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I got stung badly about 8 months ago. I ordered an new printer on COD and forgot to tell the wifey. Anyhow, the 'printer' turned up while I was at the dentist and she paid the COD. Turned out to be a silicone phone case.

I went through the arbitration process and got my money back in the form of a voucher which I was free to spend on Lazada. I wasn't entirely happy about that but, what the hell, I'll buy a printer from a registered Lazada Mall trader.

But I couldn't use the voucher because I wasn't Thai, they cited some law excluding foreigners and that was that. The voucher expired and I lost my money.

Now, you need to remember that Lazada isn't Lazada anymore - it's Alibaba and has been for a few years now. Breathe in that information and remember it when you next click the 'BUY' button. You have almost zero chance of getting any recourse as you would expect from, say, Trading Standards in the UK.

Having said that, I still buy a lot of stuff from Lazibaba, but I stick to a set of traders that I know (Thaidee Home Mart are excellent) to whom I will pay by credit card. Other than that, it's small ticket items which I pay COD, I open the parcel at the gate before I pay the delivery guy.

Caveat emptor as they say.

Just now, Jingthing said:

The Thai government is strictly controlling the SUPPLY of vaccines to the private hospitals. It's my reading that they will also be controlling the timing including the POLITICS of the timing. Again, we shall see. 

I think that smacks of conspiracy theoretics. The Thai govt ain't stupid because they already recognise that general herd immunity cannot be achieved by race alone, this is why they announced that all foreigners would be included in the vaccination program.

Your problem seems to be where - and how high - your place is in the queue, and how you can increase your chances of an early vaccine. If you are 60+ and have health issues, I would suggest that you visit one of the private hospitals to try and get registered as a high-risk patient - along with the thousands of others trying to do the same thing.

3 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

The Hiso Thais would trample all over the cheap skate farangs in a heart beat

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes and based on my current reading of the situation Thais will likely have earlier access to paid vaccines at private hospitals BEFORE f-rangs.

I don't see that as being necessarily true; they are more likely to prioritise their customers who have insurance policies and are registered in their system. Remember, the world is watching and if any entity is seen to be price gouging on vaccines is headed for the naughty corner in a very public way.

Also remember that they haven't got the vaccines yet and won't have for some weeks. If they have obtained the distribution license then they have time to formulate their distribution policy. And I'm sure there will be more clarity in the weeks to come.

On 5/1/2021 at 11:33 PM, drtreelove said:

Yes.  

 

Attached article from "Home Guides" has some management info.

 

My approach, start with good soil and water management to build resistance to pests and diseases. Avoid high NPK chemical fertilizers and hard chemistry insecticides. Use COF (mineralized, slow release, complete organic fertilizer), be sure that your COF has a calcium component. )

Spray a botanical pest repellent weekly during pest activity season, like Azadirachtin (neem seed oil extract, repellent, anti-feedant, reproductive disruptor)  

บริษัท ผลิตภัณฑ์สะเดาไทย จำกัด : Inspired by LnwShop.com (thaineem.co.th)

 

 

 

 

How to Control Leaf Miners on a Tomato Plant.docx 15.75 kB · 0 downloads Bokashi fertilizer.docx 59.06 kB · 0 downloads

Brilliant mate, just what I was looking for. I've ordered a liter of the above so we should have it by the weekend - it may be too late to save the tomatoes unfortunately but we'll get planting again ASAP.

As for the bokashi, I checked the link but there doesn't seem to be anywhere to buy it, I checked the Totto website and it's not a listed product. In place of this I've ordered some Neem bean potting soil which I hope does the trick.

18 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

To add there is another potential great benefit of hearing a clear and official policy statement from the Thai government on their policy about high risk foreigners. If they did say we are definitely not going to include all high risk foreigners in the high risk earlier phase priority group, then expats would have a much stronger case to appeal our embassies for help. 

Really? Have you know idea how diplomacy works?

Say, for example, the UK government decided to fly in a bunch of vaccines for their expats in Thailand. In diplomatic speak this is the same as saying "Tut, tut you incompetent fools, your healthcare system is so bad that we have to fly out vaccines to inoculate our own citizens!"

It won't happen. And the UK Ambassador has said explicitly that expats will be vaccinated in accordance with the Thai distribution policy. Rightfully so.

Just stay at home, follow the rules and wait your turn.

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I don’t believe that you need this spelled out.

 

If you're high risk time is of the essence.

I hear you but panicking won't improve the situation; statistically, your risk of catching COVID hasn't increased that much over the last three weeks - provided you take all the recommended precautions. The ratio of infections per capita is still extremely low (<0.003% per day).

So... sit tight and wait your turn.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That was long ago.

That was before this currently severe third wave.

That was before the recent announcement that the Thai government was not going to allow private hospitals to buy vaccines.

Why are you panicking? Read the last line of my post - everyone will get their vaccine eventually.

In the meantime just keep following your province's guidelines, <deleted>.

I don't have a Thai ID so, by the above criteria, I am outside the Thai system.

However, I do have a Thailand Elite visa and all members were contacted about 4 - 6 weeks ago with a questionnaire about which vaccine they would prefer and whether they would be prepared to pay for it. To date, there has been no further communication from TE on this matter.

Ergo, I am being included. The authorities know all my details and machinations are afoot to provide those "outside the system" with vaccines as necessary. If the authorities chose to ignore certain sections of the expat community then the whole vaccine program would be dysfunctional, and they know that.

You might not get your vaccine on the 1st June but it is almost certain that it will be available to you by the end of October. I have been practicing caution since April 2020 and a few months more won't be any more of an inconvenience.

Basically, sit tight and wait your turn.

Where can you buy rice wine in TH? I see it used in so many Thai recipes but I can't find it anywhere.

Maybe it's because I can't read Thai and the bottles are right there in the supermarket!

We have started growing a variety of edibles and the herbs, chilli's etc are all doing quite well. However our tomatoes and okra are suffering from kind of leaf parasite (see pic) and we don't know how to get rid of it.

Any ideas what it is and how to get rid of it?

5 minutes ago, Artisi said:

It's available on the net, I probably have it buried somewhere, but would be quicker to do a net search. 

The sizes are controlled by the pipe OD, with wall thickness changing based on pressure rating. 

The reason why I'm asking is that I downloaded a PDF a while back but on a recent visit to HomePro discovered that they're different. I must have seen about a dozen sites on the web, all with slightly different dimensions.

I'm trying to build a dust extraction setup for my workshop and it's really frustrating. I know I'm going to need to make some adapters but I'd like to know what I'm dealing with before I buy.

Last resort is I go back to HP and measure them with a vernier.

Does anyone have a list of all the blue water pipe dimensions including the OD/ID's, preferably all the fittings too?

52 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Looking at the corrosion on the tank, it might be approaching its use by date anyway, could already be a leak developed. 

That would suggest that the tank was leaking water or air pressure, there's no sign of either.

As I mentioned earlier, the 'ON' pressure is way below the tank precharge pressure which is contrary to the manufacturer's instructions and is the likely cause of original surging problem.

I'm going to have a crack at it tomorrow and see what happens.

29 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

I was wondering if the pump has a non return valve itself.

In Artisi's manual it is said in pipework note, it needs a non return valve in the suction of the pump.

The problem exist as from day 1, so it could be  the pump doesnt (included in pump) have that and all water flows back and then everything has to refilled again. So fitting a non return valve in the suction could end all problems. Maybe you have one but it is not working, wrong fitted? If so , see direction of the valve ( should be an arrow on it or so) , if it is fitted right.

Otherwise of course , from day 1, your expansion vessel is not working (broke), a leak inside of that vessel. Ok all was new but never the less it can happen or they didnt give it the right pressure.

Otherwise also could be , your watersystem (pipes in your house, or just anywhere in the outlet of the pumpsystem) has somewhere an air bubble, built up in a pipe. Air is compressible and effects your pumpsystem.

However doubt that is the case, but you never know, could cause problem.   

This is not an issue, all the upstairs faucets/showers come on instantly, albeit a low pressure, i.e. there is now draw-down in the system.

Thanks again for all your input. This is my situation as it stands; the current bladder pressure is 2.2 Bar and with everything off the system pressure (at the pump) is 2.4 Bar. When you turn on a downstairs faucet the pressure drops to 1.4 Bar and the pump kicks in, it takes about 5 seconds for the pump to reach 3.2 Bar, then it cuts out and there's a further 10-15 secs before the pump kicks in again.

If I do the same thing with an upstairs faucet the whole process takes a lot longer (presumably because of the head pressure).

Now, I measured the bladder pressure with my bike stirrup pump so, in reality, it's probably the same pressure that I'm reading from the pump gauge.

Here's the tank spec:

The GT-H manual says this:

That would suggest I increase the 'ON' pressure to 2.44 Bar and reduce the differential so I don't blow out my PVC pipe joints.

So I think we may have gotten to the crux of the problem.

Any thoughts?

Again, thanks for your advice guys. I've just found the pressure meter behind the water pump and I'll take some video tomorrow with the pump at standby and then with a faucet running.

47 minutes ago, Artisi said:

You have the best, Grundfos, looks like it has done a fair bit of work. 

My suggestion is get in the local pump guy to view it, there are a number things that need checking, the airpressure in the tank needs to be checked and at the correct pressure coupled with the pressure switch setting - not difficult if you know how to do it, a minefield if you don't. 

Okay, thanks for the advice. In the meantime I'll try and learn how these things work and have a crack at it myself, I've had a parade of 'local guys' doing stuff and every single job has turned to rat sh!t. My wife now has a ban on calling the 'local guy'!

I have a similar shape pool to yours and approximately the same size, I got a Maytronics S300 and it really is the mutt's nuts, like other respondents I couldn't live without it. If you add flocculant every week and run the robot the next day, you would not believe the amount of <deleted> it sucks out.

I do a black algae cycle about once every 3 months then I'll run the robot on two concurrent days and it is well worth it.

The manual says that you should not use the tether to haul it out of the pool, this is true but you can gently ease it up to the surface because it's only slightly negative buoyant. Then grab the handle and haul it out. Clean the filters immediately - don't let them dry out!

There's the demand pump on the left side, ignore the sprinkler and pool pumps top and right.

I have no idea how these things work but I'm guessing you guys will do the necessary.

And thanks for your quick replies!

I moved into my new house about a year ago and there's a water pressure issue that's been bugging me since day one. Basically, when you turn on a faucet or shower the pressure slowly dwindles to nothing and then demand pump kicks in for about 10 seconds and then the pressures declines, repeat, repeat, etc. If there's more than faucet/shower running at the same time the effect is even worse.

The main cause of this is that the storage tanks, demand pump (and the pressure switch) are located in an out-house 15m away from the main house, there are 3 upstairs bathrooms which will inevitably create their own back head pressure even when they're not in use and will obviously influence how the pressure switch works. Yes, I know, a sh!tty design but the pipes are all underground/walled-in and I can't relocate them without a serious amount of reconstruction. We also have a central water heater located downstairs which adds to the misery - it means I can't install a header tank in the attic without screwing up the hot/cold mix at the faucets.

I wonder if you guys know some way to remedy the problem to both increase the water pressure and even out the surging effect? 

The UK govt are talking about exporting a bunch of surplus vaccines to various countries under the COVAX scheme, yet there are swathes of Brits around the world who have received their appointments but can't get back due to the ongoing travel restrictions.

It would be make sense if the UK govt took their expats into consideration and distributed the AZ vaccine via their embassies. Fat chance.

Thankfully Sinovac appears to be effective against new strains.

What we need to know is if expats of a certain age will be treated in the same way as the general Thai population, it seems unlikely at this juncture and I can imagine that the vaccine will be only be available at a vastly inflated cost. I can pay Bht7k for me and the missus but I'm sure many expats cannot.