billd766

A few years ago I looked at getting a solar network to power my house. I worked out the cost then to be around 300,000 baht and replacing the solar panels after 10 years max.

I have looked back at my past bills from 2017 forwards  and the most power I used was in April 2023 when I consumed 41.56 units a day for a monthly bill of 7,184 baht.

I was running the downstairs a/c for 13 hours a day, my bedroom a/c for 10 hours, my sons bedroom a/c for about 12 hours a day. We also have 2 freezers, 3 fridge/freezers, various lights, fans and water pump etc 24 hours a day and we were using 41.65 units per day on average for April.

What I would like to do is have a network that will supply at least 6 or even 7kW constantly per day, as it seems to be getting hotter year on year. A project that size should also be OK on dull. cloudy and rainy days

Space is no problem as we live on about 15 rai of land.

My problem. apart from paying for it, is that I am 79 and my wife is 58. I will probably be dead before the solar panels and also the batteries need replacing.

My PEA bill for 2023 was nearly 59,000 baht, but now my son is at university the bill should come down a bit this year.

It may be possible to resell the surplus electricity back to the PEA.

My wild guess is that a system like that will cost about 400.000 baht all in and the ROI will take about 7 years to pay for itself.

Is that a reasonable assumption?

What yearly maintenance would be required? 

3 hours ago, ballpoint said:

They used to be known as 3 1/2 inch "stiffies". 

The ones before were known as 5 1/4 "floppies"

Before them were the cassettes.

Before them I don't remember,

I do remember floppies and stiffies in my life though.

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I disagree. IMO the European nations are not serious about their own defense efforts and prefer hiding behind the US military. How many of them have a proper military that can actually defend them without the US covering for them.

Even Britain is apparently no longer capable of being a serious military power. The glory days of BAOR are long gone. Couldn't even keep ANZUK alive.

The biggest problem that the EU and UK face is not Russia, but their own politicians dreams of glory and their overtasking of their own military's by taking on too many commitments with not enough people and equipment to do the job properly, in addition to all the other tasks the politicians have already committed to.

A prime example is that the UK is talking about sending 50% of its aircraft carrier fleet (there are only 2 carriers anyway) to the Red Sea. Sending a carrier is easy, BUT the carrier also needs support vessels and a fleet of replenishment vessels for food, water, ammunition, fuel for ships, fuel for aircraft and many other tasks as well.

Meanwhile whilst that fleet is in the Red Sea, what covers the tasks it normally does? If you se the 2nd carrier to cover for the first carrier tasks, what do you have left to cover the second carriers tasks.

In addition to that you also have to maintain the first carrier and all its equipment, the task force ships that are with it and resupply all the weapons, fuel etc and give all the crews some rest time before the next politician comes up with an equally stupid or even a worse plan.

From what I can gather from the UK defence news is that the military is having a big problem with retaining people and recruiting new people.

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I can't agree. If that was correct, why are the US and various European countries supplying munitions? Western governments must know many of their citizens don't support the conflict, and risk electoral punishment for doing so. For sure Biden will be punished in states with large Arab origin populations.

If israel could supply it's lethal material, western countries could focus on non lethal and defensive assistance, but obviously it can't.

Well the Israeli Defence Industry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_industry_of_Israel

and is the 6th largest arms exporter in the world as of 2014. Much of the exports are sold to the United States and Europe. Other major regions that purchase Israeli defense equipment include Southeast Asia and Latin America.[7][8][9] India is also major country for Israeli arms exports and has remained Israel's largest arms market in the world.

It is possible that if the USA, EU and the UK cancelled their arms exports to Israel , then Israel could possibly expand its own weapons industry, postpone exports (subject to renegotiation of contracts) and build and supply enough their own forces for some time. This would also depend on how many workers have been called up as reservists, (or not if they were essential personnel). It would also entail buying extra stocks of war grade materials or using up their existing stock whilst trying to obtain more.

If and how that would be possible I have no idea.

Whilst western governments understand the risks of electoral problems in the future, IIRC only the USA has an election in the middle distance.

If they punish the Democrats by not voting for them in November, the only option at this time is Trump and the gop, so they are sort of stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, with no real home to turn to.

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

If it is a 1/2 inch , I normally use a a 3/4 valve with two 3/4 to 1/2 inch adopters  because the ball valve opening is IMO  too small and restricts flow even when wide open . A half incH ball valve has .3"" port opening, and a 3/4 ball valve has a .5" opening

So a 3/4 ball valve does not restricts a .5 inch(1/2") pipe. 

My water input is a 3/4 pipe with a U bend sticking up about 9 to 13 inches. unfortunate when the built the house about 20 years ago all the pipes, especially in the house walls and under the concrete outside are 1/2 inch pipes.

Personally I prefer working with 1 inch pipe for a better water flow.

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

Yea we all have different terms for this things. 

a 90 degree is the same as a ball valve I think ,because it takes a 90 degree turn to turn it on or shut it. 

However a 90 degree tap only needs turning 90 degrees to shut the water off. I think that the OP original tap had to be screwed down a few turns to shut the water off.

5 hours ago, Eloquent pilgrim said:

 

Hold on; you’ve asked me a question signified by a question mark, and then proceeded to answer it yourself.

 

If you just talk to yourself, it’s no surprise that you make little sense; still at least you always get the answer you want, which must make you feel all warm and righteous.

 

OK. So ignore that part of my response, and simply answer my question.

And where do you think Israel gets its figures from?

1 hour ago, IAMHERE said:

Of course Trump has it wrong. America should continue to fund the EU's defense. 

The USA does NOT fund the EU defence.

I actually pays into a fund that supports NATO and there is a very large difference.

But I don't suppose the difference matters to you.

4 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Not sure what terms are used in other countries, 

But as far as U know there are two types commonly used

A multi turn  that gas a circular handle and looks to be what the IO has

and a ball valve  that is most commonly used know. 

If I was the OP . and was capable of shutting the water outside the house, I would change it with a ball valve. Very easy to do.

 

Or use a 90 degree tap as in your earlier post.

Before you buy any valves, sirineou's tap is probably the best type IMO, and I have replaced a few, You need to know if the pipe is 1/2, 3/4 or 1 inch.

You may need to cut that old tap out. If you do you may be lucky and be able just replace the male ends or you may have to cut it a little further back and use a couple of straight connectors as well.

What I have been doing lately as I get older, is to make a U and raise the tap up so I don't have to bend down so far.

On 2/10/2024 at 5:09 PM, Eloquent pilgrim said:

So the figures come directly from Hamas then; fodder for the gullible and incurious 

And where do you think Israel gets its figures from?

They get them from the IDF itself. which IMHO is one of the least trustworthy sources in the conflict.

On 2/9/2024 at 7:32 PM, retarius said:

No, the Hamas have not been indiscriminate, they targetted  their prey as terrorists do, the Israeli reaction is an abomination and outside of anything permitted by law? Do you think the IDF should be allowed to do operate outside international laws with zero limits on their brutality????? Sorry mate, one side is good, the Palestinian side and one side is evil.

IMHO the combatants on both sides are much the same and deserve each other, HOWEVER the suffering is far greater on the Palestinian side, where innocent men, women and children are slaughtered on a daily and indiscriminate basis by the IDF.

Here is an example from the BBC during the past several days,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68261286

Audio recordings of calls between Hind and emergency call operators suggest that the six-year-old was the only one left alive in the car, hiding from Israeli forces among the bodies of her relatives.

Her pleas for someone to rescue her ended when the phone line was cut amid the sound of more gunfire.

Paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) managed on Saturday to reach the area, which had previously been closed off as an active combat zone.

They found the black Kia car Hind had been travelling in - its windscreen and dashboard smashed to pieces, bullet holes scattered across the side.

A few metres away were the remains of another vehicle - completely burnt out, its engine spilling onto the ground. This, the Red Crescent says, is the ambulance sent to fetch Hind.

Its crew - Yusuf al-Zeino and Ahmed al-Madhoun - were killed when the ambulance was bombed by Israeli forces, the organisation says.

In a statement, the PRCS accused Israel of deliberately targeting the ambulance, as soon as it arrived at the scene on 29 January.

"The [Israeli] occupation deliberately targeted the Red Crescent crew despite obtaining prior coordination to allow the ambulance to arrive at the scene to rescue the child Hind," it said.

The PRCS told the BBC that it had taken several hours to coordinate access with the Israeli army, in order to send paramedics to Hind.

Or from this mornings BBC News website.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68271878

Israel says two male Israeli hostages have been rescued in Rafah, as Israeli air strikes hit the southern Gazan city
The Israeli military says Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, are in "good medical condition"
Israel says there was "aerial coverage and a wave of strikes" to accompany the hostage raid
A spokesman for the Hamas-run health ministry says at least 67 Palestinians were killed in the strikes
It follows warnings from the international community over Israel's planned offensive in the city, where 1.5 million people are sheltering
Israel launched its operations in Gaza after more than 1,200 people were killed on 7 October by Hamas, who also took 253 people hostage
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 28,100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 67,500 injured since then.

Yet if Israel Netanyahu had agreed to the ceasefire plan proposed, most likely the hostages would have been released and nobody would have been killed or injured

7 minutes ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Trump Derangement Syndrome....clear as day. Got a leaky hose...TRUMP!! Mother in law has a farting problem...TRUMP!! Left the milk out of the fridge and now its gone bad....TRUMP!!! 

 

If Trump wins the meltdowns will be biblical. 

And when he loses again, who do you think he will blame?

My guess is that he will blame everybody else.

My second try at responding to this post.

6 minutes ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Trump Derangement Syndrome....clear as day. Got a leaky hose...TRUMP!! Mother in law has a farting problem...TRUMP!! Left the milk out of the fridge and now its gone bad....TRUMP!!! 

 

If Trump wins the meltdowns will be biblical. 

6 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Democrats have a Kamala Harris problem

 

That's stating the blindingly obvious.

And the gop has an even bigger problem, because their candidate is Donald Trump.

7 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Yet again, you are missing the point.  I don't need to use that app to meet women but it did make things very easy.

 

The point is about what is and what is not 'Hate' and where this brand of thinking is taking us.  People like me are branded 'haters' for simply not wishing to see gay activity on mainstream TV or in movies. Now I can't even state that I have no interest in meeting Trans people. 

 

What I find odd is that the site in question accepts membership from Ladyboys who state their gender is a 'Woman' and their preference is 'Straight' - both of which they are not. But that is acceptable because in today's world a person can 'identify' as they wish and we are all supposed to respect that.

 

So, I identify as a horse - don't dare say I'm not!

Some people on this forum will brand you as a "hater" if you have the temerity to offer a different opinion to them, or even if you post something that they disagree with, as you can see by some of the responses you have already had.

6 hours ago, pedro01 said:

You have the right to look away. 

And so do you.

52 minutes ago, illisdean said:

Should a man deemed too mentally unfit to face trial or for mishandling classified documents be deemed unfit to remain in the oval office? 

 

Biden! He should resign in disgrace before he is forcefully ejected in humiliating fashion.

And what do you suggest should happen to an ex president who stole classified documents from the White House, showed them to persons without security clearance, denied he had them in the first place, returned a few, denied once again that he had any, told his lawyers to deny he had any, and then when the FBI did a properly cleared search, then blamed anybody and everybody else for them being found.

Do YOU think he is a proper and responsible person, who should be president of the USA?

2 hours ago, radiochaser said:

Off topic question. 

What you posted is interesting.  Were those aeronautical en route ground stations you worked with?

How is answering another poster off topic?

If you had read my post correctly you would have seen that I was referring to mobile phone base stations.

Just now, uttradit said:

He doesn't have any skills. The guy can barely talk or walk. Most useless person around. He could not drive a car from Bangkok to Korat.

Thus speaks the voice of a person with no experience.

1 minute ago, uttradit said:

Biden does not run anything. He takes orders. Everything is prepared for him from food to diary to speeches. Only a fool would think 1 guy runs a country.

So you have no answers to my comment.

Why am I not surprised at that.

2 hours ago, uttradit said:

Why do you think his job is tough? All he does is put on a suit, smile and mumble some scripted speeches. 99.99% of people could do that. The whole role is a sideshow. Thousands of real workers do the work. He just follows directions.

 

What jobs could Biden do? Pilot? No. truck driver? no. Sell insurance? No. He couldnt do any real job. 

 

You seem to think it is simple to run a country of 300 million people yet you have no idea of what it takes.

Define a real job please.

I was driving a truck before I was 21.

I was never a pilot because I was not good enough or smart enough, and neither are you.

I used to install and commission mobile base stations in many countries across the world. Could you do that?

I also worked on aircraft radio equipment, at a satellite radar station, on police radio equipment. I also worked on preparing land and buildings for mobile base stations as far apart as Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and around the Arab Gulf, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand building 1G and 2G and CDMA, for AIS and DTAC during 1993, 94, 95, 96 and 1997. Sri Lanka Pakistan. Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand and perhaps other places that I have forgotten about.

Politics never interested me as a career and I am the first to admit that I would be hopeless at it.

President Biden has been very good at it and made it a career and his life's work.

I wouldn't expect him to drive a truck, be a pilot or sell insurance as it is not in his skill set.

If you think it is so easy, then prove it and become a politician.

Prove to us all, that you are not all hat and no cattle.

5 minutes ago, uttradit said:

He forgot how his son died. Just admit you are a Democrat. No need to post all the other stuff.

Now why would I admit to being a Democrat, when I am not?