Yes, Mexico is changing. And it's rapid in a few areas. Three weeks ago I toured a federally funded 250+ home housing tract south of Playas de Tijuana. It had none of the code improvements that would have brought it up to USA specifications. Now quick - run outside and look at your service drop. Is it's origin from a dedicated pole mounted transformer or does it tie into a wide service area WYE wound transformer that can be as much as a half mile distant?
Regardless. I know of few RV'ers who rush across the border to a new housing development slam on the brakes and plug into a code approved receptacle.
Mexico RV parks and 99% of houses OUGHT TO BE as nice as those new constructed subdivisions.
But! They IS, what they are. And this is what RV'ers have to deal with. My close to the border for medical HIDEOUT is typical. I rented it in June. One duplex receptacle in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, one on the bathroom. The bedroom has a 2-wire receptacle. The nearest "ground" circuit is 80' distant at the service drop. Not in the sticks - this is dead-center in the middle of a city of 400,000. A friend (Mexicano) just finished building a $200,000 5 bedroom 4 bath home about three miles from here. Eduardo knows about ground circuits from 3 years of my nagging. Every receptacle in the home is wired with a green 14 AWG earth wire. Was the home "inspected" by CFE or anyone else? No. The inspector from CFE showed up, noted the L1 and L2 6 AWG cables, the white 6 AWG neutral and grunted. The 6 AWG ground from meter INlet to the 6' ground spike with approved clamp was all he was interested in. Cables run to the 150-amp breaker box via buried gray electrical tubing. The only problem is L2 is overloaded with 4 wire circuit grid usage. it's 129 vac versus 116 vac (UNLOADED) from 4PM until midnight. He has a SOLA voltage adjuster on this line for computer and electronics.
But I digress. How many decades will pass until RV parks in downtown San Miguel de Allende, Patzcuaro, or Cancun are forced to meet "code". We'll all be dead by then.
So, I much prefer to keep my feet stuck in reality rather than ought-to-be's. I am not even going to ask if YOUR home meets USA code including grounding circuits, and GCFI outlets in the kitchen and bathroom.
Because
It
Does
Not
Matter
To an RV'er bent on spending time south of the border.
I only wish I could read an issue of Car & Driver which would proceed to fix all that ails my 23 year old car.
The inside wiring? That was done by the bank's electrical inspector, although everything was done to code the inspector still demanded a bribe of 100.oo pesos per unit, 50 units = 5000.oo pesos.
The inspector for the banc was under contract to the banc, so that he could not be bribed supposedly, since there where 450 more units in various stages of construction, the banc was advised and they assigned a different inspector for the rest of the project.
Bribes are part of doing business in Mexico, in The United States the ones that do the biggest bribing are called lobbyists.
la verdad no peca pero incomoda.
"The truth does not commit a sin, but it sure bothers"
navegator
navegator
It was about some basic understanding of electricity that all RVers should be aware of. I thought some people might be interested in knowing a little bit about electricity. Maybe learn something. And tools they can easily use to check an outlet before they connect to it. And some basic idea of the laws of how electricity works and how wire is supposed to work. I know that is not always going to be how it works - not in the USA - not in Mexico.
AGAIN - the survey was done in the USA - NOT Mexico.
But I thought Mexico travelers should be aware of it. Keep in mind the results of the survey I think said something like 57% of those responding had problems with electricity when connecting to electricity in some sort of RV parking space. IN THE USA!!
It was not about CFE - it was not about the government of Mexico - it was not about how people wire houses in Mexico - it was not about anything but some basic understanding of electricity and what RVers need to be aware of and precautions that can be taken to protect the RV and it's occupants from potential problems with electricity.
Rant rant rant!! Incoherent!! Give it up. Give it a rest. We all know from over all these years of the rants how much you hate so much that is Mexico and how corrupt they all are and what crooks they all are and whatever else you want to rant about. Yes we all know you think Mexico is all screwed up and we should all learn to live with it. We've heard it all before. Drop it. If you can't participate is an adult manner at least have some respect for those of us out here who do. Maybe - just maybe - some of us do get how things are in Mexico and we actually have learned to live with it. Not a problem. I have been going to Mexico for over 45 years and I keep going back almost every year - maybe - just maybe - I like it just fine.
http://www.briansue2.blogspot.com
No
I have. I operated a park, a rural park that was wired to USA code. From Mufa to receptacle.
And Carlos, who had the largest park in Mazatlan, who filled my ears with reality for years. Finally, in 2005 he told me "I give up these people will never be happy. They come every year with bigger and bigger casasrodantes and every year I hear the quejas (comlaints) get louder and louder. I am draining the alberca (pool) right now and having a meeting with the buyer tomorrow".
Get
It
through
your
head
99% of RV'ers could CARE LESS about learning about electrical codes. They touch their rig, they get shocked, they *****. They melt the receptacles until their power cords catch fire pulling 28 amps out of a 15 amp receptacle - they *****.
I attempted to explain EXACTLY what an RVer could do to improve his lot on a trip AND IT GETS IGNORED. This separates the wheat from the chaff. Complaining that being part of the problem rather than part of the solution falls on deaf ears.
Take your meters, and NEC and NEMA books on our next trip. Attend a campfire session. Bring up the subject.
Within sixty seconds your best efforts are going to turn into a round table of complaints. It's BEEN-THERE-DONE-THAT-AND-GOT-THE-TEE-SHIRT-TIME. People help themselves or they don't get helped.
RV'ers were RELUCTANT to so much as touch a wire on an isolated dead circuit branch, when asked to help pull a wire. They were smart. They knew enough to keep their hands out of stuff they did not understand. They sure as hell are not going to change their own receptacle orhot swap wires.
But then never having dealt with owners of an RV Park on a technical level is a hindrance. The cycle begins when a $5000.00 dollar electrical bill arrives and total revenue is $7000.00 for rented sites. This may be in a park with fifty of sixty sites. Many people stay away because of the bad publicity. It's the few customers that return year after year always complaining about electrical service (and water and dump) that are the straw on the camel's back. My last month at Flores de Las Penas, had one customer who repeatedly ran his hot water heater and two air conditioners, even after politely asking him TEN TIMES to cut down. The result? Seven hundred and seventeen dollars in electrical costs for four hundred twenty dollars site rental. I would have had to charge FIFTY DOLLARS A DAY to break even. Yes I could have put everything on 10-amp breakers and listen to three dozen complaints a day.
Are we getting the picture? I ran a tight ship and my customers expressed nothing but praise for Flores de Las Penas. But despite my politeness, I had people knocking on my door at 0300 complaining about a regional CFE brownout.
So I learn Villas Patzcuaro no longer has facilities. The last I talked to the lady there, she was getting fed up with the complaints. She knew I owned an RV park and like Carlos the entire picture changes when a Mexican owner realizes he is talking to a fellow traveler.
This year's commercial rate is TWENTY SEVEN CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR plus 16% IVA plus DAP. Have you ANY IDEA AT ALL of how much power the "average" RV draws with hot water heater, refrigerator, converter, and just one air conditioner running.
OF course you don't.
I learned to cope and live off the power that was available, even sharing a 30 amp service with 2 other RV's because of the quality location on the ocean and great RV friends. I was able to live off about 5 amps in that park.
Mexwanderer, I'm wondering why the parks don't meter and charge for electricity just like is done in the US? That would eliminate the gouging and perhaps reduce the overall electricity usage, I've seen some pedestals with small readouts that don't require the purchase of those large household meters.
Hickory, NC
2007 Fleetwood Discovery 40X
Moisheh