S3Iraq

Does anybody know if big bikes are available for rent in Bangkok?

I am looking for a mid size bike, my preference would be not to have to rent a chopper. If anybody knows of a bike shop which rents in Bkk, or anybody has a bike to rent perhaps, for a couple of weeks in July, would appreciate a heads up.

Cheers.

My question is, does this sound like a reasonable option for a standby option in the event of the failure of domestic supply here? I would like to put a system together that will continue to power all the essentials, fridge, lights etc, and possibly a couple of luxury items, TV, DVD for about 12 hours... I like the fact that this would be noise free, not requiring the generator to run, and perhaps it could be trickle charged from a solar panel? Mains supply or a small generator should the power be down for a sustained period.

I would be interested on your thoughts about the voltage required, I know that domestic appliances can be run from a 12v battery through an inverter, but would be like to know what kind of ampere hour capacity you think this would require... also does a system exist that would allow this to be permanantly connected and come online automatically should power fail...?

What you require is an Uninteruptable Power Supply (UPS), very common in the IT world to keeps stuff alive during power outages. Available in various sizes from a few hundred Watts to many kilowatts, priced accordingly. Usually they have internal batteries but are available with connections for external batteries (you will need this option if you're wanting 12 hours of autonomy), have a look at the APC Home UPS (not sure if it's available in Thailand as yet though).

First thing to do is decide what you want to run and add up all the power ratings, do NOT expect to be able to run your aircon, multiply your total power by 1.5 and source the next bigger UPS.

To determine your battery requirements, convert your power requirement into Amps at 24V (most UPS's of the sizes we're interested in use a 24V supply).

Say you want 1500Watts, Watts=Volts x Amps so Amps = Watts/Volts = 1500/24 = 62.5A

You want 12 hours of run time so you will need 62.5 x 12 = 750 Amp Hours of battery at 24V, you don't want to fully discharge the batteries so add 30% = 1000AH

You are going to need 20 x 100AH 12V batteries, ideally, sealed lead-acid type, although you may be frightened by the price You could use car batteries to cut the cost, but they are really not designed for this purpose and won't have the life of the sealed units. BTW, if you're connecting in series-parallel arrangement make sure you have plenty of fusing, a lead-acid battery array of this size contains a serious amount of energy, more than enough to burn your house down (ever accidentally shorted even a single car battery?). Ideally all the batteries should be identical.

THEN, you have to charge this lot, to charge your 1000AH in six hours you'll need to push in approaching 200Amps (not going to get that from solar).

IMHO you're better off using smaller batteries (50AH) and spending the money saved on a small GenSet.

NOTE Before anyone jumps in with things like Power Factor and the difference between VA and Watts, along with the inefficiency of the UPS and batteries, I've taken these into account with the over-rating factors, we are, after all, looking at a ball-park size.

Outstanding response Crossy,

Really, thank you very much for that, you've given me much to work with and I appreciate you taking the time to figure that out...

Cheers, J

Hi Crossy,

Over the past month or so, I've very much enjoyed reading the posts on this board, I'd like to express my gratitude to yourself, enkangorito and others who have contributed their time and knowledge.

After living in Issan for the past couple of years, I have finally decided to take the plunge and build a house... I already had a good idea of how this would progress, so even though my patience has and no doubt will continue to be throroughly tested, I'm resigned to that fact and can often be found taking long walks 'around the block' so to speak rather than confronting issues head on...

I do have a question for you pertaining to an auxilliary power supply. As I type, the power has been down for about 12 hours here... again... it's red hot and I'm sweating like a dog in a chinese chip shop, despite it being overcast.... this time of year the electrical storms are quite vicious and power outages are all too common.

I know that the conventional approach would be to have a large diesel standby generator, but I have been considering another approach and would appreciate your comments/suggestions.

Many years ago, I worked with large radio rebroadcast stations and we had a backup electrical system which consisted of a large bank of batteries connected in series-parallel (to provide sufficient voltage and amps to run the equipment for about 12 hours in the event of an outage) which would replace the domestic supply should it fail, the batteries were trickle charged from mains current.

My question is, does this sound like a reasonable option for a standby option in the event of the failure of domestic supply here? I would like to put a system together that will continue to power all the essentials, fridge, lights etc, and possibly a couple of luxury items, TV, DVD for about 12 hours... I like the fact that this would be noise free, not requiring the generator to run, and perhaps it could be trickle charged from a solar panel? Mains supply or a small generator should the power be down for a sustained period.

I would be interested on your thoughts about the voltage required, I know that domestic appliances can be run from a 12v battery through an inverter, but would be like to know what kind of ampere hour capacity you think this would require... also does a system exist that would allow this to be permanantly connected and come online automatically should power fail...?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond to this.

Hey Totster,

I finally got my 5 year license about 8 months ago, the only thing I dont have, which in retrospect I probably should have photocopied, is the letter they gave me at Immigration in Nong Khai, which the Driver License office kept, never mind, head down and get on with it I think, thanks for the advice non the less...

Cheers, J.

Well consistency of process isnt something the Thais seem to be very big on.. (not a complaint, I'm way past that stage, been in Thailand too long now...) so although it may be as simple as falling of a proverbial log in your neck of the woods, up here its akin to testicle surgery... not something you really want to do... I'm sure there are probably those up here who can report otherwise, if so they are the lucky ones...

My Driver Licensing office is in Nam Phong and the nearest Immigration Office is in Nong Khai, the best part of 150kms away... the staff in the immigration office, seem (on past experience at least) to take great pleasure in making life difficult for no apparent reason, on each occasion I have been there, the only consistency I have seen is the attitude leveled at farangs. There are no less than 5 desks lined up, each nameplate identifies the bearer as a 'Team Leader' (yet no teams are apparent, ever seen this type of mentality elsewhere perhaps?) the last time I went there to get the necessary letter from immigration confirming my domicile, I was politely told that they had 'disposed' of all the records from 12 months ago and that I would have to repeat the entire process, despite having all the necessary paperwork and 12 month Thai License in hand, they refused to issue the letter to me that day and I was told I would have to come back the following week.

This may not in itself qualify as a stressful experience, in fact its becoming par for the course whenever I have to deal with officialdom here in Thailand... I wish I could say it was otherwise, but there you go... actually I'm surprised that you're surprised... what area are you living in?

Cheers, J.

I'm in Kalasin.

How long ago did you get your 5yr license ? If you still have all the original documents from last time, you may be able to use them again. Just a thought

totster

Thanks for that,

what about your experience of immigration into/out of Laos?

Cheers, J.

This doesn't exactly answer your question but I post it as a bit of info for you. If for some reason you find that you can't drive your car across the bridge then their is a secure parking area located on the right side of the road about 150 meters before you get to the immigration area. We left our car there last July when we visited Vientiane for several days. I think the chagrge was B 70 per day. You might want to consider leaving your car there and visiting Vientiane for the day.

Well consistency of process isnt something the Thais seem to be very big on.. (not a complaint, I'm way past that stage, been in Thailand too long now...) so although it may be as simple as falling of a proverbial log in your neck of the woods, up here its akin to testicle surgery... not something you really want to do... I'm sure there are probably those up here who can report otherwise, if so they are the lucky ones...

My Driver Licensing office is in Nam Phong and the nearest Immigration Office is in Nong Khai, the best part of 150kms away... the staff in the immigration office, seem (on past experience at least) to take great pleasure in making life difficult for no apparent reason, on each occasion I have been there, the only consistency I have seen is the attitude leveled at farangs. There are no less than 5 desks lined up, each nameplate identifies the bearer as a 'Team Leader' (yet no teams are apparent, ever seen this type of mentality elsewhere perhaps?) the last time I went there to get the necessary letter from immigration confirming my domicile, I was politely told that they had 'disposed' of all the records from 12 months ago and that I would have to repeat the entire process, despite having all the necessary paperwork and 12 month Thai License in hand, they refused to issue the letter to me that day and I was told I would have to come back the following week.

This may not in itself qualify as a stressful experience, in fact its becoming par for the course whenever I have to deal with officialdom here in Thailand... I wish I could say it was otherwise, but there you go... actually I'm surprised that you're surprised... what area are you living in?

Cheers, J.

Aaaah, yes, just the answer I was dreading... why on earth would you simply amend a license to indicate its good for a car and bike, when you can carry two separate cards that begin to deteriorate the moment after theyve been heat welded together with a luke warm iron anyway...?

but at least now I know... thanks for responding... I'll go and stick my head in the icebox in anticipation of taking on the process...

Cheers, J.

A motorcycle licence is totally separate- not an amendment. You wil get another card to carry. 5 year auto licence will not be valid to operate a motorcycle.

I got the MC licence at the same time as my Auto licence, so one set of paperwork sufficed, and I did two separate "road tests" (if you could go as far as to call them that).

So- I imagine that you would have to start from the beginning again to get the MC licence.

I'm not sure why the experience is so stressful for you. I got both licenses within 30mins.

To be fair I had my UK license and IDP, so didn't have to do the tests, but from what others have said it is quite straight forward.

good luck

totster

I hold a 12 month Non Immigrant 'O' visa, normally when in Bangkok i'll do a border run with one of the organized mobs to cambodia, but this time I will be up around Udon Thani, so I am looking for advice from anybody who has had their visa re-stamped by driving over the bridge at Nong Khai into Laos.

I do not want to pay to jump in a minibus and do this, I would prefer to just drive my car across the bridge go through immigration and come back, but if anybody has any good advice about the experience (or an alternative location if Nong Khai is a nightmare for any reason) , it would be most welcome.

Thanks for reading and responding to this message.

Cheers, J.

Aaaah, yes, just the answer I was dreading... why on earth would you simply amend a license to indicate its good for a car and bike, when you can carry two separate cards that begin to deteriorate the moment after theyve been heat welded together with a luke warm iron anyway...?

but at least now I know... thanks for responding... I'll go and stick my head in the icebox in anticipation of taking on the process...

Cheers, J.

A motorcycle licence is totally separate- not an amendment. You wil get another card to carry. 5 year auto licence will not be valid to operate a motorcycle.

I got the MC licence at the same time as my Auto licence, so one set of paperwork sufficed, and I did two separate "road tests" (if you could go as far as to call them that).

So- I imagine that you would have to start from the beginning again to get the MC licence.

Scratch that, I'm a dumb ass... its exactly the same place you are talking about, I dont know why I didnt see that you had mentioned Nam Phong and the Dam the first time I read your post, I guess I was just focused on the fact you mentioned Udon Thani...

Cheers, J.

FYI, there is also a large electricity generating plant between Nam Phong and Khon Kaen, on the road out to the Ubonrat Dam and Hydro electric plant...Exxon Mobil are sucking gas out of the ground next door to it also... This would be south east of the location you are talking about, but it surrounds the same reservoir....

Cheers, J.

Can anybody give me an overview?

I had assumed that it was imported from the hydro-electric plants in Laos.

But today I happened to stumble on some natural gas wells tucked away in the hills between Udon Thani and the Ubonratana reservoir that are feeding a substantial generating station between Nam Phong and Ubonratana dam.

Does anybody have any links to more of the picture (in English) please?

Hi All...

I have thus far been unable to get a straight forward answer to this one, so if anybody out there has a definitive answer, please let me know... here goes...

Is there a distinction between a Thai Drivers license for a car and a Thai Drivers License for a Motorcycle (talking big bike 500cc and up), I have been through the dogs dinner of a process of getting a full Thai Drivers License and tried to get an answer to this question when I initially applied, all I received were looks of utter confusion so I backed away in fear of disrupting my license application. I held my original Thai Drivers license for the required 12 months and then had to go through the entire process AGAIN... including police registration, letters from Immigration etc, etc, but now finally have my 5 year Thai Drivers License... yeaaaahh... so, to cut to the chase, I'd like to get a medium sized (600cc) bike and am now wondering if I even have to wade through the nightmare, paper stamping Thai Bureaucratic process and have my license amended to alllow me to ride a large bike, or whether in fact my current 5 year Thai Driving license, (which itself seems to have improved my status somewhat if the looks I get from police when stopped and gasps of amazement from Thai nationals are anything to go by...) will suffice.

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to this question.

Cheers, J.

Thanks Macb,

Local kids not included, we have quite a menagerie on the go here, couple of dogs (one of whom just turned up one day and figured he'd stay and is actually quite endearing) numerous hens (which multiply faster than my mother in law can cook the ###### things) half a dozen cockrells, about 20+ ducks which conduct clearing patrols around the house at about 04:30 just prior to the next door neighbours wife, who has a rather irritating habit of battling for crowing rights with the local avian population by revving up her karaoke machine at about 05:30 (although she does have a very pleasant voice and it seems to be quite acceptable to everybody else, I have been known to utter the occasional expletive as I hear the speaker whine into life...)... 3 cows, which I bought because my father in law fancies himself as a bit of a herdsman, not sure he knows one end from the other to be honest, but a little livestock is not a bad investment, and it keeps him happy... numerous rats, actually not sure if theyre rats or mice, but theyre just par for the course in this neck of the woods and besides, grandfather likes to chase them...it always amazes me how he catches the ###### things, no trap in sight, and he'll just wander in holding it by the tail looking very pleased with himself... sorry I digress... to get to the point, having seen your photograph, what I am really looking forward to, once I've built my little house... is the possibility of getting a good dog that can live within the walled enclosure, not have to battle other animals (because nothing else will live within the walled enclosure...!), who I can train, take running with me, and who will hopefully act as a deterrent to any little oik with their eyes on my IP or UBC Dish... So, where did you get your German Shepherds from? were they bred locally, and if so any chance of contact info... if not, any chance of your pair (presuming they are sexually compatable) having a litter....? They are the first pictures of German Shepherds I have seen in Thailand and although I'm not quite ready to buy yet, it would be nice to have contact info tucked away, all my enquires so far have been met with puzzled looks and hysterical reactions...actually.... everything I ask for receives that response... maybe I should change my hairdo....

Rgds, John.

Hello to all...

I have enjoyed reading the posts on this thread (especially those of TBWG) for those of us that live out in the sticks, his comments will probably spark numerous memories of similar circumstances we've experienced, they account for most of the giggling I've been doing for the past couple of days whilst crouched over the computer... I'm sure my wife thinks I'm checking out dwarf bondage sites or something...

I live about 30km NE of Khon Kaen and have done for the past couple of years. I made a conscious decision when I came here that I would make a real effort to slip in under the radar and not upset the status quo too much (...you in the back... control your laughter...), this is a very rural and poor part of Khon Kaen province, so this meant living as my wifes family lived, eating what they ate, sleeping where they slept, etc, you get the picture... It's not for everyone, I know a lot of guys who will visit their girlfriend/wifes village, take one look at the very basic standard of living, stay for an uncomfortable 60 mins feeling incredibly self conscious at the amount of attention they receive and then scarper to the nearest 5 star hotel for the rest of the visit. I can understand the reasons for that type of reaction, but I think its a little short sighted...

It can be something of a shock to the system for guys who have never visited countries where the standard of living is more basic, but by not testing the water, you are missing out on so much (no tongue in cheek at all). Remember your wife lived like this all her life, and dont you want to get to know her family? Thai family units, although occasionally a little bizarre to behold, are for the most part incredibly close and caring , I may just have been lucky, but living as a family member and refusing to be pampered has not only increased my understanding of Thai people, but also been a source of non stop entertainment for them and anybody else who stops by... all in the best possible taste of course... drinking rainwater stored in the couple of large clay pots outside under the drainpipe, eating som tam, snake, lizard, frogs, the little shrimp and fish from the rice paddies, and every insect I'm offered are all on the menu for me...

Dont get me wrong, I'm not going to don a loin cloth and start rampaging through the village on the back of a water buffalo after necking 10 bottles of thai whisky just to show I can be as nuts as some of the locals can be... there is method to my madness... I look after my wife and family, they want for nothing, but they dont ask the earth of me either... I have lived this way for two years, and although I have planned from the off to build a house, not one person, my wife, any of her family or locals, have asked me for a single thing... I'm sure they all think I havent a pot to piss in... I'm not retired and am not exactly rolling in money, but I have saved enough to build a small, well built house (there's another issue...and another thread I think), nothing ostentatious that dwarfs the shacks in the area, but something comfortable.... I will of course add a farang only room with UBC, Alpine Surround Sound entertainment system, comfy chair, IP Star...(no ADSL in this area... I even had to pay for the telephone company to run additional wire 2km from the nearest feed just to get dial up... keeping that quiet was quite a job, but we managed)... I'll disguise it, the entrance will be through a simple termite nibbled room, replete with hammock and mosquito coil, but a sliding wall will reveal my luxurious pad...I'm not completely mad... I just wanted to sit on the sidelines, watch, look, listen and say nowt for enough time to consider whether this was a good place to build said house... I think arriving in your wifes village where you know nobody, and then shortly thereafter, building the biggest house in the village, not out of any desire to rub the locals nose in it, but just because you can, and why not when its as cheap as chips... is a bad idea... you dont know anybody, whether you will enjoy living in the area, if the locals are completely barking mad...etc, etc... producing money like a demented ATM also has the unwelcome side effect of attracting every relation (and numerous locals) for miles around, with stories or collapsed roofs, grandmother run over by rampaging cow and numerous 'fantastic' business ideas (is anybody else aware that a concrete mixer purchased in Thailand comes without a motor...?), oh and not to forget the numerous requests for cars...All these have happened to friends of mine and I've read posts in this thread relating to similar experiences. I didnt want to have to go through that, so I avoided it by being a little more modest in the way I lived and spent my money....

The guy who runs the little store and who miraculously manages to cough up a Bangkok Post for me daily from Khon Kaen still greets me with utter amazement every day, as if I've got a sunflower growing out of my arse and its the first time he's ever seen me we've been going through this for 2 years now... one day its going to dawn on him that its the same guy every day...I'm sure... There are issues that irritate me on a daily basis, but none are related to my wife or family... I absolutely love it here and would heartily recommend it to anybody, I'm not suggested life shouldnt be comfortable, but take your time and see if life in this part of the world suits you before you jump in with both feet.

Once again, I've enjoyed this thread of posts, and may post again, especially on issues related to this area and maybe a few words of advice for issues related to getting a Thai drivers license up here...I dont do the bar scene in Khon Kaen, but if anybody else lives within 50k North of Khon Kaen, say hello...

Rgds, John.

Great wonderful input thats why we are hitting about the 16000 mark: This is exactly why I started it to give Newbies or wannabies an insight, its like and everybody's Blog.

When I first visited the village I stayed in the in-laws-house sleeping upstairs: the mother-in-law had prepared a bed on thew floor for us with a mosquito net etc:

The Bathroom and thai toilet took some getting used to but wow what a culture.

Yes my wife and I built our house, but we also built a new kitchen for the school last year, which was good status building for the wifes family.

Our house is only 5 minutes walk from the family if that. There are two sisters houses on the farm complex and mama and papa's house. So we take care of mama papa grandfather two nieces with regards food and medication and trips out sometimes and I pay there Electric and my wife deals with money for her mama.

So I am happy and so is everbody else I think:

You will enjoy this Forum John and you get good information on everything here welcum aboard

Hello to all...

I have enjoyed reading the posts on this thread (especially those of TBWG) for those of us that live out in the sticks, his comments will probably spark numerous memories of similar circumstances we've experienced, they account for most of the giggling I've been doing for the past couple of days whilst crouched over the computer... I'm sure my wife thinks I'm checking out dwarf bondage sites or something...

I live about 30km NE of Khon Kaen and have done for the past couple of years. I made a conscious decision when I came here that I would make a real effort to slip in under the radar and not upset the status quo too much (...you in the back... control your laughter...), this is a very rural and poor part of Khon Kaen province, so this meant living as my wifes family lived, eating what they ate, sleeping where they slept, etc, you get the picture... It's not for everyone, I know a lot of guys who will visit their girlfriend/wifes village, take one look at the very basic standard of living, stay for an uncomfortable 60 mins feeling incredibly self conscious at the amount of attention they receive and then scarper to the nearest 5 star hotel for the rest of the visit. I can understand the reasons for that type of reaction, but I think its a little short sighted...

It can be something of a shock to the system for guys who have never visited countries where the standard of living is more basic, but by not testing the water, you are missing out on so much (no tongue in cheek at all). Remember your wife lived like this all her life, and dont you want to get to know her family? Thai family units, although occasionally a little bizarre to behold, are for the most part incredibly close and caring , I may just have been lucky, but living as a family member and refusing to be pampered has not only increased my understanding of Thai people, but also been a source of non stop entertainment for them and anybody else who stops by... all in the best possible taste of course... drinking rainwater stored in the couple of large clay pots outside under the drainpipe, eating som tam, snake, lizard, frogs, the little shrimp and fish from the rice paddies, and every insect I'm offered are all on the menu for me...

Dont get me wrong, I'm not going to don a loin cloth and start rampaging through the village on the back of a water buffalo after necking 10 bottles of thai whisky just to show I can be as nuts as some of the locals can be... there is method to my madness... I look after my wife and family, they want for nothing, but they dont ask the earth of me either... I have lived this way for two years, and although I have planned from the off to build a house, not one person, my wife, any of her family or locals, have asked me for a single thing... I'm sure they all think I havent a pot to piss in... I'm not retired and am not exactly rolling in money, but I have saved enough to build a small, well built house (there's another issue...and another thread I think), nothing ostentatious that dwarfs the shacks in the area, but something comfortable.... I will of course add a farang only room with UBC, Alpine Surround Sound entertainment system, comfy chair, IP Star...(no ADSL in this area... I even had to pay for the telephone company to run additional wire 2km from the nearest feed just to get dial up... keeping that quiet was quite a job, but we managed)... I'll disguise it, the entrance will be through a simple termite nibbled room, replete with hammock and mosquito coil, but a sliding wall will reveal my luxurious pad...I'm not completely mad... I just wanted to sit on the sidelines, watch, look, listen and say nowt for enough time to consider whether this was a good place to build said house... I think arriving in your wifes village where you know nobody, and then shortly thereafter, building the biggest house in the village, not out of any desire to rub the locals nose in it, but just because you can, and why not when its as cheap as chips... is a bad idea... you dont know anybody, whether you will enjoy living in the area, if the locals are completely barking mad...etc, etc... producing money like a demented ATM also has the unwelcome side effect of attracting every relation (and numerous locals) for miles around, with stories or collapsed roofs, grandmother run over by rampaging cow and numerous 'fantastic' business ideas (is anybody else aware that a concrete mixer purchased in Thailand comes without a motor...?), oh and not to forget the numerous requests for cars...All these have happened to friends of mine and I've read posts in this thread relating to similar experiences. I didnt want to have to go through that, so I avoided it by being a little more modest in the way I lived and spent my money....

The guy who runs the little store and who miraculously manages to cough up a Bangkok Post for me daily from Khon Kaen still greets me with utter amazement every day, as if I've got a sunflower growing out of my arse and its the first time he's ever seen me we've been going through this for 2 years now... one day its going to dawn on him that its the same guy every day...I'm sure... There are issues that irritate me on a daily basis, but none are related to my wife or family... I absolutely love it here and would heartily recommend it to anybody, I'm not suggested life shouldnt be comfortable, but take your time and see if life in this part of the world suits you before you jump in with both feet.

Once again, I've enjoyed this thread of posts, and may post again, especially on issues related to this area and maybe a few words of advice for issues related to getting a Thai drivers license up here...I dont do the bar scene in Khon Kaen, but if anybody else lives within 50k North of Khon Kaen, say hello...

Rgds, John.

Thanks Crossy,

yeah, that was a slip of the finger, 60A not 60V of course.. common sense really that the black is carrying 220v and white is neutral, I'm just used to seeing two hot wires carrying 110v a piece and a neutral... no sign of a ground though, cant say I'm suprised, but will certainly entertain the idea of adding a good solid grounding rod to my new build... will take a look at your site, thanks again for the advice and the welcome...\

John.

Gents,

This is my first visit to ThaiVisa.Com having just registered. I had been searching the internet for information about Thai Residential wiring codes.... ok, control your laughter please... but was pleasantly suprised to find such an in depth discussion related to wiring issues in Thailand. I am not an electrician, although have worked as a building contractor in the past, so have a better than average knowledge of general construction related issues. You may have already covered this in the 21 pages of posts submitted so far, but I have as yet not had time to plough through them... I am up in the sticks, NE of Khon Kaen and although I know that Thailand has a 220v service, but the house I'm staying in, close to the area I am going to build, has a 60v 250v Inter Fuse box fed by one black and one white wire... if they are both hot, where's the neutral... any ideas? or perhaps an explanation as to why this may be the case?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond...

John.

John, to the madhouse we call Thaivisa

OK, your intermediate box (I assume it's a 60A 250V fuse) has two wires, Thailand tends to use the US colour codes, BLACK is Live (or Hot), WHITE (or grey) is Neutral. With luck you should have a nice GREEN ground wire

Have a look here http://www.crossy.co.uk/wiring it's not been updated recently (been way too busy) but lots of good information from myself and our tame certified sparks (Elkangorito).

Gents,

This is my first visit to ThaiVisa.Com having just registered. I had been searching the internet for information about Thai Residential wiring codes.... ok, control your laughter please... but was pleasantly suprised to find such an in depth discussion related to wiring issues in Thailand. I am not an electrician, although have worked as a building contractor in the past, so have a better than average knowledge of general construction related issues. You may have already covered this in the 21 pages of posts submitted so far, but I have as yet not had time to plough through them... I am up in the sticks, NE of Khon Kaen and although I know that Thailand has a 220v service, but the house I'm staying in, close to the area I am going to build, has a 60v 250v Inter Fuse box fed by one black and one white wire... if they are both hot, where's the neutral... any ideas? or perhaps an explanation as to why this may be the case?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond...

John.