Curiosity Built the Flat Part 2

Planing the renovation

My builder came round last week.

We spent nearly 2 hours discussing the main areas of renovation. The kitchen will be how the new plans show. 
The main change is in the bathroom. So what are the changes? Well these are moving the washing machine to a cupboard in the hallway but putting it so you can access the washing machine from the bathroom, the water heater will also go in the cupboard. The shower will now go where the washing machine and sink were. The sink will no go where the bath was.
As you can see a complete change for this room, I think the only thing that's in the same place is the towel rail and of course the toilet.

Its important to get these things right at this stage, doing it when you have re-done the plumbing etc is going to cost more. A good builder is worth their weight in gold. They simply know what works and what doesn't. So listen to them. You can always find a compromise if you need to. 

Curiosity Built the Flat Part 1

The purchase of the apartment happens next week, so as a taster here are the original plans and then the potential new plans.

Old Plan

New Plan

As you can see all the rooms apart from the kitchen stay the same in size. 

We will be knocking out the wall between the utility room and the kitchen, to make a larger and better functioning kitchen. 

Here is a link to see a morphing animation from old to new 

More photos next week once I move in 😎 .

Part 3. The 3 most Common Electrical Problems and How to Solve them.

3. The ICP has tripped. 

Whats an ICP I hear you cry. ICP stands for Interruptor de Control de Potencia. It basically limits the amount of power coming into your home.  If you use more power than you are contracted for it will trip. 

 The ICP if you like can be thought of as a security mechanism. And it is a compulsory requirement. These days they are within the smart meters that the electrical supply company fit. 

ICP

Houses that don't have a smart meter will often have a separate breaker near the consumer unit. This will also have at least one if not two security tags in diagonally opposite corners, this is to prevent tampering.


Picture on the left showing an old fashioned style ICP. Notice the security tags. Some older properties may have this and a smart meter. So its worth checking if you have a smart meter.





So what do you do if the ICP trips. Smart meter version.

1.   Check that neighbours have power and nothing has tripped in the house. 

2a. If neighbours have power and nothing has tripped. If you can access your smart meter, then there is normally a green button located on the front which you press, and that's it.

2b If you do not have access to your smart meter, this is mainly in apartments or rental villas, then you will need to switch off all the breakers in the consumer unit.

3. Once you have switched off all the breakers, you will need to wait about 20 seconds.
4. After 20 seconds switch the breakers back on.

Photo Copyright Sogecam

Picture showing a Sogecam smart meter notice the green button to the left of the display, this is the ICP reset button.










Non smart meter version.

1. Check that neighbours have power and nothing has tripped in the house. 

2.  If neighbours have power and nothing has tripped. Then you will need to switch off all the breakers in the consumer unit.

3. Wait 15 to 20 seconds, and turn the breakers back on, and don't forget to switch the ICP back on.


If the ICP trips on a regular basis it maybe time to upgrade your electricity.

Part 2. The 3 most Common Electrical Problems and How to Solve them.

2. A breaker has tripped.

This happens when the live wire (brown or black) touches the neutral wire (blue), or excessive current consumption in the tripped circuit. 

The factors that can cause this are ;

1. Faulty wiring insulation.
2. Loose wiring connections.
3. Faulty wiring in a plug.
4. Too many things plugged into a socket.
5. Faulty appliances

1. Faulty wiring insulation

 This is why its a good idea to get your wiring checked in your house or apartment. With older wiring the insulation can deteriorate and expose bare wires. 

 Also be careful when hanging pictures as you might accidentally screw into a conduit carrying mains electricity. So if the trip occurs after some DIY its a good bet that, you either drilled into a mains conduit or  a screw or nail is the culprit to the short circuit. 

2. Loose wiring connections

 Over time and due to thermal expansion, it is possible for connections to become loose, more so with screw type terminals, than the newer clamp style. So as the wire becomes loose the likely hood of it touching something it shouldn't becomes greater and it trips the circuit.

3. Faulty wiring in the plug

 This can be similar to above or due to mechanical damage to the cable. Vacuum cleaners are a good one where the lead to the cleaner gets sucked up. Another one are power tools, especially angle grinders and lawn mowers.

4. Too many things plugged into a socket

 This can be very dangerous. Often it happens when a hairdryer is plugged into a circuit, the reason is the circuit is now consuming more current than the breaker is rated for. Often its not until a breaker trips that you find exactly what is connected to that circuit, it maybe more than you think. Other problems are that too many appliances on one socket can cause the either wiring to get hot and melt the insulation or the socket itself to melt. There is also a strong risk of fire as well.

5. Faulty appliances

 This is often through age of the appliance and a fault has occurred within the appliance. The worst culprits tend to be tumble dryers, washing machines, dishwashers and electric ovens.

 If this is the cause then best call out the service engineer.

So you have a tripped circuit breaker what do you do next.

The procedure is ;

1. Find your fuse box or consumer unit and locate the tripped breaker.
2. Try and remember if it tripped because you just plugged something in. If so unplug it, and switch the tripped breaker on. If it trips again then, follow the steps below.
3. Inspect power cords that are plugged into this circuit, one could be damaged unplug the damaged one and try again. Repeat if necessary. If it still tripping.
4. Make sure everything on the tripped circuit is switched off. Then switch the trip back on. If OK then try switching everything back on again one at a time and if it trips when switching something on then its either the appliance or the wiring that is at fault.
5. Repair the faulty wiring or appliance, this step may require the assistance of a profesional.

If there is no obvious problem and it is still tripping then its going to need a qualified electrician to sort it out. 

 It is possible that the breaker itself is faulty, it does happen from time to time even so get an electrician to sort it out.

In part three we will look at what happens when the ICP (Interruptor de Control de Potencia) trips.

Part 1. The 3 most Common Electrical Problems and How to Solve them.

It is usual that in any house, from time to time, we have to solve some type of electrical fault. Most are solved in a quick and simple way with just a basic knowledge of electricity

Of course, the problems that I will be describing to you below have an easy solution; But if you suffer a major electrical fault or have serious doubts about your ability, my recommendation is that you hire the services of a professional electrician.

1. The house has no electricity and the differential has tripped.

 Whats a differential I hear you ask well they look like this. Colours may vary. The yellow button is a test button and this should be pressed every 3 months to see if the differential trips.

 The differential has several functions within the house. It protects you from being electrocuted should you touch a bare live wire. And it detects any leakage of electricity. In normal operation the current flowing in the two wires (live and neutral) will be the same. When they are not the same due to a fault the diff will trip. The ones found in Spain also have over current protection as well. So if you are trying to use more current than you are allowed it will trip. This was common in older houses, and a cheap and not recommended upgrade was to increase the amperage of your differential. You should always contact your electricity supplier to upgrade your supply. All houses now have either a mechanical ICP (Interruptor Control de Potential) or its built in to your smart meter to prevent illegal upgrades.

So what do you do if you have tripped your differential. I always recommend 

1. Switch off all the breakers in your fuse box (consumer unit). 
2. Switch on the differential, some models, require you to push it down first then up.
3. Then gradually switch back the other breakers.
4. That should be it. 

What if the differential trips when switching a breaker back on?  then;

1. Repeat the process above but leave problem breaker off and continue, you may have more than one problem. If the problem is only with one breaker check to see what is plugged into that circuit, and unplug everything and then switch the breaker back on.
2.  If its OK then the trip could be caused by over current or a problem with what is plugged in. 

I have tried everything and even switched the breakers on in a different order, and it still trips. What do I do now?

Leave everything for a couple of minutes then try again. Next stop is to call an electrician. The more information you can give him the quicker it can often be fixed. 

And please remember any doubts, call an electrician.

A Warm Welcome

This is a brand new blog that's going to be looking at all things to do with renovation and new builds in Spain. 

 Some our first posts will be about electrics, since this seems to be a common topic and various Facebook groups to do with Spain. 

 We will unlock those mysteries of Spanish electrics, lay to rest some of the myths that a bloke down the pub tells everyone. 

Like anything to do with DIY and building please use qualified trades people if you feel unsure about trying to any work yourself.  Its better to be safe than sorry.

Renovation Station can not be held liable for any damages, accident, injury or death resulting from any of the subject matter within this blog.

So watch this space.