DIY - How to stretch 25 Amps - Avoiding blowing fuses - saving energy
Like a lot of old properties we inherited the dangling 10Amp circuit breaker in a small dark cabinet. 
Luckily we where introduced to Pablo in Monforte and set him the task of rewiring the property basics and put in a decent distribution board. New feed to each area 16A 2.5 wire for sockets and 10A 1.5 for lights. Just to distribution sockets as I would do the rest if and when required.
Yes in some places 3 phase does exist but its expensive and FENOSA will probably allow you to go up to 45Amp’s single phase but again it becomes expensive in terms of standing charges.
Upgrading from the basic 3KW (16A) to 4 or 4.8KW(25A) is reasonable - about 13Euros month standing charge.
Quirks:
Ring main does not exist - Wheel and spoke.
Your not allowed to daisy chain sockets - each socket needs it’s own feed from a distribution box.
Be ware if there is no power. Ask as each new pole to a transformer or existing line sets you back about 450Euro.
If power is nearby and you have a well they have to install a supply to allow you to run the well pump.
Whatever one puts in it is never enough, but here are some “hacks” to get round these issues.
Washing machine, dryer and hoover or well pump etc. will trip when run together.
To avoid this I installed dual sockets that are switched - so only one is ever live - thus a decision has to made to run the dryer or the washing machine. This can easily be adapted for other power hungry applications.
Now in our wisdom and to make visitors even more comfortable we bought and installed yet another washing machine in the rental part of our property. So the challenge was how to avoid my dear wife running dryer or washer whilst the visitors run a load of washing machine or vise verso.
So how to avoid this without upgrading the supply? The normal priority switches all react to fixed Amperage and can only close a contact. Thus one would need a complicated install to shut off one and run the other. They also usually need power switches that go “clonk” “clonk” and / or start to hum after getting old.
I found a German special manufacturer who has an electronic device that measures current flow and can open a relays contact up to 3KW based on freely adjustable loads. IMR F1 from Schalk. Its quiet and only users 20mA or so and is just one device that does it all.
OK, so I ran a new feed to the new washing machine and slaved this device into the feed for the area where our other power hungry devices are. Adjusted it to engage when 8Amps are drawn. So now whenever our dryer or lavadora runs this simply switches the socket for the other washing machine off (only than).
It is available via a Spanish distributor and sets you back about 65Euros incl. packaging. DOMOTIKS
As upgrading our supply would cost money and an increased standing charge this device, rarely needed, will pay back in under 6 month!.
Also be aware you are likely on a well and a good pump will kick in at 1500W easily (ours does).
Something else to safe money and power - consider replacing bulbs by LED bulbs. The energy saving bulbs nowadays come close to the light of normal ones but it takes them some seconds to kick in. This is not an option for certain situations like cellars, stairs, landings, etc.
Having been aware of the development and the fall of prices in this area for a while we installed a lot of standard 50W 220V halogen spots (in-build and external).
Recently I ordered replacement LED bulbs, from Germany. They work surprisingly well.
This is the ceiling lighting in the rental kitchen. Before we used 3 x 50W Halogen standard, now we replaced 2 by warm white standard LED. This dropped the power demand from 150W to 55W.
We did not replace all 3 as the LED’s tend to have a narrow beam and do not introduce stray light as the “old” 50W do.
Standard screw bulbs (220V) now do exists with LED’s in them. Be aware “white” is a bluish cold white, where as “warm white” is more yellow and closer to what one is used from standard bulbs.
I use LED1.de and the replacement bulbs are here GU10 E14 MR16 Halogen at LED1.
Yes, they are still a bit pricey but have advantages: Not very hot, so no fire-hoods in the ceiling required. Available as standard replacement 220V so no longer are transformers etc required. Drops power demand by 95%+. Immediately on, not like the energy saving things that take ages to light up.
So that it for today - back to rendering walls.
Expat
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