Blackouts, Brownouts and Water Pressure issues in the Philippines!!!

A brief talk about electrical and water issues that plague the Philippines and how to resolve them for cheap money !!!

[dovoso]

Hi, you are absolutely right, and I am saying that being a retired electrician [ among other professions ] . Now, hiring a professional electrician is important because you can not just simply hook up your generator to the power lines !!! you need a proper switching system, either manual or automatic, plus proper semi - automatic fuses .

[Traveling-boomer]

I’m glad you mention surge protectors to a lot of these guys Steve another thing you have to remember without surge protectors you need an automatic relay switch that reacts immediately when the electric is turned back on because for example say you’re running on your emergency generator and you don’t have a relay switch which means you’re not gonna know when the power comes back on from the electric lines immediately until you notice something come back on that’s not hooked up to the generator and then you’re going to walk over to the generator and shut it off but what a lot of these guys don’t understand is if you’re running a generator and now the electric comes on with the generator running at the same time you’re gonna have a massive surge through your appliances that your appliances are not gonna be able to handle so by the time you shut the generator off you might end up frying some stuff in your house well an automatic relay switch will take care of that problem it senses the electric coming through the line and immediately shut off the generator so that’s definitely something to consider

[zetaone]

Steve, great information! I’ve spent a lot of time in very humid environments and learned that candles/fire can be used in place of air conditioning to cool a room and especially in the jungle to dry and cool off an area.

[kylededman]

I have done everything that you discussed in your Vlog. My house is completely wired. If I lose power, my genset is design to come on when we lose power. I didn’t like the one that I purchased in the Phil’s… so I purchased a Duramaxx 15000 and it works. I also installed a water pump to push the water throughout the house…. dang ..great minds think alike. Take care…. Very informative!!!

[GlennGipson]

Good advice. The blackouts are going to be the hardest adjustment for many newbies coming from the West. Strange thing is they actually can be kind of peaceful and the stars are more visible at night too.

[CycoPatPonfe]

Whew! Some things never changed! Brownouts👎🏽. Good share Steve! Reminds me of my hood old days! Have a great day brother!

[Steve]

I rented a house for a yr and a half on the outskirts of Cebu and I didn't know there were water pressure issues. If you're renting and you discover this, unless you plan on living there long term you're just going to have to move like we did. If you're just renting on a lease you're probably not going to get a water tank. Too much hassle involved just move out of the area. I moved into a Condo and have lived here for 4 months. No water pressure issues or power outages. Condo living here has it's advantages. If you're living in a rented house or in the Province plan on dealing with this on a regular basis depending on your area. It's SO important to research the area you live in it will save you a lot of hassle. Walk around talk to locals and shop owners before you rent in an area!! Or rent at your own Risk.

[iant]

Steven another good video with lots of info. A few suggestions - water pressure - it is simpler (and probably less expensive) to put your tank on the ground and then use a pressure activated pump - you get good water pressure (much better than gravity fed from a tank on a stand) and the pump turns on as soon as the tap is opened (in Oz we use them in all areas with water tanks and I have been told they are available in PI). Solar generators are really just big UPS's - I have lived in areas with power issues - we hook fridges etc up to an inverter connected to a decent size battery which is charged off the mains with a battery charger - this protects the fridge from power fluctuations as the fridge doesn't see mains power but only sees consistent power from the inverter - what we created is basically an online UPS. Although this type of UPS will not run a fridge for days a few hours is not a problem and so it stops the need to start a generator (which I do believe is necessary) as often in areas with power issues (you can also do a similar things for AC's). Thank you for all of the info I am gathering before I visit PI - keep up the great work - regards Ian.

[telecomdog-traveltech]

Good call on the 4 stroke. I came to the Phils to relax, not take up chemistry.

[kcompanion]

Hey Steve! This subject is not my forte but I have picked up many tips on what can and what should be accomplished to avoid the discomfort. I might find it hard to invest in all of this technical survival gear if I don’t own the house etc. I have heard of two things to avoid the discomfort. 1. Go to the mall lol and 2. Rent where there is an available gen set. Adapt, overcome, improvise. God bless

[surfboy]

Great video Steve. Were you able to find out anything about the orphanage?

[scotttorahci]

I’ve been living off grid for almost 2 years now ... by choice... make sure you use fuel stabilizer.. and but a fuel shut off valve to keep the fuel from setting int the carburetor it will gum up the gasket..

[mariatolentino]

As one who was born and raised in the Philippines (first 30 years of my life), the Filipino brownout is not like the American brownout. Filipino brownout is a precautionary blackout, usually imposed like gas rationing. Power is completely out on assigned hours and days. That's what the Filipino calls a brownout. Sometimes it is a sudden blackout for maybe a few minutes or hours, such as during a storm. Water pressure decrease is not a brownout. It is just the way water pressure is in the Philippines. Water shutoffs are just like rationing to conserve water. NAWASA made announcements of water shutoff dates and times, just as MERALCO did for electricity.

[alannemeth]

Yes for little expense make life a lot better.

[Hicks-gm]

I get power outages in my area Steve in the province it's better now but it can't seem to handle high winds when storms are coming in despite steel poles in the ground and I don't like using Generators they care too loud even when I didn't have power after the typhoon passed I used to have my water cut off at times but not anymore

[supermario]

A good 8.5 kva silent diesel in Lazada cost 35-40 k. You get 5.5 kva silent diesel for less.
If you have solar you better go for a hybrid inverter and have a 5 kw lithium battery with it. For water you install a 2000 ltr tank with pressure pump to the house. If you like you go for additional micro filter with one micron. And all your problems are solved. We are 100% independent from water and power supply if we want to be. And it is not that expensive to achieve.

[kfox]

Good advise. Recomment instead Generator buy an Inverter for more stable electricity waves and easier connection. Better for the devices and you can connect direct computer mobile phones or any other sensitive devises. Fridge Freezer or Tv you can connect direct. No damage. Reserch in Inet
When it comes to waterpressure, before spending much money, you should check if there is an easy possibility to change the pipe diameter on the fosets and water outlets. It worth to look and try.

[Untamedlove]

This is something that would Drive me Crazy. It makes no sense the Philippines has dealt with water issues for over 50 yrs. In 1980s I stayed at HILTON in Manila for $300 USD a night and it had no hot water

[ClaudeRosemondJeSca]

We have water 💦 problems here in Malaybalay Mindanao

[dbail]

I'm going to get some price quotes on solar. If you can catch a sale, I have seen a 5k system for around $4k. This is without battery's. Will also drop the roof temp by 15 degs.