Roger C

Aha, Gîtes d’étape = Gîtes de séjour. Didn't know that, thanks. If the gite has no kitchen and meals are provided by the host, I can see the point of the 15Km limit for the owner/manager. If it's a self-service type with a kitchen (similar to a gite rural) why the limit? It's only the same as a gite rural but for a shorter stay?

... from another thread What's the difference between a Gîte Rural and a Gîte de Séjour?

Pardon my ignorance, but what's the difference between a Gîte Rural and a Gîte de Séjour (shall we move to another thread?) >>>

Hi Martin, Over the years that I've been here, the only logic I have to offer for the pockets of gites, complexes and indeed Brits - is simply the proximity to estate agents who speak English. Historically, the likes of Villedieu-les-Poeles, Sourdeval, Gorron etc have all had English estate agents. Also, one person moves to an area and sets up with gite(s) and at least some of their visitors do likewise just around the corner, because they like it there. French owners are a bit the same, they see Brits doing well and decide to have a go themselves. At least, that's what they've told me. I think all of Normandy is nice, but for tourism don't stray too far from the obvious targets ie. Mont St Michel, Bayeux, D-Day beaches, ferry ports etc. If you're too far from a beach, a pool usually does the trick. As to if you can cover costs... do you have a crystal ball handy? Some owners are doing fine with one small gite, others are struggling with several. The problem at the moment is that there are so many good quality gites in the area, that the potential bookings are spread a bit thinly overall. Good marketing is essential.

Thanks Nick & Smiley, exactly my first reaction which is why I had my electrician test the earthing on all properties yesterday afternoon. As you say, a two minute test and thankfully all is in order - no earth fault. Maybe it's a mystery? But I'm getting the rest of the gear checked anyway. As you say, the responsibility is mine - I'm not taking the risk.

Just  to follow up on that, I had my local electrical repair shop check the heater over. He said that there was a fault which had caused some oil to contaminate the electrics. He described this as 'vachement dangereux'. Bemused by my request to measure the earth leakage (why not just fling it out?) he diligently reported that the resistance measured between phase and earth was 14.78K ohms, which apparently translates to 15.56 mA. Alas, not a simple case of static. So I suppose the answer to my question is that electricians can test appliances, but there is no such thing as a 'controle'. A bit like going to the dentist in France, you only go if something's broken?

Hi Smiley, Thanks for that. However, since posting this morning I've been doing some research and it seems that RCD's aren't all they're cracked up to be. According to several sites with info on electric shock, the consensus seems to be that passing a current through your body for less than 1 second: 1mA = "threshold of feeling, tingling sensation" 10-20 mA = "onset of sustained muscular contraction" 100-300 mA = "Ventricular fibrillation, fatal if continued" The average RCD (they say) disconnects after about a half a second. The 'PAT' test in the UK fails most items at any more than 1mA of leakage. Are we relying tooo heavily on our RCDs and ignoring faulty appliances? Before I consign my suspect heater to the tip, I'm going to get my electrician to test the insulation - just to put my mind at rest. I hope it was just static, but if not and my guest had not been so understanding and put a complaint in to my letting agency, who is to blame? Not the electrician who installed the wiring, as far as he is concerened everything is up to standard. Hmm...?

I hope it was just that, but this afternoon I got in touch with an electrical engineer friend in the UK. Apparently it's called PAT testing in the UK and they use a gadget which automatically checks things out. He thought that the live to earth insulation might be too low, causing an earth leak. I mentioned the earth leakage breaker, and he said it was probably too small a leak to trip that, but might have been big enough to cause a 'tingle'. The heater in question is an oil filled type, don't know if that makes any difference? Needless to say the aforementioned heater will reside at the local déchetterie as of tomorrow morning. I'm now a bit concerened about my older elctrical appliances, why don't they do 'PAT' testing here?

My gites have been completely re-wired by French electricians, one even had the consuel as it was a new installation. Most of the appliances in them are new, but I do use good quality second-hand equipment where appropriate. Also, some items were new when installed, but that was a few years ago. Recently, a guest claimed they got a shock off an electric heater, and questioned if it had been safety tested. I know that in the workplace (in the UK), things have to be tested once a year and a little sticker put on them to say if they pass or fail. A friend who has a UK holiday cottage told me that it applies to certain rented accommodation as well. I spoke to my electrician about it and he'd never heard of safety testing of appliances. I've changed the heater in question and will probably take it to the tip. Whilst this guest was OK about it, he could have complained or tried to claim. For my own peace of mind I'd quite like to have all my appliances checked, who do I ask?