Nipa is coming along Hello all, My plan all along was to hire a guy to run the conduit in the house (I won't be there when that should be getting done) and I'd do the wiring myself on my next trip. The nipa needed to be roughed in for the wall finishes and I'd like to get a temporary service ran. I figure it is only 2 receptacles, 2 switches, a light and a fan with light kit; couple guys would be in and out, 1/2 a day tops. I get the pictures after they put in a full day and nothing was right, I am completely baffled. I actually drew out details such as the height of a receptacle or switch, distance from walls as well as how to route the conduit. Nothing was followed. It could be funny I guess, but not in a haha way more disturbing especially as the guy was recommended. The wife is looking for a new "electrician" now. It will be a little while before I will be able to post any more pics; the wife is having a tough time finding workers to harvest the sugarcane so she is pulling all the workers from the house as it needs to be harvested ASAP. A break will do her good...maybe she can find an electrician. Shawn
You may find that Filipino electricians have a slightly different way of doing things than you are used to! Larry
Larry, You are correct, nothing should surprise me. I guess you assume that the things that pop up are more along the lines of making sure mid spans are correct or checking slope on your waste piping. This one is fresh in my mind so it chaps me a bit, but to be given drawings and details and completely ignoring them and putting in some very basic electrical that bears no resemblance to what should be allowed will probably baffle me for years. Like I've said, we have some guys that obviously take pride in their work and once they get what you want they are all over it. I'm sure we'll get an electrician or 2 that will come in and do a good job, just got to weed through a few unfortunately. Shawn
We have had some experience with Filipino electricians and "engineers", over several jobs that I have done myself due to not being able to find anyone who knew the basics. When we built our first nipa hut, I did the wiring myself. I used #12 romex cable, and our 20 amp circuit was not much more complex than what you describe. First thing that happened was Papa brought his electrician friend in to inspect my work, who quickly told me I couldn't run wires within 6 inches of the nipa. For a small fee, "he would be the one" to correct this. I told him that I did not believe this to be true due to the huge overkill I had done using #12 romex cable on a 20 amp circuit that was a total of about 30 feet of wiring. So to prove my point we went to the municipal engineers office and asked. The guy at the desk asked what kind of wire I had used, and I dropped a piece of the romex cable on the desk. He laughed, and said I could weave that in and out of the nipa if I so desired. Then comes time to hook up. I had wired the entire house much as if it were DC, so that there would be no power beyond a switch when the switch was turned off. We were not at home when they came to do the hookup, so once again Papa oversaw the hooking up of the power. He had paid the NORECO "engineer" P200 to do the 5 minute hookup. We arrived home just as NORECO was leaving. Of course, it was hooked up backwards, white to black, black to white. As soon as they were gone I switched it around the way it should be. Even the NORECO "Engineer" could not get it right even when he has a 50/50 chance of accidentally doing so. I would suggest just let them do it however they want and you can correct it when you get here. The chances of them actually doing it the way you think is right are slim, and will just add more stress to your project. Good luck on your quest, Larry
Larry, It is likely I'll have to do some rework myself when I get back in a couple months. Re pulling some wire is not a big deal, just need them to put the boxes and pipe in the right place. I would have preferred to have used romex for the nipa as it is much easier to rough in. I've just never seen it available in the Philippines with a ground wire. Not to say it does not exist, but when I asked for it previously for some minor work I did in the village I was told they had never heard of it so ended up installing GFCI breakers. Shawn
The reason there is no ground wire is there is no separate ground. The wiring here is two lug 220, one wire is hot, the other wire is ground. It is not 110V on each leg as one would expect it to be. Larry
Larry, I've heard of a few different voltage scenarios out there. I've confirmed our area is 220 phase to neutral. I've seen some places that bond the neutral and ground at the meter and many that don't. Haven't seen a residence, in my wanderings, that ran a ground in from where they bonded. I will drive a rod at my main panel and bond the neutral and ground there and run grounding conductors from the panel to all receptacles, switches, lights etc. Shawn
Different areas of the Philippines have different voltage scenarios, which causes some arguments and confusion especially among expats about what is right and what is wrong. Sounds like you have the right idea. Larry
yes very strange, I seen this in 2008 here and was amazed, in AU we have active neutral and earth, active being the main juicer neutral being the return, and of Corse the earth for safety, in Au it is now compulsory to have earth leakage to both mains and lighting circuits.
