Dazinoz

1 hour ago, flare said:

If customs duty is due, it might not be in your local post office.  If my packages come through without a charge, they go to the Mae Hia PO near my house, but if I have to pay duty they go to the PO on the Super Highway near Central Fesrival.  The 'delivery failed' notice usually means is was too big to go out on the delivery scooter and they never actually attempted to drop it off at your house (you may or may not get the physical notice).  You can try your local PO and they'll direct you to the proper place if it's not there (bring the tracking number), or have a Thai speaker call for you to save yourself a potentially wasted trip.

Looks like my Post Office is also Mae Hia.

Website says close 4pm today so went there at 3pm. Door opened. Everyone inside sitting down on their phones and told me closed. TiT.

6 minutes ago, flare said:

If customs duty is due, it might not be in your local post office.  If my packages come through without a charge, they go to the Mae Hia PO near my house, but if I have to pay duty they go to the PO on the Super Highway near Central Fesrival.  The 'delivery failed' notice usually means is was too big to go out on the delivery scooter and they never actually attempted to drop it off at your house (you may or may not get the physical notice).  You can try your local PO and they'll direct you to the proper place if it's not there (bring the tracking number), or have a Thai speaker call for you to save yourself a potentially wasted trip.

Should not be duty but never know and only very small parcel.

8 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I just realised that the link I posted only shows Bangkok post offices.

 

If you do a Google search "Thailand post office xxxxx" (using your postal code to replace the xxxxx) you should get the location of your post office.

Thanks again. I think I have found the post office. Just annoying when you are home and they say they have carded it and they haven't.

Just now, chickenslegs said:

If it is with Thailand Post it should be at the post office with your postal code.

 

Here is a list http://donslifeinthailand.com/files/Bangkok_Thailand_Post_Offices_full_list.pdf

 

However, it could still be on the delivery van/bike - so might be worth phoning the office first.

Thanks for that. Was sent by Korea Post EMS so I assume Thai Post. No use phoning post office I can't speak Thai and probably no one to speak english.

Hello all. I was receiving a parcel from Korea and was tracking online. This morning it stated was out for delivery. I just received a tracking message basically saying delivery fail and was carded. Well I was home waiting and no card has been left.

How do I find out where my parcel has gone to?

2 hours ago, Naam said:

yo' sho' is a technical wizard

He is a Googlespert.

2 hours ago, Naam said:

and you can't evacuate a unit without losing refrigerant!

Not true. When you buy a new AC unit the refrigerant is stored in the outdoor unit. After connections are made and tested the lines to and from the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are evacuated using the vacuum pump. Once done the 2 service valves are opened and the refrigerant fills the system.

If you want to disconnect the unit you connect AC test gauges to the outdoor unit and run it. You then close the discharge service valve and watch the gauges. When a vacuum is pulled on the suction side then quickly shut the suction valve and switch  off the AC. All refrigerant is now in the outdoor. If reconnected the original process is repeated. No, or an extremely small amount of refrigerant lost.

Same applies to topping up or recharging an AC. I would connect the three hoses on the test gauges. One to the unit, one to the vac pump and one to the refrigerant bottle. If topping up I would vac the line from the bottle to the ac and add required refrigerant. If recharging a system I would use the above connection and vac down everything. Once evacuated I would start adding refrigerant. It is usually not possible getting the required amount in the system this way so when stopped filling I would start the AC and use the compressor to suck in the remaining  amount of required refrigerant. Then I would shut off the bottle, close discharge service valve on AC. Again when suction observed I know all the refrigerant has been sucked from the filling hoses, so I disconnect the hose from the AC unit and open discharge valve. Again system evacuated and no refrigerant lost.  

If the system is to be decommissioned, in Australia, it was law that the refrigerant be reclaimed to a bottle using a refrigerant pump (not a vac pump). The refrigerant was then taken to a centre where pumped to larger bottles and treated at a later date.                                                                              

Hi. Any one know where I can buy a small gas fired or electric crucible furnace to melt aluminium in Thailand. sufficient to melt 2 to 3 kg at a time. I can buy on ebay but over $aud200 postage.

Thanks in advance for any help.

On 24/7/2017 at 10:32 AM, Gary A said:

The 9,000 BTU Samsung in our bedroom still works after more than ten years. I bought a Panasonic inverter 14,000 BTU for my computer room and the old Samsung cools better than the new Panasonic. Panasonic service checked out the new unit and said it is fine. The rooms are exactly the same size.

 

The 14,000 BTU unit in my Jomtien condo bedroom died after more than ten years. Other than being too big for the room, it was OK. It didn't run long enough to dehumidify the room before the compressor cycled off. I replaced it with a 10,200 BTU LG. (NO inverter). It works very well. I'm quite happy with it. I regret buying the Panasonic inverter.

 

The rooms at the house are both 18 square meters. My condo bedroom is 26 square meters.

As someone else mentioned its not just room size thats matters. Many other factors need to be taken into account. I have an AC sizing program that was written by an AC engineer for Australia.

Also what a lot of people don't know is that inverter models have a LOT of electronics. Electronics get hot especially if the outdoor unit is mounted in direct sun. The circuitry is smart enough to de-rate itself if the electronics gets too hot so the 14,000 unit may run with a lot less output if the electronics are hot. I recommend people should shade there inverter outdoor units if exposed to direct sun. There has to be sufficient room from the shading to let the hot air escape.

7 hours ago, lucjoker said:

 

cleaning means the unit has to come off the wall and dismanteled.....not their trick with the big plastic and a bucket...

 

 

Not true. This would be expensive and shorten the life of the AC. This is inviting a refrigerant leak. Copper piper looses its malleability one flared once. The flared connection would need to be done again if taken off wall. There is usually not much room for spare pipe especially in the bigger units with larger pipe. Also refrigerant in newer ACs run at higher pressure and flared connections should be done with specialist flared nut torque wrench. I would be less trusting of someone who told me I have to take AC off wall to clean than clean in situ.

The air filter should be cleaned monthly.

The fins cleaned once a year and can be done in situ. Carefully done and the water runs outside as does the condensate formed on the fins. A spray bottle with water and dishwashing liquid followed up by clean water in spray bottle does the job.

I didn't even take mine off wall to replace fan bearing.

7 hours ago, lucjoker said:

 

Even take the air out the system without loosing the gas.

You need a vacuum pump and a good quality vacuum gauge to do this properly.

6 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

Do yourself a big favour and get a decent top line (Daikin, Mitsubishi, Samsung etc) model WITH INVERTER ! Savings are huge, operation is silent, smooth, and highly efficient, and you will wonder why you didn,t change the old one out years ago ! They don,t cost much more than the "non-inverter" models and are well worth the extra couple of notes.

Cost a lot more if inverter board fails. Earlier ones in Oz were prone to vermin and geckos shorting out the board. VERY expensive repair.

I had a split system in my bedroom in Oz that was 20 years old. I put a new one in and put the old one in my garage workshop.

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

I have no intention of ever becoming one of these "Netizens"

Umm, you are already one.

When I moved here, Chiang Mai, 4 years ago from Australia I bought a car and a scooter. I had driven 40 years in Australia but never really driven a motor bike. I lived in a large quiet Moobaan with lots of empty sois as was a new development so I practiced there. However on my jaunts out into the real world in my car I saw what was happening.

Sold motor bike with only 14km on it. Yes fourteen kilometres. Never driven once since and only a passenger a few times. Lost 10,000baht but better than my life.

I have had another interesting thing happen as regards to a hot water heater.

My friend is in a condo and her hot water heater failed. The owner lives in Pattaya so I offered to buy and instal new heater to save time and pay that much less in the next rent payment. He agreed.

Bought new heater from HomePro and took it to the condo. Removed old one. I had removed the cover before and had seen ground wire so I thought ok (stupid me). The ground wire was attached under one of the mounting screws which was screwed into a plastic wall plug. So NO ground. Anyhow I noted on new heater the internal wiring had small wire going from ground connection the PCB. Also noted that the heater had an "iSafe" light. Did some checking and found this protects from no ground. Took it back to HomePro and told them will not work can I get heater that does not need ground wire to work. I was told all heaters now require 3 wires to work. OK, contacted owner who has agent in Chaing Mai. Agent later called and said he could not get an electrician to instal  as condo has no ground wires.

Ok, next step. I mounted the heater, plumbed and wired with a short length ground wire for a later connection. Her room is on second floor at back of condo so I though i could drop a ground wire out window down to the ground and drive in earthing rod and connect. Turned on water and, out of curiosity turned power on. IT WORKED. So much for the safety circuits.

1 hour ago, r136dg said:

 

If so, when an appliance has directions to put in an independent ground rod for it,

I have never seen an independent ground rod required for an appliance. What type of appliance have you seen this on?

Maybe products specifically for thailand where they know that the running of ground wire in houses not common.

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

 

Sadly the hole doesn't line up with the ground pin in a Thai outlet, you can get an adapter with a third pin but they are seemingly getting rare, or you can get a Schuko outlet which will fit a Thai back box.

 

Once the guarantee is out replace the Schuko with a Thai 3-pin plug.

 

 

Hadn't looked at the alignment.

And speaking of warranty I guess I should leave manufacturers plug on fridge. I will just connect earth in a second plug. Not ideal I know but makes safe and keeps my warranty.

46 minutes ago, wpcoe said:

By any chance was the "two pin" plug a Schuko plug?

 

 

I think these are less common in Thailand these days, but maybe worth asking?

My new Samsung fridge has a normal 2 pin plug. I have seen these Schuko plugs, in fact my induction hotplate has one, but not sure how they worked. Now I know. I was thinking maybe you could buy an earth pin and push into 3rd hole and make it a 3 pin plug.

I have run an earth wire from behind the power outlet to my fridge until i go buy a 3 pin plug and connect it.

On a side note, just remembered at my second house I rented an earth wire had been run to the outside washing machine. Not very effective as it was screwed into the plastic control housing. No, there was no metal behind the screw. 

27 minutes ago, janclaes47 said:

Adding to that is that my understanding is that if you have a properly functioning RCBO on your electrical circuits you don't actually need grounding.

Technically that is true but don't forget that an RCD requires you to receive the shock before it trips, so if you are not a typical healthy adult, the RCD will probably not trip fast enough to save you. Children, the sick, the old or pets are typically not able to sustain the shock that a RCD allows before tripping. Plus the shock could throw you back and sustain injuries in doing so. I know from a personal experience of this.

3 hours ago, StevieAus said:

I bought a Samsung refrigerator with an invertor that came with a two pin plug but a separate earth wire which the instructions called to be connected to an earthing rod

This wasn't a problem as it was for use in a downstairs under cover eating area

Is this usual and how would you earth it if it was inside the house ?

 Same here. Bought a couple months ago. I did think when I plugged in why only 2 pin plug. Had a few issues in my life since so never gave it another thought until i read your post. Just checked, ground connection symbols stamped into the metal everywhere at the back. Earth/ground wires running from base to compressor to cabinet but none to outlet so in the process of doing so.

I guess this shows up something about the law in Thailand too. I know if a company did this in Australia and someone was electrocuted the company could be sued for heaps. They would provide a 3 wired grounded plug and if, as in the case of a lot of places in thailand, there is no 3 pin outlet and the owner cuts off the 3rd pin then it becomes their responsibility not the fridge manufacturer.

1 hour ago, r136dg said:

 

I'm really burning out on poor workmanship & the messes they leave behind.

 

 

They don't care. Everything works without ground wire so why waste time and money to install it.

Grounding/earthing is certainly not worried about in Thailand. The last townhouse I rented was extensively renovated including some new wiring before I moved in. The switchboard is located in the middle of the house so they drilled a hole through the concrete floor and drove earth stake in. After moving in I checked a few things especially the shower water heaters. Downstairs one ok but I had a low voltage reading between active and ground indication a poor ground connect. Later I got into the roof space and discovered why poor ground connection. Ground wire from heater twisted around reo bar sticking out of wall. 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Sanook quoted an expert from a Lat Krabang engineering institute - Mongkhol Mongkholwongjot - as saying that while coins on the tracks could not derail a train, over time they could cause damage to the wheels and tracks limiting their lifespan.

I don't condone what he has done but I am sure coins are made of much softer metal than train wheels or tracks and would need a LOT of coins to start doing damage to tracks and wheels. 

Dazinoz: Your point?
 
Consistency matters, I believe, and if we can't discuss other illegal issues, why are we able to talk about this one? I mean I don't agree with all the rules here, but I do feel that they should be applied equally. 
Thailand's transport authorities have already fined scores of drivers and want the government to take down the app. You don't get fined for something that's NOT illegal. 
 
Why is this an open thread?