Icelandic Electrical Installation.

[gerry.slater65@]

Hi all.
I’m just wondering if anyone has done any work in Iceland?
I’ve got a chance of going out there for a while.
The work involves some electrics but by no means, all.
The more sparking I do, the better it’s paid.
Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
Basic differences, cables etc etc would be a great start. And anything else you think is relevant?
FYI It’s a large domestic job and I’m a domestic Sparks.
Many thanks in advance.
Gerry.

 

[Rockingit]

Japan - interesting place. 100v and depending on which area you're in either 50 or 60Hz. And such an attention to the literal - one time a colleague had drawn a CAD plot for a venue and put an arbitrary wavy line on it to signify a virtual division, when we got there we found an enormous length of rope on the floor perfectly mimicking it!

 

[nicebutdim]

It has been some years since I regularly dealt with Japanese companies and, while I don't like to generalise, found them to be (without exception) the most polite people I've ever encountered.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I worked for a Japan based company at one time and you quickly learn they consider they can not be wrong, they excuse this as we can not loose face.

 

[mainline]

I worked for a Japan based company at one time and you quickly learn they consider they can not be wrong, they excuse this as we can not loose face.

Do you mean cannot have a saggy face ?

 

[LukeD]

The main issue will be the legality . There are recruitment agencies hiring for "remote " work Electricians in Iceland .I would imagine the legalities are all done in house ?? For domestic work it will be a question of do you meet their requirements and how is it "signed off" etc ? I cannot imagine many will "skip" the legal side there .Its not in their nature

 

[R-fur]

Never been to Iceland but been working in Norway for the last few months. The darkness is depressing, the Ts & Cs are really good (the site I was on, you had to give the sparks hot food if you wanted them to work past 3 o clock, as well as pay them. IT earthing system is very common but not installed now.

 

[pc1966]

And the level of Red tape involved is as thin as a piece of paper . Corruption and theft etc are almost unheard of .

I once met the PM shopping there and was talking to him. ANY citizen has a right to have a face to face meeting with their PM within so many working days . He never even had a Police protection officer with him. There was only 2 gun carrying officers on the Island then.... one each at the duty free shop just in case there was a Rush on the Brenniven !!!

You can't really compare situations and equate it with any simple factor though. Iceland is tiny with a population is around 360k, that makes it less than Scotland's second biggest city. About 1/5 the scale of NI. In fact in the UK there are 19 urban areas that have a bigger population than the whole of Iceland!

 

[pc1966]

Never been to Iceland but been working in Norway for the last few months. The darkness is depressing, the Ts & Cs are really good (the site I was on, you had to give the sparks hot food if you wanted them to work past 3 o clock, as well as pay them. IT earthing system is very common but not installed now.

There are historical differences which partly explain why some things are done in certain ways. I think a lot of the EU is on TT earthing, so RCDs needed for most things unlike the UK where TN earthing is most common and allows ADS on OCPD in many cases.

Also I think some areas, maybe Scandinavia as you see, traditionally fed 2 of the 3 phases to each house instead of L & N so you needed DP protection and switching since either line could kill you.

I have not had the permanent darkness experience, but have had 24 hours light in Antarctica which is disturbing after a while for different reasons!

 

[R-fur]

I think a lot of the EU is on TT

I agree but what caught my attention is that a lot of Norway is on IT.
See below pictures of the DB in the flat I stayed in (yes I know, sad old git)
The RCBOs are a type that is unusual to me, perhaps someone else can explain how they work.
The IT earthing is widespread it is common for an earth fault in one house to cause a rise in potential of the neutral in adjacent houses. They have a system which predates RCDs where a fuse was inserted between neutral and earth, if the fuse blew a flag would drop to alert the customer who would then call in an electrician ( in theory). I was told the name of this system but cant pronounce it never mind spell it, Again perhaps someone on here could explain a bit more.

 

[LukeD]

You can't really compare situations and equate it with any simple factor though. Iceland is tiny with a population is around 360k, that makes it less than Scotland's second biggest city. About 1/5 the scale of NI. In fact in the UK there are 19 urban areas that have a bigger population than the whole of Iceland!

And none of them will be as rich or as safe !

 

[littlespark]

I wouldn’t fancy hammering in a long earth spike in Iceland.

Might find a new hot spring!

 

[nicebutdim]

And none of them will be as rich or as safe !

Definitely the case in NI.

 

[LukeD]

Definitely the case in NI.

Is it not getting better ?? Areas like Belfast seem to be getting good reviews .LImavady etc I know . Derry not so sure .But house prices look a treat and also the UK benefits of NHS is a good fall back .

 

[Lucien Nunes]

They have a system which predates RCDs where a fuse was inserted between neutral and earth, if the fuse blew a flag would drop to alert the customer who would then call in an electrician ( in theory). I was told the name of this system but cant pronounce it never mind spell it,

Jordfeilvarsler? (=earth fault warning device)

I don't know how they were configured other than that they tended to trip even if the fault was outside of your own property, which is one of the snags of IT supplies - an insulation fault in one causes abnormal conditions in all, as you noted. Will investigate.

 

[nicebutdim]

Is it not getting better ?? Areas like Belfast seem to be getting good reviews .LImavady etc I know . Derry not so sure .But house prices look a treat and also the UK benefits of NHS is a good fall back .

It has improved vastly and I have no complaints about living here. What should be remembered are the reasons why house average prices are lower than GB and it's certainly not because of over supply.

Wages here are lower than GB, significantly lower than the south east, while goods cost the same amount (sometimes more). If you've saved a load and want to retire here, then you're in a good position. If you plan to continue working, then you'd probably be in the same position as before (possibly less well off), but might find the pace of life to be a little more relaxed.

As for our historic problems? You aren't likely to be troubled by that, but nor would you have experienced many issues 30 years ago - despite what the media might have led you to believe.

There are great places to live here and also terrible places, just like anywhere else.