>4 mm2 washing machine

Why? Do you have some type of high power industrial washing machines in homes? Perhaps, Belgians have very clean clothes or Belgium is very dirty? [Linked Image]

(The semi-commercial one we have in my house, draws only 3.6 kW (@400V), whereas household ones draw no more than 2.2 kW.)

>6 mm2 electric cooker (stove)

I take it that you use 230V cookers in Belgium? Are Belgian houses supplied with all three phases or just single-phase 230V?

> Maximum 8 sockets per circuit.
>Lights can be combined in a socket circuit >and have to be considered as a socket
>(eg. 7 sockets and 1 light).

This sound like stone age to me. Why is there a limit on the number of sockets and lights? The more sockets you have in a room, the fewer extension cords are needed with less risk of fire as the result. Not to mention fewer broken bones... A maximum number of rooms or floor area per circuit makes sense, not a maximum number of sockets.

>Concerning the main GFI tripping and
>the whole house being in the dark:
>Well, we switch of all the fuses and
>switch on the GFI then switch on 1
>fuse at a time untill the GFI trips
>and then we know in which circuit is
>the fault!

This procedure is the same in all systems where over-all RCD:s are used. However, it tends to be an obstacle to people. It doesn't make very much sense having to take out all the fuses and then start putting them back, one by one. Except to an electrican or engineer, that is. [Linked Image]