Power Cuts

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Lion
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Power Cuts

Postby Lion » Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:43 am

We are in Canillas de Aceituno (20 minutes up the mountain from Vinuela) and the last few days we have had about 20+ power cuts each day (only short one's never lasting more than 5 minutes).

Is it just us or most of Axarquia?

campo babe
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Postby campo babe » Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:47 pm

We haven't had one since early December when a wild ferret type animal decided to jump into a local transformer and elecrocute himself. This caused a 6 hour cut one Saturday night!

Beachcomber
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Postby Beachcomber » Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:00 pm

It sounds as though there is a fault with your local transformer which is tripping out then automatically resetting itself.

This only happens to us during high winds when overhead cables which are too loose touch each other and short out and also during thunderstorms.

If it carries on you will need to report it as a fault.

ospsalison
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Postby ospsalison » Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:01 pm

we had some when they were renewing the pylons from wooden to metal in our area.

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keddyboy
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Postby keddyboy » Thu Jan 05, 2006 7:57 pm

Think yourselves lucky, everytime a bat flies over or under our electricity lines and frats, guess what, the lights go out. The love of living in Spain!!!
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Lion
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Postby Lion » Fri Jan 06, 2006 12:21 pm

We are still getting loads, had loads on Xmas Eve too and missed the end to a few films we were watching!

It happens most days when it starts to get dark, the cause is probably everyone putting their lights on at the same time, I don't think the supply for this village is adequate.

It's very annoying when you are online at the time working :evil:

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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Jan 06, 2006 2:56 pm

If you haven't already done so I think you should invest in a UPS!

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Lion
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Postby Lion » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:35 pm

What's that a surge protection device?

If so I already have one.

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Postby Beachcomber » Fri Jan 06, 2006 4:49 pm

It's not just surge protection it also has a battery and an inverter which continues to give you power during a cut.

The period of autonomy depends on its capacity and the load placed upon it but if your cuts are of about five minutes it would allow you to continue to watch your film or give you time to save your work on your computer and shut it down properly.

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Lion
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Postby Lion » Sat Jan 07, 2006 12:40 pm

Ah right, sounds useful.

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Postby frank » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:20 pm

Lion wrote:Ah right, sounds useful.
I wouldn't bother Lion, if you are going back to UK you'll hardly need one! ;-) Been in this house for 20years, and apart from when a JCB cut through the cables, I've never known a power cut. And you can turn on every appliance in the house and nothing will trip! You'll love it back here! ;-) Spain is for holidays.
Regards, Frank

No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?

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Lion
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Postby Lion » Sat Jan 07, 2006 10:33 pm

I won't be buying one now, I would have had I known two years ago though.

* Touches wood *

We havn't had a power cut yet today, usually with all that heavy rain we had there's loads :shock:

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kevin77
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Postby kevin77 » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:04 am

I have to agree that some of the infrastructure is pretty substandard in some areas. What you take for granted in UK is variable in Spain. OK we pay through the nose in Britain, but it is reliable and there is something to be said for a warm gas CH house (until Boris turns the tap off), mains water, reliable electricity supply capable of taking load of wash machine and cooker at the same time! telephone line available tomorrow, and of course the classic victorian invention - the modern sewer!

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Postby frank » Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:15 am

kevin77 wrote:I have to agree that some of the infrastructure is pretty substandard in some areas. What you take for granted in UK is variable in Spain.
Spain is a country of contrasts! ;-) In some ways, it's very much of the modern age, fast, modern trains etc, but it other ways, it's almost third world! Especially where the supply of electricity is concerned. Power is always switching on and off, you can only put a few things on at the same time etc, it's *beep*! ;-) I also thought we had the monoply on queues and bureaucracy, but Spain can leave us standing
Regards, Frank

No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?

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Postby Lavanda » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:02 pm

Ah! But it's all great fun! I used to live in a village on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon. No mobile phone, digital TV, Broadband or Sky reception. Very weak loo flushing power so a bucket of water was a normal stand by. Regular power cuts in the Autumn, Winter and Spring due to high winds, rain, snow, birds, trees, etc. etc. Flooding was pretty regular as well. As were fallen (large) bits of trees. And sheep in the road, cattle breaking out of fields and idiot pheasants everywhere.

Then I moved to London ...

For £1600 a month rent you might expect the plumbing to work. But you'd be wrong. And the street smells of s**t because the old Victorian drains in Wapping cannot cope with all the warehouse conversions and so we are literally living in s**t street. And that's without a plane every ninety seconds screaming overhead as it turns to fly up the Thames to Heathrow, or across the Thames to the City Airport or across the other way to go to Luton, Stanstead, and all points north.

Smile, people! Water problems and erratic power problems are not confined to Spain. In fact finding alternative, independent sources of power is, one day soon, going to be required of most of us living in West.

Just that you'll all be way ahead of the rest and can make squillions in teaching others how.

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kevin77
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Postby kevin77 » Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:18 am

Then I moved to London ...
Not the best place in the world, true, but tell us, how much were you earning in London, Gisela? and how does that compare with Dartmoor or Andalucia? Thats why the place is bursting with 10 million people, they come from all over the world because its such a prosperous place and you at least have opportunities to work.

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Postby spanish_lad » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:09 am

Gisela Radant wrote:Ah! But it's all great fun! I used to live in a village on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon...

so move then. move to somewhere else in the uk where u pay 1600 quid a month rent and i´m sure the situation will improve.

if you moved house in spain you´d still have the same problems.


stop moaning and do something about it. you can, we cant. thats the point of this thread.
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

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meseta
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good one !

Postby meseta » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:26 am

I see you're being your usual cheerful, helpful self Spanish Lad !

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Postby frank » Tue Jan 10, 2006 10:23 am

spanish_lad wrote:

so move then. move to somewhere else in the uk where u pay 1600 quid a month rent and i´m sure the situation will improve.

I think that's just her way of telling us she's rich and can afford expensive rents


if you moved house in spain you´d still have the same problems.

Exactly! I've been here in UK probably longer than she has, and have never experienced any of her problems! I've even tried listening for the aircraft, could it be that because the nearest airport is 100 miles away, that's the reason I can't hear them. If you think London is noisy, try moving into a block in Madrid with the Spanish, then you'll know what noise is


stop moaning and do something about it. you can, we cant. thats the point of this thread.
Regards, Frank

No soy residente, simplemente un turista, ¿qué sé yo?

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kevin77
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Postby kevin77 » Tue Jan 10, 2006 2:39 pm

I think that's just her way of telling us she's rich
Looking at another thread where someone priced up a solar power installation at €15,000, no wonder shes smiling! I dont have access to SpanLads bank account but knowing he shops at Lidl I am pretty sure he and plenty others have not got 15K spare. Also you have got to have a location for the panels - eg. a ground floor flat may not be ideal! Perhaps Gisela can tell us how ordinary people can get round this problem?


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