- 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.
