electau

I got to say that 3 days for a spouse visa would be a record.Or the embassy just had nothing to do at all.Thats great 3 days.Never seen that fast before.

3 Days? One can not get a visitors visa 676 approved in that time. And a spouse visa 309/100, from initial date of DIAC receiving the documentation, processing of the application, then the issuing of the visa? In 3 days?

Perhaps this was referring to the second stage of processing for the permanent resident visa (spouse) 100 and there were compelling circumstances that were taken into consideration, thus the very short time frame.

On demand or instantaneous water heaters should not be larger than 20A single phase to minimise demand on the supply authority.

Storage type water heaters rated at 13.5watts per litre have the advantage of being connected by a time switch for heating at off peak periods (eg, 2300 to 0700hrs). They can be connected to off peak tariffs if available.

Storage type ( 270 litre) can be connected to solar collectors to heat the water, and a booster element can be switched in as required.

Generally a 270litre unit is suitable for the average residential dwelling with 2 bathrooms and kitchen.

Temperature settings for a storage type HWS should be 70C. Smaller 45litre and 135litre units are also available with wattage ratings of 1.8 to 3.6kW.

All units fitted with a thermostat, over temperature cut out (manual reset) and pressure relief valve.

Let's set a base line here:

Who here is a qualified 'Time Served Apprenticed Craftsman'?

Who here hold's national trade certificates?

Or a completed certificate of Apprenticeship Indenture.

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Me first - Yes to all.

But as you said in a reply to another post of me,you are not a Thai national and this topic is about Thai tradesmen.

But the answer's to the questions might reveal if the people dishing Thais here actually know what trade skills are. - The post, by the way, is asking opinions of Thai tradesmen.

So ..... erm...... what trade skills do you have?

So do you suggest that one needs to be a qualified tradesman to assess the quality of a job done?

Yes, if the work entails Electrical, Plumbing and Airconditioning. Work has to comply with legislative standards for safety of persons and property.

A person qualified in a particular trade or ocupation must be competent. You cannot work above your level of competence with out further training. A tradesman can supervise work carried out.

My formal qualifications are those of a licenced electrician and licenced telephone and data cabler installer ( Australia).

In 1999 I was working on a large power project here in Thailand, which had an almost 100% Thai workforce and the quality and speed of work was excellent.

Our company had a similar one going on in the UK, with a British workfoce, which was running into all sorts of delays and cost over runs, so I was asked to go and see if I could help out.

When I got there I was amazed at the slow pace, poor quality workmanship and just the general "I don't give a shit" attitude of the workforce.

The work hours were something like 07:00 to 16:00 with a one hour lunch break, but it soon became clear to me that we were lucky to get three hours of average to poor quality work.

I rotated between the two projects for ten months and the difference was like day and night.

And what were the reasons for these cost overruns? Underquoted for the work ? other sub contractors? Why were you not working a 12 hour day?

Poor management? there are numerous reasons for cost overruns and they are not all labour related. An 8 hour day/ 5 day week is not much incentive for a constuction worker.

What the OP is referring to is the tradesman who is generally employed as a contractor or employee on residential construction and maintainance and small commercial work. Exclude contractors and employees engaged in large mining, industrial and commercial work.

He is usually your local electrician, plumber, builder, airconditioning and refrigeration contractor etc.

It is not practicable to intercept every telephone call , fax and email that is sent locally or internationally, there are millions a day. Then examine each one on an individual basis within a specified timeframe.

But they may well monitor selective numbers from high risk countries, or persons or organisations on a watch list. Embassy traffic. Much sensitive traffic would be encripted anyway.

Satellite and HF radio traffic can be monitored, fixed line traffic is not monitored in this way.

here is another transfer service . Oz Forex. For amounts over $2000.

http://www.ozforex.c...ex-generic.html

I have used Commonwealth bank on several occassions to transfer money to Thailand and have never had any issues. I have always done this via internet banking and you get to choose to send it in AUD. It does take a few days to arrive in the Thai bank account however.

There is another company in Sydney (X Wing) that will also transfer money to Thailand for you and the rate is normally pretty good. I have not used them to transfer money to Thailand but I have used them to Transfer money to Australia and was very satisfied. Thai banks make you jump through so many hoops to transfer money out of the country and this was so easy. We simply transferred the funds from our Thai Bank to their Thai bank and within approx 2 hours (once they could verify the tranfer had gone through) I walked into their office and collected the cash ($10,000). The rate was also very good.

do you have a website for this company?

First Money Transfer they are located in Sydney.

Website: http://first247.com/en/

It takes a minimum of 4 years to become a qualified competent tradesman in a chosen field. Theory and practical experience.

The problem with Thailand is the low standard of the education system. There are no recognised standards for evaluation purposes. Eg,there is no licencing requirements for electricians and plumbing and gas fitting is a licenced trade in many countries.

"Pre nuptial agreements" which had their origin on the US may well be non enforcable where they conflict with the legislation on marriage and divorce laws of a country. The Civil and Commercial code is very clear on the distribution of assets and property on a divorce, much better than in many Western (common law) countries.

My ISP has a secure function on the login web page, this deletes 80 to 90% of spam e-mail this could be 1000 to 1500 per month deleted before downloading.

Set the email eg Windows Mail or Outlook to "open headers only" I also set the spam filter to high on windows mail program, get one or two spam a day. Never reply to spam e-mails.

This website gives the voltages , frequency and single phase plug top and socket information on a world wide basis.

http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm

Don't want to worry you Electau, but we're not in Oz/NZ. Whilst AZ standards are a good fit to Thai conditions (better than BS) you can't glibly go around quoting that they are mandatory they are most definitely not. Clipsal et-al manufacture to the TIS standards in Thailand.

Now if someone has a copy of the Thai domestic wiring regs that would be useful.

There are plenty of 'universal' outlets that accept Thai, UK, Oz and many other plugs. I will put a couple of riders on the 'fit them everywhere' comment though:-

L and N are reversed compared with a UK outlet, not normally in issue but worth knowing.

More importantly, the contacts are necessarily of an 'interesting' shape in order to mate with the wide variety of plugs, this leads to the contact area being reduced. Not an issue with low-power devices but I'd not trust a 'universal' with the kettle or toaster plugged in on a regular basis. The correct outlet will always mate properly.

The contacts in the cheaper ones tend to bend, the result is, after repeated use with say a UK plug, the outlet ends up so that it will only mate with a UK plug

I did not state that Australian (AS3112) plug tops and socket outlets were mandatory in Thailand . They are mandatory in Australia and NZ.

Pin connections are looking from the front of the outlet, E, L ,N in a clockwise direction. If the earth pin is at the 12.00 position (BS) the L and N will appear to be reversed, with the AS3112 socket outlet the earth pin is at the 06.00 position. Clipsal/ PDL manufacture sockets to BS and NEMA standards but they are not for use or sale in Australia or New Zealand. In Thailand you would use TIS sockets and TIS compliant plug tops. Some socket outlets and plug tops are polarised (NEMA).

Those so called "universal socket outlets" are specifically known as "travel adaptors" and are designed for low power portable equipment for travellers, mobile phone chargers and battery charger packs for computer and cameras etc. They should not be a permanent replacement for the correct outlets /plug tops in electrical installations.

Good idea to put 'universal sockets' throughout the house, rather than just those for Thai, UK etc.

Clipsal do a range of universal sockets, but I fitted double sockets, and didn't realise until all fitted that I couldn't get 2 plugs side-by-side! Bugger!!

Have since seen the Haco range - they also do a universal socket, and have a spacer in between the sockets. They did a bit more R&D than Clipsal ..... and me!

There is no such thing as a universal plug top or socket outlet. Clipsal, HPM and PDL manufacture their socket outlets to suit AS/NZ standards 3112 and also to BS standards or NEMA as required. The so called "universal plug /socket " is actually an adaptor Eg Schuko to AS/NZ, NEMA to AS/NZ etc. AS3112 is mandatory in Australia and NZ.

Alignment of the earthing pins should be checked when used in TIS socket outlets. Do not cut off earth pins use the correct plug top and socket.

You must be using Shuko plugs.

Cut them off & fit some of these.

Those Shuko plugs aren't grounded anyway.

Actually, when inserted in the correct outlet Schuko plugs are grounded via the metal strips on the outer edge.

When incorrectly inserted in the Thai outlet they are not and present a potential hazard.

Schuko plug with a schuko socket outlet, and the socket earthed. A schuko plug inserted in a TIS pattern socket does not comply with earthing requirements.

Read here regarding the AUD.

http://www.theage.com.au/business/australian-dollar-flirts-with-parity-20101008-16a55.html?autostart=1

The AUD reached 99.18 at 12.30am AEST. The highest since 1983 when the dollar was floated. Makes imports cheaper and exports dearer.

You could install 3 pin Australian/NZ socket outlets which comply with AS3112, one would have to also fit AS/NZ 3 pin plug tops. Available in single and twin 10A. Horizontal or vertical mounting. Clipsal, HPM and PDL.

Yes there is a design fault with the TIS pattern socket outlets, the earth pin should be at the 0600 or the 1200 position not at the 0300 looking at the front of the outlet.

You could solve this by installing two single outlets in a horizontal or vertical configuration or one above the other.

Read here:

http://www.theage.com.au/business/imf-warns-of-global-currency-war-risk-20101006-167uw.html?autostart=1

Just remember that in 1997 the rate was 25THB to the USD. The THB then fell to 50 and then later stabilised at around 40 to the USD. No one complained then.

And it may well occur again. Currencies are no longer fixed except in some isolated instances.

One currency rises the other falls THB/USD, AUD/USD etc.

Australia has a 38/40hour 5 day week, many people work longer hours eg 12 hours a day in remote areas (mining) or construction work 9 to 10 hours a day work Sat and Sundays and public holidays as required. For all hours over the normal 38/40 employees are paid overtime rates of pay. In some case they may by agreement take time off in lieu of pay.

Thailand generally has a 48 hour /6 day week but this can be 42 to 54 depending on the industry that one is employed in. Overtime payments are applicable.

One should not complain about a 48 hour 6 day week in Thailand. You are lucky that you have a job in Thailand. Do not expect the same level of pay and conditions as you would in your own country.

The difference between the proposed level of English that is required by the UK for a spouse is for permanent residence applications.

Eg, Australia requires a level of English for citizenship, not for permanent residence. Australia gives government sponsored English language tuition of 510 hours free to all migrants after they arrive in the country.

Permanent residence is not the same as citizenship.

Citizenship is encouraged in Australia, in the UK it would appear it is not to the same extent.

And if you were to consider solar electrical generation, it is not maintainance free.

Batteries have to be replaced perhaps on a 5 to 7 year basis, electronics have a life of perhaps 10 years, and one should not forget the need for insurance from environmental damage that may occur, lightning, storms etc, to the complete system.

And then there are changes to technology and upgrading of equipment as required.

There is certainly a place for photo voltaic electricity generation, and that is is remote areas whre it is not practicable to supply grid power or continuous diesel generation, and demand is not high. Such as communications, navigation systems, small medical and health facilities, small water pumping applications etc.

But for the average domestic consumer it is far too expensive.

There are alternatives to coal and oil/gas fuels. One is nuclear power, clean and green. The other is geothermal energy, and another is solar energy from heat to make steam and drive a turbine.

It is a matter of cost, capital cost and cost per MWh generated.

Not even solar heated hot water makes any reasonable ROI

Solar HWS providing one has the initial capacity for a domestic installation (270litres) they certainly are. You have the capital cost up front if you retrofit, but with a new house construction the costs are minimal and may in some countries such as Australia attract a goverment rebate, new or retrofit.

A good guide is $10000 per kilowatt of generating capacity installed.

Solar panels

Plus the following:

Inverter and battery charging equipment.

Batteries of sufficient capacity.

Alternative power source, eg a 5kva generator.

Remember, peak sunlight is usually averages 5 hours a day over a predetermined period.

Quoted output of solar panels in watts/amps are the peak max values only.

And if you daily average load is between 10 and 20 kwh it is a very expensive operation compared with the grid based electricity supply.

And forget the 20/25 year warranties, read the fine print first.