We no longer have to cook by candle light!

Since we moved into this villa we have had a problem with the electrics in the kitchen and had got used to having to make sure we didn't have too many rings on at the same time or too many appliances on together. We were used to asking 'have you done with the kettle' before turning the microwave on and on having the candles on standby incase the electrics tripped.

Last Thursday the electrician came back to remove our hob, as the managing agent has the same hob as us and his wasn't using the same amount of power when it was turned on. Apparently with his hob it didn't trip the electrics and he runs on a 25amp breaker. Our fuse box was fixed now and no longer overheated but we still had the problem that the breaker was set to use 45 amps of power before tripping, an upgrade from the 25amp basic setting.
Without the kitchen equipment in use we were using about 6amps, including the hot tub - turn things on to cook a meal - wallop, the electrics tripped - huge power being used from the hob.

So,we spent Thursday without a hob, just a large hole in the work top. The elecrician came back with the managing agent. They said when they wired our hob up in their apartment, it still used the same amount so they put his hob back in and now his does as well! Ooops!

Anyway, they wired our hob back in and looked around the villa inside and out for alternatives to give us additional power. The first time we turned the hob on to check it, the main fuse tripped, then they realised they'd connected it up wrong and re-did it. This time we could have all 4 rings on, the oven on, the kettle on and only when we added the toaster as well did the fuse trip - and then only the sockets, not the whole house. We seem to have an improvement here.

The only difference being the hob has been re-wired so whether there was a fault in the wiring which has now been solved or whatever, I don't know - all I know is we can now cook a whole meal without having candles on standby.

We haven't had any problems since they left, we had our party on Saturday and there were no problems so maybe....just maybe......the problem is sorted!

I do hope so!