DineshR

@unblocktheplanet It's called the South Indian restaurant on Soi 11 off Silom road ... look up google maps and do a street view on soi 11. It's on the left as you walk into the soi from Silom.

IMHO the best masala dosa in Bangkok is at a little South Indian restaurant in a little soi (either 11 or 13) off Silom. Probably about a 200 m walk down the soi from Silom.

Thank you all for the suggestions.  I will be speaking with the contractor tomorrow together with the PEA handbook and then decide what we'll do. Thanks again.

@Crossy I took a couple of photos to show where exactly the ground rod is relative to the earth level - it's just below the earth line. After construction, I will be adding some more earth so the ground rod may be a couple of inches below the ground. Right now, I've just cleared the earth around the ground rod and placed a plastic shield around it as you can see. Given where it is currently, can I just cover it completely with earth as it then won't be exposed to the air - though it will get damp if it rains - but then due to the lack of oxygen, it won't oxidize even when it's damp. Or can I simply cover the whole thing in concrete and not worry about it at all ? Please advise.

@CrossyThe high school chemistry lesson was useful. I understand. Thank you.

@simon43Thank you for the suggestion. Will do as you suggest.

@CrossyThe rod is actually buried and the top part is covered with earth. I will remove it and cover it with something to keep the dirt off it. But if you say that it will corrode rapidly, won't the copper rod deep in the ground corrode as well ? Or are you saying only the part of the rod that is connected to the wire will corrode if it is exposed to the earth / dampness ? Please advise. Thanks.

@SimpleMan555Thank you. I did buy the ground rod (2.4 M was only 200 baht interestingly) and had the electrician install it. He drove it into the ground using a hammer but it took him a while to get it in all the way. He then connected it with a single length cable (size #10) and ran it under the slab before the slab was poured. The cable was laid inside a yellow pipe. The cable was simply connected to the rod using the screw/clamp that came with the rod. The wire was wired tight around the rod and then the screw/clamp was used to tighten it against the rod. I asked him to leave the top of the rod and the wire/rod connection exposed just under the ground.

@Crossy. Thank you very much. All the comments have been very, very helpful. Much appreciated.

@CrossySo would having the main breaker be an RCBO(or RCD) and the remaining sub breakers be non RCBO(or RCD) be the lower cost solution with no disadvantages ?

Or would have a non RCBO main breaker with RCBO sub breakers be a more safer implementation ? Just curious.

All. Thank you so much for the quick inputs.

@Crossy You show a ground bus bar and it shows that the incoming neutral and the ground rod are connected electrically (meaning shorted) via this ground bus bar - is this what you meant by the drawing or am I mis-interpreting the drawing ? And I presume that the sub circuit breakers can also be RCBO's ?

Please advise. Thanks.

Hello,

I am looking for some quick guidance on where to locate the ground rod for electric power to a house I am building.

I have attached a drawing of the house layout and would appreciate some guidance on the following.

1. The utility power pole is located about 20 meters from the house and the electric wire will be run overhead from that pole to the house roof top area.

2. The main circuit breaker panel box will be located in the kitchen area as shown. (only a single phase will be used)

So my questions are :

- Should the ground rod be located in the kitchen below the main circuit breaker panel box ? Or if not, where is the ideal location ?

- Is this ground rod a copper rod, how long deep should it go into the ground (or can it be cast into the concrete foundation) ?

- Where can I buy such a rod and approx how much does it cost ?

- How is the rod connected to the breaker box ?

- Or can the ground rod be installed AFTER the house is completed ?

Your advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for your replies. I currently use Sherawood type planks for wall siding as well as a makeshift fenced area for pets and for these applications they are fine. But for flooring, I don't believe they are strong enough.

@Crossy - thanks for your information. That is exactly what I am looking for and I've already gone through Conwood's website. Will go to a nearby retailer and find out more. Thank you.

@mogandave Yes, I think I will go with the type of small stone flooring similar to the ones you see in swimming pool areas (called chattahoochee in the US). I just checked here and they run about 280 baht/sq m (m/t and labor) (without the top coat). This is cheaper than good tile and the plus is that hard water stains are not nearly as visible on this type of floor as opposed to tile.

Hello,

I am currently building a house and would like some guidance on material to be used for the flooring of a sala and potentially exterior walkways. The flooring will be exposed to the weather and must tolerate rain as well as heat.

While good wood would be a good solution, wood such as teak is very expensive as I have found out. So, I started looking at alternatives and have found a few.

- From HomePro - they offer a fake wood plastic product that looks like wood and they claim can be used outdoors without any issues.

- From SCG - they offer the SCG deck system - I think is a fiber cement plank that also looks like wood and they also claim can be used outdoors.

- and then there are companies that offer wood such as treated pine etc which are more expensive.

For cost reasons, I am looking more at either the HomePro or SCG solutions.

Would appreciate guidance from anyone that may have used either of these products and can advise me on what the best product would be ? Or alternatively, suggest any other alternatives.

Thank you in advance for your help.

I think if one is going to live and make a life here in Thailand, it makes absolute sense to learn Thai. I've lived in Thailand now for almost 17 years and I now live in rural Thailand where no one speaks English. I took some lessons in Thai while I lived In Bangkok some 15 years ago - took lessons in speaking, reading and writing Thai but I only took it for 5 months before I had to give it up. It was a good enough start to be able to read simple signs and have simple conversations in shops, markets, taxis etc. It was good enough I guess to able to live here. Then I moved to rural Thailand 6 years ago and where I live now, no one speaks English. I finally decided last year to properly learn the language. I have a stepson who is enrolled in Kumon and it has benefitted him tremendously in improving his math and english skills. Last year, the Kumon center here introduced Thai as an additional subject. By that time, I had gotten to know the center's staff quite well and I asked if I could learn Thai at Kumon. They were willing to let me give it a try. When I first started, I asked they start me at ground zero i.e. not knowing a single thing in Thai. I have spent about an hour each day, every day for the last one year and I have progressed through 4 levels now. They start you off with the alphabet, then simple words and sounds, then the tones and more complex words, then sentences and more words. A year later, I am much more fluent in Thai than I ever expected to be. With the Kumon system, it kind of slowly builds the knowledge up. When I first started, the tones were the hardest part to understand. It actually takes a long time before it kind of clicks in but it eventually does. A year later, I am much more confident in reading and speaking and my vocabulary is much more extensive. I can know listen to the radio or TV and actually understand a lot of what is being said - I could never do this a year ago. It's made a huge difference to me in how I live my life since I now actually understand a lot of what is being said around me now at home, in shops, markets etc and the ability to be able to respond and have a dialogue is priceless. More than anything, the Thai people you interact with respond to you so much more personally when you speak with them in Thai. Is Thai easy ? No and it will take me a few more years at Kumon before I can speak like a native. But I think it's worth the effort especially if one is making a life here.  My 2 cents.

I agree. If your health is good, then waiting to 70 is the best choice. 32% more than what you get at FRA (or 57%more compared to 62) is definitely nothing to sneeze at. Assuming a benefit of 1500 at FRA, your benefit at 62 would be 1125 vs 1980 at 70.

Thank you for the clarification.

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There is no IOS or Android app for TM30 reporting. The only app that exists is for 90 day reporting.

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On the TKStar GPS Tracker - did some digging on google and note that this tracker uses GSM/GPRS - does it also support 3G/4G ? And does it use the small sized SIM card which is common nowadays or the large SIM card size ?

And is the app supported on Android/IOS ?

Want to get one of these but just want to make sure it supports 3G/4G. Thanks for your help.

I don't know what the fuss is about. My wife and I built the house we live in. The house is in my wife's name. My wife went to the TM30 website (https://extranet.immigration.go.th/fn24online/), registered and received a user name and password a few weeks later. She is now able to log in and record a TM30. We have yet to actually fill out and submit a TM30 since we haven't travelled anywhere since but will do so once we make a trip somewhere. As far as I can tell the process is relatively straightforward. Good luck.

@DFPhuket Thank you.

@mtls2005 Thank you very much for the clarification. I understand it now. Much appreciated.

I did have one other question. Once you have filled out the form and submitted it, how do you receive some form of proof that you did submit the TM30 in case you are queried later at Immigration, say when you do your retirement renewal ? Do you receive an email confirming submission together with details submitted or does it give you a print out that you can print and keep with your passport ?

Thanks.

Hello,

I applied for the TM30 login a couple of weeks ago and we just received the user ID and password. As mentioned above, once you login, you are asked to change your password.

I have been able to login but now have a couple of questions that I am hoping someone could help me with.

I have attached a screenshot below.

1. What is this " Import data from excel file " .... 

2. What is check out date ?

Would appreciate any guidance on this.

Thanks.

Your best bet is just to contact TE and have them tell you what's needed (though the list has been mentioned in a prior post) and then pay 2000 baht for an Elite liaison to go with you to get the whole thing done fast and easy. If you want to save the 2000, then prepare the docs yourself (not that difficult) and go early to get a low queue number and you could be out of there by 10 am. I've done the TM7 process many, many times and if you go early - before 7 am and queue, you'll be out of there by 10 am. If you do the 90 day notification of address at the same time, then you'll be out of there by noon. TE will give you the list of docs you need, make your own copies as specified and your passport photos and you are good to go. Not a big deal. I also understand that TE allows free liaison one time and then the 2nd time you are charged 2000 baht - at least that's what they used to do - not sure if that is the case now. Good luck !

Thanks all. Just for context ... AliExpress is at around USD 200 (THB 6300) Lazada Thailand is at around THB 5900 and Lazada Malaysia is at MYR 529 (THB 4000) ... Even if I had to pay the 5% duty & 7% VAT, it's still the best deal.



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Thank you very much. This is very helpful.

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