- Welcome to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
If, when you're on holiday, you're like me,
you just like to have a little sneaky peak
under the cover of the distribution board
or consumer unit to get a feel
for the local electrical wiring, then you're in for a treat.
We're about to meet up with a local electrician
who relocated from the UK 28 years ago,
Mark Fradley of "9 Plus Instalaciones"
to go under the cover and find out more.
- That's a hard life.
- I don't know why you left Stoke-on-Trent, Mark.
- No, sometimes I question my sanity.
- [Host] After a light lunch, we headed down
to an apartment block
where Mark looks after the electrical maintenance.
So is this the landlord supply as we'd call it?
- No, this would be the supply for where we're about to go.
In the garage, the lighting, the emergency lights,
any sockets that would be there,
the door entry, which is the door entry system.
And then you would also have...
- [Host] Oh, there's a removable door,
I like that feature. - [Mark] Yeah.
Obviously somebody's pulled it off the wrong way.
So you've got various lighting circuits.
This is the minutero that I was telling you about.
- [Host] The minutero.
- [Mark] Minutero, so this is similar to a contactor.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] With a timer on it.
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] So when you push those buttons inside the garage.
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] Or the detectors.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] The PIR's detector,
it'll activate this and bring on the lighting.
- [Host] Okay, so that's instead of having
two or three-way circuits.
- [Mark] That's it, yeah.
- [Host] You're weathering back to the minutero.
- [Mark] Minutero, so you just run the line out
and then just join onto the line as you need.
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] Onto the live and neutrals.
- [Host] So is this a three phase board
or is this single board?
- [Mark] No, this is single phase board,
so, obviously the make's "CHNT",
which we don't think's the best.
- [Host] Yep, so is this the main incoming?
- [Mark] So this would be, this comes
from one of the meters here.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] Which is this one here.
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] Comes over, yep, single phase.
This comes into surge protection and overcurrent.
- [Host] Okay, so that's looks like a, okay,
is that a little test switch on the side?
- [Mark] Oh no, that's when it's buggered, it pops out.
- [Host] Ah, right, okay.
- [Mark] Just to tell me that, you know,
you've received too much electricity or too much voltage.
- [Host] Ah, right, so like an over-voltage?
- [Mark] Yeah, we've got over-voltage...
- [Host] And then you have a surge next to it?
- [Host] And then these ones are little pastillas
so little tablets that pull out.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] And you can change 'em for others,
but you can't get them.
- [Host] Okay, and then everything else
from there on seems to be double pole.
- [Mark] Everything's double pole
that we have here, yes.
There's no polarity on the switches.
There's no polarity on the sockets.
The sockets basically is a Schuko.
- [Host] Yeah.
- And you can plug them out and put it in
which way you want.
So the only other double protection
on the switching, is for the water heaters.
So they're always on a socket and a double pole switch.
- [Host] Okay, something's just clicked there.
- Shall we have a look inside?
- [Host] Let's have a look inside.
So just point out, you didn't wire this, is that right?
- That's correct.
- [Host] You're just on maintenance
in this particular instance.
- That's it, yeah.
- [Host] So the interesting thing here, that enclosure,
it's not that, so we've got Chint breakers
in somebody else's enclosure.
- Yeah, so there's no type testing.
- [Host] Yep.
So basically you buy the enclosure
and you can put whatever you want in there.
- [Mark] Exactly, yes.
- [Host] Right.
- [Mark] Because there's no need for it
because there's no busbars underneath,
supplying everything else.
- [Host] Wow.
- [Mark] Yes. - [Host] So that's a..
- [Mark] They're a bit of a mess.
- [Host] It's busy.
- [Mark] Very busy.
- [Host] So again, so we've go ours,
let's have a look, so this is our single phase cable
coming in, what looks like a nice bit of flexicon.
- [Mark] It's 10 mil, 10 mil, two phase.
- [Host] Yeah, and that's gone the way up into there
- [Mark] And two of the phases are connected.
And I'll come into this and then this will loop out
with these cables here supplying up
the RCDs and doing the individual
lighting circuits and everything.
- [Host] Okay, so this is like what we'd call
a split load board.
- [Mark] Yeah, that's it.
- [Host] Yeah, and then so each RCD
so we've got two, well, three RCD zones.
- [Mark] Yep.
- [Host] And then different breakers off each one.
- [Mark] Yeah, so here you've got three circuits
and then on the contactor for the switching.
And then this one overrides the contactor point
to bring all three circuits on that are in the garage
from these two connectors here.
- Yeah. And there's the minutero
probably the noisiest minutero we've ever heard.
- [Mark] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's why they're housed in this...
They do make a noise.
- [Host] Ah, so I notice it's looking at the RCDs,
we've got type AC still?
- Yeah, the majority are put in type AC.
You will find in the next change of regulations
in about two or three years where they're gonna actually
take out the AC RCDs and swap them to (speaks Spanish)
which are like type A.
They're slightly different than type A.
But you do see in this one
which you won't see in many other places, earth bar.
- [Host] Ah, okay.
- [Mark] You don't see that.
You know, I mean a little connector hidden behind the...
- [Host] Right, so there isn't...
Here, where's the...is that 'cause it's all plastic?
Well, yeah, there's no, there's no, yeah,
there's not many CPCs as Gary would call it.
- [Mark] No, but they all go into this CPC here
and go up and and join into the first box
and then just distribute out to all the different circuits
so you will find earths here.
- [Host] So you've got a common CPC loop,
- [Mark] Exactly, yeah.
- [Host] The board and then is distributed
in the junction box.
- [Mark] Go to the first box where they'll be in connectors
that'll go to one light switch, another light switch,
another light, and then carry on all the way down.
- [Host] And that could be feeding multiple circuits?
- Oh, that could be feeding a hundred CPCs
throughout the circuit.
- [Host] Right, so that must give you a challenge
when it comes to testing, does it?
- Yes, it does. (Mark laughs)
But yeah, with the clip-on ammeters, for milliamps
you clip on, you start to work your way up.
It's when you stop getting the full currents
and you know where you are.
Ta da.
- [Host] Right, so, Mark, our suppliers left
our main incomer there.
Where's it going after?
How's it gonna be distributed to the apartment?
- Okay, so it comes in through a trunking
that'll be in this box in here.
Drop down here to the main isolating switch
that basically kills all of the power
to this set of apartments.
- [Host] Okay, so then we've got what looks like
a big busbar.
- [Mark] Yep, so you've got the three phase of neutral
and each apartment here is three phase.
So they get transported up into the cables
that attach at the top, into the meters
and from the meters, into the connectors at the top
and then ran out into the apartments.
In this particular case,
it's because we have tube supplying tray
that goes into feeding or transporting the cables,
that containment to transport the cables
into the apartments.
They're all done in flex cable, like this one here.
- [Host] Yeah, so we'd think this looks
like an armored cable, but it's not.
- [Mark] Yeah, but it's not.
There's no armored cable over here,
we don't use it in Spain.
- [Host] Oh, right, well, why?
- [Mark] Everything's encased in concrete
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] And then we have another supply coming in,
so there's dual supply
and this is for the fire alarm system only.
- [Host] Okay, so it's got its own dedicated supply.
- [Mark] Own dedicated supply, yes.
So this is like the low smoke, but it also withstands,
I think it's like 350 degrees or something,
that's to maintain service.
- [Host] Right, and that looks like it's fed,
Is that a conduit with metal in it s well?
- [Mark] Yes, it is, yeah.
As you can see, there's no gland been put on properly.
There's no gland being put on at all.
- [Host] Oh right.
- No metal, like used the UK for something like this
with, for the anticaída, that is the anti-fall.
- [Host] Ah, premature collapse, anti-fall,
we'll use that one, Mark, we can use that one.
- It'll probably get over the impact driver.
- [Host] So if you were working on one of these apartments
and you wanted to isolate the supply,
what would you be doing here?
- [Mark] Okay, so in this particular one,
because it is near enough done up to standards.
So you have here, vivienda, which is property three.
You would look down at the fuses at the bottom
and you can tell that the cables are three.
You would think that corresponds to the apartment three.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] Or property three, and it doesn't,
it's actually property two.
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] So, here you've got property six.
- [Host] Ah, right, vivienda, yes, I can see that there.
- [Mark] And, you know, over time, those little indicators.
Little pen, to identify the circuit wear off.
- [Host] Oh right, okay.
- [Mark] As you can tell, it's started to do here.
- [Host] You think you're working on flat three
and accidentally disconnect flat four?
- [Mark] Exactly.
- [Host] Okay, so I want to isolate that
but just, they look like, are they like bottle fuses?
- [Mark] Okay, yeah, their bottle fuses,
they're called neoses and you just
take one, two, three out,
put 'em in your pocket and away you go,
put the panel back on.
As you can see, all the meters are all sealed up.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] And all the boxes are sealed up.
We should never go into there.
- [Host] Okay, so, like a hinge up flap for the...
- [Mark] Exactly, yeah, so they can read it
or go through the menu of each...
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] Each apartment.
- [Host] They smart meters?
- [Mark] Yeah, these are smart meters.
So they have the little telephone logo there
to say that it's transmitting to central.
- [Host] Oh, okay.
- [Mark] And then this one here is,
if it's on permanently, that means there's no consumption.
If it's flashing just slowly,
there's a little bit of consumption, medium consumption.
And when it's going 10 to the dozen,
that means that somebody's using
everything in the apartment.
- [Host] Oh wow.
- [Mark] Tea time, it's a little bit intrusive.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] But people not too bothered about that.
- [Host] On this busbar, there is another plastic shield
in there between the bottle fusers and the busbar.
- [Mark] That's something that's been out
for about four or five years.
Before it used to be all open and now there's a shield.
- [Host] A shield between it, so you're not...
- [Mark] A little bit more protection and you'll find
when we go to the wholesalers tomorrow, we'll find
that's how they do them now, the actual reparations.
- [Host] They've moved on again.
- [Mark] Yeah, they've moved on again,
which is quite common here.
And then you've got your earth bar at the top
where the CPC goes into, you know,
the apartment and it's just a global earth.
- [Host] Yeah, so that'll be back to our earth.
- [Mark] That goes straight back to the, it'll go back to...
- [Host] The coffin.
I know, the grave as you call it.
- [Mark] Yeah, it'll go back to, it's a cutoff bar.
- [Host] Okay.
A test point, it's just like a knife,
you just move it over.
- [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] And it, you know, kills the earth
or separates the earth.
- [Host] And we've been suffering from electrician's neck.
We can't help but looking up at the roof.
And the first thing that struck me, Mark,
is people don't seem to bend plastic conduits.
- [Mark] That's correct.
You'll find some electricians do,
but the majority, they buy the flexible couplings
and join everything on with that.
- [Host] That looks like an expensive way
to get over two points.
- [Mark] Absolutely, normally they are the same price
as a length of two meter tube and the same size.
So yes, but it cuts down on time, I guess.
- [Host] Well, we'll start selling bending springs up here.
Then the other thing I noticed
at the other end of the scale.
- [Mark] Yep, prefabricated.
- [Host] Yeah, when we go a junction box, there's no glands.
- [Mark] No there isn't, no.
I mean sometimes, I mean, that box there is two
that's 32 mil tube and that box is too small.
That hole, as you see is perforating.
The box is, it's in the wrong size box.
- [Host] Right, okay.
- [Mark] It is. - [Host] Yeah.
- [Mark] They're up to, those kind of boxes
are from 16, 20, 25 mil tube and they need 32 mil.
- [Host] More prefabricated bends.
- [Mark] Yep, they're quite common here.
- [Host] And back into here,
and then we can see plastic cable tray.
- Yes, so the plastic cable tray, you can see two types.
Some electricians do put steel tray in,
but there's obviously a difference in price between the two.
You get the main cables running in the wider trunking.
They feed all the apartments from meter cupboard
that we've just been into.
And then the smaller one is for fiber,
telephone data and TV.
- [Host] Right, now normally we'd be worried
about these collapsing off the ceiling
in the event of a fire.
I can see that looks like probably
the world's smallest unistruck there.
- [Mark] Yeah.
- [Host] That's interesting.
But yeah, sort of fire edited fixings up into the ceiling.
Yeah, and that's thing.
And now you call these register boxes?
- [Mark] Yes, because we register the cables within the box.
It's taken from the Spanish name for...
- [Host] Okay.
- [Mark] So we call 'em register boxes.
Other people may call them inspection boxes.
And as you can see is that's a perfect place
to put in a PIR.
- [Host] Yeah, that's handy with a bit of energy saving.
And then you said every switch runs to a register box.
- [Mark] Every switch should come from a register box.
I mean, that's how the regulations have been.
- [Host] Okay, so you don't loop in from,
you wouldn't take that, you wouldn't wire a light
from a light switch.
- [Mark] No, everything's run off a switch
called the minutero, which is basically,
it's got a live and neutral to it.
And these are all joined up together into the same...
- [Host] Into the same register box.
- [Mark] Into the same register box
that control this minutero.
It's similar to a contactor.
- [Host] Okay, and then we've gone into, again,
straight into the switch with a conduit.
You just sort of cut out the little sort of IP rated socket.
- [Mark] There is couplings that go in
that are threaded on the inside.
And what, you don't tend to use them here
because of the added expense.
- [Host] If you wanna save a bit of money.
There we go.
Is that the standard way of fixing conduit to the wall?
- [Mark] Ah no.
- [Host] No, okay.
This is the base for the cable tie.
That's a local amendment.
- [Mark] As you can tell, they don't,
well I say they don't, certain electricians
don't even glue the ends together.
You can see there.
It's actually not even never been glued together.
Do you wanna go for a drink?
- [Host] Yeah.
- Seeing something a little bit different
with the electrics over here?
It's a bit questionable?
- No, no, it's actually very good.
Yeah, haven't seen anything.
Sometimes you go places and you're sort of (gasps).
- Well I could show you some of those places.
She's just lovely.
That Gary'd enjoy this.
- He likes curry, just likes to eat curries all the time.
- Oh does he?
They're lovely, these Orgaz, lovely.
- Word gets out, I love lunch, that'll be something.
I think it's really interesting how they go
about the electrical installations here
in Tenerife and wider Spain.
If you'd like to get closer
to the materials that are used in the installations,
check out this video here
where we go down to the wholesalers.