Bluedipper

15 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Yes you are, you think that you will find what you want on the web and that what you think is straightforward in your home country will be the same here.

”your not in Kansas anymore, Toto”

@sometimewoodworker Excellent points. I'm actually half Thai, but obviously not wired that way ????

On 5/13/2021 at 7:35 PM, sometimewoodworker said:

Yes if you are in the Udon area

Thank you @sometimewoodworker but unfortunately not, house is located in Bangkok. For those in Bangkok, literally the only website I could find that offered apparently thorough residential Electrical Inspections (had to translate the page in Chrome) was a company called Q-Chang (affiliated with SGS). However it seems fairly new and not sure how reliable. I cant believe how difficult it is to find something so straightforward, I must be doing something wrong! 

Hi @synetos I'm also looking for a certified electrician who can perform a home safety inspection and coming across the same problems looking online. Did you find anyone you can recommend? Thanks

20 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I would not pay too much attention to sales persons - fiberglass batts have been used for the last century in USA not only for ceilings but all walls and have never heard they attract rats.  In any case stray cats love rats and would be happy to take up residence in most homes at little or no cost.

 

I would be concerned with that flat cement roof having enough drainage for heavy rain and being properly sealed.

We have a dog, that eats the cats, that eat the rats. Lol. Regarding the flat cement roof, yes needs better drainage and good to know should it be sealed. The first guy said he could put layer of epoxy to seal and provide some reflective insulation? 

@sometimewoodworker @Yellowtail @lopburi3 @bankruatsteve @GlennSN20U5 

Thank you. Lots of interesting points to consider. Not keen on foam spray idea for all the reasons listed above. Foil seems the way to go but will need a bit more time to digest technicalities of reflective/radiant ???? (I may be in touch about that). 

Went to SCG today and they only offer thick fibreglass insulation StayCool rolls which would be fine except the sales person said rats love it - and we have some big ones around here. So that’s out. 
 

In the meantime, while I’m waiting on current quotations to come in, here’s some photos of the roof set up if that helps. Dusty and leaky. Looks like a couple random areas have old insulation layers there already. One contractor said the exposed concrete area also had hairline cracks which was letting water in, the other old guy said the concrete was fine and it was just the roof letting the water in ????????‍♀️ Remains to be seen. 
 

4 hours ago, bankruatsteve said:

Didn't the OP say he had wood support structure for the roof? And I think he said looking to fix leaks not replace roof. IMO spraying foam is not much good for anything. I think the OP needs to continue calling in contractors for quotes and select one that makes the most sense coupled with the opinions offered. 

It is an old wood structure, can’t confirm how sound. Turns out we don’t even have gulleys (last guy taped over the joints with a dodgy silver tape). So that will probably be on the to-do list. 
 

Will wait to get the first two quotations and see what they recommend (one from an outfit and other from a solo old roofer and his wife who turns out knew nothing about insulation ????). Will also visit SCG this weekend for their input! 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

 

The nice think about SCG is they sell a full range of products for a complete roof. The also often have nice showrooms that display and explain entire roofing systems, including vents and insulation. Take some photos of the house/roof and basic dimensions with you.

I will do that, thank you for the suggestion. 

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

You are asking about sealing tile leaks or replacement of roof?  Is there access holes in ceiling for workers to enter?  Often found in bathroom.  At 40 years may be wood frame for tiles and need to check for termites?  

If not full replacement a local work crew most likely and they best found by contacts having worked for others in the area.  

Thanks @shaemus and @lopburi3 Main priority is to fix the leaks (not replace the roof) and get advice on insulation options at the same time if possible. It is indeed a wood frame, with tiles and nothing else between that and the ceiling. But we also have exposed areas of flat concrete roof which look cracked too. Have had 2 contractors come out and say different things, the latter of which didn't know anything about insulation. Just wondered if anyone could recommend a good outfit we could trust with being thorough and knowledgeable on both points? Maybe too much to ask ???? 

Thank you everyone for your help.

Spoke to the Building Manager and she says they can pull the wire from out of the carpet (remains to be seen). They can then move the machines closer to the wall so no one should walk along the wires or kick the boxes. Not a gym person so didn't think of this before! Thankfully there aren't many machines. Appreciate the comments and your time. 

Thanks @Yellowtail but I'm temporarily part of the management so definitely can't let this stuff go. Even though its going to give me a heart attack trying. 

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

My advise would be to let it go. No good will come from raising a stink. 

 

As long are your wearing shoes and the boxes aren't busted up you should be okay. 

23 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

You might try an SCG Home Center. 

Thank you. My cousin apparently arranged someone from SCG to come today, but it was just one old man (and his wife) who's one of their contractors, so now I'm not so sure. ????

18 minutes ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

No, that is not safe.

You have:
- Flammable material on top of the installation
- Trip hazard
- Inability to notice fraying/damage to cable

Also, it'll be real fun when someone kicks that box and sends the whole thing flying; it's probably not insulated underneath either because "it's in a box, no need".

He's just too lazy to do it properly and/or the space is not appropriate for a gym.

Thanks @DaftToPutRealName I thought so. Have just spoken with electrician and he said he used a VAF cable which is double insulated and therefore no need to use any other protection? I'll suggest they put down hazard tape along the cable line too. 

Hello, the electrician has just run a length of cable under the gym floor for the exercise machines. It is glued between this office style carpet (material only, no rubber lining) and a concrete floor. This isn't a large apartment building but worried that enough people standing on this will damage the cable underneath? Is this dangerous? 

Thank you in advance for your advice. 

9 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

A google site search is what you need to use. The built in search hasn’t worked remotely well for a long time.

 

if you don’t know the syntax for the site search then DAGS it.

Thank you @sometimewoodworker No sure what a syntax or DAGS is ???? But I have googled a lot and read many posts about insulation to the point I'm more confused than ever, lol. Am hoping that someone has used a trustworthy, knowledgeable company they can recommend that can come and take a look and give us some recommendations based on the old house and budgets! 

The leaks are the main priority, but if we can make any modest changes to help with the insulation that would be a bonus. 

Hello,

The search function doesn't work well on this forum so apologies if this has been asked before, but can anyone recommend a reliable and experienced Roofing & Insulation contractor in Bangkok?

Our house is almost 40 years old and we have combination of old thick tiles (see photo) and areas of exposed flat concrete roof above sitting room and bathrooms. The roof has sprung 4 major leaks due to old tiles, cracked concrete, bad joins, etc. and the water is pouring into the house past electric old wiring and switches which is very alarming. Looks like there is no insulation under the roof tiles - just the roof tiles on a frame above the concrete ceiling (which seems to be covered in very thin layer of old, worn metallic foil in some parts). The house is an absolute OVEN and usually hotter inside than out, so would be good to get the leaks fixed and get advice/costs on what insulation they can do at the same time! 

Thank you ????