Amps

[Innkeeper]

Ok bit thick when it comes to number of amps and all that so.
Looking at some sites in Spain and they say EHU is so many amps say 6 or 10 what would these run.
Kettle, microwave, heater? All 3 at once
On a side note been in Spain for just on 2 months and got by with just solar panels. Do you think we would manage on solar panels in mid winter Spain?
Or would we need a top up from a EHU?

 

[Steve and Denise]

Your kettle microwave and heater will all have a wattage rating on them
As a rough guide 1,000 watts =4 amps

 

[SteveJ]

Amps is Wattage divided by Voltage. So a 1500W kettle on 240V would draw 6.25 Amps.

 

[Richard n Ann]

If you prop the solar panel up at 45° facing south it will give a near maximum charge amperage in winter. Albeit for less hours.

 

[Jaws]

On a side note been in Spain for just on 2 months and got by with just solar panels. Do you think we would manage on solar panels in mid winter Spain?
Or would we need a top up from a EHU?

We are there from January to mid March and although hook up is available, and indeed plugged in, the mains in the van is turned off apart from the occasional few minutes it might be needed for something odd Our bill for electric this year after 2 months was €7.90

So yes, I would say you would be fine

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[autorouter]

The average kettle is 2000 watts or more, some are 3000 watts. That's 2000/240 = 8.3 amps. We have a small kettle that's only 1000 watts, and I've even seen 700 watt ones.

Don't get caught out by microwave wattage. If it's 800 watts of microwave energy, it's likely to be using 1200 watts of input power from the mains. Don't forget your fridge will be taking about 1 amp if it's a 3-way or AES type on mains electric setting.

 

[autorouter]

On some Spanish sites open over the winter, the electricity is metered and you pay by the kilowatt-hour just like at home. With an ACSI card we sometimes got 4 kwH free per day.

 

[Solwaybuggier]

A bit of a tangent, I know, but we’ve found lots of sites in Portugal are a bit “vague” on amperes in their supply. Site yesterday said their supply was 3 amps - verbally and in Portuguese campsite guide. Our Nespresso uses 1240v at peak (ie around 5 amp). But they said no problem with it, just not at same time as kettle! And in fact we ran it at same time as Truma heating water, and fridge, with no problems.

In the past I’ve run the Nespresso on a site advertising 2amp supply - that was an unlocked supply box, though, so I could have reset or used another socket if it tripped.

 

[autorouter]

In the past I’ve run the Nespresso on a site advertising 2amp supply - that was an unlocked supply box, though, so I could have reset or used another socket if it tripped.

If you look closely at the circuit breaker (MCB) the amps is marked on it. 'C6' or maybe 'B6' for a 6 amp breaker.