Crossy

We pay a man (you don't think I clean our panels do you), it's actually the same chap who cuts the grass etc. Should be plenty of locals who will push the mud around for a nominal fee.

We use the hose and the nylon pool brush (it has a telescopic handle). It's also worth doing early in the morning when any dew is still on the panels to soften the dirt. Our panels are nowhere near as mucky as @007 RED ones, but they do need a clean.

Assuming you are looking at using for Thai plugs. For UK plugs it is right now. But yes, just swapping the red and blue wires should sort it. I'd extend and re-route the red wire too, passing it across the earth bus is a recipe for a bang! No need to swap the wires on the USB board.

Currently trying to drag the skin off a rice-pudding! My uncle Phil had an early Cooper S (white, black roof), enormously fun car, cornered like it was on rails. Sadly, both Phil and the car are long gone ????

I admit it took me a bit longer than it should have to realise it was an "Old Lang Sign"

Does the tester actually go off completely when you turn off the switch now? If it does, then I suspect you are mistaken, but no harm done if you ditch the beast (or just don't turn off the switch). I no longer buy extensions; I prefer to make my own then I know they are wired correctly and have sensibly sized wiring.

That's not a Mini! THIS is a Mini! Enjoy your car, the BM Cooper really is a pretty nice car. A resort near us has a classic Mini pickup shell sitting looking most forlorn. Project for when I retire maybe ????

My evil weather-control system is working perfectly!! Tomorrow I will wash the car and guarantee a downpour. Cue maniacal laughter! Strokes white Persian cat!

Ages ago, I bought a Samsung "smart" TV, I never really used the smarts, I struggled to even get the beast to stream from my network drive. More recently I bought a Sharp Android TV. I was hoping that I could run a VPN and BBC iPlayer on the TV. Sadly, even side-loaded I couldn't get iPlayer to work reliably. Luckily it has a built-in ChromeCast so I can cast from my tablet, still no BBC unless I use the VPN function on my router (so everything goes via the VPN). I'm currently watching Sky Sports Cricket (Pakistan - NZ Test), via one of the (not free) IPTV sites out of China.

You may still not be able to do it if running the VPN on your phone stops you being able to cast. I do like the Worgeordie solution, plug a mini-PC (or your desktop/lappie) into an HDMI input and run the TV as a second monitor.

Well task A. would be to correct your plug wiring. Live (brown) goes on the Left looking at the back of the plug when the earth is at the top. That may well cause a L-N reverse on your tester but it should then go off when you open the switch (which will then be in the real live). The problem with these little testers is they are very simple and easily confused. You are giving it a L-N reverse AND an open neutral. With two faults the indication could be almost anything. As noted earlier, they are a guide only, anything they tell you is wrong should be taken with a pinch of salt. The L-N being swapped at the outlets is incredibly common on these units with "universal" outlets (as explained in my earlier post). Have you checked the wall outlet with your tester, just in case? Personally, I'd fix your plug wiring, make sure the switch really opens the actual live so everything goes off when you open it, and leave it alone, it will be fine.

That your tester is still showing "something" when you open the switch means you are possibly not opening the "real" live. You may really be opening the real neutral which can certainly confuse some testers (particularly if you have other stuff plugged in - even the internal electronics of the USB outlets), an open neutral may also explain the flickering of the desk lamp as it turns off. Please re-test with nothing else plugged in to your strip. Not that I don't believe you, but please post a better photo of your plug wiring. In reality, if it's reading right with the swich on then you are good to go. The switch may be opening the neutral but it's not really a hazard unless you start poking your fingers around and relying on the switch as isolation (unwise). This is what looking into the outlet (or at the back of the plug) should be like (US terminology - Hot = Live).

Does your TV support ChromeCast - let us know which make and model you have? A decent VPN on a reasonably powerful Android Box (or cast from your phone if the TV can do it) should get you all the free-to-air UK channels.

Pretty much nothing. Is he still sending $$$? If not, and she changes her mind, I believe she can divorce him with the reason "Abandonment" without his presence.

I just read our meter. Reading on the last bill (19/12/22) 14,831, today's reading 14,821. Oops. If the good weather continues, I'll have to turn off export earlier than usual.

These little testers are easily confused so really should be considered a quick check, if they show something awry start checking. The question is, are you going to plug in Thai appliances (leave it as it is - but please tidy up the wiring in your plug) or UK appliances (swap Land N in your plug). EDIT I'm assuming that the wall outlet does test as "Correct" of course.

That's not something I've ever come across, it would be awfully expensive to implement with really little added value.

Yeah, I was being slightly more diplomatic ???? 'Tis incorrect.

Maybe I could have been clearer, my train of thought got interrupted. You are correct, parallel isn't an issue with over-voltage.

Much depends upon the maximum input voltage of your inverter. If it allows you to have all the panels in parallel then shading of one set or the other won't matter (but you will need to have individual fuses for each panel with 5 in parallel). If you are going to have series strings then a separate inverter for each string would be wise. Also note that you are limited to about 3.5kW (16A) with a Thai outlet so separate inverters could be the way to go anyway to avoid issues with the el-cheapo outlets which tend to get used here. Do you have any particular inverter in mind?

Your problem is those "universal" outlets. The UK has the L&N transposed with respect to Thailand, so whichever way round you wire it will be "wrong" for one or other. Hook up your new plug so that it's "right" for the plugs you use most with the extension. Note that Thailand should be "Live on the Left" when you look into the outlet with earth at the top. It's not totally clear but is your new plug actually correct? (I also see rather more bare-copper than I'd like) Most (all) modern appliances don't really care about L-N polarity but it's best to be correct.

Yeah that works, the commercial hold-down systems are intended to resist a decent blow. Of course, the hold-down rails need to be well attached to your structure. Check out the fixing requirements of your chosen system.

They walk among us!