millymoopoo

On 8/6/2021 at 4:27 PM, Crossy said:

Neither the MRT nor the BTS go to Don Mueang

I once (many years ago) took the MRT (Lumpini) to Hua Lamphong and from there on the old rattly non air conditioned DERM (Diesel engine rail motor) to Don Muang station, from there it was just across a pedestrian bridge to the airport.

I've even picked up the Chiang mai night train from the same station after arriving at DMK.

I wonder if those suburban passenger services are still running, after all it is the main line out of Bangkok, running from Hua Lamphong to Bang sue and on out to Issan and Chaing mai.

Don Muang was just one of several suburban stations along the line.!

55 minutes ago, Anythingleft? said:

Apply over the connected terminal, you want a clean and dry connection....

Just apply it all over the terminal, inside and out, what remains between the post and terminal will squeeze out when terminal is tightened down making a good connection.

This prevents corrosion build up between post and terminal, which is were the connection will be lost if corrosion does build.

Corrosion on the outside of the terminal has no effect on the connection, it only serves to slowly leach away current from the battery.

4 hours ago, Heng said:

Maybe a PVC  end cap (as used in plumbing) over the battery post would be better?   Will battery acid eat at that?

Close.!

Certainly OK, and way better than 2 plastic bags.

And certainly won't corrode or decompose.

Better still, the plastic terminal post caps (red and blue) that came with the battery new, if you still have them or can find some.

Just sit the neg over one installed on the terminal.

BTW you will loose all the presets on the radio/clock.

And don't forget to reapply vaseline (petroleum jelly) to the post before reattaching lead.

On 7/29/2021 at 9:38 AM, UKJASE said:

When something flickers it will happen throughout the house at the same time

And here is the clue.

If it happens throughout the house it's likely a supply problem not an individual circuit problem.

If there's a PEA transformer supplying the half dozen houses in the moo, checking with one of the neighbours may not reveal a problem as each phase off the transformer will only be connected to two of the houses. Eg: Red phase for two houses, Blue phase for another two houses and Yellow phase for another two.

Best check with all of the neighbours.

If none are having problems then the fault could be in your meter or the line from it to your house, or for that matter the line supplying your meter.

Many years ago I spotted an Enfield in a dealers, it was a brand new 500cc Indian Enfield.

The salesman started it and we noticed a little puff of smoke from the cylinder barrel, closer inspection revealed a pin hole in the casting all the way through into the combustion chamber.

I also noticed the rubber hand grips were perishing.

One would hope the manufacturing and quality control in India has improved in leaps and bounds since then, as it obviously needed to.!

All these years later I still love my BMW R65LS, it's always been a dream to ride and so very reliable.

5 hours ago, ellobo said:

It's a copper tank with a plastic shield but can test the copper intake and output lines, 0v

Excellent result, 0v..!

General rule of thumb, if an electrical appliance has a metal body it will require an earth which willl be connected to a third pin or contact on the plug, any appliance showing any voltage above 0 on the metal body (third pin) is not earthing properly and should be disconnected, the earthing checked, fixed and not reconnected until 0v can be achieved.

Note: All earth spikes (ground rods) should be connected together, including the shower earth, as this ensures continuity, should one fail the others will take over..!

 

1 hour ago, internationalism said:

They won't move away from their houses because they are afraid neighbours would rob them.

Also conservative thinking

I knew all of this before hand, and discussed it with my partner first, which is why they think the idea of moving to the mountains came from the partner.!

And it's a very small village, maybe 200 max, and there is other family around, aunts/uncles/cousins, and most anything valuable is portable, it's not the reason they don't want to leave.

But they do only think of today, survival for just that day, tomorrow can look after itself, is common throughout all poorer nations.

And yes, as I said, it's being transmitted to whole families, the grandmother will probably not survive and the others are at risk too.
Worldwide already 5 million dead, UK getting record infections (delta), think it's the same in the U S.

Just look at India, half a million dead, 500 per day, it will be like this in Thailand in a  month or two, what's to stop it.?

This is the story of (as the title suggests) the virus and my partners Thai family.

They are mostly women, there's Mum, Grandmum, a Sis and her daughter.

Then there is the extended family, an uncle (Mums brother) his wife and daughter.

My partner and I love each other very much, when I first met the family 8 years ago Yai (grandmother) recognised this instantly, the others were sceptical, to be expected.

Yai (91 y o) is beautiful, neither of us speak one word of each others language yet we seem to be able to communicate better than anyone else.

Mare (the mother 67 y o) is a detached, arrogant, stubborn, betel nut chewing 'director general'.
The sister (48 y o) is a bit like a lost puppy in the mothers shadow, she also has heart disease.

Her daughter (18 y o) is a happy bubbly Iphone/facebook generation whose social life is paramount, sound familiar.?

The uncle is a good worker, does what he needs to support his family.

His wife is quiet and devoted.

Their daughter (23 y o) has excellent organisational skills but poor money management skills, also an Iphone generation.

They/we live in a small isolated (not on or near any major road) village about 30km outside of Chiang Mai.

In 2017 we built a new house (I have posted about this previously), with family consultation we and an architect designed a modest but appropriate house, a builder was engaged and then took the 'director general' around to one of his designed houses to show her, she fell in love with that house (and maybe with the builder a little bit) and insisted on that one (with all it's faults) instead.
So sure as chickens come from eggs, in first summer the faults reveal them selves and mother goes 'oh it's terrible, it's so hot inside' needless to say we had to spend thousands on roof ventilation/insulation, extending the eaves and air conditioning to resolve some of the poor design.

My partner and I fluctuate between Australia and Thailand, 6 months in each.

So now we are in 2021 with COVID.

Luckily in 2020 when the borders closed we were in our Australian fluctuation.

We have been safe here, partner is fully Pfizer vaccinated and I'm due my second A Z in 2 weeks.

We expected Thailand would be hopeless with vaccine rollout, but we thought the isolation of the village would keep the family safe until they can get vaccinated.

But the Delta strain has other ideas.

We have been led to believe testing rates in Thailand reflect only about 10% of the infection rate, especially in isolated rural areas poorly served with hospitals.

On Friday we were informed that the village now has 3 corona virus cases (reality is probably 20 to 30).

One is next to the temple (400m away)

The brothers house is diagonally behind our house, the second COVID case is in the house directly behind ours, next to the brother.

And the third 300m down the road.

These are the officially confirmed positives.

On Friday I told the partner I thought the best option we have is to send the family up into the mountains (Inthanon) find an isolated house (not in a village) to rent and wait out this period until either they can get vaccinated or the virus subsides. The brother knows and used to work in the area.
We are lucky, we can afford to do this, no one else in the village has this luxury, and it would certainly be the safest option.

For sure this delta strain will run rampant through the village just as it has done in Indian and Indonesian villages and is probably doing so now in other Thai villages.

By the time it's over we can expect half the village will be gone, isn't that what is happening in the aforementioned countries now.?

The family see and know this from the television every night, they see whole families becoming infected (one brings it in).

They know the frail and infirm who become infected usually die.
They know it's a lonely isolated death with no family contact.

They know the infection rate is way higher than officially indicated.

Do you think they are madly packing up preparing to leave for the mountains, common sense would suggest they are.

But no, they refuse to leave, they would rather die than leave the village, and are prepared to do that.

Which brings to mind the saying ' you can't legislate against stupidity'.

And what were the two Iphone kids doing last night, off to the city to have 'moogatar' (probably not spelt correctly) with how many others hundreds in the restaurant (it's a big place, I've been there, I know it) with who knows how many infected persons.

The virus requires us to spread it, stop people moving about and you stop the spread, it's so simple, why is it so difficult to understand.?

So we are stuck here in Australia, stressed to the max, knowing that we almost definitely will never see Yai again, most probably won't see either Mare (Mum) or sister again, and could possibly also loose the young ones too.
Unlike the house, which can be modified or replaced, you only get one chance at life.!

And in the meantime they are sitting there, in their village, deluding themselves they are safe there, when they have a vastly safer option on offer, but are too stupid to recognise it.

Personally, I find this an incredibly selfish attitude in the mother, she's driving it, and showing no care or consideration for anyone else, but what would I know, I'm only the 'Farang'.!

It has activated their interest in getting vaccinated, but what with Sinovac (useless) even if they can get it, A Z maybe in October or Moderna next year, what good is that now.?

There is no way out of our dilemma, we can't go and physically remove them to the mountains, we are resigned to it now, but we sincerely hope none of you will have to face what we are, unfortunately, reality suggests we are not the only ones.

If any of you face a similar dilemma, pull what ever and all levers you can to protect your loved ones as the potential heartbreak does not bear thinking about.

 

 

15 hours ago, jak2002003 said:

And hopefully countries will not be refusing flights, travel and entry into their country if you don't have the vaccine...same as they don't for people who have not had the flu shot

Could be a forlorn hope.!

Even if airlines don't require proof of vaccination, there will be other way of requiring it.

Eg:
No entry visa without vaccination.

No transit through airport without vaccination.

Mandatory quarantine for unvaccinated passengers.

Proof of vaccination when booking tours/hotels/trains/buses etc.!

Just look at the recent news from UK/USA travel now permitted between both countries without quarantine for fully vaccinated passengers.!

4 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

On a side note its wise to get the flu shot.

And with any luck, sometime in the future covid 19 will just be one of those variants included in the flu shot, just as Spanish flu (H1N1A) is now.!

18 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Here those same bottles are 300 to 400% higher.

Agreed..!

Possibly a lot of import duty, I don't know the rate.?

Possibly also going through several 'middle men' all extracting their percentage.!

And don't forget, Thailand is not a wine nation, it's all new to their culture, compared to Europe for example.

Still doesn't excuse the pricing.

13 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

The carriers will continue to require what is needed by the nation of destination and transit airports

Yes, exactly that, no vaccination, no entry. Or in more subtle ways, no vaccination, 14 days hotel quarantine, vaccinated, home quarantine or no quarantine...!

Returning to pre COVID days will never happen, there will be permanent changes, if you like 'a new norm', and we'll just have to make allowances for that and get accustomed to it, in a similar way 9/11 changed the world..!

17 hours ago, thailanddogerator said:

forced vaccination for expats to renew visa

It may not happen that way, but by other means it will.

Eg: It's most l likely airlines will require a 'vaccination passport'.

Or if you decide to return to your home country for a visit they may require vaccination prior to entry.!

Wasn't it to be vaccinated tourists allowed entry via the Phuket sandbox.?

And thus it may not be needed to mandate it for visa renewals.

Eventually, hopefully it will just be one of the many strains included in the annual 'flu' shot.

And why wouldn't you want to be vaccinated.? This new delta strain is so infectious it seem like you only have to walk through an infected persons invisible exhaled breath cloud to get it. (fleeting contact).

 

On 7/24/2021 at 12:46 PM, rocketlad78 said:

(rust, scaling, etc)

Could be some sort of bacterial infection.

But first get it in the ground, in a square hole, (round holes cause the roots to grow in circles) with good compost/fertiliser.

Then spray it with wetable sulphur in the evening (avoiding the heat of the day).

Or maybe a general fungicide.

4 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Effective earthing may allow them to trip before a human is involved and is an absolutely good thing 

Which is exactly why I didn't bother mentioning imbalance in line voltage, it just confuses the issue.

If people believe an effective earth is required for a ELCB (RCD) to operate efficiently, is that a bad thing.?

Especially considering how lax most Thai electricians are, and how antiquated much of Thai household wiring is.!

BTW, in my days (late 60s through 70s) ELCBs (as they were known then) were commonplace on larger electrical installations, condos, factories etc.
But were less common on domestic household switchboards.!

It was the emerging popularity of swimming pools, their associated electrical equipment and several electrocutions that brought on the requirement for domestic RCDs in the 1980s.!

Many western countries have legislation that will not certify an installation without an operating RCD, as Thailand should do.!

Electricity does deserve respect, it can't be seen, smelt or heard, but by 'F' you can feel it.!

Whilst there are many respondents to this subject it is worth while understanding some basics.

1: Electricity and wet areas don't mix well.!

2: Effective earthing in these areas is essential.

3: Multiply earthed neutral system, with or without ELCB (safety switch) is appropriate.

Effective earthing in Thailand is often overlooked.

The length of an earth spike is irrelevant, it's effectiveness is.!

A 60ft earth spike into dry ground is almost as ineffective as a 6ft spike into dry ground.

A spot where the ground is permanently moist is essential for an earth spike to work.

So a spikes into the ground near the septic leach drain long enough to be well into the moist area should work.

Several spikes spaced out within the moist area are more effective than one.

If this is not available then a spike long enough to reach into the ground water table should be used.

Earth spikes that join together (male and female screw ends) can be assembled and driven into the moist ground at what ever depth is required.

Testing (megameter) of the effectiveness of earthing is advised.

Multiple earthed neutral systems are appropriate.

This is the long brass bus bar in the main switchboard, it will have all the neutral wires (black or blue) from the house circuits connected into it as well as the main earth wire (green).

This can be divided into two sections connected together by the earth leakage circuit breaker safety switch (ELCB) as a fail safe.

It should be noted that ELCBs (safety switches) do not work when there is no effective earth.

In pre plastic pipe days, electrical safety in wet areas was taken care of by effective earthing of steel and copper pipes and fittings.

In this plastic pipe era safety is now taken care of with ELCBs.

And thus where there is no effective earth ELCBS are useless.!

In this specific situation it may be worth while opening the hot water heater to see the actual heater (boiler), many are small copper tanks with electric elements within, some are now made of heat proof plastic.

If the boiler is copper, test the tank body with the pen volt meter, it should test at 0v, if a voltage is detected and the tank is not earthed, earth it.

Plastic boiler tanks are more difficult to test, the heater element within the tank will have a copper outer shell, some of this outer may be protruding from the tank, test this, it too should be at 0v.

If a voltage is detected and the tank is earthed, the earth is faulty (ineffective).

Refer to above on how to ensure the earth is effective.

Some water heaters come with built in ELCBs but as previously mentioned become useless when there is no effective earth.

ELCBs trip on less than 1v, if the voltage detected is 12v - 14v this suggests, 1: there is no ELCB on the circuit or 2: the earth is ineffective.

23 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Bought one of these -

Might sound a bit weird, but have you tried putting it on the fridge.?

Probably good to check it's loading capacity first.

But if the HiFi works OK on the other house circuits, maybe you can eliminate the spike click by isolating it to the fridge.?

On 7/17/2021 at 9:27 PM, Thomas J said:

Huge ditches marked with only a few security cones

Security cones....? What, do they have some in Thailand, must only be in Pattaya..!

If you think that's bad don't go travelling in Isaan.

Perfectly good road, go around the corner and huge potholes everywhere, if you're lucky maybe a few of them will have a 'stick' as a marker.

And they stay like that for years.

Other areas that have had potholes for a long time progressively get wider as motorists take an ever widening berth around the holes, which creates more, to which they go even wider, and eventually the road becomes 3 or 4 times wider than original.

That's if there is space. If there's not it becomes a real mess, 3kmh zone.

18 hours ago, superal said:

Theses popular medias continue to give the posters anonymity

And that's where this specific problem lays.!

Most probably you will never be able to eliminate racism and all the other 'isms', but hiding behind anonymity can be stopped, all that is needed is for the providers of these platforms require users to be identified.

Is that really such a big ask..?

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

Misinformation.

Misinformed misinformation.!

Perhaps you could pass on your misinformation to the 131* families of the fully Sinovac vaccinated deceased hospital workers of Indonesia .!
I for one will not be misled into believing I'm fully protected after Sinovac inoculation.
AZ, Pfizer or Moderna prefered.

*source Reuters 7-7-21

Sinovac efficacy is in question.!

Hundreds of vaccinated health workers in Indonesia and Chile are being infected with covid 19 and some are dying.

Both these countries (along with 31 others) use Sinovac primarily.

Some suggest Sinovac is better than nothing, these news articles would suggest it's about the same as nothing.

You be the judge.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwib8eaJs9LxAhVP4zgGHRVjBbUQFjAAegQIBBAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Fworld%2Fasia-pacific%2Fhundreds-indonesian-doctors-contract-covid-19-despite-vaccination-dozens-2021-06-17%2F&usg=AOvVaw0x_6qgZom9siCqbR8ktmFu