Chile Forum

j. Ro wrote:Also the power isn’t phased so it doesn’t matter which wire from the fixture you hook o the lead and what one to the ground. It took me a couple minutes to figure this one out. My father in law was trying to explain it to me t I had only been there 3 days when I put in the light o I was having trouble understanding what he was saying… I the end we it done and he house hasn’t burnt down yet and it has been almost 3 years.

Yes it matters -- if the house was properly wired and you have three wires. So this is bad advice.

A properly wired circuit will have three wires. Normally they are red, white, and green. Sometimes the electricians screw up, but here are the meanings according to the SEC, which establishes the codes.

Green is ground, earth, tierra. Not all circuits will have a ground. But don't think for a minute that one of the other wires is a ground as the forum writer indicated.
Red is supply (hot)
White is return. Some people think of this as a ground, and either burn their houses down or simply end up with non-operational circuits.

j. Ro wrote:Oops... looks like I could be incorrect about the it being the phase of the electricity being different, I was trying to remember what my father-in-law said and even with my wife translating there must have been something lost. Because I have been looking into it more since I posted and it doesn't seem like the phase of the power would have any effect.

But what I said about being able to connect either wire of the appliance/fixture to the "hot" lead still applies. You will notice that in Chile there is no backwards way to plug something in. Unlike here in North America where the prongs are slightly different sizes.

You still have it wrong. The phase issue is the same whether you have single phase 120 VAC or single phase 220 VAC. Just because the North American plugs may be polarized doesn't mean that the alternating current behaves any differently.

The failure of Chilean electrical norms to establish a satisfactory plug polarity standard is one more aspect of the substandard nature of the engineering involved. In North American appliances and fixtures, the polarity of a system is intended to place the energized conductors and surfaces further from probable contact with a user.

If the white or return wire in an appliance is cut, the appliance ceases to function but its internal wiring would still be energised. Thus you have an electrocution or shock hazard. If the energised parts are touched, current travels through your body. Maybe you die; maybe you don't.

If you buy a quality electrodomestico device such as a good toaster, there should be a polarized, three-contact plug. The safety features only work if your house is properly wired and you don't defeat the design by using an ungrounded adapter. The wall receptacle is supposed to be polarized in three-contact types, which is the only type that I install in my work.

Note that in the case of a toaster, the heating elements can be energised but cold if you have reversed polarity. That poses an obvious safety risk. Likewise a simple light socket that has backward or reversed polarity will tend to expose a person to energised conductors toward the outside surfaces of the device even when the power is turned "off."

Chilean electrical safety practices and standards are substandard, and when you add the often poor quality of many electricians, it becomes sub sub standard.

Another problem is that fittings and appliances aren't certified. For example the plugs and sockets sold here that are rated for 10 Amps can actually handle around half of that continuously before they start overheating.

........ If you don't know the basics, get an electrician to do the job.

Actually many of the fittings and appliances sold in Chile are "certified" but to a standard or standards that would not be accepted in the civilised countries. That is why you should seek out the better brands if household electrical safety and reliability are of any concern. Chile accepts the "CE Mark" which is a self-certifying system, which allows manufacturers (insert "Chinese") to cert their own products. In the US, for example, electrical products acceptable for the workplace have to be inspected and listed by a recognised testing laboratory such as ETL or UL, to name a couple. The Chinese are known for counterfeiting the US safety listing labels.

In theory, and in theory only, a breaker or other part of a circuit involved in "continuous use" (more than three hours is "continuous" by SEC definition norm) should be rated for at least 125 percent of your load. So if you have a continuous load of say, 8 amps, your minimum breaker and conductors should be rated for not less than 10 amps. Obviously, more than 125 percent gives you more of a margin.

From my experience in doing electrical installations in Chile, the "Marisio" products made in Chile, while in theory approved, are of inferior quality and often poor design. I prefer to use the more expensive "Ticino" or "BTicino" brand which is affiliated with an Italian manufacturer. You can check out their Chilean products catalog online here http://www.bticino.cl/0/pdf/MG07C_RCH.pdf

Sodimac sells some good BTicino I would recommend considering BTicino-made polarised SCHUKO receptacles for products such as toasters where polarity is a significant safety issue.

Chilean electrical norms and the resulting approved designs literally suck. The tablero, which is the main power panel for a residence, is a good example of the application of poor engineering and tradeoffs on the part of the standards makers.

Regarding "getting an electrician" raises questions about how good they are, given the abysmal state of chilean workmanship. Just because a house has not burned down in 2 or 3 years is no assurance that the person who did the work did it properly. The system may be waiting for you to make one tragic little mistake, and bad installations sometimes have a lot of patience when waiting to hurt somebody. To its credit, the Chilean SEC does attempt to license or certify authorised installers for gas and electrical work. You can check out and contact authorised persons for your comuna via their website https://ww2.sec.cl/buscadorinstaladores/buscador.do

Regarding Chilean codes and standards, please understand that there are indeed codes and standards in Chile, promulgated by the SEC, I will give you the online source if you are interested, and perhaps you can use this to your advantage. http://www.sec.cl/

You are correct insofar as not all chilean trades people understand or respect the norms.

We are all agreeing violently that Chilean electrical systems suck due to poor standards, poor materials, poor practices, and poor workmanship. These may be marginally better than the conditions in Bolivia but they are still objectively substandard by European and North American norms. On that we can all easily agree.

Thus everything electrical done in Chile is done at risk, at a level of risk somewhat greater than in the civilised countries.