Join the Los Altos forum
My name's Alex and this is my website all about Los Altos in Spain. Register now for free to talk about General Los Altos discussion and much more!
You can get bayonet bulbs in plenty of places in Spain. Leroy Merlin for one and, of course, Amazon.es. We also have a stall on our Sunday market that sells all sorts of things including bayonet bulbs and fuses for the UK plugs etc. They have a shop somewhere as well but don't know exactly where.
Fuses not required in europlugs as they use radial mains on its own circuit rather than the ring mains used in UK.
Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2024 3:43pm
Helpful member
marcliff wrote on Sun Mar 10, 2024 3:29pm:
You can get bayonet bulbs in plenty of places in Spain. Leroy Merlin for one and, of course, Amazon.es. We also have a stall on our Sunday market that sells all sorts of things including bayonet bulbs and fuses for the UK plugs etc. They have a shop somewhere as well but don't know exactly where....
Read more...
...
Fuses not required in europlugs as they use radial mains on its own circuit rather than the ring mains used in UK.
I tried for bayonet bulbs recently at the Zoco and Lemon Grove markets both places where they used to have them have given up due to the additional costs due to Brexit. My book man also packed in for the same reason.
As mentioned elsewhere I got some BC to ES adaptors from Ebay for about a Euro each.
Posted: Mon Mar 11, 2024 4:15am
Super helpful member
Classic man wrote on Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:38am:
All UK electrical stuff is compatible with the supply in Spain. Just remember that bulbs in lighting will have a the BC (bayonet cap) fitting and in Spain the ES (Edison screw) is used. I doubt you will get BC bulbs in Spain, just remember to pack some when you come across.
You might be able to get a BC to ES adaptor but it will be hard to find. You might get them in the UK.
...Read more...
...
If your table lamps have a two core wire you can fit the silly little two pin plugs to replace the 13Amp ones. They don't bother very much about correct polarity in Spain. Even the plugs with Earth connections can be put in either way round, something impossible with a 13A plug.
I find Spanish electrics one step away from dangerous.
I very easily bought some adaptors from Amazon.es for a couple of lamps that I brought over with me from the UK.
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:53am
Classic man wrote on Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:38am:
All UK electrical stuff is compatible with the supply in Spain. Just remember that bulbs in lighting will have a the BC (bayonet cap) fitting and in Spain the ES (Edison screw) is used. I doubt you will get BC bulbs in Spain, just remember to pack some when you come across.
You might be able to get a BC to ES adaptor but it will be hard to find. You might get them in the UK.
...Read more...
...
If your table lamps have a two core wire you can fit the silly little two pin plugs to replace the 13Amp ones. They don't bother very much about correct polarity in Spain. Even the plugs with Earth connections can be put in either way round, something impossible with a 13A plug.
I find Spanish electrics one step away from dangerous.
Virtually every light fitting sold in the UK now has a screw in lampholder, SES (small edison screw) or ES (large edison screw), the same as Spain, apart from those fitted with halogen or low voltage lamps of course.
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:00am
Super helpful member
I bought 2 lovely modern light fittings here in Northern Ireland and had them fitted over the dining table and at the other end of the lounge. Been up 21 years and still very smart. I found tSpanish light fittings dark and heavy. No regrets.
Advertisement - posts continue below
Grannyrose wrote on Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:00am:
I bought 2 lovely modern light fittings here in Northern Ireland and had them fitted over the dining table and at the other end of the lounge. Been up 21 years and still very smart. I found tSpanish light fittings dark and heavy. No regrets.
Many thanks - have a great day.
Jan
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:31am
Helpful member
Classic man wrote on Sun Mar 10, 2024 3:25pm:
The electrics may be to an EU standard but it falls well short of British Standards and IEE Regulations.
Firstly there is little or no respect with regards to polarity of the wiring. In the UK the RH pin of a socket is ALWAYS the Live pin. In Spain it can be either. The reason being that there is a switch that isolates whatever is plugged in. There is never a switch on a Shuko socket and...
Read more...
... the plug can be put in either way round. Appliances that have a switch on them have it in the Live wire so if the polarity is reversed the appliance you think is disconnected is LIVE.
Same with lamp holders. The bottom connection in an ES lampholder is the Live connection. If connected the other way round the outer or threaded, part becomes live and can be touched without too much difficulty. In a BC lampholder both connections are at the bottom and impossible to touch.
You often see table lamps with metal parts connected to those ridiculous 2 pin plugs. Again metal parts cannot be earthed and can become live. Just not possible with a 13A plug. Everything with exposed metal parts should be earthed. You can use a 2 pin plug on something that is double insulated but don't mess with the lampholder when it's plugged in. This is pretty basic stuff.
The idea of putting the switch in any appliance in the Live wire is to prevent parts of said appliance remaining Live when you think it's turned off.
In the UK RCD breakers are not connected in circuits feeding fridges and freezers. This is to prevent them thawing out should it trip unnecessarily as they often do. I speak from experience here as we lost a freezer when the RCD tripped when we were in the UK. The smell when we came back was horrific as was the mess. The freezers are now wired as per UK regs.
I could go on for pages but this is a short version why I think Spanish electrics are a load of crap and not fit for purpose. Take this from someone with a Degree in Electrical Engineering and a lot of experience wiring buildings. There is no safer system in the world than the UK system, which is why it's used round the world.
Yes, yes, a lot of typing there which doesn't mean anything other than waffle......
In 10 years here I don't know of or heard or read about anyone dying of electrical shock using a table lamp(or any other appliance)
Electrical equipment is safe in Spain.....
Steve
tebo53 wrote on Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:24pm:
Yes, yes, a lot of typing there which doesn't mean anything other than waffle......
In 10 years here I don't know of or heard or read about anyone dying of electrical shock using a table lamp(or any other appliance)
Read more...
Electrical equipment is safe in Spain.....
Steve
Of course it's safe. It's just that it's a different system and some people can't get their head around the difference between radial and ring mains wiring. UK ring main wiring was only brought in after the war when there was a shortage of copper and ring mains can use thinner gauge. Very few countries use this and prefer the radial wiring with individual circuits.
Just different, not dangerous.
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:47pm
Helpful member
tebo53 wrote on Wed Mar 13, 2024 12:24pm:
Yes, yes, a lot of typing there which doesn't mean anything other than waffle......
In 10 years here I don't know of or heard or read about anyone dying of electrical shock using a table lamp(or any other appliance)
Read more...
Electrical equipment is safe in Spain.....
Steve
I think that there are a lot of things that need to be improved to improve safety. People may be having problems but we don't hear about them.
We shouldn't have to wait for them to get electrocuted before we do something about it. Prevention is better than cure.
I have seem some horrific Spanish installations. One was even in my nice new flat in Algorfa where the Earth was live and my wife got a belt off the sewing machine.
Find more General discussion topics from a particular area:
Or view all General discussion topics in all of Costa Blanca.
