# Air Conditioning work in Spain



## sunseeker

Hi to everyone, new member here looking to move over next year with wife and 2 young children. A million questions but the most important for now is clearly earning an income once there.

I own and have run my own Air Conditioning company in the UK for 9 years and may or may not sell up before comming over, now as hard as it is to sell Air Con when its been -2 for the last bloody few months i'm guessing Spain will be a lot easier although i appreciate more compettion for either sales or jobs

Just wondered if anyone is in the trade, are their jobs about for engineers, any papers or publications where engineering jobs can be found, do all you guys have Air Con, do you use Spanish or English/expat companie

Not fluent in Spanish so i understand the restrictions that will have i just want to try and get an idea if i'll find some kind of work in my industry

Thanks in advance


----------



## jojo

sunseeker said:


> Hi to everyone, new member here looking to move over next year with wife and 2 young children. A million questions but the most important for now is clearly earning an income once there.
> 
> I own and have run my own Air Conditioning company in the UK for 9 years and may or may not sell up before comming over, now as hard as it is to sell Air Con when its been -2 for the last bloody few months i'm guessing Spain will be a lot easier although i appreciate more compettion for either sales or jobs
> 
> Just wondered if anyone is in the trade, are their jobs about for engineers, any papers or publications where engineering jobs can be found, do all you guys have Air Con, do you use Spanish or English/expat companie
> 
> Not fluent in Spanish so i understand the restrictions that will have i just want to try and get an idea if i'll find some kind of work in my industry
> 
> Thanks in advance


I personally dont have air con, I had it in my last house, but didnt like it - costly and made the air dry and made us all sniffly! If I were to have it installed, sadly - I would use a Spanish company everytime. I've found them to be cheaper and more efficient in everything else I've ever had done.

That aside, not only do I think you'll find an awful lot of competition, but most properties already have it and there's a slow down on new properties being built. BUT I think you should come over for a fact finding visit - cos I could be wrong!??!!

Jo xxx


----------



## gus-lopez

Hi Sunseeker & welcome. 
I was a s/emp. Industrial & commercial refrigeration eng. in the Uk & did look into it when I came over but found that the Spanish co's charged arouund 750e to install a 3kw rev. cycle unit, Normally branded, carrier,toshiba etc. In addition around may time, in the supermarkets they sell 3kw units,@ one point down @149e in carrefours +100e for installation. Couldn't really see any way of earning good money @ the time then. The 2 main a/c installers here ( Spanish ) also tend to supply & maintain bar & shop equip., inc. the coffee m/c's. Most of the houses built round here come with pre-installed pipework but therein lies another problem in that the pipes are not always sealed properly!!   Plus drain pipes in the wall where the joints leak.!!
If you are installing after they've bought it can be a nightmare, I 've seen it. 
Not trying to dishearten you merely pointing out some of the probs. you can encounter.
I've installed quite a few for friends + my own, bought from supermarkets,all come with 2yr. gtee's, backed by Carrier normally & never had a prob. with any. 
Being able to speak spanish would be 1st priority.


----------



## MaidenScotland

I have air con here in Cairo and try not to use it for the same reasons as Jo, my daughter who lives in Spain has it and doesn't use it either, same reason again.
My daughter tends to use Spanish companies for any sort of work she has done, cheaper and more reliable are her words.
Maiden


----------



## xabiaxica

MaidenScotland said:


> I have air con here in Cairo and try not to use it for the same reasons as Jo, my daughter who lives in Spain has it and doesn't use it either, same reason again.
> My daughter tends to use Spanish companies for any sort of work she has done, cheaper and more reliable are her words.
> Maiden


I hate aircon but my oh loves it

in summer he has the aircon on in the bedroom so cold that I wear pjs & have a sheet over me

it is easier for me to keep warmer if I need to but impossible for him to take anything else off when he's already naked!

I agree about using Spanish companies - if only because they are likely to have been around for longer & are likely to still be around if there is a problem!


----------



## MaidenScotland

xabiachica said:


> I hate aircon but my oh loves it
> 
> in summer he has the aircon on in the bedroom so cold that I wear pjs & have a sheet over me
> 
> it is easier for me to keep warmer if I need to but impossible for him to take anything else off when he's already naked!
> 
> I agree about using Spanish companies - if only because they are likely to have been around for longer & are likely to still be around if there is a problem!



My ex loves the air con on in his car.. so much that when the children were small they would tell him it was snowing in the back... that was their hint for him to switch it offlol

Maiden


----------



## jojo

Its hard to believe after all the rain and the winter temperatures that it gets soooo hot in the summer. I can just about remember those hot, balmy nights, sitting out on the terrace listening to the crickets, too hot to sleep, going for a midnight swim just to cool down, the mozzies..... During the day, hiding indoors cos the sun was so hot, unable to touch the steering wheel in the car........... Was that really here???

Jo xxx


----------



## xabiaxica

jojo said:


> Its hard to believe after all the rain and the winter temperatures that it gets soooo hot in the summer. I can just about remember those hot, balmy nights, sitting out on the terrace listening to the crickets, too hot to sleep, going for a midnight swim just to cool down, the mozzies..... During the day, hiding indoors cos the sun was so hot, unable to touch the steering wheel in the car........... Was that really here???
> 
> Jo xxx


yes it was - & it will be back soon

I seem to remember it got very hot very suddenly last year in June

in previous years it has been hottish in May - gradually increasing in temp - certainly the kids have swum daily from April

last year we still had blankets on the bed in May - & I think for part of June too

then suddenly - BAM - it was boiling

13 weeks left til part-time school. Then just 2-3 weeks later it's the summer hols


----------



## sunseeker

jojo said:


> I personally dont have air con, I had it in my last house, but didnt like it - costly and made the air dry and made us all sniffly! If I were to have it installed, sadly - I would use a Spanish company everytime. I've found them to be cheaper and more efficient in everything else I've ever had done.
> 
> That aside, not only do I think you'll find an awful lot of competition, but most properties already have it and there's a slow down on new properties being built. BUT I think you should come over for a fact finding visit - cos I could be wrong!??!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Hi Jo

Thanks for the reply and comments and i see a few others adding to the same views which i find interesting as there not what i totally expected

A wee trick when running your air con is to have a few glasses of water in the room to add moisture back into the air as a/c does dehumidify the air drying those eyes

I had actually thought a lot in the expat community would use expat services, all sticking together etc so was suprised at answers and comments, i appreciate the points cheaper, more reliable, likely to be arround long time for servicing etc just shows how important brand recognition is i guess, as i enter my 10th year in business in the UK i have this

I do wonder if many simply use the cheaper route, its in our dna after all although cheapest is not always best. Having visited the mainland about 8 times, all the Canary islands and Menorca, sad as i am i have always looked at the air con to see what manufacturers and methods of installation they are using which bores the wife to death

And my opinion is that the majority that i have seen have been thrown in, the workmanship standards have been laughable well compared to the standards i work to back in the UK. In there defence over the last couple of years i have seen more installations of a better standard so maybe legislation is changing in Spain.

Like you said some fact finding visits are required or a change in career path in search of that nicer weather and quality of life


----------



## gus-lopez

Sunseeker,"sad as i am i have always looked at the air con to see what manufacturers and methods of installation they are using which bores the wife to death" 
This made me laugh, I do it all the time.
Re; thrown in ,yes a lot used to be & in addition ,no way of turning off either part as they are usually wired out of the back of a socket! And they tell me their electrical standards are stricter than UK's. You should see some of the wiring on electric gate motors, frightening.


----------



## sunseeker

gus-lopez said:


> Sunseeker,"sad as i am i have always looked at the air con to see what manufacturers and methods of installation they are using which bores the wife to death"
> This made me laugh, I do it all the time.
> Re; thrown in ,yes a lot used to be & in addition ,no way of turning off either part as they are usually wired out of the back of a socket! And they tell me their electrical standards are stricter than UK's. You should see some of the wiring on electric gate motors, frightening.


Hi Gus-Lopez, Glad you got a laugh i think we all do it and yes i have seen so many with no isolators on condensers thinking def not to IEE regs out here so i can understand how they make money at 750e its about throwing in 2-3 systems a day i guess thats a 400,000e to 600,000e turnover for me and a labourer with the mrs taking care of paperwork to start with lol

Personally i still think there is a business case there as in 2006 the UK purchased 200,000 single inverter splits, Italy was 1.4 million and Spain 1.2 million then you have to add the VRV systems, fan coils, chillers etc and there is no doubt with Spains climate if we can all make a living in the UK the Spanish market has to be 6-7 times the size

I guess only time will tell, its def the language barrier that would cause the problems hence i was hoping there would be a reasonable sized expat market there to tap into.

Or maybe its a business partner who is flent in Spanish that is required mmm food for thought


----------



## ivorra

gus-lopez said:


> Sunseeker,"sad as i am i have always looked at the air con to see what manufacturers and methods of installation they are using which bores the wife to death"
> This made me laugh, I do it all the time.
> Re; thrown in ,yes a lot used to be & in addition ,no way of turning off either part as they are usually wired out of the back of a socket! And they tell me their electrical standards are stricter than UK's. You should see some of the wiring on electric gate motors, frightening.


I am in the process of getting a single split unit installed and would appreciate some technical advice on this aspect - I have made sure that the quote covers electrical connection via a new disconnectable point but my question(s) are: is a separate electrical supply required for the external and the internal unit and if not, i.e. if both are powered from one point, can this be wired either to the external or to the internal unit? (Having had plenty of experience of contractor's work here, I know it is very important to keep one step ahead otherwise once the workers are on site, one can easily be 'bounced' in to accepting something that is not totally satisfactory. The unit we are having installed is the Daikin heat pump, type TXS25G.


----------



## gus-lopez

The incoming power supply goes to the outside ( condenser ) unit with a double pole isolater fitted close to the unit to allow the power to be turned off. The outside unit is then connected to the inside unit ( evaporator ) by 3/5 cables. No separate supply is req. for inside unit. The evap. ,inside controls the whole system via power from the cond. unit. To isolate whole or any part requires the isolator to be turned off o/ side. Off to work now.


----------



## ivorra

Exactly the information I needed! Thanks very much for your help.


----------



## VFR

gus-lopez said:


> The incoming power supply goes to the outside ( condenser ) unit with a double pole isolater fitted close to the unit to allow the power to be turned off. The outside unit is then connected to the inside unit ( evaporator ) by 3/5 cables. No separate supply is req. for inside unit. The evap. ,inside controls the whole system via power from the cond. unit. To isolate whole or any part requires the isolator to be turned off o/ side. Off to work now.


Maybe you can answer this quiery Gus.
I have just bought a (new) Berthen split unit BE-12000A that is still in the box as the owner moved abroad.
The live feed goes to the Inside Unit & not the Outside one as you speak about above, in fact there is a plug fitted to go to a wall socket, but in the booklet its shows the lead going to switchable feed (interrutor manual)
The last one I bought and fitted (unit from carrefore) some years back was the same & came pre gassed, do you know if this unit comes pre gassed as the booklet indicates not.


----------



## gus-lopez

playamonte said:


> Maybe you can answer this quiery Gus.
> I have just bought a (new) Berthen split unit BE-12000A that is still in the box as the owner moved abroad.
> The live feed goes to the Inside Unit & not the Outside one as you speak about above, in fact there is a plug fitted to go to a wall socket, but in the booklet its shows the lead going to switchable feed (interrutor manual)
> The last one I bought and fitted (unit from carrefore) some years back was the same & came pre gassed, do you know if this unit comes pre gassed as the booklet indicates not.


Sorry Playamonte , I''ve only just seen this. No I don't think it does as it's quite a large unit. Yes on some Spanish market ones I've seen the power from a plug top to the inside unit that you then connect to the outside unit. There's no problem with that but I would cut the plug off & wire it through a double pole isolator switch. If it's come with pipe you could install it yourself , then get someone in to vacuum it out a gas it up, which would be cheaper than paying them to install the pipework & wiring as well. Hope this helps.


----------



## VFR

Thanks for that Gus & i will ask a friend about the isolator switch & where to put it as he used to be an electrician before moving here.


----------



## SteveHall

...so is now probably a Master Electrician or Brain Surgeon LOL


----------

