Fuman is not part of my daily working area, but it is close enough to Gurab Zarmikh that working there is straightforward. I take Fuman jobs by arrangement, usually on set days, so travel does not add cost for you.
The work that comes up most in Fuman falls into three groups. Rice mills and workshops around the town, with large three phase motors whose problems are starting, motor protection and power factor penalties. Garden villas in the villages towards Masuleh that stand empty for part of the year. And the town’s older houses, still on wiring from decades ago.
Fuman’s weather, especially in the foothill villages, is cooler than Soumeh Sara and the winters are longer. That means more electric heating load and circuits that come under strain in winter. Damp and fog, as everywhere in Gilan, do their own work on terminations and outdoor boards.
Neighbourhoods and places in Fuman I work in
- Fuman town centre
- The old quarter and residential neighbourhoods
- The town edge and workshops on the Fuman to Soumeh Sara road
- Maklavan
- Gasht
- Villages on the Fuman to Masuleh road
- Villages on the way to Rudkhan Castle
- Loulman
- Masuleh, by prior arrangement
How a booking works
- 01 I cover Fuman by arrangement, not daily. I usually group Fuman jobs onto one or two set days a week.
- 02 Describe the problem on WhatsApp first and send photos of the board, the motor nameplate or the job, so I arrive with the right tools and parts.
- 03 For a rice mill or workshop, the first visit is to measure motor currents and survey the board; a written estimate follows.
- 04 For the upland villages and Masuleh, road and weather conditions in winter affect timing, and we agree that in advance.
- 05 If you have an urgent fault, call; if I can come that day I will say so, and if not I will tell you honestly when I can.
Rice mills: starting large motors and soft starters
Rice mills around Fuman usually run several large motors: husker, whitener, elevators and fan. Direct on line starting of a large motor draws several times its rated current, which drags down the voltage across the whole site and shocks the belts and bearings. On a village network with a distant transformer, that dip sometimes trips other motors.
For the larger motors I recommend a soft starter or a star delta starter. The choice depends on motor power, the type of load and budget. A soft starter with a bypass contactor drops out of circuit once the motor is up to speed and adds little heat to the board. Alongside that, start sequencing and interlocks between motors are built into the board, so that if one elevator stops, the machine feeding it does not keep running into a pile of paddy.
- A phase monitoring relay is essential on every rice mill board
- Each motor’s thermal protection should be set to its nameplate current, not above it
- The board should be closed and away from dust and husk
Power factor and the workshop bill penalty
Induction motors, especially when they are not fully loaded, have a low power factor. On sites with a demand or reactive meter, it shows up on the bill as a penalty. Many workshops have a capacitor bank, but its capacitors failed years ago and nobody knows.
I first measure the power factor during real working hours and calculate the correction needed. A stepped capacitor bank with a regulator switches capacitors in and out to match the number of motors running. If the site has drives or a lot of non-linear load, I also check for harmonic resonance, because plain capacitors fail early in those conditions.
Garden villas on the road to Masuleh
Garden villas in the villages between Fuman and Masuleh are mostly used at weekends and in summer and stand empty the rest of the year. In the cool foothill winter, an empty unheated house means damp and mould, and sometimes frozen pipes. Owners usually want to bring the heating on before they arrive and to know whether the power has gone off.
For these villas I put remote heating and lighting control, power failure alerts and the alarm on a local controller that keeps working without internet. Garden power, path lighting and the irrigation pump are usually part of the same job, run on a timer or a scene.
Older Fuman houses: timber, old wiring and the winter load
The old quarter of Fuman still has houses with timber ceilings or verandas, wired on the surface, straight onto the timber with no conduit. Old cable on dry timber is a dangerous combination. In winter, when electric heaters and the water heater run together, these are the circuits carrying the most load.
In these houses I usually run new surface wiring in flame retardant conduit, which keeps the character of the house and avoids breaking into timber walls and ceilings. Heating circuits are separated from lighting, RCD protection is added and the earth is measured.
Bakeries and small workshops in town
Fuman is known for its kolucheh cookies, and there are a fair number of small kolucheh bakeries and bakeries in town. They run electric or fan ovens, mixers and commercial fridges on single or three phase, often fed from a small board originally meant for an ordinary shop.
In a bakery like this I measure the real equipment load, balance the phases, and give each heavy appliance its own circuit and protection. Heat and steam around the ovens also mean cables and boxes must be rated for heat and moisture.
Electrical services in Fuman
- Building electrical Rewires of the town’s older houses with flame retardant surface conduit, and winter heating circuits separated out.
- Solar power Solar for garden villas and workshops, with shading from trees and hillsides checked in the foothill villages.
- Smart home Remote control of heating, lighting and irrigation in villas on the Masuleh road, on a local controller.
- Alarm and security Alarms with a SIM card and standby battery for villas left empty over winter.
- CCTV Cameras for rice mills, paddy stores and garden villas, positioned clear of dust and fog.
- Video and audio intercom Video intercoms for apartment buildings in town and for villa garden gates.
- HV and LV switchboards Rice mill control boards with soft starters, phase monitoring and stepped capacitor banks.
- Consultation and inspection Power factor and bill penalty reviews for workshops, and inspection of a villa or house before purchase.
Common questions about work in Fuman
Do you work in Fuman? How long before you can come?
Yes, by arrangement. Fuman is outside my daily area and I usually do its jobs on set days of the week. The exact timing depends on that week’s schedule, and I tell you honestly when we arrange it. For an urgent fault, call and we will see whether the same day is possible.
For a rice mill motor, is a soft starter or a star delta starter better?
Both reduce starting current. Star delta is simpler and cheaper but gives a jolt at the changeover and also reduces starting torque. A soft starter ramps up more smoothly and is adjustable, but costs more. I recommend one or the other after seeing the motor, the load and the local supply.
Our workshop bill has a reactive penalty. Is fitting capacitors enough?
It is usually the main part of the fix, but the capacitance has to be calculated from real measurements. Too much fixed capacitance causes a different problem when the motors are off. A stepped bank with a regulator solves that. If the site has drives or non-linear loads, I check harmonics too.
We have an older house with a timber ceiling. Does rewiring mean breaking it out?
It doesn’t have to. In these houses I usually rewire on the surface in flame retardant conduit, routed to be as unobtrusive as possible. It is safe, keeps the look of the house, and avoids the cost of repairing ceilings and walls.
Our villa is empty in winter. How can we keep an eye on it remotely?
A local controller on a SIM card or internet connection reports power cuts, indoor temperature and door openings, and lets you turn the heating on from a distance. An alarm and cameras can be added to the same system. In the upland villages I check mobile signal on site before choosing equipment.
What drives the cost of a rice mill control board?
The number and power of the motors, the starter type (direct, star delta or soft starter), whether a capacitor bank is needed, the component brand, and the site’s fault level, which sets the breaking capacity. Building a new board or reworking the existing one also makes a big difference. After a visit I give a parts list and a written estimate.
Do you go up to Masuleh?
Yes, by arrangement. Masuleh and the upland villages need their own scheduling because of the road and winter conditions. Masuleh also has rules for its historic buildings, and work has to respect them without altering the facades.