Chile Forum

fraggle092 wrote:.If you don't have a meter, try the tingle test by touching the bare metalwork. If you feel anything at all, you need grounding.

Admin, just don't wet your fingers and stand in a puddle when you do it, .... we still need your assistance in getting down there...

fraggle092 wrote:Px, so far so good....

So right now you are getting 220 vac from the mains when you should be getting 230. Not too bad, for now. For now.

I see you have an APC UPS -- good brand. And you are running something with 23 percent of capacity of that UPS.... just curious what you are running on the UPS.

Everybody on the main grid (SIC) to be affected by the lowered-voltage rationing programme this season should be keeping an eye on their particular voltage circumstances. A cheap but usable medidor digital monofásico should be available from the likes of Sodimac if you don't already have one. If mains voltage drops below 208 when using an appliance, you're likely on the edge.

Anybody who destroys an electrical appliance during the rationing should take notes and fill us in via forum entry. Supposedly the suppliers will start with a 5% reduction and go to 10% if needed.

It's controls power to my Linux-based phone system, mainly to ensure that this shuts down in an orderly way when the power goes off. The physical protection against voltage surges that you mention is also important. I have my internet router, modem and network storage on it as well. Its only a 800VA model, so I get about 30 minutes backup from it with everything running.
Actually. Px you are one of the lucky ones. In the Patagonian Socialist Republic, they won't dare mess with the voltage.

admin wrote:Yea, I am rather inclined to think the whole "pure sine" wave crap is just a marketing gimmick.

BUMP....

Besides the wave form question, some many threads ago we were discussing other energy production sources for Chile including solar/photovoltaic, and the potential for feeding excess production to the grid.

It turns out that in Chile, and probably in the civilised countries as well, if you wish to feed/sell your electricidad artesanal to the grid, the conversion and feed to AC has to be pure sine wave via your grid-tie inverter, which has to come with certs. The cost of a smallish approved grid-tie-qualified inverter in Chile, not counting the cost of the persona autorizada to do the approval submission to the utility, is likely to be the equivalent of about US$1000 or more, or a few years' worth of electricity, depending on your consumption. Anyone with experience in doing a grid-tie-inverter installation and approval either in Chile or elsewhere, please to share experience and equipment-qual observations.

There was a guy with a really big luxury home (6 floors, on an island in a lake) near Futa in the Patagonia that installed a fairly good size hydroplant on his property because he had a large waterfall. He then got the local utility company to run lines to his property to feed back in to the grid. No idea how big but it was big, so it made sense. He was in the mining industry, so had some money to play with. It is possible, just not very cost effective in most cases. However, if you are turning lots of extra juice it might be worth it.

admin wrote:There was a guy with a really big luxury home (6 floors, on an island in a lake) near Futa in the Patagonia that installed a fairly good size hydroplant on his property because he had a large waterfall. He then got the local utility company to run lines to his property to feed back in to the grid. No idea how big but it was big, so it made sense. He was in the mining industry, so had some money to play with. It is possible, just not very cost effective in most cases. However, if you are turning lots of extra juice it might be worth it.

The details might be interesting. The use of his minihydro parallels the means for electrical production already used in that region by the utility. The Greenies in Chile are up in mendacious arms about denying the future use of hydro power from Aysen, but that is already the principal production means there -- hydro. And there are already power distribution lines installed and have been for years. To hear the Greenies describe it, of course, one would think that there is no one there and no infrastructure already in place.