55Jay

55 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I looked at these, but came to the conclusion that simply removing a tile would have the same effect, except no rain coming through.

 

With a buttoned up Hip style roof, I went with this vent box on a tile adapter to simply let the hot air vent up and out naturally, without any moving parts in the way.  If I had a Gable roof, would of done what the OP plans to do. 

Some folks like their whirly birds, some don't. 

I went with a passive vent contraption from SCG, 4,900 Baht, mounted on the same kind of tile we have - pull 1 tile out, slot this thing in its place.   Only had one available, ordered up from BKK, said the un-powered model went out of production, but they could make more on demand.  Chucked the single unit up there to test through a rain season first.  So far so good, likely order 3 more before next summer.

48 minutes ago, pj123 said:

No. Maybe a gable fan would be a better idea?

https://quietcoolsystems.com/attic-fan/smart-gable-attic-fans/

Yes, that would help.  Fan or even just passive venting on both vertical ends to reduce some of the heat build up.  If you don't have already, consider slotted eave boards. 

The insulation you have is less effective if the attic void space isn't vented.

In addition to roof void space venting, as mentioned,  along with insulation, whole house fan has its place as an optional feature to remove accrued heat from fixtures and furniture within the living space.  Always remember long-time TVF member, Naam, swore by it for early morning use, before kicking on the a/c units. 

Never pursued it myself, rather, installed a less expensive 18" window exhaust fan in the back bathroom.  Produces a reasonably good suction for our modest 3bed/2bath single story house, and also helps remove transient odors from the house - cooking, etc. 

This could send the Q'anon End Times prophecy squad into orbit.  ????

Ah, the joys of life in Thailand, or anywhere really.   Good thing is a lot of us have more time than money these days and ought to care a bit less about these things, but it is somewhat cathartic to muse about it on-line.  

Speaking of being on-line, how about that 7-11, at 5pm, near a busy market, on a weekend pay day, after MEA/PEA bills have been sent out.  ????

Yes, Khukri snake, non-venomous.

Is that Tom Brady on Fox Sports right now?  Doh!  ????

13 minutes ago, Saltire said:

Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

Looks like I have 2 options.

 

1) Get my brother to buy and register a giiffgaff SIM, and mail it to me. I will source a cheap phone on Lazada. I think they have some second-hand if I recall. Or if I ever get out of jail the village to a phone shop I will just buy a basic phone.

 

2) Come clean to CO-OP customer services that I don't have a UK phone and ask if they can email as an option. The risk here is if they get anal about it they could just cancel my cards as I could be no longer eligble.

 

I favour number 1, I tink I have time but they have not given me a deadline so I will try to get this in place first.

 

Incidentally I agree with the 'loyalty' of banks to long-term customers, I have had these cards for at least 20 years but I know if they stick to the script they will just cancel them. They have not made much money from me as I always clear the debt with my Santander account before interest is charged, so I am not really, in their eyes, a good customer.

 

Thanks all

 

My two main financial orgs in the USA are, or can be, fickle about overseas customers as well.  Recently had to call one to close an unused checking/current account as they were changing the terms.  No longer asked me security questions to start like they used to, rather, wanted a cell phone # to send a confirmation code.  I said no thanks, just send me an email and I'll confirm that way, which I'd done before, although quite some time ago. 

Lady put me on hold for a while to consult a supervisor, finally came back and said she could proceed without it.  I have a US Skype number but unfortunately no good for receiving SMS/Text, apparently, but ok for robo confirmation calls.  Part of our frustration living overseas in these times.  Good luck with Option 1, hope it all works out for you.

State Dept's mission is playing diplomatic footsie with foreign governments, juntas in business suits, et al.   Providing basic, routine administrative services to Americans on the ground, is a distant 3rd/4th order activity. 

COVID, while highly unusual and longer lasting than expected, still doesn't rise to the level of crisis requiring an extraordinary foreign intervention (in Thailand) at this time.  Biden's vaccine offer to Asia and other regions, was largely a boot-strap political gesture, taking advantage of a fortuitous vacuum of American good-will left on a silver platter by the previous US Administration.

So while I'm also disappointed that the US vaccine offer didn't come any quiet conditions, I understand DoS will resist setting an unsustainable precedent for US Citizen services during transient situations, and naturally the local Embassy won't do anything unless approved, directed and funded by the D.C. head shed.

Make enough noise on Facebook these days, however, you never know what can happen.  My guess is the Thai gubmint doesn't like the optics of having the spotlight on their shenanigans, so they'll swallow their egos temporarily, and take care of business out of self-preservation.

Still a toss up for me.  Sometimes miss certain aspects of living at our first place, 40km outside a large city.  Nice plot of land, big pond out back, lots of mature trees and lush vegetation, elbow room to see the sky and no neighbors on top of us.  Shut the gate, it was like an oasis.   After 4 years there, the drive in for bigger shopping trips, the daily routine taking care of the house and all that wonderful vegetation and ground space, was a lot to keep up with.   It was a welcome change of pace downsizing into a typical 3 bed 2 bath ground level house in a moo baan on the outskirts of the city/suburbs.  Easy to take care of.  Everything close by, either motorbike or about 15 minutes by car for the malls, bigger supermarkets, pubs and restaurants, gyms, hospitals/medical services, etc.   Easier to find skilled tradesmen, mechanics, services for the house by being closer to the city business hub.   

As far as feeling depressed about the state of the world, if you're plugged into the internet/television having political gnashing of teeth and general negativity pumped into your head, especially during the COVID roller coaster ride we've been on, gotta unplug for a while and try to let it go.  Hard to do at first, but it helps, IMO.

Hope they're not consuming these fish, because they also come up out of the street drain system, which also handles gray water drainage from houses and businesses.  Had it happen on my soi before, and we've got no ponds in the area. 

@bikerlou47  Back when Thai Gov cracked down on banks withholding tax (2019), a member here (Pib) posted excellent information about getting a Thai bank account re-coded so that tax is not automatically withheld below the 20,000 Baht/year threshold.  Not sure if anything's changed regarding this procedure, but here's the link if you/others are interested:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1087601-krungsi-mee-tae-dai-savings/?tab=comments#comment-14212205

Following Pib's info at the time, was able to get my Krungsi MTD account re-coded so that tax isn't taken on the monthly interest.  Still good in 2021, no issues.  Only keep the 800k there for Immigration show money, and with the low interest rate environment, don't get anywhere near the 20,000 Baht/year trigger for tax withholding. 

Didn't do this for the Bangkok Bank accounts so to this day, they continue to take tax on the semi-annual interest as soon as it pops into the account - typically only 60~70 Baht.

Thank you Digbeth and Ktm Jeff. 

41 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

So you don't have problem.

They're offering B10, not B20.  I'm just hearing about this, don't know one B from the other until now.  Would like a little feedback about it.  You have nothing to offer, so thanks for your input. 

Scrolled back through a few pages of topics, didn't see anything apart from an E20 question. 

Wife went to her usual PTT station yesterday and was told they've switched to B10 diesel without any indication one way or the other about compatibility with her engine - 2013 Toyota Fortuner 3.0L diesel.  She wasn't sure, the pumpman wasn't either so she left without topping up.

Going through several articles, found this from Toyota Thailand, that our year Fortuner is compatible with B20.  I can only presume if it's ok for B20 in warm climates, that B10 would be fine?    

https://www.toyota.co.th/en/news/gOe91vOP

Quote

2) For Hilux VIGO and Fortuner vehicles with the production years from 2011-2015, if there is the need for the consistent use of B20 Biodiesel in the areas with regular temperatures of lower than 16 degrees Celsius, please seek prior advice from Toyota service centers. 

Thanks for typing all that out, interesting to hear other experiences.

Our first house, countryside, wound up being resolved indirectly by loan sharks.

Jeff gets a bit cranky when he misses his lady boy coffee time. 

You still have 30 minutes if you pedal fast. 

OP, been on that track a lot in my life, often intertwined with work, as if we needed any extra encouragement to fall into a pub.  All good fun, for a while, but it'll turn to s**t once you get a bit older.  Nobody wants to become "that" guy, right? 

Which was the glide slope I was on.  Extracted myself from the drink/hangover/drink cycle about a year and a half ago.  Abstaining wasn't my goal, maybe not yours either.  I just needed to get a grip, throttle back, and went a bit high and right at first to get it done.  Filled the hole with exercise, biking, etc., and eventually that became my new normal.

Never been much of a beer-in-the-fridge drink at home alone guy, so didn't have to overcome that.  Wife isn't a drinker, that's helpful.

You just gotta decide, and find something to substitute it with. It's a mind game, but you CAN do it, and it gets easier with time.

I am a temporary/long-term/kinda permanent, but not really, citizen of the Kingdom.  

I don't delude myself into thinking otherwise. 

If, for example, the Thai Gov offered me some kind of more permanent residence, I might feel more "settled down", so to speak. 

10 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

If I truly felt that way I would of departed long ago. Why would you stay in a country where you thought the people existed only to take advantage of you. I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror for being so untrue to myself because just the knowledge of that precludes any real attempt at 'settling down'. I would be living a lie.   

Maybe you are, and just haven't been able to accept it.