A recap.
We decided to live in a house in the countryside 1,000 metres up a mountain. It gets cold in the winter, there is snow in the winter which is deep enough to stop us getting the car out for days at a time. We decided we would put gas central heating in running on propane from a tank as we are way too far away from any mains supply of gas. Natural piped gas is not common in this part of Spain although highly populated areas are beginning to get piped supply.
We only knew of one supplier of bottled gas, Repsol, and so spoke with them about the supply. Their tanks were massive so we would need to run off the tall bottles and were recommended to have 8 bottles and run 4 on/4 off. We weren't keen as this would look unattractive at the back of the house but, any less would mean the bottles needed changing too often and if the track was difficult to access because of snow we could run out of gas and have no heating or cooking.
In conversation with Manolo at the plumbers merchant he told us about another supplier Cespa, who did a smaller tank than Repsol, suitable for domestic use. 1,000 litres which should last for months and certainly see us through the winter months without difficulty. The tank is quite cute, if a fuel tank can be cute and it seemed perfect for our needs. Refills would be 3-4 days from order, which is a simple phone call. While we were waiting for the tank we could run the system with 4 small bottles, 2 on/2 off.
We started the process in mid-November and we received the signed contract from Cespa dated 26th November. We were given a timescale of 3 weeks for the tank to be delivered and a further 3-4 days for it to be filled up. With any luck it would all be set-up by Christmas and we wouldn't have to worry about fuel throughout the winter.
But, this is Spain. Timescales can stretch out quite a while.
The timescale for our tank has stetched way beyond expectations. In Spain you learn to be patient but this has certanly tested our patience to the limit.
The tank is manufactured in Portugal as it is cheaper than if it was made in Spain. At Christmas when we asked,it was only just in production, should be shipped early January. We had one fall of snow where we were snowed in for 3 days and on day 4 we had no choice but to dig our way out as our bottles were empty. The bottles only lasted for 4 days in really cold weather when we needed the heating on 24/7. When you run on LPG there is always a residual amount left in the bottles, normally 10% but in cold weather it can be as much as 15% - this means when you need the most get you get the least! The outside temperature affects the amount of usable gas. It also means you are paying for gas you can't actually use. Each change of bottle was costing us €10 so it is not a cost effective way of running a heating system, but it was meant to only be for a 4-5 weeks!
But this is Spain. Finally, after almost 10 weeks the tank arrived. We were told it would take about a week for the first fill and after that it would be 3-4 days for a refill from when we telephoned an order through. We were so excited.
The excitement didn't last long.
We waited for it to be filled. In the meantime we had more snow, we couldn't get out for 3 days. This time we ran out of gas on day 4, but we stayed warm through the snow. A week passed and then a second. We started calling into the shop every week for an update. Every week was the same, the paperwork is stuck in the system. We cannot get the tank filled until the paperwork is sorted.
Last Friday we finally had a call to say the tanker was coming to fill us up. We knew better than to get excited this time.
It didn't arrive.
I rang to ask why and it seems they sent the big tanker (like you see deliver fuel to petrol stations) and he was worried that the slope on our track was too much and, having got down to the house, he wouldn't be able to get back up to the tarmac road.
They needed to send the smaller tanker which has to come from further away, so doesn't come to the area every day. It would be here Tuesday or Wednesday.
It didn't come.
This morning we got a phone call. The little tanker was coming.
AND IT DID!!!!!!!!!
We now have a full tank of LPG,well 85% full - that's the maximum they can fill it. It should last us several months. We don't have to change bottles anymore.
Now, we are very excited. We're going out to celebrate tonight.
We're going to town for a PIzza!
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6 comments:
Hello Jacqui. I have spent a few hours over a few weekends reading your blog from Day 1. You have introduced me to blogs! Thank you.
The reason I started to read your blog is that it is also my dream to pack it all in and relocate to Spain. Unfortunately it has been my dream for almost a decade! I run my own business in the UK and it's just not that easy to pack it all in. One day DEFINATELY. Your blog has had me laughing and crying I find it fascinating. Ufortunately you've now done it, so what's left? You have relocated to Spain, congratulations. Bad luck with the snow, think of it as a reminder of home. It's been a long miserable winter in the UK. Are we going to get a BBQ Summer this year? I doubt it, so I will continue reading your blog with envy and only dream that one day I will be writing my own blog about relocating to Spain. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Nick, it's good to hear that you are enjoying reading about our life here. I actually think the last 2 years have been, to a degree, the easy part of relocating. There has been so much activity for us that sometimes the reality of what we have done doesn't always sink in.
Quitting our jobs and taking the leap was definitely the hardest thing to do, we just found we had to set a date and do it or we would still be in the UK talking about it.
What's next for us? I suppose it's to see whether the magic continues.
What ever the future holds, I'll still be blogging about it and sharing it with others.
Haven't you got your metres mixed up with your feet, Jacqui. 3,000 metres is TEO MILES UP! Previously you said you were 1,000 metres above sea level so either those high winds have lowered the Mediterranean sea 2,000 m or they've raised you 2,000m!
Just proving I read every detail!
Well spotted Janice. Yes, we are still only 1,000m up the mountains, although the wind last night was strong enough to blow us a few meters more. Wow, that was wild!
Dear Jacqui Congratulations on getting your fuel delivered, I remember the first time that we ordered some...used my best Spanish at the petrol station in PL only to find that the lady spoke excellent English - boy was I relieved! Do you have a fuel back up - a log fire or something? We don't, but our friends who live in Spain all year swear by having a local heat source so that they can shut the door and be snug as a bug! How is the weather there now? Our house is 850 feet above sea level, just heard from our neighbours to say that we have lost some roof tiles in the storms, we know what we will be doing in April now!
Hi John & Karen, Oh Boy, that was some wind we had on Saturday night,in general I think it was about 80kph but with gusts above 150kph. It was quite scary at times as we live in a hollow and don't normally hear the wind but it was really rattling the shutters on Saturday night. Brinkley was really unhappy and needed lots of cuddles. We also lost power from 8pm until 5am Sunday but we do have one of the stand alone gas fires that runs off a gas bottle so if the heating is off we can still stay warm. Hopefully we won't need it for much longer but I would agree, it is vital to have a back-up heat supply if you you are here in winter.
We were both surprised to find no damage to the house when we ventured out on Sunday morning, although our neighbours who live on the top of a hill lost a couple of their pergola beams and the other house lost roof tiles, so we got off very lightly. I read on a local forum that we had caught the edge of Cyclone Cynthia, but I haven't been able to find anything else out about it. I'm sure the weather will be better in April for you to do your repairs. Let me know if you fancy meeting up for a drink.
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