canopy

What plants are ideal for treating water in a constructed greywater wetland in this climate? Below is a picture of the process. I've read vetiver grass is very good, but would prefer something a little more ornamental. I see a surprisingly good variety of bog plants available at nurseries. Barring any suggestions I may just go with a sampler pack and see what happens.

The reason for grout sealer is that grout is porous which contributes to mold growth in these crevices. Grout sealer fills up the pores, providing greater protection from mold.

Note cotto has grout specifically for bathrooms called nano grout. It's composed of very fine particles resulting in a smooth finish that does not need a sealer. It's available in Thailand in the same colors as normal cotto grout but you might have to go to a SCG outlet to find it.

Grout rakes work well if you keep them moving straight. Two hands helps. Divots occur if wedging the tool.

I had found grout sealer nowhere. Now that I know weber has it and see what the container looks like, I will carefully check global house's display again. It's too bad though that looking at the container apparently there is no roller applicator like is the case in other countries:

I would also recommend Thai Nair. English speaking, extensive stock of copper fittings and pipe sizes / grades (L K M),  orders ship out next day.

It's bizarre to hear people won't use q-con in bathrooms due to dampness yet happily use them on exterior walls that take driving rain.

It's best to ask SCG any questions about their products. They will tell you exactly the right way to do it. They even answer emails in English.

The first thing a chang does when the truck arrives is tell the driver to add water. Lots of water. It makes the concrete flow like water and is faster and easier to work. But as you know this can create long term issues that are unwanted. You need to explain to the chang in advance about the slump test and to instead tell the driver immediately to add no water, just in case he will do it by default. Also a good idea in this case to get a concrete vibrator. Thicker concrete is more difficult to consolidate and a vibrator will do a good job. Also tap the forms to get nice solid edges.

I'd also agree go genuine CPAC to help assure quality. It's no guarantee but maybe less risky than others in general. In defense of some of the others there are some that also give sheets with thorough specifications about the mix and have you sign off.

Maybe worth noting the hose bibs commonly sold here are not full bore. It means if you open the valve and look inside you will see a further reduction in diameter where the valve closes.

Another curiosity regarding an original link is that home depot is blocked in Thailand.

If the workers don't know how to safely tie things down, they obviously shouldn't be doing it. But unfortunately this is a hit or miss area in Thailand. I don't know what the liability law is and apparently nor does anyone so far. However, it is quite unreasonable to require every joe and grandma to watch the workers, tell them what they did isn't going to work, and educate them on how to do it securely.

Some stores stamp your receipt on the way out. They need a quality guy to do the same for assuring goods were loaded securely. Of course, nothing will happen as long as we all continue to just ignore the bad jobs and move on.

For now anyone loading up on a regular basis should spend some time learning knots and proper ways of securing things. Plenty on the internet on this. If something was loaded improperly and caused damage, call your insurance company. They surely have dealt with this and will tell you what you can do.

10 hours ago, Berkshire said:

It just says "unhealthy air."

The article is vague but maybe we can surmise 90% of Californians get at least a blip over an AQI of 50 on one day of the year. And surely places like LA go much higher and longer than that. Whatever the exact numbers and time periods are, it's plainly visible to anyone from California that the air in northern Thailand is miserably bad for a miserably long time. Trying to tie this extreme situation to California is nonsense. It really is. Being in a northern thai hotel and choking a sleepless night with no way out of the smoke is a miserable experience.

Do you see Chiang Mai in any of these lists?

Good question, I'm glad you asked. The first thing you need to understand is the north not only has a wet and dry season, but it also has a smokey and non-smokey time period. These two periods are very closely related. If you were to plug in Chiang Mai air quality during the smokey time frame into the links you provided on the most polluted cities in the world, you would notice it is up with the worst of them. The air in the north can be sub-standard for 6 or 8 consecutive months or however long the dry time of year lasts. It also spends significant time with the AQI soaring above 200, 300, and has even gone over 400. And studies have shown the air in northern thailand is worsening. The other concern is it has been discovered and discussed in this thread more than once that Thailand hides how bad the air really is by not including the dangerous PM 2.5, a measurement a lot of your links show prominently.

Maybe then, you'll stop with the hyperbole and untruths...Doesn't do your credibility much good...As for some of your more exaggerated remarks

Let's stick to the facts, this is an interesting thread and I have learned a lot and hope to learn more from people such as you. I don't believe anything I stated is exaggerated. Not one bit. Is there anything in particular that I can help fill in for you? Do you need links to gas masks being handed out? Hospitals overrun with those suffering from respiratory problems? Government warnings to stay indoors, etc? Planes not being able to take off due to smog? Just let me know if there is even a hint of exaggeration in anything I have said and I'll see what I can do.

Interesting article. I've spent time in both. It's like comparing the earth to the moon. One needs to put in perspective just how bad the air in Thailand actually is. The air in California where I stayed was bliss every day of the year. The air in northern Thailand is so horrendous that during peak the sun is blotted out, the hospitals fill with people suffering from respiratory problems, advisories are made to stay indoors with windows and doors tightly closed, no exercise, and breathing masks handed out by the government. Northern Thailand ranks among one of the most polluted places in the entire world. 100% of the population there is impacted. Just think, in not too many months from now the people in the north will be merrily burning down the countryside again creating this self inflicted hazard all over again. Give me California any day.

13 hours ago, Daffy D said:

Has Thailand changed it's electrical wire color coding or is this just an odd batch?

From what I have seen there has been a complete change over in the last few years at what the stores are selling. The new standard is brown-blue-green (L-N-G). And the ground wire is now the same size as the conductors instead of being down a step like they used to be.

Some notes on what I have learned.

It was extremely valuable to get the tip about generic knock offs. Looking closely at markings I can see the market is flooded with generic variants that are called "wago". Be careful.

What inspired this thread is when I was selecting a connector the two I pictured not only met the specifications I needed, but they appeared to have identical specifications. I learned the difference is the one on the right is the predecessor and the left is the new and improved successor.

For the type Crossy pictured there is now a successor of this type as well and wow are they cool. These push in types, compared to the picture of the lever type I show, hold the wire incredibly tight. It's extremely difficult to remove a wire, though it can be done and the wago part reused a number of times.

As far as sources, I have not seen wago connectors in any stores from the big box stores to the small electrical stores, but lazada sells a number of types. I am very impressed with wago connectors and without this site would have never known they even existed and might otherwise have been mashing wires and stripping screws with cheap choc blocks.

I recall when the recent animal cruelty law was enacted it exempted animal cruelty for religious purposes. So it is puzzling they are saying there can be punishment for this. Not just birds, but releasing turtles, fish, anything is cruel to the animal and most people are not aware of this as they are taught they are doing something good.

2 hours ago, spiderorchid said:

most Thais do care about the land and the environment, especially in rural areas

Rural areas? Please explain. There is no environmental awareness in the rural areas I have seen. In our area there is no garbage pickup. The people burn their garbage or dump it in the national forest. They never compost. I found it interesting the government wants the villages to have garbage pickup but the people have successfully fought against the idea. People use herbicides to landscape their yard. Burning fields and forests is such an acute problem that it creates a smog with serious health impact much of the year. And nothing happens. And no one cares. I can't think of one environmental aspect that the rural areas care about. There is recycling, but that is only because they are being handed money, not because they care about the environment.

I think you mean G4, yes these blocks are load bearing but proper fastening still needs considered.

I purchased 20cm lintels as well as other thicknesses from homemart. Maybe there was too long of a back order delay at the time you purchased and/or something lost in translation? If q-con stopped producing them, that would be quite surprising and sad too. It's just so nice to lay a lintel as quick and easy as a block. Lintels are still shown on the q-con web site.

Pogust, a few things you did do not appear to meet the building specifications for these blocks.

Making a ring beam is fine, but the rebar needs to be well encased in mortar as shown below:

The attachment of your walls to posts does not seem to meet q-con guidelines. Here is one attachment method:

The lintel is sitting on a block that is too short. The length of the bearing block must extend past the lintel a specified, minimum distance:

I would recommend having q-con inspect your structure. All you do is call them and they will go to your site for a free consultation.

Final note, making your own lintels is fine. But as of this year q-con does indeed sell them, even 20cm and they are fantastic to work with.

10 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

 

Will this be true of other northern areas as well such as Loei, Pai, etc.?

 

Afraid so. Maybe the levels won't be as bad, but the air is sub-standard much of the year.

After the great rains, good air quality now.

Where does the waste water go in houses like these?

9 hours ago, impulse said:

 

If you believe that a few hours or days or weeks of studying on the interweb can qualify you to meet or exceed code

 

I don't believe this. What you are doing is making up a strawman.

And I'd pay someone out of BKK

Getting a reputable, licensed electrician would be fantastic. It would also be great to have approval from a building inspector. However, the reality is neither of these are a reasonable option in many parts of Thailand. So if you wish to voice concerns, this would be good place to focus your energy.

10 hours ago, impulse said:

If you're not familiar, count on spending a lot of time perusing the data.

And everyone starts by being unfamiliar; it's not something you are born with. That's why it seemed worthwhile to ask before perusing the data and the information so far has been very useful.

With all respect, this is one of those times when it's worth hiring some expert help to keep from frying your loved ones down the line.

The reality is this forum is a lifeline of expert help enabling people to learn to meet or exceed code. Leaving everything up to a so-called electrician in the boonies is the worst thing you could do in my observation.

I have read a lot of positive things about Wago connectors. There seems to be a number of types available. Any advice how to choose one type vs another? Below are 2 example types that appear very simlar.

If it’s such a great idea why don’t you or some group buy some land and perform this type of farming on a 200 year plan to demonstrate how great and sustainable it is? Because by all appearances it’s only economically feasible when stealing a healthy forest from public land. It’s also unfair to pollute the air we all breathe for personal gain. In the meantime, Thailand needs a more responsible method of farming that does not destroy the precious few remaining forests it has. The habitat and endangered species it supports are just too important to throw away.

This is not permaculture. Burning down a healthy forest to ashes and ruining the soil means the land won’t be suitable for an indigenous forest to thrive anymore.  A few years of scrub brush growing does not hold a candle to the ecosystem supported by beautiful, mature 100-year-old trees that used to be there. And these karen’s don’t replant the forests they destroy. They slash and burn out of greed and then move on to wreck somewhere else. If it’s not their land, which is the case here, I just don’t understand why this encroachment and destruction granted by these gods is tolerated at all.

By the way, I am not just an armchair poster here. I live among hill tribe people for many years which gives me a lot of insights I otherwise wouldn’t have. Nice people and I have a lot of friends among them, but putting them near anything natural is like releasing a fox in a hen house. It’s just the way they are. Anytime I have them on my property to do some gardening work every creature great and small and every innocent plant is at risk and I must warn them and watch them like a hawk to protect nature from them. They will instantly kill every snake, slingshot every bird, yank every mole out of the ground with fishing hooks, pluck every horn beetle, dig up every root, advise me how to make money by cutting down all of the trees for me, etc. There will simply be nothing of value left in a forest if they remain there unchecked. We are all taught from an early age these people are living in harmony with nature and this picture will be difficult for some here to ever change. But I can’t ignore everything that I see and learn about them shows nothing could be further from the truth. This news story is just more confirmation of this.

In a nutshell we are talking about people stealing national forest land for their own benefit and ruining it. It was a real gem to read "they will perform a ceremony to ask for permission from the gods to use the land". If only we could all get away with that one. And how many times did these gods respond "no! you can't have it. go somewhere else bud". This sentence from the expert in forest ecosystems pretty much sums up why the karens must be stopped.

"rotational farming still required burning to clear the ground, which caused air pollution and damaged the soil. Most rotational farms are on the slopes of mountains, where the top soil is washed away by the rain."

The damage they do to the forest will last for centuries even if they stop today which they won't. Their bad deeds should not have to be shouldered by the rest of the population like this. It's causing drought in addition to air pollution and they are a great detriment to all wildlife that they kill by burning, hunting, and destroying habitat.

Quick recap: picking mushrooms was their claim and they were never found guilty of this. They were found guilty of encroaching on 72 rai of national forest land, cutting down over 1000 valuable trees, and possessing restricted timber illegally.