LaRibereņa - 6-9-2012 at 12:30 PM
We have been abandoning our East Cape block house in mid-February to early March because it is soooo cold. What suggestions might you have for
heating?
bkbend - 6-9-2012 at 12:40 PM
A jacket for mornings. I'm in a block house in Bahia de los Angeles (probably a wee cooler) with no heat source during that time frame.
Pompano - 6-9-2012 at 12:44 PM
Gas heaters used at my old airy place in Coyote Bay...another cold place in February.
Either one...or perhaps both...should do the trick. Both types are available in Baja Sur. Gas is everywhere. 
Good luck next winter.
Bob and Susan - 6-9-2012 at 01:21 PM
really?
we're talking about heaters?
i took this a few minutes ago
DavidE - 6-9-2012 at 01:27 PM
I'm getting a 30,000 BTU adjustable heater and a second gas cylinder for heating. I am going to try and do this right with the heater being placed
near to but not in the bedroom. Something just to cut the chill, maybe raise the temp five to seven degrees.
Fishmagician - 6-9-2012 at 02:08 PM
Get a heater that will heat the entire house, and use floor and ceiling fans to spread the heat to every corner. If you don't you'll have warm and
cold spots in the house..
comitan - 6-9-2012 at 03:17 PM
These work well for us. Along with gas heater.
http://www.amazon.com/Beautyrest-Micro-Mink-Warming-Throw/dp...
LaRibereņa - 6-10-2012 at 11:49 AM
A friend has an AC/Heat mini-split made by Trane, but we can't seem to find one. If anyone is near La Paz, could you check with Trane there for us?
A morning jacket is fine, but 5-7 degrees warmer in the evening (esp. when it's windy outside) would be heaven.
Passive Solar heating
durrelllrobert - 6-11-2012 at 01:53 PM
There are several ways to accomplish this at various costs:
1. paint the soth facing wall black and then build a glass wall (solar chimney) the full length and height of the wall and about 1 foot away using
old windows sloped inward at top (see picture). The problem with this design is that you need to block the sun in the summer to prevent overheating.
2. If you have unough space on the property you can install a ground tube + solar chimney (see picture) for passive heating in the winter AND cooling
in the summer. Most systems are usually constructed from 100 to 600 mm (4 to 24 inch) diameter, smooth-walled (so they do not easily trap condensation
moisture and mold), rigid or semi-rigid plastic, plastic-coated metal pipes or plastic pipes coated with inner antimicrobial layers, buried 1.5 to 3 m
(5 to 10 ft) underground where the ambient earth temperature is typically 10 to 23 °C (50-73 °F ) all year round in the temperate latitudes where most
humans live. Ground temperature becomes more stable with depth.
Smaller diameter tubes require more energy to move the air and have less earth contact surface area. Larger tubes permit a slower airflow, which also
yields more efficient energy transfer and permits much higher volumes to be transferred, permitting more air exchanges in a shorter time period, when,
for example, you want to clear the building of objectionable odors or smoke. It is more efficient to pull air through a long tube than to push it with
a fan. A solar chimney can use natural convection (warm air rising) to create a vacuum to draw filtered passive cooling tube air through the largest
diameter cooling tubes. Natural convection may be slower than using a solar-powered fan. Sharp 90-degree angles should be avoided in the construction
of the tube - two 45-degree bends produce less-turbulent, more efficient air flow. While smooth-wall tubes are more efficient in moving the air, they
are less efficient in transferring energy. The air entry point needs to be at least 30 ft from the house and the tube should slope towards the air
entry and the air exit into the house should be several feet below the foundation footing.
Mula - 6-11-2012 at 02:08 PM
We put a chiminea in our house in San Nicolas.
Works great. Brought the stove pipe down from the states.
DavidE - 6-11-2012 at 02:14 PM
Block wall lost all heat after around 4 hours. Figured it would have to be 3 feet thick to retain a decent amount of heating ability heat for 8 - 10
hours.
Electric heat? Wow! The thought of going into DAC gives me the shivers and it's around 30 Celsius at the moment.
Chiminea
Mula - 6-11-2012 at 03:04 PM
Heat
bajaguy - 6-11-2012 at 03:11 PM
1) Roll around portable propane heaters from Home Depot. Use them to take the chill off a room. Buy the 5 gallon propane bottles with the threads on
the indide AND outside of the valve.
2) A heated matterss pad.....turn on about 5 minutes before you go to bed. When you jump between the sheets, turn that sucker off.
3) Two Yellow Labrador Retrievers on top of the bed.
noserider - 6-14-2012 at 07:10 PM
Calorex f 180 is a 3 setting catalytic heater , with a radiant grill above the burners, they are portable with wheels and the 5 gallon propane
cylinder fits inside the housing behind the burners, the top setting is around 11,860 btu and once the grill is warm puts out plenty of heat , got
mine on craigslist so google it see what you find.
Alm - 6-15-2012 at 06:13 PM
Jacket and wool socks. And a down duvet. Can't be cooler than 50 in the night, inside anyway.
A house with fewer rooms so that you don't have to heat much, or use just one room. Propane heaters like shown only heat one room with doors closed.
They consume oxygen and emit dioxide - no big deal, but sometimes they emit carbon monoxide too, though way less than wood burn stoves. Window should
be left a crack open with those heaters on. Catalytic heater is better than a regular type, less carbon monoxide and less gas consumption, though they
are mostly for isolated small area like a room.
DavidE - 6-16-2012 at 08:27 AM
USA homes are pretty tight. Mexican homes have enough drafts to not present an O2, CO, or CO2 hazard, unless a heater is in a bedroom with the door
closed. I remember one February morning in Toluca, when I woke up to -10C temperatures in a hotel room. I had unrolled my down bag atop the bed. A
glass of water on the nightstand was frozen an inch thick.
Alm - 6-16-2012 at 01:42 PM
Well, Toluca isn't in Baja. On the Cortez side of Baja I don't recall it dropping below +7C (45F) and not very often, few nights a year, and this is
of course outside. Inside, even with all the drafts, there is no wind and any heater will heat one room fast. It's still better to get a catalytic
one, IMO.
DENNIS - 6-16-2012 at 01:55 PM
Electric blanket with a half mile extension cord. Never leave home without it. 