Crossy

I agree with your sentiments on Li-ion although if they are in a fireproof home away from your house and vehicles there's not really that much risk. Buying cells on-line is a nightmare, there are far too many sellers with "new" cells that are really used, at least we knew that our cells were used and sold as such. I've also bought 32650 cells from one seller and had good experiences only to buy some more from the same seller and got junk. There are known good sellers on AliBaba / AliExpress but for best results you need to look at the dedicated solar energy forums, we really have too small a footprint here to maintain accurate and up to the second data. Our cells live in a well shaded home, we don't push them really hard so battery temperatures rarely climb above ambient.

Never had that problem with the stuff we buy, but it comes from a local burner who uses forestry thinnings and traditional (ok, oil-drum) burners.

What he said ^^^. The solar installers know they have you over a barrel so they can bump up their costs, expect equipment and accessories to be 40 - 45% of the total installed cost. And yes, they do have to be actual registered contractors, you can't DIY "to code" and get approval, I asked! LiFePO4 batteries are significantly more long-lived than lead-acid and keeping them in the 20-80% charge range should put them well into the 8,000 cycles (22 years' worth) bracket before they lose a significant amount of capacity.

Yup, exactly what we use to get the barbie charcoal going. And, of course, it doesn't leave that diesel or rubbery taste (which takes a surprisingly long time to burn off).

Important note for non-Aussies: - Thongs = flip-flops not underwear

THE £50 pound note. It's a slow day in a small country village and the streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit. A tourist visiting the area drives through the village, stops at the hotel, and lays a £50 pound note on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night. As soon as he walks upstairs, the hotel owner grabs the note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. (Now ... pay attention) The butcher takes the £50 and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the £50 and heads off to pay his bill to his feed supplier. The guy at the supplier takes the £50 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit. Now, the hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner. The hotel proprietor then places the £50 back on the counter so the traveller will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveller comes back down the stairs, stating that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the £50 pound note and leaves. No one produced anything and no one earned anything! However ... the whole village now thinks that they are out of debt and there is a false atmosphere of optimism and glee! And that, my friend, is how a government works!

Yes, with caveats of course. You absolutely must have a grid-tie inverter, this is non-negotiable!! If you have a conventional disc type meter, these will happily spin backwards when exporting. Of course, this is not permitted and you need to ensure that your meter reader doesn't see it going backwards and you need to make sure you never actually become a net-exporter and end up with a negative meter reading**. There are vast numbers of small (and not so small) systems operating like this and the authorities generally turn a blind eye. This doesn't work with the newer electronic meters, in fact there have been reports of electronic meters counting UP on export so you get billed for the energy you give to the grid! The alternative is to go legal. Doing it this way will at least double the cost of your system and half the rate you are paid for the energy you export. You need to use approved equipment and use an approved installer, there's then a stack of paperwork and a wait (often a very long wait) to get your export meter installed. ** People do get caught out, but the worst punishment I'm aware of is a slapped wrist and the installation of a no-reverse meter. Alternatively, you could find local uses for your over-production, heat your hot water, charge your EV, run your A/C flat out for your pet polar-bear (although penguins are less likely to eat you). Much depends upon your usage patterns.

A comment on moderation has been removed, as has a post continuing the earlier argument that was removed. Thread closed.

Just had an impacted wisdom tooth which was giving me problems removed here. Pleasant English-speaking dentist. Uncomfortable (took an hour and a half due to problems with roots) but no pain. Cost was a reasonable 4k Baht. Recommended. https://www.facebook.com/Facesmileclinic

Yeah, you need a proper CASS (Controlled Access Security System) system, but these are definitely not cheap and are likely outside the budget of your average condo. www.bkkps.co.th/solutions-services/cass-system/

Actually, about half that for non-DIY grid-tie. DIY grid-tie should payback in 3-4 years IF you can do the unofficial net-metering. Going hybrid is certainly rather more expensive, but payback time isn't everything. Hybrid users also become immune to grid outages which can be rather common out in the sticks. Don't forget the cost of power will be increasing significantly in the new-year too. And, of course, once you have achieved payback your power is free!

A couple of posts have been removed. Let's play nicely chaps and lose the insults.

Can you, as the victim, refuse to take part in these ridiculous "apology" charades? I'm afraid I'd be wanting to introduce the perp to my size 11 (UK) steel toecap site boots.

I'm sure I saw something about them adding the ability to self-insure (which is what I think this section is about) if you can't get the required health insurance.

November generation figures, slightly better than last month.

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We have that exact pump, definitely got 3-core cable. Protect with a 10mA RCBO if you can't arrange an earth for it (or even if you can).

Are you sure that's a double-insulated appliance? That Schuko plug has the earth connections, double-insulated ones tend not to have the extra metalwork.

But what about all of the electricity that's pouring out of the "on" but unused outlet?

Since our OP has his answer and the bickering has started.

All good stuff above. BUT To be brutally honest, with anything other than hand-baggage, get a taxi from the airport and arrive refreshed (OK, a few beers poorer)

It certainly does no harm. In the UK switched outlets are a de-facto standard, but unswitched are still permitted. This is one difference between BS7671 which is proscriptive (you need to achieve this) and AS3000 which is prescriptive (you must do this). There's a lot more freedom in the system design in the UK. Either way works just fine. For the record, I would use AS3000 here if you need an English standard, it blows the Thai requirements out of the water.

Very possibly

Yes, although your choice is limited. All your outlets should be protected by RCD/RCBO anyway, so a bit of damp will cause that to trip.