This may be a long shot but I wondered if somewhere in the vast knowledge available on this site anyone has any idea of the approximate cost of rewiring a house?
We have been told that our house needs a new electricity system and fuse box. It has 3 beds, 1 bath and open plan kitchen/living area all on one level, We have a quote of around 3,500/4000 euros but I've no idea as to whether this is value for money or not?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Raine
Message posted by sixpackpieman on 28 February 2005 at 10:42pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
sixpackpieman
Hi Raine,
I'm an electrician in this country, rewiring a house 3/4 beds with kitchen and living room costs between £1200-£1600 depending on spec.
Your quote seems a little expencive to me.
Steve
Message posted by papapete on 28 February 2005 at 11:17pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
I had my 90 m2 shop wired up from scratch for about 1,800€ .And I had to pay for the materials extra. All wiring was external in conduits, new lights, power points, A/C and new panel but nothing too fancy. and what a mess it was too. Nothing marked, no one has ever been able to sort out any problem since...
I suggest you get someone reccomended or you somehow try and see some work they have already done. I am sure there are some good electricians around. re previous answer to your post, on the one hand your average greek house is a lot harder to wire up with solid brick and cement walls and usually no conduits on the other hand prices for work in Greece are supposed to be lower so who knows. Seems a bit much to me too, but I am no electrician...
Message posted by Stuart on 28 February 2005 at 11:29pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
It may depend when your house was originally wired.
If it was not too long ago, there may already be conduits plastered into the walls and the electrician will be able to use those to pull the new wiring through.
But if not, he will have to chase out the brickwork to install the new conduits for the wiring, then replaster over them to conceal them and then pull the wiring through the new conduits. This can be a messy job so be prepared!
Whatever you do, try to get someone who has been recommended by someone you know/trust and, if possible, get a couple of estimates.
Stuart
Message posted by Gareth H on 01 March 2005 at 2:39am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
The cost of rewiring in Greece would be higher than in the UK because of the way it is wired, Instead of a ring main everything is wired out from a central point (the fusebox). They don't seem to like double sockets and prefere to put two single sockets side by side but as they never join wires then these sockets will get a seperate feed all the way from the fusebox. Everywhere in my house where there are two sockets next to each other they are not only on seperate feed but also on differant fuses so costs will be higher.
Message posted by Mozzy Man on 02 March 2005 at 3:34am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
You may have gone this route but if not try contacting John Mavropoulos at www.pmscorfu.com (speaks excellent English) and ask him to oversee it for you. Tell him you want several quotes for comparison. He will charge in the region of 10% of the quote but will make sure the work is done properly and if it isn't he will do the chasing up etc.
Julia
Message posted by Graham T-A on 02 March 2005 at 5:36pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Mozzy, I can assure you it is illegal to wire your house with a ring main in Greece. From Jan 1st this year any house sold has to have a plan of the wiring submitted to the electricians union before you can get the bill in your name. They will not accept a house which is wired like this and it will need rewiring again.
Message posted by raine on 02 March 2005 at 5:47pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
As Graham mentioned, each light or plug outlet is independently wired to the fusebox. This is done by running one continuous wire from the fusebox to the box - no joined together cables used at all (at least, there shouldn't be!). So, as long as your fusebox is big enough to accommodate your requirements, it is perfectly safe.
If you look carefully, you will spot small round or square plastic covers set at spaces along the walls. The electrician uses these in order to change the direction of the wiring or as a "breather" on a long stretch. What that means is that he will feed the wires through the conduits as far as he can and pull them out of the "breather" box. He will then feed them back into the same box to the next box. This goes on until he has reached the outlet. It is usually too far to be able to manage the whole run in one go.
You can imagine that, depending on the number of outlets you have planned for, this can be quite a time consuming job.
Stuart
Message posted by Agni on 02 March 2005 at 9:40pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Quote: Originally posted by Stuart on 02 March 2005
Each light or plug outlet is independently wired to the fuse box. This is done by running one continuous wire from the fuse box to the box - no joined together cables used at all (at least, there shouldn't be!). So, as long as your fuse box is big enough to accommodate your requirements, it is perfectly safe.
If you look carefully, you will spot small round or square plastic covers set at spaces along the walls. The electrician uses these in order to change the direction of the wiring or as a "breather" on a long stretch. What that means is that he will feed the wires through the conduits as far as he can and pull them out of the "breather" box. He will then feed them back into the same box to the next box. This goes on until he has reached the outlet. It is usually too far to be able to manage the whole run in one go.
Stuart, excellent, that is a spot on description on a "point-to-point" wiring system as used here in Greece. To be honest, I think I prefer the system as it offers much more control (you normally have a large fuse box with a fuse for EVERY plug, this means though you can turn on or off an appliance from the fuse box. PLUS, if an appliance develops a fault, only one fuse "trips" - everything else stays working.) The major disadvantage of the Greek system is simply the overhead in extra cable and the installation time, but it does offer some advantages.
Nathan
Message posted by Graham T-A on 02 March 2005 at 10:01pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
No Becky, ring mains are cheaper but they certainly are not safer. The Greek system with no joints other than in the fusebox is a far better system but costs more to install. I remember when I was doing my HNC in electrical engineering many years ago that we looked at this and found that this was a better sustem but cost more so was not used in the UK.
Message posted by becky on 02 March 2005 at 11:49pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
You will find in most cases (and I talk from experience) that the little white covers are not just for ease of routing cables but are indeed junction boxes.
They joint all the cables, and they use insulation tape for the joint.
There is an office very close to the Electricity Centre that issues "Circuit Diagrams" on request. The price is 100 Euros (same as bringing an Electrician out) You then take the diagram, copy of contract, passport etc to the Electricity building, visit two offices and the name will be changed.
I did it for the second time last week.
MM
Message posted by Stuart on 03 March 2005 at 2:24am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
I'm not sure what you mean about the Circuit Diagrams. Do you mean the office supplies fake drawings that have nothing to do with your own house? If so, it sounds decidedly dodgy.
I worked for an electrician on Kefalonia for two winters and I can say, hand on heart, that I never saw him wiring a house in that way. We always ran continuous wires from the fuse to the outlet. The boxes are just thin plastic containers cemented into place and are not suitable for use as junction boxes.
If you ever had problems caused by the taped up wiring coming apart, would your home insurance pay out - especially if the electricity supply was reconnected on the basis of an "off the shelf" diagram.
Stuart
Message posted by Graham T-A on 03 March 2005 at 8:56am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Quite right Stuart. There should be no joins in the wiring and it is illegal to do so. Any insurance would be invalid if you join the wires and you would never get a licence to rent. If Mozzy has got joins in his wires then he used a dodgy sparky and then seems to be saying he got false drawings to get the electric supplied. Would anyone else recommend this way of doing things. I think not.
Mozzy, I suggest you get it checked out by a 'qualified' electrician and sue the first guy if this is the way it was done. It is dangerous and illegal.
You should report the electrician to the electric board and get him stopped from working as you can now be prosicuted for having wiring that is dangerous. You are risking your own life by living in this house
Our neighbours wanted to move a socket by 6 inches but the sparkys would not make a joint. The ran new wires all the way from the fusebox.
The boxes are just so they can route new wires in the right direction.
Message posted by sixpackpieman on 03 March 2005 at 8:56am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
sixpackpieman
So if platic junction boxes are not suitable for junction boxes then why are they called and used for junction boxes?
They joint is not just taped together either, they are mechanically held together first.
Steve
Message posted by Graham T-A on 03 March 2005 at 9:50am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
They are not for joining Steve. they are for sending the wiring in the right direction. You have a conduit round at about 2 meters high. When you want the wire to go down you take it to the plastic box and then down to the switch/socket but another wire in the same conduit may carry straight on to another plastic box for another socket. They are not called junction boxes and it is illegal to join the wires in Greece. This is why Mozzy has had to get a dodgy certificate as it seems his house has been wired illegally. It also seems he is trying to rent out this dangerous and illegal building to unsuspecting tourists and risking their lives as well as his own just to save a few Euros.
Message posted by ecotrails on 03 March 2005 at 11:53am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Great ..... an arguement, it's been a little dull around here for a couple of weeks; I found myself yesterday almost joining in on a thread about sun cream .
I think what Moz is pointing out again, and that often is ignored, is that we are talking about Greece, about what often actually happens, not what about maybe ought to happen.
The newish rules help electricians in much the same way as 'corgi registered' helped the plumbers in UK - try find a plumber to do a simple job or to get a realistic quote. I recently wanted a gas pipe either soldered copper or unjoined plastic to be run 20 yards to an outbuilding - £500 sir. I said I would be happy to run the pipework (either copper or plastic) at required depth to save money al they had to do was connect either end, reply sorry no can do, its the rules you know, we need to get snotty nosed apprentice to dig hole and sweat pipes while we eat sandwich. Final result, my outbuilding now has a gas supply which I am happy with, total cost £36.00 + 1/2 days work (I am sure the person who fitted it was competent (but I seem to have lost receipt or contact details), plumbers moved on to try to rip someone else off.
The danger in Greek systems is not fire (unless because of sparse sockets you overload with many two way adapters), it is danger of electric shock. Taping up a joint in a junction box is not the best idea but is unlikely to set a concrete wall alight. Of course in a new build or extension it is best to use best practise, but there is always such a thing as overkill, it seems everybody is scared of everything unless they allow other people to take the responsibility, written into this law or another, as long as they do not have to think about it.
Following the line of arguement about the danger of jointed wires to it's logical conclusion then it must be that you are saying every socket in a ring main is a serious (not potential) danger since they are all jointed, or every ceiling rose in the lighting circuit, patentely ridiculous.
Me, I am coming to live in Greece, I am coming to feel a little free-er(?), I do not want to import any of the Brit comfort zone attitude, I will take the situation with all it's rough edges, but with it's many more lifestyle advantages. When my house is finished I shall ensure it meets the standards required, if the electrician sneaks in a joint, I hope to be there to discuss it with him.
There, finished for now, bit garbled but had to do some work as well, if it doesn't scan or is nonsense doesn't matter I'm going to hit 'send post' without looking
Oh but keep up the factual info about the regulations, it's very useful.
Ian
Message posted by seaangler (Chat Room Administrator) on 03 March 2005 at 12:33pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
seaangler
Hi ian..I know how you feel....When i left school i started out as a plummers mate and once a week of to night school to do my apprenticeship...past four years later..in that time time i was working for an heating company called G .C.heating.at park street in bristol..I was doing every thing from mending a burst pipe to to putting Central heating in even the electrics,gas an oil.What i am trying to say i have my city and guilds for the above..but as time has gone by left the pluming trade and went H.G.V.driveing got fed up with that and moved to Burton on Trent and started in the brewery...but for me to any work on electrical gas or oil i have to fork out over two thousand pounds just to get a corgi registration ship how lews have change..like you have said its a rip off for what they charge,a thermocouple switch cost under £5 to buy just see how much they charge to put one your heating sictem....but none of that was required at the time i was pluming for the so called firm i was working for...chris <SCRIPT language=javascript>postamble(); <SCRIPT language=javascript>postamble(); <SCRIPT language=javascript>postamble();
<SCRIPT language=javascript>postamble();
Message posted by jane b on 03 March 2005 at 3:21pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Thanks to all for the explanations about Greek wiring - I'd always wondered what those little plastic covers were for but didn't dare ask (afraid of the pitying looks and the raised eybrows when a woman ask a 'technical' question.)
One thing though, does this mean that each fuse is like a mini circuit breaker ? Is the the type circuit breakers that is used in the UK, that shuts of the whole system, not used in Greek houses ?
jane
Message posted by Graham T-A on 03 March 2005 at 4:43pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
There are normally several circuit breakers in a Greek house. We will have something like 30 circuit breakers when we are finished.
As Steve pointed out, there is nothing wrong with wires being joined together mechanically normally but the problem here is the wet. It's unbelievable. I watched the sparky remove some old wiring and conduit a couple of weeks ago and as he took it down water gushed from the conduit. When I enquired as to where the water came from as the roof was not leaking he explained that it was from the condensation in the plastic boxes and it trickled down into the conduit all winter filling them with water. I think this is the reason it is illegal to have the joints as everything in so wet. there is a danger of it shorting out at the joints.
They are not for joining Steve. they are for sending the wiring in the right direction. You have a conduit round at about 2 meters high. When you want the wire to go down you take it to the plastic box and then down to the switch/socket but another wire in the same conduit may carry straight on to another plastic box for another socket. They are not called junction boxes and it is illegal to join the wires in Greece. This is why Mozzy has had to get a dodgy certificate as it seems his house has been wired illegally. It also seems he is trying to rent out this dangerous and illegal building to unsuspecting tourists and risking their lives as well as his own just to save a few Euros.
I didn't get a dodgy certificate because my wiring was illegal, I got a dodgy certificate to change the previous owners name to mine ! Nothing more than that !
My house had two light bulbs and one socket when I bought it , it now has two ring mains protected by cut out switches.
Mrs Moz put a metal handled knife through some cables last month, she didn't feel a thing, so I suspect that RCBs did the job.
This place was wired by a QUALIFIED ""BRITISH"" ELECTRICIAN !
Why do you A Assume I'm trying to save a few bob, B Trying to rent out an Illegal building and C Make this kind of post when I'm speaking from the experience of the houses I own in Greece.
Why was my last post deleted, you are replying to something that the rest of us haven't seen.
I have taken the electrics out of my places and they are joined with tape !
Why do you argue with what is fact ?
Will this be posted ????
MM
Message posted by Graham T-A on 04 March 2005 at 8:41am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Mozzy, when you said you had experience I assume it was your experience.
'You will find in most cases (and I talk from experience) that the little white covers are not just for ease of routing cables but are indeed junction boxes.'
I do reallize that in the past there has been a lot of dodgy wiring and this is why you found wiring taped up. This is why the new rules have been bought in to make sure that wiring is now safe. It is really simple with the new rules. You get a qualified electrician (qualified in Greece and knows all the Greek regulations) to come and draw up your wiring diagram and inspect it to make sure it is all legal and safe. You don't pay him but go to the electricians union where it is submitted with a fee of 100 euro and then a certificate is issued and the electricians union pay the sparky.
If you have got a ring main then you have joints at the sockets and therefore do not meet Greek regulations. Under the Greek regulations every socket must be wired directly back the the fusebox with no joints therefore, it is wired illegally under Greek law. You may disagree with the Greek law but it's still the law! The reason that houes are wired with ring mains is it is cheaper as you need less wire. Here they insist that every socket is wired directly back to the fusebox regardless of cost.
Why do you seem to want to buck the system at every opportunity? The law is the law whatever country you are in and should be obeyed. Get yourself an electrician who is qualified in Greece and knows the regulations then you will have no problems.
If you are happy that your wiring will meet Greek regulations why did you feel the need to get a dodgy certificate when a proper one can be obtained in a few days for the same price? (but only if legally wired to Greek regulations.)
Message posted by Terry and Julia on 04 March 2005 at 9:10am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
The post was removed because we didn't think it was fair to the person who gave you the "dodgy" certificate. You have just said that we misunderstood your point, imagine if the man concerned lost his job because of that?
Besides this is a small island, it wouldn't take long for the source of his firing to be identified as Nathan's website.
There was nothing more to it than that.
Julia
Message posted by Graham T-A on 04 March 2005 at 11:39am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Update. I just spoke to the electrician who is working next door. I did not mention that someone has fitted a ring main but asked him what he thought of the idea. He was mortified and claims that if a house was wired like this in Corfu, both the owner and the electrician would get an really big fine so maybe it's not a good idea to post saying you have a ring main.
I suppose people in the uk will wonder why this ring main would be dangerous in Greece but not in the UK so I will try to explain.
In Greece if you had 10 sockets they would probably be all wired to 10 amp circuit breakers so if anything plugged in such as a kettle which, normally takes aroud 8 amp, developed a fault and started to draw more current then the circuit breaker would cut out after an increase of only 2 amp.
On a ring main all your sockets are wired to one big circuit breaker, probably around 40 or 50 amp. This means that your kettle can now draw up to 42 amp more before blowing the circuit breaker and could easily draw enough current to overheat and burst into flames. In Britain, to overcome this problem, when ring mains were first introduced they also introduced the square pin plugs with a fuse built in it which would blow if there was any increase in current. There is no fuse in Greek plugs so a ring main is most certainly a huge fire risk.
The Greek system is expensive as there are more circuit breakers and you use more wire but it is ultra safe when done properly.
Message posted by Dave and Kerry on 04 March 2005 at 11:48am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
If there are building regs to be followed as in this country then they must be followed or you are asking for trouble long term, not just anyone can fit new pvc windows any more just as you now need an electrician to replace sockets etc under the new Regulations.
it may cost a bit more than it would to to do it yourself and there are certain things that you can do, but when it comes to the major features like wiring why save a few euros knowing in say 10 years it will cost you thousands to replace it just to sell your property?
Lets face it would an electrician get away with wiring a house in the uk as they do in Greece?
As for the rights and wrongs of the British or Greek way of wiring it seems that both are fit for the purpose they were designed for, its too late applying legislation when someone has been killed.....stable door mentality.
Message posted by ecotrails on 04 March 2005 at 12:29pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
I fully understand what you are saying Graham and Josepipe and agree with much in principal, so understand that I am just pushing the other side in order to illuminate things.
The 'new' Greek regs, which are the old Greek regs but with more emphasis on making sure they are adhered to are fine but no better or worse than the UK regs, so sure use Greek in Greece for peace of mind r.e. officialdom. A lot of us can remember, and still see occasionally, examples of terribly shoddy wiring in tavernas and even accommodation.
Some of us have bought old houses and inherited bad wiring.
The greater safety of the Greek system? , perhaps with a lot more wires going in a lot more directions there is more risk of drilling through a wire, small point I know.
How do you know that MM has not iunstalled a British system in entirety including sockets for fused plugs? How do you know that the fusebox does not contain an RCB, which puts safety onto a higher level than in most installations anyway?
The rights and wrongs of installing an 'unofficial' system can be further debated, usually in this area it comes down to the rules are for the obeyance of fools and the guidance of wise men. my own view is install to a Greek system sure. People who buy property abroad tend to fall into two groups I believe, those who throw a lot of hard earned money at the tradesmen because they want a shiny house, do not want to or are afraid to get involved in the build, just want the finished result, to sit in the sun. The other type of buyer wants to put a lot of themselves into the build included their equally hard earned cash, their physical labour etc. There is nothing wrong with either choice, it's just a different approach.
Where the second person type fall down often is in not having easy access to regulations, understandably tradesmen guard the rules and regs and the language barrier adds to this difficulty.
On the practical front.
Your ten amp breakers would make my cup of tea a long time coming, modern kettles like irons etc suck in 3 kilowatts which would draw over 131/2 amps on the Greek system not counting the initial surge. I would suggest 15 amp breakers.
Does anyone know why the fuseboxes consist of so many different types of breakers, some porcelain, some mcbs etc.. is it legal to fit a 'UK' type one with all mcbs.
How about the lighting circuit is this run a single cable at a time.
Again if you have a ceiling fan incorporated do you need a power rather than a lighting rig up.
What is the actual rule regarding using a qualified 'Greek' electrician, must you use one for everything by law in theory or can you or someone you employ do some work and then have it authorised by a Greek qualified electrician.
Ian
Message posted by Graham T-A on 04 March 2005 at 1:20pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Ian, I hope yor UK kettle dosn't use 13 and a half amp as it would blow your UK fuse.(13 amp max) In actual fact it is around 12 amp it would use. The reason that I said 10 amp is that Greek sockets are only rated at 10 amp and it is the norm to put in a 10 amp circuit breaker. Sometimes they put two sockets on the same breaker and then they would use a 16 amp one.
This is the reason that Greek kettles take so long to boil as they are all rated at 8 amp. It dosn't seem possible to buy anything rated at more than 2 Kwatts here. Heaters are all 2 KW. It's no use bringing a lot of things from the UK as they are going to blow your fuses.
I am not sure why they use differant circuit breakers but I think they are just differant manufacturers.
If you fit a fan in the ceiling the same lighting wiring is fine, the same as putting in a fan in Britain.
The law is the same as in UK which says you should employ a qualified sparky (qualified in Greece) but I suspect there are many people who do it theirself and then get it checked out and approved by a qualified guy.
I am sure you will know if MM has english plugs and sockets Ian. If he has then he is out of danger but still illegal. Wouldn't it be a sad thing to do to move to another country and take your British plugs and sockets with you?
As for the rules and regulations they are easily obtained IN GREEK same as you would get them IN ENGLISH when in the UK. Is this Britain being protectionist trying to keep out foreign electricians?
Message posted by becky on 04 March 2005 at 2:10pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Graham -Greek supply 220 volts not 240, in UK a 3kw kettle would use 12.5 amps with 240v input, in greece a 3kw kettle would use 13.6363 recuurring amps with 220 volt supply. 30-15 eh
Your knowledge about ceiling fan 30 -30
I do not know if Mozzie has 'Englishy' sockets (you will find me casting glances around his room next week, hope mrs moz doesn't think I'm checking up on the cleanlyness) 40-30
I do not accept it would be a sad thing to bring in stuff if you thought it the best way at the time, some things are good ideas, some not.
Rules and regs available - divulge the whereabouts sir (my Greek is improving slowly) 40-40 = deuce, this might get you the game (but not the match).
Ian
Message posted by ben on 04 March 2005 at 3:19pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
ben
There are a lot of things that go on in Greece / Corfu that are controlled by rules and regulations, strict adherence to thes rules / regs usually means that you are shifted from pillar to post and it costs you far more money than you can afford.
I think a good rule of thumb is to behave as most Greeks do (including the government), follow the rules and regulations when it is beneficial to do so. I am not however advocatting doing things that may prove dangerous.
If you want a ring main and you have electric already supplied to your house then have a ring main but have it installed by someone who knows what they are doing.
Message posted by Graham T-A on 04 March 2005 at 3:31pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
They will give you a copy of the regs at the electricity board. Sorry Becky. You won't find them in English or on a website. Greek regs are in Greek, In UK British regs are in English.
Things like kettles which are rated as 3 KW 240 volt will not suck in more current. They will actually take in less current at 220 volts and take longer to boil the kettle. (Ohm's law applies here) V=IR If the voltage is less then the current must also be less. It's a bit like a light bulb, if you reduce the voltage it just becomes less bright. Things like electric motors will attempt to maintain a certain speed and pull in more current to do so.
Game to me I think. Your serve.
Message posted by ecotrails on 04 March 2005 at 3:41pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Snatched from the jaws of victory .... oh well ...
Actually I mean it is me who has won this game, you took your eye off the ball, imagined the puff of chalk dust etc....
You have used the wrong law (tee-hee), the correct one being P(w) = VI where P = power in watts, therefore the greater the voltage the lesser the ampage for the same wattage.
I don't want any Mc enrow outrages over this, our 4000+ referees must surely back me up.
Have to wait a while for next game, national insurance contributions just visited, kindly offered to take my landrover away from me in exchange for some overdue contributions, better go and sort it out or I'm walking to Stansted on Monday morning.
Ian
Message posted by Tony on 04 March 2005 at 4:08pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Tony
Steve, what I meant to say was. Is the electricity generated on the island?
But now I know they use buckets, I realise how difficult your job must be, do you have to siphon it into the house?
Message posted by Graham T-A on 04 March 2005 at 6:32pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Hi Tony, The electricity comes from the mainland via undersea cable.
Ian, I didn't use the wrong law. Ohms law still applies.
V=IR Therefore if the voltage goes down the current also goes down. If the voltage goes down 10% then the current also goes down 10%.
Then the other law applies P=VI but as both the current and the voltage have gone down the power is 90% of 90% (81%) and therefore your kettle which was a 3 KW at 240 volt would become a 2.43 KW kettle at 216 volts.
If you read the little label on most appliances you will see they give the wattage as a max. wattage which of course may go down with the voltage.
This of course is only true with regard to kettles which only have resistance and not to electric motors, transformers etc which have inductance and so you would use impedance instead of resistance and at this point ohms law goes out of the window and Mr Henry comes into play.
Sorry if I am boring everyone.
Message posted by Stuart on 04 March 2005 at 6:43pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Graham since we are both in danger of boring each other I will bow out of this after only saying we are both aware that as wires get hot the resistance usually increases enormously so Ohms law is inneffective in this situation since you base your arguement on resistance staying constant. However I am on slightly shaky ground using the power relationship also, so goodnight (+ the inland revenue have had there pound of flesh + a bit more so i am sulking).
Ian
Message posted by Homesick on 04 March 2005 at 8:36pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
A friend in sidari has advised us not to buy a washing machine that is digital and to buy one that is mechanical (she meant the dial that you would turn for the cycles etc..) due to the drop in voltage on the island as it causes the machine to breakdown.
Any idea ??
Blake....
Message posted by becky on 04 March 2005 at 9:23pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Your friend is probably quite right about the washing machine although maybe for the wrong reason. It is true that most of the devices you buy here are rated at 240 volts or 230 volts depending on where they are made but I don't think that the low voltage is the problem. It's the constant power cuts and electrical storms hitting the mains wires that cause the problem. In the storms last month we lost our ISDN box to lightning as did Nathan. Julia and our neighbour lost their modems and a couple of the villages had their TV's blown up.
As all the electric cables are above ground they are always getting hit. In the last 40 days we must have had lightning for at least 25/30 of them. The electronic panels will be more sensitive to lightning strikes.
Message posted by ecotrails on 05 March 2005 at 11:04am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Recommend you buy a washboard and a mangle. (is mangle the right word? sounds like a vegetable)
Ian
Message posted by seaangler (Chat Room Administrator) on 05 March 2005 at 11:18am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
seaangler
Hiya..Just a matter of interest to the power cuts...What is the price of a back up (jenny)to take over(to kick in automatically) for when there is a power cut,does it have to be insulated in a housing for the noise per regulations.....chris
Message posted by Sailor on 05 March 2005 at 5:30pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Sailor
Hi Graham,
I have read this topic with much interest, and placed most of the informtion in our folio (Moving to Corfu), in time. Reading your last post in particular, and the amount of power cuts, lighting strikes, and other surges. Would one of these Power Surge Breakers on the market be any good to protect ones domestic equipment, PCs, TVs etc, in Corfu.
I use one at home for my PC equipment, and for the TV and Music equipment. It gives me a peace of mind that if anything untoward happens at home, I am protected, and just have to replace the PSB.
What is your thoughts on this.
Cheers.
Message posted by cannock girl on 05 March 2005 at 7:42pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Graham, my husband has been reading these last few posts with interest, he has asked me to ask you if bonding is used in Corfu , I dont know what he is refering to , but he says you will
Regards Kath @ Alf Cox
Message posted by Stuart on 05 March 2005 at 8:43pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Don't forget that the surges don't just come down the electricity cabling. Your telephone and external TV aerial wires can also conduct the surges (not sure if indoor aerials are a problem or not), so it is not just enough to pull out the mains plug.
Whenever we had an electrical storm on Kefalonia, we would try to make sure we had pulled all the plugs out of the wall sockets, unplug the phone and take the TV aerial out of the back of the set. Of course, sometimes the storms happened without much warning while we were working, so we would be on tenterhooks until we could clear the last table away and get home to maqke sure no damage had happened.
Stuart
Message posted by ecotrails on 05 March 2005 at 8:44pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Cannock girl just to let you know that you must have misheard someone talking about what Graham knows about, the word you're looking for was bondage, and yes, he does use it a lot on Corfu.
Ian .
Message posted by Graham T-A on 05 March 2005 at 11:16pm - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Been off line all day today again due to more lightning storms. (again).
I have got the PC and ISDN box on a UPS so when you get a cut it will hold up for an hour but now need to buy a spark arrester to put on my phone line. this of course will not stop the TV blowing up. These are all available in Corfu but I don't think you can buy one big enough to run a washing M/C. These are all for sale in the PC shop. The storms happen so quickly that we always unplug the phone line at night and when we go out as it took 2 weeks to get the phone fixed last time we where hit
Message posted by Sailor on 06 March 2005 at 1:32am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Sailor
Thanks Graham and Stuart. The Power Surge Breaker I have on my TV and Entertainment system also has an aerial socket which one puts the cable from the wall mounted aerial socket in the PSB, then another to the TV.
I do believe you can also purchase one with a telephone socket in also.
Could these be used in places like Corfu.
Message posted by Bob and Wendy (Uncle Bob) on 06 March 2005 at 3:51am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Bob and Wendy
Hi Chris,
I cannot comment on your query exactly, but one of my friends in Corfu, who happens to be a non Greek electronics wizz, has installed in his house circuit board, ( an immobilisor, voltage limiter, power surge sensor and trip devise)
To my untutored mind it would seem that if the power supply is too low, or fluctuates, then the trip mechanism trips out that line, and protects the whole system during turbulant weather paterns.
Bob.
Message posted by Sailor on 06 March 2005 at 11:57am - IP Logged
Legal Disclaimer
Sailor
Thanks Bob, this appears to be a similar sort of thing as to what I am using at home. However, my system just plugs into the normal socket where the usual domestic appliances would be blugged in, then in turn they are plugged into this.
If there is a surge of any kind the PSB would take all the surge, and probably burn out, but this can be replaced free of charge with another. They also guarantee to replace your equipment upto a large sum if the PSB fails.
Cheers again.
If you wish to post a reply to this thread you must first Login
If you are not already registered you must first register
All Rights Reserved. No part of the Corfu Travel Guide web site may be reproduced without permission.
Infringement will be pursued.
The Corfu Travel
Guide and Lefkada Travel Guides are brought to you by Agni Travel.
Agni Travel is the sister company of Taverna Agni and also the sponsor of the Agni Animal Welfare Fund
Topic:
.JPG)
.jpg)
.
.
.
.
.JPG){kind=avatar}
.jpg)
