:
http://www.calorgas.co.uk/home/lpg-p...ters/index.htm

Think they also did fires that connect to your existing gas supply too.

Id look on Ebay.com.au

Gems

Here, think might be same guy selling them (but I have not purchased so can not vouch for them)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COLLECTABLE-M...1%7C240%3A1318

ozhappy981

What is safe or not is pretty much a matter of opinion. Personally I find a gas heater that vents its fumes into the room unhealthy and would not have one in the house.

As for permanent ventilation: In modern Perth houses this means a grille in the wall that leads to the brick wall cavity and vents through the roof. There is absolute no guarantee that the fumes from the nearby gas fire will find there way to the grille and into the cavity. You would need some form of suction for this to happen ... And there is much more chance that the wind around the house blows down the cavity and into the room.

You own your house, PP, and probably intend to live in it for quite a few years. In that case, get a flued gas fire put in. It'll cost you twice as much as the non-flue type. Getting a flued-in one also means you can get a bigger one that warms more of your house. Save up another year and be safe and healthy.

gobbyjock

Personally we`ve got a gas heater and would not be without it in winter (as well as the jumper & woolly throw for the couch) - I feel the cold a lot more here than I ever did in UK.

Cheetah7

I have a jumper, I have a duvet and a fluffy dressing gown and failing that I have large bosems to pad me out.

I still want a fire.

Cheetah7

I might consider that as I can sniff the smallest amount of gas a mile away.

Last time I called Transco out to our rental in London, I was nearly sick with the fumes and he got his gas detector out and there was a zero reading.

After he did a pressure test on our meter outside which was normal, I begged him to do the neighbours and the reading showed a gas leak - in the flat below me.

It was from a pipe that the National Grid hadnt sealed when they relaid the pipes and our neighbours hadnt smelt it because it was summer and the windows had been open etc.

The guy from Transco couldnt believe I could smell it in my house when no reading showed.

It does alarm me a bit not having an outlet for fumes though.