Living with Power Outages in Ecuador: My Frustrations and Experiences
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- Living with Power Outages in Ecuador: My Frustrations and Experiences
Returning to Ecuador has been quite the experience, especially with the ongoing power outages. In this video, I share my personal struggles dealing with the frequent and extended power cuts that have become the norm here. Since my return from the States, I've faced multiple power outages lasting up to four hours, which severely impacts daily life. The lack of maintenance on the power grid, coupled with corruption and mismanagement, has led to these frustrating circumstances. Despite the beauty of the country, living here comes with significant challenges, including inconsistent power and water supplies, and inadequate infrastructure.
Additionally, I delve into another prevalent issue in Ecuador: cloned license plates. This underground business has caused me a lot of trouble, as I've received multiple traffic tickets for violations I didn't commit. The process to rectify this situation has been slow and inefficient, adding to my frustrations. Despite the hardships, I aim to give you an honest account of what life here can be like. For those considering a move to Ecuador, I urge you to do thorough research and join local Facebook groups to gather as much information as possible. While some may find ways to cope, these issues are significant and worth considering before making any decisions.
Links to know:
Facebook - Manta and Manabi Expats and Amigos - / 323275021650751
My Channel Video Index - docs.google.co...
My Google Docs document of useful information
docs.google.co...
Document Links
My Checklist for migration - docs.google.co...
Remember this folks.
A country might look good on paper, or on a TH-cam video, but what about the “Chemistry” between you, the individual and the country and culture as a whole?
This is something we can’t know in advance. We can only make our move, dive in and test the waters…….and see how it goes.
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The views expressed in this video are in no way intended to be taken as advice on retirement, migrating to Ecuador, investing, buying insurance, or getting your immigration documentation.
I am not responsible for any decision you make after watching my videos.
I don't give advice and I don't recommend anything unless it is based on my own personal, verifiable experience.
I want to be sure that the information I provide is accurate information and I don't want people to make a poor choice based on anything I say.
If one person comes here based on my influence and doesn't like it at all, then has to return to start all over again, I have failed.
#EcuadorLiving
#PowerOutagesEcuador
#ExpatsInEcuador
Don, as someone that spent several decades as a stationary engineer managing EMS power systems in the States, it was always the case that generator sets only dedicate power resources to a small fraction of the total grid connected building load. That applies even to critical patient care settings (i.e.) a hospital, where too, just the essential functions are supplied. A whole building serviced EMS system would be highly unusual and nothing i've ever witnessed. A generator with large enough capacity to power all connected demand would be simply enormous, consume huge amounts of fuel and be far outside nearly any builder's budget or building owner/operator's ability to service, maintain and kept fed with diesel without busting the bank. On the topic of hydro-generation, if Ecuador (and the countries surrounding it) go thru a dry rainy season once again, it might be the final straw that makes it impractical to remain. The number of hours with service could decline even more steeply. But, hey, you could be in Mexico City where the water it to run out entirely in a few weeks. It's always something, no matter where we are these days it seems.
Our building (Riva di Mare) has a generator setup that powers the entire building, including air conditioning, during power outages. There is only a momentary blip when the power goes off, then the generator starts and everything comes back on just like before. So, all I'm saying is that it IS possible to power an entire condo tower. Mykonos also does it.
Thanks for the update, and for keeping it real !! El Salvador is starting to peak my interest. Good things are happening there.
What always comes to mind is that El Salvador may not endure after Bukele, and the powerful elements who profit from the cartels in Latin America will get back into power, or at least have a spineless leader like Obrador in Mexico.
Don one of the reasons I watch your videos is because you don't sugarcoat anything to please people, your blunt and honest, I respect that a lot, on a side note to your power issues, have you tried buying a portable power bank? let me know if you need any suggestions
None of that stuff is available here. No solar, no portable generators that I could use in an apartment. It’s best to just wait it out and start making alternate plans.
Fixing this license thing should take no more than 1 day. I really hope you get the 800$ back and it should never have been a lawyer needed issue to begin with. Incompetence is my number one pet peeve along with corruption. Bless you Don
There was only one license plate, which was duplicated. Do you expect the prosecutor to believe that he was telling the truth ?
_In Peru the problem is overproduction of electricity. Most countries of South America have been suffering from droughts Uruguay, Chile, Brasil, Bolivia, Ecuador and lately Colombia. Not happening in Peru due to the huge water reservoirs and hydroelectric power plants. The last 2 one built as El Platanal and Chaglla. Just Ecuador do need to make the connection to provide cheaper electricity than Colombia. Ecuador and Peru have similar prices for kw-hr ( kilowatt-hour ). Ecuador 8,58 cent USD/kWh , Peru 9,78 cents USD/kWh , while Colombia 18,44 cent USD/kWh. Water reservoirs as Poechos, Tinajones, etc have enough water. It is needed a very high voltage power line between both countries. A new manmade Lake has been created the last years Lago or Laguna La Niña gathering fresh water coming from rainy season and El Niño_
One thing about Ecuador, it will teach you patience...if not, you will go insane!
Honesty is the best policy
.great job!
Hey Don, don’t feel like you need to change your reporting. I know what to expect compared to a couple that I would watch and they make it sound like rainbows and unicorns, but it’s not. Thanks again for the honest reporting.
I read the water shortage in Bogota is causing them to have to stop selling electricity. Solar or a small quiet inverter seems like a solution for you, but it is a hassle I'm sure,
Thanks for the update Don. You are correct, we are spoiled here in the states. When I've been to other countries in the world, including Europe, I can only deal with it for about a week max. Then I am ready to come home. I've had my eye on Ecuador for a while now but I am still on the fence. I appreciate your honesty. You give the good with the bad. I am hoping that things will improve down there or I have a feeling that you will return to the states, at least for a little while if not for good. The new president seems to want to do good for Ecuador but storming the Mexican embassy may have caused some hiccups for now. As you said before, in time things will improve.
Wow Don, you have a lot of patience! These are long term problems that will take years ,if at all, to solve. At my age, I do not have the time or patience to bother with theses 3rd world countries internal Strifes. I am a sub to your channel and will "keep a light on for you".
Thanks as always, Don!!! Power outages would probably undo all the work I’ve done to tamp down my Type A personality! Hope the situation is resolved soon.
Read that there are tariff/ sales tax exceptions for solar in Ecuador. Suggest you acquire some flexible or folding solar panels, a few hundred watts, and a power bank to cope with the outages. Looks like lots of sun/ free power on or near that balcony. :-) (A/C requires a lot of power, so neither you nor your building will get that backed up on the cheap. But refrigeration, lights, cell phone charging, is easy, cheap, and doable to get independence on.). Lots of TH-cam sources to learn how to do it pretty cheaply. If you are paying for your own power separately from rent/ lease, you can offset that bill regularly with the invested in equipment, using your own power regularly, to make it pay for itself.
@@bkanegson I have 2 small solar generators here in the US, I hope they’re not to heavy to bring down there when I come.
I guess we choose convenience or cost. Maybe there are places that have a good balance of both. I know you've looked at other countries. Governments are usually a pain one way or the other. I see you lean hard into the "grump", a lot for our entertainment, but the frustrations are going to be different, yet still there no matter where you go as you've demonstrated for us. I enjoy your channel and the info you share with us.
Don, I read your update on Mark. You have been a good friend to him.
The hydro electric is over the other side of the mountains, it’s raining our side. Colombia has the same problem too.
😢 Praying for tons of rain for you guys. No rain, no hydropower. They have had to buy power from Colombia and Peru.
@@BubbleGum-s5c Yes because electricity in Ecuador is sourced by hydropower. Thanks for your rudeness and ignorance.
I redently purchased property in Ecuador and have experienced the power outages. We bought a generator and it helps... although noisy. So I understand why it wouldnt work in apartment. But... what about solar? Could you put up a small solar unit to offset the power problems?
This is exactly why we are considering slow travel first. We can throw a bit of money here and there and leave everyone to deal with their own problems. By the time our health gets too bad to do the passport shuffle, we will have some ideas of where to settle down.
My family there is telling me that Colombia is stopping selling electricity to Ecuador in retaliation for the embassy raid.
I mean, that's possible I guess.
petro🗑️
Colombia is having electrical shortages as well
Could be, but then again Ecuador is in a political civil war, the fault is being thrown from both sides
My understanding is the power shortages are due to drought so that theres not emough water for the hydroelectric dams to make electricity @kathyandthedogs626
Move to Colombia or Peru
I remember the price tag shock we had when we returned to the US... no joke... no exaggeration we spent more in the first month being back then we did in last six months we stayed in Ecuador. It was a mind numbing difference that I keep revisiting each and every month. There are so many cool things about Ecuador that I look back fondly upon but watching your videos remind me it wasn't all "rainbows and unicorns" hahaha. It was specifically your comment about how it's the little things that add up... so many dysfunctional systems or haphazard & broken processes that are infuriating. Hahahaha like the doc for your car and the mismatched description - it made me have flashbacks. We used my Passport when I matriculated our truck because we didn't have our cedulas just yet.... we were told to come back when we had them. When I tried to get the title switched to my cedula numbers NOBODY could figure it out. In fact it was never resolved. Yet with all this dysfunction and all the new added chaos that seems to be striking Ecuador we can't help but keep tabs on a potential return. Who's to say. Your advise to ensure there is a personal chemistry with Ecuador is spot on. Also rent at least a year if not two before you consider buying. Peace to you Don, I'll check back in to see how you are faring.
Steve, I'm archiving this comment. Thanks for your feedback.
El niño causes more rain along the coast, and less rain in the sierras and Amazon. All (or nearly all) of the hydro electric power plants are on the rivers flowing to the Amazon, where there is less rain. That’s the problem in a nutshell. The reservoirs feeding the hydro plants are low, very low. (Without getting into politics about governments screw ups not completing fossil fuel plants in time etc.).
Columbia has the same problem as Ecuador with no water for their power plants, and blackout too. So they quit selling to Ecuador to keep more for their own people.
Don, either fortunately or unfortunately your way of thinking about the basics of life is exactly how I would be thinking under the same overall circumstances, and NOT only in Manta, but in many other expat places! Are the blackouts also in other cities such as Cuenca? Don Shader speaks for alot of us for better or for worse. When a person finds himself in a new environment he learns alot about himself and his limitations in life at various stages of life. Now Don has to evaluate or weigh the pros and cons of going elsewhere (Peru?) where the problems of Manta and Ecuador either do or do not outweigh the problems of living in the US or Canada.
The rolling blackouts are in every part of the country, including Cuenca and Quito. It really sucks. Fortunately, in Cuenca, you don't need heating/A/C, but other parts of the country are really hot and humid.
@@josephgarceau6753 What about your refrigerator?? And cooking?
@dovygoodguy1296 It's a problem with food. The blackouts here are supposed to be for a period of 4 hours and 2 hours, and they have a schedule based on your neighborhood. But the schedule is never correct, so you can't plan. We know people on the coast without power for 36 hours, and they have a small restaurant and lost a lot of food. There is also news that next week the running water may be affected as well, which could be worse. It's terrible for people with businesses.
@@dovygoodguy1296 Luckily, we have a gas stove for cooking.
I hope things get better for you soon Don.
There's no sugar for the lemonade 😂
Hello again I left you a comment on your last TH-cam video I'm from California I do have to say my friend if things are bad for us here they're going to be worse for you there paying $800 for something that was not your fault is unheard of that's just the way Latin America Works they rip everybody off the power has nothing to do with Mexico there is a drought even Columbia is going through a power outage things are going to get worse and there's nothing more like being back at home I'm also struggling here but no matter what I feel safe you call the cops and they're here in a few minutes and no matter what they're going to protect you not there their they're in for the buck if my neighbors playing his music too loud I have the right to call the police and they show up not there I know things are more expensive here but when I go to the market I know I'll be safe on the way over there and on the way back if somebody steals my license plate I can go to the DMV and they'll switch it that same day probably at no charge since it wasn't my doing there's a price to pay for everything and it's not worth it being in those little third world countries listen to your inner self you know what's right maybe you should come home
I guess it's street food for awhile in Equador since there's no fridge at home. Might as well enjoy the beach when the power is off, wherever possible. Or your balcony. Sounds like everyone is going to be getting their exercise, at least.
Manta is sounding like Dumaguete in PH regarding the power outages.
But this power outage is across the country.
I had to go back to Canada 'cause I couldn't deliver my online classes. So, next time, if I can't find an affordable co-working place with a generator, I'm done with that place
Ugh! So sorry, Don! We were fortunate to have a generator during the 8 months when we lived in Cuenca. However, we could see the handwriting on the wall. If it’s not power, it’s something else, know what I mean? Ecuador is spectacularly bureaucratic and inefficient. I say that with Peace and Love.🙏☮️🙏
Tough situation. My gut would tell me to move to a region where it's more temperate that you can live without AC. I'd invest in a portable solar panel/generator as well. You can buy a nice setup for under $1,000 to keep your phone, computer and some appliances going during the blackout periods.
Keep telling it like it is. Thanks
Will do!
Here are the solutions: Move to an apartment that has 100% generator backup. Sell your car. Learn to love Ecuador and celebrate its culture. Learn Spanish. Grumpiness is not the solution.
Here in Colombia it’s getting serious it hasn’t rained for months , the reservoirs are nearly dry, in bogota they are rationing the water in a city of 8 million, in Cali hasn’t rained for months once day and that was it,
They rely on hydro power from some dams in the mountains. When the reservoirs run dry they have to ration. They had more capacity than they needed for years, but demand has caught up and no new capacity has been built for a while. At least some of that was built by China under the Correa government. That cooperation cooled when the government changed.
Thanks for telling it how it is .. hope they have it fixed by July .
We live in a building that has no generator at all! But bottom line is, in our financial situation we would rather not have power than the cost of living in the states. 8 hours a day is pushing it though!
The truth will set you free. Keep reporting the truth.
You are sure sounding grumpy 😖 Don. That's good for your channel! 🤣 I live in the States and we had high winds and Xcel energy shut off my power for 2 days! Never before in my lifetime here. I just see people so irresponsible in doing their jobs EVERYWHERE! Keep your options open Don but Im hoping things will improve in Equador. The ocean behind you sure looks inviting 👍
I live in a state where the wind blows a lot and sadly when power lines are downed from the wind, deaths have occurred so perhaps you should be thankful your power company took precautions
Great a solar generator bluetti it will run a fan n lights
Makes me wonder if the license plate thing isn't an inside job, Don? After your # came up on the 1st ticket someone on the inside could have seen your info, and it matching the description of what they're looking for, either make plates or sell the info to someone that does. Just a theory but it's possible. Hope you get this nightmare resolved very soon.
I absolutely believe it is.
Don, I'm pretty sure I saw a FB post, possibly a newspaper article in one of EC ex-pat groups, that 1700 farms in EC were in danger of going under due to the lack of water (draught). Here in central TX we are on draught watch too. Global warming is no joke, I hope life as we know it remains sustainable but I am definitely worried.
Isn't the whole point of leaving Babylon-America is to not live like you're in Babylon-America?! If people want to live like Americans then I think it's best you stay in America! Ecuador isn't the only country this is happening in. Tanzania has power outages for 8 hours! You have to adjust your mindset living in another country or you will not make it! Learn to adapt and be happy you're not paying what it cost to live in Babylon-America 😁
I'm not an electrician . But could you plug a adapter into your refrigerator outlet and run an extension cord and fan ? As a poor kid in the 60s , I slept on the floor in front of our only box fan on hot summer nights. Also for your viewers who are not familiar with Ecuador climates , I live in the mountains and have little to no need of heaters or ac . But no ocean view . $16 bucks for a 9 hour ride on a modern bus to get to Olon . Planning my first exploratory trip to the beach next week . It will be a short one if I can't sleep comfortably at night.
Corruption in Ecuador? Surely, you jest, sir!
the horrible end of cheap wow
Hi Don, do you think you would have purchased a car had you known the crap that would happen with the licence?
Yes, absolutely.
Mr don. Have you never thought about moving to the coffe triangle axis i ,,,, armenia ,,Manizales,,,,very economical and year round spring weather lovely friendly poeple .sorry I’m talking about Colombia
No way. That’s like jumping out of the frying pan and right into the fire.
Don, you seem to get more and more disgruntled with Ecuador. Possibly it is time for a new home? Country? South America has plenty of potential paradise places
!!
Retire in the USA. Like Don said we're spoiled here. Something you need to be mindful of regardless of where you may go in South America or even several parts of Asia (Philippines is notorious for power outages)
I’m very discouraged. I don’t have the time to explain all that has happened to me that I’ve kept silent for fear of retribution. I’m seriously considering México. But I can’t just pack up and leave. I have a lease, own a car, have serious money tied up in CDs that need to mature so I have to stick around for a while and let things play out.
I suppose if I were to move to Ecuador (not really considering it), I wouldn't own a car or motorcycle. Maybe I could own a bicycle (not kidding). As for the power outages, they happen in many countries. I would have to adjust. Maybe I could build a solar-powered backup system or generator (really). 🤔
Get out now, Don. This is Paul. Lima was so clean and organized. I am now back in Medellin, and it is so nice. Life is too short to live in that dump. It's loud, dirty, and dangerous. Remember, I was the one who sent you the video of that murder six months ago. I am leaving for Aregentina next month. Get out of there!!!
I don't think you ever said it was all rainbows and Unicorns. You always told it straight. The power thing seems mostly this year, so what changed?
Don, you might consider moving to Loja. The elevation is 6,700 ft above sea level. If the power goes out, a/c isn't essential.
He can't live at altitude. Health issues.
Nope, no way.
Didn't you check everything b4 you moved?
What?
Sounds like you're going back to Arizona 😮
No way.
My god can't believe what's going on..
Me too. I'm devastated beyond belief.
Do the new condos have full power generators?
Yes, most of the larger ones do.
What about you having Solar Power??😮🤠
Not available here. Who can afford it?
You are The Don. The Don says, the people believe. lol!
It's Xiaomi 小米。
Panama much better
Better than what?
Power going out does not bother me. I can build my own small solar system to use as a backup.
Don, consider Mexico...Puerto Vallarta, Lake Capala, or Merida...Great people, great food, I never hear horns honking, car alarms ,and have never seen dog poop on the sidewalks😅 I never heard of an American moving from Mexico to Ecuador....just saying
I'm working on it man. Gawd! The pressure. :-)