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Girl Power! Ladies In France Together know how to get things organised!

5/23/2013

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My wife was a busy networker in the UK and many of her personal and professional friends thought that rural France would be a tad too quiet for her.  Have to admit I did fear for her networking sanity myself.  Those fears were short lived when she came across an interesting Facebook group by the name of LIFT - Ladies In France Together.  A site where ladies from all over France share a good laugh, share where the best shopping bargains can be had and share their experiences of French life.  I often hear chuckles and laughter from her work space at odd times of the day and if a question needs answering, it's often Google and LIFT that are her main search engines when it comes to living in France.

As I said these ladies are all over France but use the power of this Facebook group to get things done.   Splashes of pink and talk of walks and runs at local venues filled our  last bank holiday weekend but in 24 hours the LIFT ladies had organised a number of walks/runs in a number of departments.  I believe that these have been inspired by the UK's Race for Life activities and the walks/runs in  France are to support Cancer Support France.  It never ceases to amaze me that women don't have to be in the same room and things get done!

I have been informed by my wife that we are to pack a picnic and the dogs and be at Lake Lambon, near Celles-sur-Belle on Sunday June 23rd at 11am, for a lap or two round the lake.  My part in all this is to get the camping stove on and make tea and enjoy the afternoon with fellow picnickers and fuel fellow LIFT ladies with tea and chocolate.  Can't argue with that, if it means a lazy Sunday afternoon with a cold beer chilling out with LIFT ladies husbands.

My wife tells me that LIFT is a closed group but if you want to get involved in a walk/run in your area, you must be a member of the LIFT group and here's a link.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/LadiesInFranceTogether  Once you have joined the group there is a place called Events and in there, so I have been told, is a list of runs/walks to raise funds for Cancer Support France - http://cancersupportfrance.org/


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Is your water tank getting the right tariff treatment?

5/12/2013

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A recent discussion with friends and family highlighted that some home owners are not making the most of  night rates to heat their water tank.  In fact their water tanks are using electricity in the day time at peak rate, which is quite expensive.

In our rental home, we have a day/night timer which means that our hot water tank is being heated up overnight during the hours of 10.30pm and 6.30am, taking advantage of tariff bleu night rate with Seolis, which makes the cost of heating the tank financially viable.  We have hot water available throughout the day without the worry of heating it throughout the day.

You might want to check your electricity bill to see if a cheaper night rate is applied. If not, please do enquire with your service provider.  If you are taking advantage of a cheaper night rate, is your water tank taking advantage too?  You will need a contacteur jour/nuit or day/night switch and this is located at the fuseboard. The diagram below will help you determine if you have this. 
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The idea of the contacteur jour/nuit  is that when set to auto it will activate during your cheaper night rate, usually 10.30pm to 6.30am.

If you have not got this switch, you might like to give us a call and start saving a few euros on your electricity bill! 
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WARNING: What your Screwfix basket should NOT contain

5/10/2013

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It is great to see companies such as Screwfix opening up their delivery avenues to include France and other European destinations.  However, we would offer a word of warning to the UK expat community before filling up that online basket 

“Do not add UK cables, switches and sockets”

There are fundamental differences between French and UK electrical systems and UK cables, switches and sockets MUST never be applied to a French house. They are just not compliant.

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This picture is of UK earth cable. You will see that the earth cable is significantly thinner and unsheathed. Live & Neutral are.

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This picture is of French 3 core cable and the earth cable is much thicker, sheathed and the same size as Live & Neutral, making the UK cable underrated.

We have seen a number of properties that demonstrate the use of English cable and light switches, dare we say it, even an English fuseboard!!  Indicating that homeowners have done the work themselves without enough knowledge of what they are doing or have not used a qualified and registered electrician.

Admittedly the cost of purchasing electrical items is much more expensive than in the UK.  We certainly noticed the price difference when we moved to France, but it is what it is.  You can be forgiven for thinking that purchasing UK items is cheaper in the short term but long term could have devastating consequences.

Be mindful that if there is a fire caused by an electrical fault linked backed to non compliant work, you are compromising your insurance.

Be mindful that when you sell your property, it will be subject to an electrical diagnostic report and will include the identification of abnormalities such as the use of non compliant products.

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How Safe Are Your Electrics?

5/3/2013

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A recent rewire of a property in Dept 16 provides food for thought when considering whether a rewire is the best and safest course of action.

I was asked to quote for a rewire on a 2 bed roomed older property which had recently benefited from a new meter supplied and installed by EDF.  There was also a large barn across the road that was being supplied by a junction box situated in the main house.  Having visited the property and assessed the current state of electrics our recommendations were submitted indicating that the resolution would be to rewire the property, as the existing installation had some glaring concerns:

·         Undersized and overloaded cable
·         No circuit protection – power via 1 joint box
·         No internal earths – all wired in 2core cable
·         No external earthing


There were a few other issues but these are major issues.  These potentially hazardous concerns have been rectified. The property now benefits from a safe rewire, with provisions made for a future visit for the barn.

Always seek professional guidance and advice from a registered and qualified electrician.
Picture is of fuseboard and was work in progress at time of being taken. 


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    These brief blogs are brought to you by Paul Wilkins of Paul Wilkins Electricien.

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