canopy

Despite the horrific dry spells this year, in the mountains of Phetchabun province we accumulated over 1.5 meters of rain this year with September being the biggest month of rain according to my rain gauge. It's super green and beautiful now. Weather is usually cool in these parts but yesterday it turned suddenly cold and dry to jacket weather as the temps dropped to 15C / 59F.

Good question because it's the time of year rain can overlap in both areas. So don't roll the dice and book too far in advance. Wait until you are in Thailand and a few days before you go check the weather forecasts and choose based on that.

a piece of banana works well for me.

No rain between October and May is the reason many dont put in bigger tanks...

Did that come out wrong? Because on the contrary the long dry spell is precisely why giant tanks are needed in Thailand. One needs to catch enough water by the end of the rainy season to last half a year or more. So in Thailand you can't use just a few of those jars to supply household water year round due to the long dry spell. I use about a jar a month and am alone and my water needs are light.

I received a response from Franklin in Thailand. Their reply was top notch and backed by technical information and they confirmed the control box can safely go anywhere in this case so I'll opt to put it inside. They may even have an engineer come out and inspect my system to make sure everything is right so I am more impressed with Franklin all the time. Prior to contacting them I found it confusing the manual for the box says it is suitable for outdoors which to me implied that is where it is intended to go, but then goes on to say the box should never be exposed to direct sun or rain... So anyway things are all looking good at present and I think I have all the answers I need.

Was this the one where he made a night time mission to demolish shops on his land set up by squatters that had no right to be there and refused to leave?

I am in Phetchabun province. I would like to formally test water from several sources: village tap water from pond source, rainwater catchment, 20L white jugs commonly used for drinking, and well water. Can anyone recommend how to go about testing?

Interesting they have been doing wells for 25 years and it's the first time they have ever used 6mm² cable and "never had a problem" so I think they think I am a bit foolish. To them 1.5mm² is light duty and 2.5mm²is heavy duty. But I hear you on the electrical side and will stick to the spec. I am especially glad they chose Franklin as it gave me the opportunity to learn in time from this thread about it thanks to all your help.

For placement costs, both sides of the control box will be 6mm² 3-wire cables: 3 out of the motor on one side and 3 from the panel on the other since the manual recommends a 10ms GFCI. The disadvantages of putting the box over the bore I see are:

1. An electrical box sticking up in the yard is not appealing to the landscaping

2. The reset button is far away (60M) which is more difficult for troubleshooting if it were to trip.

3. Prone to theft / kids tinkering.

4. Seems good quality, but assume it will still rust out in the long term.

So any reason to put it over the bore?

A Thai electrician came out to do the install and I must say I was impressed with him and his attention to detail. The only thing I found suspect is instead of computing wire gauge his method is to simply hook up with small cable and measure the running voltage and if over 200 it passes or below it fails. But I ultimately will have 6mm the whole way. One other tidbit he mentioned is that even if running NYY, it should be in conduit as otherwise he has seen termites and moles go through it.

One final question: where to put the control box? The Franklin spec says it can go anywhere along the run. Everyone so far recommends putting it outdoors over the bore instead of in the house. What might be pros/cons?

My strategy right now is to run 6mm² from panel to pump and place the control box near the panel since that is just within Franklin's spec. The problem is, 6mm² cable may not be available in Phetchabun province in types like NYY that are needed.

PattayaClub, they told me not to run the pump at night for that very reason so I will be factoring that in. And from meter to panel is 50M of 25mm² NYY cable underground to 63A mcb. Transformer is 300M to meter and maybe a dozen farms are on the transformer; it's fairly very new.

Great info. And I understand the distinction and I will verify that.

By the way, they told me today that all I needed was 2.5mm² which made the alarm bells go off so I am scrambling to learn and get things up to spec.

Thanks impulse for the link to docs, I don't know the exact hardware yet, but should be provided by the driller tomorrow and can look at it in detail.

It is single phase.

Crossy, it seemed logical to keep the control box near the electrical panel rather than put it above the bore though I could build something weatherproof there and do that. When I did a 5% voltage drop calculation for 190M underground for 2500 watts it said I needed 10mm² cable which seems really large. So your idea of 6mm² for the underground part if the control box over the bore sounds like a good idea.

Keep the good advice coming if anyone has further thoughts.

I have a very deep well 130M deep with a submersible 1.5 HP pump made by Franklin. It is 60M from the well to the electrical panel. What size cable should be used for this? And what size circuit breaker? I would like to use NYY underground. Thanks for any advice.

do I have to put it as close to the drain hole as possible or will it work just as well 12 foot down the line.

International codes typically require the trap to be positioned directly below the drain with no horizontal offset allowed. Some amount of vertical drop is allowed. I've seen one code for the Philippines that allows a horizontal offset of 30" maximum. It's the only spec with any leniency I have come across for that. I am not sure all the reasons for wanting it directly below the drain, but that's usually where it has to be.

So let me recap to see if I understand:

1. if the motorcycle persons insurance paid, my rates would not have gone up. Unknown why this didn't happen.

2. if the motorcycle driver liable for the accident paid out of pocket for my damages, my rates would not have gone up. Unknown why this didn't happen either.

3. if the insurance company had recommended repairing myself instead of by claim I would have been better off because the rate increase is more than the repairs. This didn't happen either.

So it means I end up paying everything and then some for an accident caused by another person who apparently pays absolutely nothing at all. Is this really the way insurance here is designed to work? It doesn't sound right.

I have first class insurance from Sin Mun Kong. Some time ago I was waiting patiently at a stop light in a pickup when I was struck in the rear by a motorcycle for no apparent reason. It was decided I was not at fault by the police and insurance agent. However, the insurance company has informed me they are raising my rates since I had a claim. Does this make sense?

For the record Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are miserable, reaching 40C temperatures many days of the year which you can verify with statistical weather data. And it takes a lot less than 40C to bake you in those places. But I agree the self inflicted smoke that chokes the north half the year sending hundreds of thousands of people to the hospital for respiratory problems is madness.

The key to cool climate in Thailand is not north, it's up. Every 1000 meters of altitude the temperature drops 5 or 10C. And with cloud cover, rain, and wind all of which are more common in the mountains the temperature drop is most pronounced. I live on a mountain known as the little Switzerland of Thailand. Weather is mild all year round--not just during a certain season. Driving down the mountain the transition from cool to hot is astonishing. My dog will be panting in the heat at regular altitude or up in the mountain burrow in a blanket to stay warm. It's that different. Many mountains exist in Thailand where you will find mild, coastal California type weather year round. It's not north that is the key, it's up.

Another notable place absent from Phetchabun so far is Index. And by the way a new Makro in Phitsanulok is nearing completion. It's right on the main road near that first indo jeen intersection.

Tops can be really hard to find things and asking the staff is usually fruitless. Gotta go through there patiently and look at all the racks, not forgetting fronts and backs. I am pretty impressed with what you can get there and prices aren't that bad. Really nice place to have around.

Yes, that new 4 lane road is superb. It was just terribly dangerous and slow before. It's cut 20 minutes off that run for me and it's just so much easier and less stressful.

Rumors on constructions have been pretty unreliable, more like guesses. The most reliable indicator is just watch what springs up in Phitsanulok then a bit smaller version follows in Phetchabun in a few years. So Central or Tesco Lotus Extra would seem next in line. Further astream, they are building a new shopping mall in Phitsanulok called "The Mall" which is a chain found in Bangkok and elsewhere.

After the driest year one could imagine, the most amazing turnaround has happened. Our mountain in Phetchabun has had 10 inches of rain in the last week. Every single night it has dumped rain.

Even in good years, it's not enough to raise a family on. Government assistance, debt, and their children's income are what they get by on. Farming a 10 rai plot doesn't work in modern times and I hope this root problem is solved rather than propping up this sad lifestyle year after year.

I believe the legal limit is .08 percent and now you are not even allowed to have .01 percent.

When studying for my driving test years ago I remember reading those are the legal limits for a permanent (5 year) and temporary (1 year) license respectively.

No serious scientific community in the world currently advocates the practice.

And that worries me quite a bit. Year after year they increase rain making. And year after year rainy seasons become shorter and dryer than the last. So in the face of this it's creepy that they announce their efforts a success every single time. One must wonder if in fact rain making is exacerbating drought. It would be interesting to compare how much drought regional countries are experiencing relative to Thailand, and how much rain making takes place there.

Some here might not know viva board is different than gypsum and especially suited for outdoor applications and can take water. It's pretty hard and solid too. The advantage list you made however is exactly the same list as aac blocks like qcon. Actual advantages are a smaller list: (1) viva construction automatically makes a space between walls which is nice for hiding electrical/plumbing chases and putting in insulation and sound proofing. (2) You can get a smoother finished wall that some prefer. However, some people in this case would opt for an aac block wall then a batten and gypsum board on the inside to get the same advantages. The one thing I wonder about these thai type stud walls is how much creaking you get from the steel battens and fasteners expanding and contracting in the heat.

A suggestion should be realistic

Hey jacko did you see my post? The cost is small. The chances of catching a thief in the act are 100% complete with crystal clear photos sent immediately to your phone day or night. 50 pound banana bunches need a vehicle to move out. Many farmers can even get to the thief's getaway vehicle before the thief does if they want. It' just so easy. Your strategy is a joke comparatively and I can't believe you would even bother spending time to type such inferior rubbish. Wake up people, we are in the 21st century now.