twyntub

Okay, okay, so I'd lectured the wife about using too much electricity. The whole finca supply is only rated at 1kW (4 amps), the meter at 5 amps, but we have been regularly pulling about 40 amps without too much trouble.

So, with the water heater, toaster, iron, air conditioning, TV, two laptops, seven mobile phones charging (we've got friends over), and the washing machine on boil wash, stupid me decides to make a cup of tea... and it suddenly goes dark.

So I pop over to the trusty circuit breakers - but they're all okay. Must be a power cut. I ask our Spanish neighbours on both sides (no English spoken) - and yes they're both out. But the people over the road are fine... Looks like I've blown something important...

So we go next door and they agreed to call the electric board.

Oh how we laughed when our neighbour explained how the electricity was always going off.

Oh how we cried when he explained how the electricity had been off almost every day for a month when they built the municipal pool over the road.

Oh how we almost died when he wheeled out a large machine and explained how his wife needed oxygen from this machine every six hours.

Did we know how this might have happened? Alas no... perhaps it was something to do with the electrical storm on Friday?

Oh well, all's well that ends well. Despite living in the middle of nowhere and it being a Sunday, Iberdrola came out within the hour. They replaced the "last resort should there be a massive electrical fault" 25 amp fuse that fed the three houses, and couldn't explain how three houses could have possibly blown such a large fuse. I quietly crept back into the house and turned everything off.

Today we're going to buy a whilstling kettle to go on the LPG cooker.

Does anyone else have any embarrassing stories the want to come clean about?!

Eve

Luv Eve
xx

Lionda

Couldn't possibly match that

KnockCollins

happens frequently - ok, not to that extent but i can appreciate the scenario... great story.

but can anyone tell me why oh why is it when you have your pc, oven, hob, tv, extractor fan, phone charging and washing machine on - all at the same time - and you decide to have a cup of tea after such a busy morning...why is it always the kettle that blows it? we thought there must be something wrong with the kettle as it's always the little old kettle that pushes the poor old fuse to the limit....

MnM

The kettle does it for us everytime as well!

BTW loved reading your electricity adventure twyntub. Definitely something you will look back on and remember for a very long time

Martha

dazzle

Kettles use a large amount of power and I guess the older models will be the worst offenders as it's only recently that manufacturers have started to think about saving energy.

Maybe this is why kettles have never caught on with the Spanish? If this happens alot the answer might be to think about upgrading your potencia.

KnockCollins

wouldn't we all love an upgrade in potencia!

sorry...boring monday morning in the office...

dazzle

Ah - I see!!

brisca

Great story twyntub!
I see you're settling in nicely to the Spanish way of life

When we first moved into our rented house, we had all sorts of disasters with the electricity!
It was February and freezing cold (indoors, at least )
We had to learn which appliances we could juggle with others...................all by "the sudden plunge into darkness experience", I might add.
We used to have to take it in turns to get out of bed to make the first cuppa of the day, because we couldn't have both the electric radiator and the kettle on at the same time!
So, it was a toss up between freezing one's little tootsies, or being parched.

Once we realised that we didn't have enough potencia to run the oven we diverted the limited power resources from there to another circuit, and we can now pretty much manage without too many problems (who needs to cook, anyway!?)

That first winter we arrived, the village was continually losing its electricity supply, due to storms and the like.
One day, the power went off - and instead of checking with our neighbours that they were in the same situation, we just assumed it was yet another general power cut.
As it was a nice Spring afternoon, we sat outside playing cards for about an hour, waiting for Iberdrola to turn up.
It was only when we heard our neighbour's phone ringing, that we realised we might have mis-read the situation!
On her advice, we skulked back indoors to check our fuse box.............and discovered that we'd managed to set the trip somehow, and it was ONLY our house that was affected!!
Yes, we felt a bit stupid that day - but it all adds to the fun, eh?