longball53098

I'm in the Banchang/Pattaya area so China town is out for me but if its a decent machine might be worth the trip. Let me know how you make out?

Khun Maestro,

Thanks so much for the clear answer. I thought their may be a slight change to what I was told and this sounds good.

Ok I will set the stage here.

I am an American that applied for and received a 1 year Non-Imm O-A multiple entry retirement visa. The issue date was Feb 2008 and the expiry date is Feb 2009.

I have been to Thailand using this O-A visa twice already for short stays. Each time I entered I got a stamp showing a 1 year stay allowed. I just arrived last Saturday and my current stamp shows permission to stay until September 6, 2009. I will be leaving for Kuwait next Sunday and will return to Thailand on or about 1 Oct.2008. I would expect I will have a new entry stamp with permission to stay until Oct. 2009. I will remain here in LOS until about 30 Oct. 2008 and then return stateside.

I intend to retire sometime in Jan or Feb of 2009 but I’m not sure yet if I will return to LOS before the Feb expiry date of the O-A visa.

So the question here is what should I do?

I have been advised at Maptaput Immigration that before I leave the last time in late October I should get a re-entry permit. When I return to LOS in March or April after the expiry of the O-A visa the re-entry permit will allow me back in country on the O-A visa and they will stamp me in for another year.

All experts advice is much appreciated.

You have a picture of the thing. Buy an aluminum extension ladder locally

Take it to a local shop and have them modify it to look like your picture. These shops can do magic if you use the right one.

LT Col,

Please remember to make a post here after you have lived here for more than 2 years. When you and the wife have made the adjustment and have all your daily/weekly/yearly costs lined up and are into basic retired living.

Please enlighten me and the others here as to what you are spending per month and if that lifestyle is close to what you lived like in OZ?

I always read about about the folks that want questions answered but I rarely see any postings of how good or bad the advice is or was. 2 years you will know if someone here steered you right or not.

For any NFL football fans and fanatics,

Here is a copy from the Truevisions web site of the schedule for September.

Remember that tomorrow morning they will once again re-number the channels and TrueSport 4 will be located on Channel 62 if the monthly book is accurate.

Happy football watching

Edit of this post. I just now see that there is an extensive discussion of the schedule on the Sports Forum,,,,,,,,,,oh well double your pleasure

I wasn't sure if I should post this as a Food Topic or a General Topic but I'll give food a try first.

I am looking to buy one of those electric machines that will vaccum seal a bag of food or a jar.

There is a web site for the Foodsaver brand Foodsaver but no distributor listed for LOS

The home models are very good for sealing many things and keeping fresh.

Does anyone have one or know of a store where available?

A machine and the supply of the bagging plastic.

Thanks to anyone for the answers

I agree about the Lotus store and the insanity of the traffic it brings to the area. Tesco could have done better on location and building a store. People would come to shop no matter where they build it. Putting that store in that spot has created nothing but a traffice nightmare for the area.

And here in Thailand it seems anything is allowed. They (Lotus) are not forced to provide improvements to the local infrastructure such as road and traffic improvements to ease the pain of the increased traffic.

And the architect/design team that got the approval on the single door entry from the car park should be shot at sunrise. What a bottleneck of confusion.

But I also agree that Ban Chang is a much nicer place to live than Pattaya. Lets hope the town fathers don't get greedy and let i get spoiled too quickly.

Reading these types of questions always makes me smile and almost laugh! I look back just a short 3 years ago when I made the move to Thailand. A virtual "cherry" in the life here.

I remember doing the same thing------------asking my friends that already lived here the same sort of questions. I put together XL spreadsheets about my intended budget and other stuff. Their replies to me were all polite and helpful but the bottom line of most answers was to get here and experience life and living and the costs associated. Adjust your lifestyle as necessary.

People can quote you all sorts of numbers but no one knows for sure about how you live. You can fill in the blanks on the easy numbers about insurance, car prices, cost of petrol and electricity per KWH and water and such.

One of the best places to start is being here and getting involved with the local expat community such as the very helpful Expat clubs. Tons of useful information.

The biggest thing is don't jump into buying a house or Condo until you've lived here for a period of time. Rent a modest place be it an apartment or house for at least a year before you take the plunge into buying. Pattaya and Thailand will look a lot different after you've lived here for a year or two compared to that annual holiday for a few weeks.

If you and the wife want to continue living at the same standard you had in your home country be prepared to pay a higher cost for life here. For 2 people living a western style life and luxuries I would guess that 75k to 100k baht per month will cover all your costs and make you feel comfortable. Enjoying the sort of "steak" lifestyle you want.

I know things have changed in the recent past and depending on location some of us foreigners now need to obtain a certificate of residence from our respective embassys' or is still possible for us Pattayans' to get the certificate of residence from the immigration office in Jomtien??

the immigtation office in Jomtiem will issue this certificate - if i recall, the cost was about 200 baht and requires copies of your passport pages, proff of your residency ( chanod if you own condo or house) or a letter from the owner if you rent and a couple of recent pics of you - drop off this in the morning and the certificate is ready in the afternoon - i gave this back to the Honda Dealer where i bought my car and they handled getting me the plates from the Thai DMV

What would be considered proof of residency? house is in my wifes name so would bank statements or similar showing my address be acceptable to apply for certificate of residency?

Frank

Proof will be a copy of the pages of your wife's house book and wife's ID card and possibly a copy of marriage certificate. The bank and cable invoices won't cut it.

Based on a discussion with my Thai wife. She had a similar experience and let her 1 year expire and went to renew after several months and they said nothing. She got her 5 year with no questions.

In the OP's first post it was stated,

I just got my electric bill and I was shocked, 6,960 bht for 1 month for a 105 sqm condo. I've read different condos charge different amount for electricity. Can some one tell me where I should look on the bill for this? I see it has some thai writing and then says (Ft) and below that it says 62.85.

Then I see it says:

150 (1 - 150): 270.705

250 (151 - 400): 694.525

1455: 4,332.990

this is obviously a breakdown but I'm just not sure what it means. Any help would be appreciated.

Is the OP looking at the original invoice from the PEA? Or at an invoice delivered by the Condo offices? Some info is provided related to charges that would seem to indicate it is the PEA invoice. The reference that some condos charge different amounts is true as some condos add some service charges to the actual usage. We have a condo and pay 3 baht per unit over the PEA rates. I've heard some condos charge as much as 5 or 6 baht more.

If the OP can see the meter for the condo unit then I would suggest to start reading the meter on a regular basis and do a little math and figure out how much the condo unit is using on a daily/weekly basis so the next invoices will not be such surprises. When you read a meter you can learn what amounts an AC or hot pot or electric stove use and know where to cut back if necessary.

As for the Florida smoke detector story. In doing a little further research the about them. It would seem that 120VAC detectors use about 50 milliamps of current in a normal state. If something failed in a detector and it started to use more power to the point of several amps over a period of several days or weeks it would certainly increase the monthly invoice. Would the unit have a meltdown from the high current draw? One would hope so or trip a breaker at least. Which leads to the "hard wired" part.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR

INSTALLATION OF SMOKE ALARMS ON

RESIDENTIAL BRANCH CIRCUITS

October 2005

CPSC-ES-0504

Hardwired smoke alarms with battery back-up were not required until the 1996

edition of NFPA 72. In 1996, the requirement to have hardwired smoke alarms with battery

back- up in new construction was added to address non-operability during power outages.

5.0 SUMMARY

The National Fire Alarm Code (NFPA 72) (prior to 1993, the standard was named

Standard for the Installation, Maintenance and Use of Household Fire Warning Equipment-

NFPA 74), requirements for smoke alarms in newly constructed residential homes have changed

over time.

· Prior to 1989, single-station, battery-only-powered smoke alarms were typically required

to be installed in homes, new or existing.

· In 1989, newly constructed residential homes were required to have interconnected (hardwired)

smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside the sleeping areas. With

interconnected smoke alarms, all the smoke alarms will sound if any individual smoke

alarm detects smoke.

· In 1993, the standard required the installation of hardwired smoke alarms inside

bedrooms or sleeping areas. Smoke alarms were required in bedrooms to address the

concern associated with sound level losses when occupants sleep with the bedroom doors

closed.

· In 1996, the requirement to have hardwired smoke alarms with battery back-up in new

construction was added to address non-operability during power outages.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR

INSTALLATION OF SMOKE ALARMS ON

RESIDENTIAL BRANCH CIRCUITS

October 2005

CPSC-ES-0504

Arthur Lee, Electrical Engineer

Doug Lee, Electrical Engineer

Division of Electrical Engineering

Directorate for Engineering Sciences

The views expressed in this report are those of the CPSC staff and have not been

reviewed or approved by, and may not necessarily reflect the views of, the Commission.

The bill looks correct and you are being charged the normal rate. My bill was the same

+270.705

+694.525

5184.698 for total of 1741 units

6,149.93 subtotal

8,063.99 total

But have five bedroom house, one ac runs 24 hours and 3 others at night. Five refrigerators also add up.

Your total usage seems high unless you use ac a lot. Turn everything off and check your meter to make sure someone else has not taped into it. I would do with plugs out/items turned off rather than main breaker as they might have wired from your breaker panel after the main switch.

Lop has suggested the right idea to trouble-shoot or identify electricity usage. Look at your meter and see how fast it is spinning around. Then unplug everything, one at a time while looking at your meter each time to see which item is consuming the most electricity.

One note though, my Mother when she had a condo in Florida had ridiculously high electric bills compared to her neighbors and reported this to the condo association. They sent over a maintenance guy and he did exactly what I described above. When everything in her entire condo was disconnected the meter was still spinning around at a high speed. It was found later (after inspecting the incoming main to ensure nobody was tapping into it) that there was two smoke detectors that were 'hard wired' into the 110VAC line and one of them was defective, thus drawing massive amounts of current. Once it was disconnected and replaced then an electric bill with an average amount was seen.

So let me get this straight---------------------------You're saying the 2 smoke detectors were wired in to the main 120VAC coming from the condo main supply to your mother's place? In other words after the meter supplying her unit and ahead of the main consumer panel in her unit. So there was no breaker protection on those 2 detectors? If that's the case the electrician that installed them should have his ticket pulled and I would be checking more wiring in the condo.

You say "drawing massive amounts of current". How do you measure or calculate "massive"? Like Naam I am having a problem with this but without any inspection of the wiring and the detector in question I will NOT say "impossible" . I will only say very curious. I could understand a circuit or transformer in a unit that might cause an overload and draw more current but I'm not sure about this massive amounts thing. If it was this way unchecked for some time it was a fire hazard in itself if wired as you indicate.

Do you have a mate here in Thailand that can make the payment for you? Then you can pay them back when you return. If it's only a one time thing might be the easiest way.

Down the soi 42 towards the beach is the housing project Payoon Greenville.

They have a small pool and exercise room. Not an official gym but the sales office will allow outsiders to pay a small fee of around 600 baht per year for a single to use the facilities. As far as I know its unlimited use.

Don't know any more details than this,,,,,,,check it out

A friend who rents here in BKK called me yesterday to ask advice. She is moving back home and has rented in BKK in the same place for 2 plus years. She notified per her lease agreement that she will be vacating October 5 and that she would like her rental deposit returned shortly after. She was informed by the agent for the landlord that they would hold her rental deposit 24,000 (2 months deposti) for 3 months. The lease agreement says that deposit to be returned after termination of lease.

Any rules on this? As she is moving back home it will be difficult for her to follow up on this.

If the lease says only this and no clear time frame then I think your stuck waiting,,,,,,,,,could be until eternity if no date or number of days is specified in the lease.

I guess I have to add a comment about the connections and box.

You have done yourself proud by using a weather-proof box of sorts and the neat soldering (tinning) of the stranded wires and using the connection block.

But,,,,there is always a but,,,,the two wires(cables) entering the lower area of the box appear to me to be just hanging down and not supported in any manner. We can't see below the box but I hope you supported the wires in some way to keep them from accidentally being pulled from your box/connector. I am also a fan of some protection from abrasion and the wires enter the box over a what looks like sharp edge. Again I can't see the complete picture and if the wires are secured from moving then abrasion protection is overkill but in my world I would still use it.

I think I will disagree about Starbucks coffee being brewed in a "percolator". They make their "coffee of the day" via a big drip machine not a "percolator". The drip basket is almost a flat bottom basket versus the cone shape of most home type drippers.

I have 2 savings account that are joint with my wife (unregistered) and have internet banking on them. Siam Commercial Bank.

She has an account at BKK bank and we asked if we could open a joint account there and have internet banking, the answer was yes but we decided to wait til later.

Thank you for the reply and information. Just for my own clarification, You are not a permanent resident and she is Thai?

I am here on a long stay retirement extension. I just renewed for the 3rd year last week. Not in PR status.

She is Thai and has never been out of the country.

Please read my post about my experience last week. I did not have to certify anything and I used a Income letter more than 3 months old.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2172242

If you are a DIYer it should be easy to shut off the power and open the units and disconnect things. You don't say if the units are up high on a wall or what. If everything is at floor level should be a piece of cake. If this were the USA it is illegal to discharge the refrigerant into the atmosphere it should be recycled but TIT.

I had a unit removed when I moved and the company charged me 500 baht to do the work and lift the units into my truck. Negotiate a price for 5 units.

I have 2 savings account that are joint with my wife (unregistered) and have internet banking on them. Siam Commercial Bank.

She has an account at BKK bank and we asked if we could open a joint account there and have internet banking, the answer was yes but we decided to wait til later.

Yes the outets are in our world upside down but I think the main part of the book looks pretty good.

ISBN 974 7751 67 4

Amarin Printing and Publishing Co Ltd

I went to the online website of SE-ED and found the book stock number and went to a store and ordered one. Could have mail ordered it though.

I came across this small but informative book and purchased one from the local SE-ED bookstore. The cost was in the area of 250 baht.

This small wiring book is aimed at the Thai who wants to do things right and I think this book could help us all in our quest to get our home electrics done correctly. The pictures and associated explanations should help you get your Thai electrician on the same page as you.

I can't read Thai but from the pictures and charts it looks pretty good.

There is one company in Pattaya ARC Windows and Insulation

They sell windows, AC, and can do the spray on foam.

There is another one in Pattaya, Lohr Industries

I think there is a third one Thermaflex Insulation Asia