Electrical recepticles and water hose connections

B-Ray,

Don\'t know if I had the same in Papua New Guinea. It was about 7\" round and about 8-9\" long. it had an electrical coil inside and was screwed into the water outlet, so it was hanging down in a vertical position. An on/off switch was installed on the ceiling with a thin rope hanging down so that when in the shower you tugged on the rope to activate the electricity and the water heated up governed by the flow.

Is that the sort of thing your posting about??

Graham

Yes, that\'s the animal, except ours had a wire that merely plugged into a socket nearby the shower  And it looked like junk.

No way was I going to use it, but a more modern version, produced in a country that has some sort of Health and Safety directive, might be a useful addition on those chilly Philippine evenings. 

[graham]

King,

There are lots of different instantaneous/on-demand heaters here on Mindanao, so would suspect they are available all over. My American friend has 2 installed in his bathroom, and both have a sticker on them with a flag, denoting that they are either made in the UK or made under licence to the UK firm. There are also floor/ceiling type models that are available here, like we have in OZ that hold 200 or so litres.

CDO is really starting to become cosmopolitan. 

Graham

King,

There are lots of different instantaneous/on-demand heaters here on Mindanao, so would suspect they are available all over. My American friend has 2 installed in his bathroom, and both have a sticker on them with a flag, denoting that they are either made in the UK or made under licence to the UK firm. There are also floor/ceiling type models that are available here, like we have in OZ that hold 200 or so litres.

CDO is really starting to become cosmopolitan. 

Graham

I shall soon explore the huge new Marquee Mall and SM they\'ve built recently in Angeles. From what I\'ve seen they appear to have everything you can buy in the UK. A far cry from my early days, fifteen years ago, when you were hard pressed to find a decent screw driver in a store. 

I should be \'in country\' this coming Saturday 3rd July.

The wife has found us a house, and our container is reportedly due for delivery this Tues, or thereabouts. Filipino time, no doubt.

I\'m coming home!!!

 

[RUFUS]

Sweet!!!
I wish I could say the same but, Alas... It will be some years yet. :\'(

[graham]

Sweet!!!
I wish I could say the same but, Alas... It will be some years yet. :\'(

Rufus,

just think how advanced the Philippines will be by the time you get here. you\'ll be able to buy anything you want, just like the States etc. 

Then you will be able to look for a cheaper place somewhere else on the Globe. Prices of everything are just spiraling upwards. I\'ve noticed the difference in the 3 short years that I\'ve been here. Used to get by on Php25K a month, now finding that I\'m spending almost Php40K. Hope the Aussie Govt. will give me a pay rise soon,    not likely 

Graham

[DoctorM]

The Philippines uses the same electrical setup as the US.  It is a two-phase 110 volt circut to the house.  There are two hot wires coming into the house, each 110 volts, but 180 degrees out of phase, so that the voltage across the two hot wires is 220 volts.  The voltage from either hot wire to ground is 110 volts.  Filipinos seldom, if ever, put a ground wire into the house circuit, as all appliances sold in the Philippines are 220 volts.  For the US expat, that means there is already 110 volt service to your home, just that the wire to ground is missing.  In fact, your circuit breaker/fuse box probably doesn\'t even have a neutral or ground bus.  But you can easily have one installed, and wire some of the outlets to be 110 volts, without having to use any transformers.  You just intall the ground wire and hook one side of the outlet to the ground wire.

The biggest danger to 110 volt appliance is that the Philippines routinely use the US two-blade 110 volt socket for 220 volts.  This allows you to plug in your 110 volt appliance and fry it.  if you are going to convert some of your outlets to 110 volts, it is a good idea to change all your 220 volt outlets to the European standard two round pins.  Then no one in your home can inadvertently fry your 110 volt appliances. 

Note to Brits and Aussies -  this is very different from British standard, which uses only one hot 240 volt single phase wire.  In your home country, only one wire is hot.  But in the Philippines, both wires are hot (though only 110 volts).  So be careful when you are grabbing wires in the house.

Sorry, (really NOT), to disagree with you DOC............BIG TIME!!!

Two wire service drop for the MAJORITY of the Philippines is ~~ONLY~~ 220vac............PERIOD!!! NO 110vac can be taped off......PERIOD!!! There are ~~NO~~ two 110vac HOT wires in the Philippine with a two wire service drops!!!!

Now, where the Americans set up the power system in the Philippines many many DECADES AGO, with a 3 pole transformers at the service drop, 110vac ~~CAN BE~~ taped off.

Those location within the Philippines can be found in the Luzon and Baguio areas. NO WEAR ELSE in the Philippines without a voltage drop transformer of some kind!

So you say, \"that means there is already 110 volt service to your home, just that the wire to ground is missing.\"

If you really believe that with the 220vac 2 wire service....................go ahead and plug in your 110vac stuff and we all will watch the smoke!!

Two wire 220vac service in the Philippines is DIRTY POWER. In other words, there not even 220vac on one leg and a return. In other words ~~NOT~~ your 2- 110vac legs. GET REAL!!!!

I have PERSONALLY check, (hot to earth/return to earth),  in a number of places across this Country, meaning more then one electric supplier involved!

I don\'t know what \"Doctor\" you are, but you need to do more research about the Philippines before posting as~~FACTS~~ IMO!!!

Peoples lives depends on such ~~FACTS~~ given and no more so then electric power in the Philippines! This AIN\'T the USA or most likely anywhere else in the World!!

BTW, in the USA, you\'ll have a 3 wire service drop to your house with 2 legs with 110vac each, just like a small area of the overall Philippine Country.

Oh yes Mr electric, with 110vac drawing TWICE the amperage then 220vac. Therefore, what safety measure do you recommend in a system?     
B-Ray
 

The Philippines uses the same electrical setup as the US.  It is a two-phase 110 volt circut to the house.  There are two hot wires coming into the house, each 110 volts, but 180 degrees out of phase, so that the voltage across the two hot wires is 220 volts.  The voltage from either hot wire to ground is 110 volts.  Filipinos seldom, if ever, put a ground wire into the house circuit, as all appliances sold in the Philippines are 220 volts.  For the US expat, that means there is already 110 volt service to your home, just that the wire to ground is missing.  In fact, your circuit breaker/fuse box probably doesn\'t even have a neutral or ground bus.  But you can easily have one installed, and wire some of the outlets to be 110 volts, without having to use any transformers.  You just intall the ground wire and hook one side of the outlet to the ground wire.

The biggest danger to 110 volt appliance is that the Philippines routinely use the US two-blade 110 volt socket for 220 volts.  This allows you to plug in your 110 volt appliance and fry it.  if you are going to convert some of your outlets to 110 volts, it is a good idea to change all your 220 volt outlets to the European standard two round pins.  Then no one in your home can inadvertently fry your 110 volt appliances. 

Note to Brits and Aussies -  this is very different from British standard, which uses only one hot 240 volt single phase wire.  In your home country, only one wire is hot.  But in the Philippines, both wires are hot (though only 110 volts).  So be careful when you are grabbing wires in the house.

[DoctorM]

In regard to Posted by: B-Ray  -- claiming no 110vac can be taped off the Philippine electrical system.

I lived in Davao City, in Mindanao for seven years.  There are no US facilities in Davao City, and never has been a US Base nearby, at least to my knowledge.  Davao City is the 2nd or 3rd largest city in the Philippines, with well over a million population. 

I personally taped the circuit box for 110 volt service.  And I used it for several years with no problem.  I even talked to one Filipino electrical engineer, who was also an electrician.  He opined that he didn\'t recommend it because of transient earth voltages.  But I never experienced any such, and as everyone know, regular 220 volt service is constantly interupted with brown outs and outages anyway.

As I said, in one post, I can\'t speak for all the Philippines.  You have to make the voltage determination with a voltmeter by measuring from one feed wire at a time TO EARTH.  If you measure across the two feed wires, you will always get 220 volts, but that doesn\'t tell you the feed wire voltage potential to EARTH.  When I say EARTH, I mean it litterally - the ground you stand on -- you may have to drive a metal rod into the ground to get a good earth connection.   

If (an that is an iffy \"if\") your circuit breaker box\'s metal frame is grounded, you can measure the ground potential by measuring the voltage between a lead wire and the metal frame.  but my experience is that the circuit box is not always grounded, in which case the voltmeter will show no potential, or only a small leakage voltage. 

I live in a house with 220 and 110. And just today I pulled a dual power socket off the wall wondering how easy it will be to swap the outlets to a row of three 220 sockets, instead of a single 220 and a single 110.

I was surprised to find just three wires coming into the socket, one to one pole of each socket, and one to the other pole of one, with a jumper across to the other. I assume that is the three phase power system? Out in the street there are three heavy wires up on the poles, with three wires coming into the house. I shall try to measure voltages on the morrow and see what I find.

[DoctorM]

I live in a house with 220 and 110. And just today I pulled a dual power socket off the wall wondering how easy it will be to swap the outlets to a row of three 220 sockets, instead of a single 220 and a single 110.

I was surprised to find just three wires coming into the socket, one to one pole of each socket, and one to the other pole of one, with a jumper across to the other. I assume that is the three phase power system? Out in the street there are three heavy wires up on the poles, with three wires coming into the house. I shall try to measure voltages on the morrow and see what I find.

Three feed wires would indicate a 380 volt feed.  If so, each feed wire would be 110 volt to ground (across any two feed wires would be 220 volts.)  It would be severe overkill to bring in 380 volts to a residence, but it isn\'t out of the realm of possibility.  If your service is 380 volts, the circuit breaker box should have three hot buses (or it could be configured with two circuit breaker boxes, each circuit breaker box with two hot buses – one of the hot busses connected to the a hot bus in the other box.  You should also find a grounded neutral bus in that  circuit breaker system.     

I didn’t think of this before, but I would bet you also have (or the prior owner had) a substantial auto-start emergency generator hooked up.  Sounds like an knowledgeable electrical engineer designed your electrical system. 

The outlet appears to be configured as follows:  One feed services both taps.  A different feed attaches to the other side of the 220 volt tap (across any two feeds is 220 volts).  The 110 v tap only needs one of the feeds, with the other side running to earth (or to a grounded neutral bus.) Note: a 110 volt circuit always has one side to earth.)

 Personally. I would leave the 110 volt tap in place as a selling point should I ever want to sell to an American expat.  It is relatively easy to convert the 110 volt back to 220 volts by removing the neutral wire and extending the hot wire from the 220 tap on that side. 

 Personally. I would leave the 110 volt tap in place as a selling point should I ever want to sell to an American expat.  It is relatively easy to convert the 110 volt back to 220 volts by removing the neutral wire and extending the hot wire from the 220 tap on that side. 

This is but a rental house, ex USAF housing subdivision, which would explain the wiring supply. If it were mine I\'d be very happy, as I have always planned to buy my own lathe some day, and any decent sized lathe will be three phase.

I may still swap a couple of outlets for the 220 x 3 sockets, simply by taping off the unused wire.

If I were building a house I\'d also fit a hell of a lot more outlets, other than the old fashioned one-per-room that this place has.

If I were building a house I\'d also fit a hell of a lot more outlets, other than the old fashioned one-per-room that this place has.

The Philippine attitude is that you only need one, then run extension leads across the floor. You should see the tangled mess of leads, plugs and sockets in the family house   We arranged for the house to be built, but had no hand in the electrical wiring.

Our house has at least three universal double sockets in most rooms. I just caught them in time to make sure they ran an earth wire to each one.

Colin

[RUFUS]

Make sure the hook it up to a Ufer ground as well!
You got enough rebar and concrete in your house...
Utilize it!

If I were building a house I\'d also fit a hell of a lot more outlets, other than the old fashioned one-per-room that this place has.

The Philippine attitude is that you only need one, then run extension leads across the floor. You should see the tangled mess of leads, plugs and sockets in the family house   We arranged for the house to be built, but had no hand in the electrical wiring.

Our house has at least three universal double sockets in most rooms. I just caught them in time to make sure they ran an earth wire to each one.

Colin

A friend of mine spent a lot of money importing all the right 16th edition gear to wire his house to UK standards, but he made the error of asking a local to help install it all. The result, instead of being a fully earthed, wires-run-through-conduit safe house, turned into a non-earth, wires cut into dozens of lengths and twisted together nightmare.

Final straw; he caught the \'electrician\' snipping the earth wires off all his appliances as he wired them up. \"Oh, you don\'t need that, they run perfectly well with two wires\".