stephanienyc

Agreed. My experience is that the universal outlets are best suited to UK type and roun-pin plugs. Not so much the flat pin types like Aussie and American - contact seems to be very gamey - I've had to jiggle American-type plugs a little sometimes to get them to make contact. Not something I'd trust to plug a vacuum cleaner or other heavy-current appliance at ALL!!!

And yeah, in the position they are innstalled with earth-up, the should be wired with live to the left - since if you plug a device with an American-type three-pin plug (invariably polarized), it should mesh with the neutral on right, live on left and earth up; provided the plug has been correctly wired.

The problem then is that UK plugs and (I believe) Aussie plugs will be reverse-polarized in relation to the American earthed types. It's basically our fault - our plugs are backwards in relation to those from two other major standard countries, so we end up throwing everyone off.

These items are common in every discount and hardware store in the USA.

Incredibly, this site is called ThaiVisa.com, not US-Visa.com, we 'ain't not in the good ole US of A, it's a tad too far to nip to Walmart.

Figure out how you're going to charge users for that wireless power, yet, Mr. Tesla?

It's called information and since they are so ubiquitous here, it means I'm well versed in these things because I've had to use them so much - it would be a waste of the original poster's money to buy one of these things thinking the pull-chain controls the two side outlets in addition to the bulb holder.

Read the whole post instead of picking out one line.

@Stephanienyc

Whilst Mr Tesla's comment may be a little over the top I'm not sure how using one of the 3-light testers could be considered 'thinking way too much', after all it's significantly easier and safer than poking around a live outlet with a multimeter.

It's important to realise that these testers have literally just become available in Thailand which is excellent news for everyone with even a passing interest in electrical safety.

By the way, I've examined half a dozen different outlets that I have 'in stock', none have coloured terminals, none have markings other than L, N and E (or the Ground symbol), the better quality ones do have the wide neutral slot.

Wasn't talking about the testers. Just the ensuing conversation about them. While I agree those testers are handy (and I own a couple), before use, I would first verify the wiring of one of these things on a known good socket that has been checked first with a multimeter.

As far as US-centric, we're talking about a system that uses American-style outlets (albeit slightly modified) as its user interface. You gotta think US.

If it were a British ring system with the big chunky plugs and their peculiarities, you'd have to think in a UK-centric way. I mean, who else has a fuse inside their plug as a requirement! (at the end of the day, it's the best system, I believe, though)

As far as markings, it all depends. The ones with the "colored" terminals (one screw just being chrome plated, basically) usually have standard terminal screws you wrap the wires around. The ones that you have probably use grub-screw type lugs, I would imagine the L,N and E markings are all they come with.

To add to the soup, the versions for 110 (American style) and 220 (Schuko) sold in South Korea, use pressure-lock (wire-stab) terminals with quick-release for Live and Neutral. They just have engraved L and N markings on the plastic housing. The earth terminal, oddly enough, is a conventional screw that has been colored green. Go figure.

I am quite familiar with the devices that you just showed. The lampholder adapter with two side outlets and a pull-chain is just for ading additional outlets. the pullchain just controls the bulb.

These items are common in every discount and hardware store in the USA.

That is the standard American plug. The christmas-tree lights sold in this country come fitted with that very same plug. It will work, no problem on our 110 volt system...just be a bit dimmer.

OK, you Europeans are thinking way too much about this. Let's look at a Thai outlet and think like an American (which is what these outlets are basically). It is quite easy to determine how it should be wired.

Ignore the round openings on the sides of the vertical slots, for now - our concern is the vertical slots themselves.

Looking closely at the face, you will see one vertical slot that's slightly bigger than the other.

The "wider" slot is supposed to always be the NEUTRAL (or white wire). Sometimes this terminal is silver-colored or has a W - for 'white' or an N (for Neutral) marked on it.

If we take our multimeter (the tech's best friend) and put it across the wide slot and the earth hole, thould be ZERO volts between this wide slot and the ground or earth connection (the round, or U-shaped hole).

The narrower slot is the LIVE. On some outlets I've seen this terminal colored brass. Using your multimeter, you should about 220 volts (or 110/120 here in USA) between either the earth (round hole) or the wider Neutral slot.

If you don't have voltage to earth from either terminal then you have an Open Ground.

Now, as far as the orientation of the Earth terminal, this doesn't matter. The US Electric Code does not specify which direction it goes.

Usually it's the electrician's preference or local convention -- for instance here in my area North Carolina, we install usually outlets with the earth terminal up. In New York City, outlets are usually mounted horizontally or with the ground opening pointing down.

Use what works best for you.

See how easy that was?

Hope that helps somewhat.

Sittisan, thank you for your educated and reasoned post. I wish more people weren't so quick to blast their adopted country.

Have to correct you on the outlets in the states are nothing like the ones in Thailand. The only thing in the states that comes close would be a 220v 20 amp outlet.

The size of the internal components of our USA 15 and 20 amp 110 and 220 volt sockets are all the same. The limiting factors involve the shape and pattern of the slots molded into the outlet's front cover. If you were to put a 15-amp/125 volt socket next to a 20-amp/125V, 15A/250V and 20A/250V sockets and crack the front covers off, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between them just by looking at the internals.

The 20-amp/240V socket you're thinking of doesn't have one pin larger than the other. It has one pin set at a 90 degree angle.

Ditto the plugs. The pins are just arranged differently in the housing. Parallel, tandem or two different configurations of 90 degree offsets. Look at a NEMA configuration chart one of these days.

Where you start seeing significant differences is in receptacles and plugs for 30 amps and above. The pins and the housings they're set into are definitely thicker.

On our 15-amp/125V outlets, one pin is SOMETIMES (not always) made a little wider to enforce polarization of some appliances. The wider pin goes to the neutral conductor. The standard-sized one goes to the live.

Most replacement plugs found in USA shops don't have this feature, however.

So sometimes you're stuck with replacing a polarized factory-moulded plug with a non-polarized standard device. For a double-insulated device like a portable radio or a fan, you really don't need the polarizing feature.

The USA-type 125V/15A two parallel-pin socket that you see all over the place in Thailand can obviously handle 220 volts at 15 amps with no problem. In fact, the same outlets are used at the same current levels in China, Peru, Bolivia and many other countries with no problem.

It's not the socket/plug system that's the problem. It's people's cavalier attitudes towards electrical safety that are. A chunky BS-1363 plug and socket by itself would not have prevented this man's death.

What tosh, I have never had an electric shock from a UK cash machine yet you say its "everywhere"

Ahhh. The UK. A country that didn't figure out how to make factory molded-on mains plugs until the late 90s. Before that, every fool that bought a table lamp or a toaster had to buy a plug and screw it on. You people weren't even able to settle on a definite standard until the 1960s!!

I've bought plenty of antique radios from your country for my collection. I've seen the screw-ups your people have made wiring a simple BS-1363 plug on two-conductor lamp cord. Reversed polarity, cord grip not secured, terminal screws not tight enough, 13 amp fuses when a 3 amp should have been used....

Heck.....plugs with CARDBOARD cord grips. Now what is THAT all about??? :D

Let's face it. This poor fool was SITTING ON A WET FLOOR, waving his hands around without paying attention to where he put them. Simple obliviousness can be your death.

First off, my condolences to this guy's friends and family members.

But I want to know why this young man was sitting on the floor in the first place. I would NEVER sit on the floor of ANY outdoor urban area. Great way to expose yourself close up to all manner of filth. Yuck.

Also, all this talk about how Thailand lacks electric safety and the Thais being "uneducated animals". Whatever happened to common sense? Stay away from electrical ANYTHING when it's raining or it's rained. Don't touch dangling wires. Don't touch electrical devices with wet hands, especially ATMs and other things like that outside.

Here in the USA we have a lot of "cowboys" doing their own electric - and I've gotten "bitten" by ATMs where the current has been leaking to the metal frame of the machine. It's not just Thailand. It's not just Asia. It's EVERYWHERE. I'm sure it happens a lot in lily-perfect Europe also, even with all your grounding and over-designed plugs and what-not.

I know this was an accident and this guy probably slapped his hand on the floor (yuck) without seeing what was there first. This time it was a light socket. It could just as well have been a dog turd or a spent heroin needle or anything. It was just his time to go.

Lesson in life is, don't sit on the outside floor and always be vigilant of where you put your hands down.

Thailand just happens to follow mostly American standards and conventions for electric, adapted for local conditions and customes, just like the Philippines and South Korea.

Hmmm, I don't see any 110V 60Hz or 220V bi-phase supplies in Thailand.

Actually about the only US standard stuff here is the style of the outlets and the "colors" of the wires (which has caught out numerous American citizens with their 110V appliances) and even that's starting to change, with an increasing amount of Euro standard Brown, Blue, Green/Yellow cable becoming available. Do you have MEN or PME in the US?

Philippines is 220V 60Hz delta, again not US, I would sort of agree about Korea where they haphazardly mix 110V and 220V lamps and outlets (cost me a TV, plugged the 110V telly into an unmarked 220V outlet).

Thai standards such as they are are actually closer to Oz than anywhere else.

That is what i meant by US standard stuff -- the devices and wires (and even some installation standards).

In the USA we bond the neutral wire from the utility transformer to the customer provided ground (earth) connection at the main service disconnect (usually where the meter and main disconnect are). After that point, the neutral and ground must be on separate wires. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electrical-Wiri...l-vs-ground.htm

As far as South Korea, from my personal experience, the rule of thumb is: Outlets with flat pins are for 110 volts. Outlets with round pins are for 220 volts. Nowadays we use Schuko grounded sockets for 220 volts, but in the old days - Korean sockets just had the two round pins with no ground. The ungrounded sockets were only recently discontinued, so you still see a fair amount of them. This is the new type: http://www.iseao.co.kr/htm/je2s11.htm

I will let the pictures speak to say that your statement about J boxes is not accurate. Wire nuts are available also.

Interesting, and some differences in terminology.

Those ^^^ are not what would be called 'junction boxes' in the UK, they are simply 'boxes' or 'conduit boxes'. Under UK regs cable joints are not normally permitted in this type of box, they are used to join the conduit and allow cables to route to their destination.

A UK junction box contains fixed screw terminals that are used to terminate the cores. I have never seen this type of box in Thailand (get them in Malaysia though).

Personally, I don't like wire-nuts (I like twisted joints even less), wire-nuts are fine if installed correctly but so often they are not, leading to possibly fizzing joints hidden away in a box somewhere This is why they are not permitted in UK installations, even JBs must be 'accessible' so hiding them in the ceiling is not allowed unless there is an access hatch (so they're ok in the loft space).

OK. I've been following the posts on the electrical subject for a couple months now. The main problem I see here is that a lot of you are from the UK or Australia. You are bringing your British and Australian wiring standards, conventions and expectations to a country where primarily American standards are used. Think "American".

For instance, USA type junction boxes do not have integrated terminal blocks in the enclosure. We use twisted wire & a nut (called Scru-its in the UK - obsolete for a few decades now) and these go in a plain metal or plastic box -- the same type used for switches and sockets. The proper way to assemble these connections is to twist the wires and then screw the nut on. Wrap the thing with electrical tape to protect the splice from getting full of debris and dust.

Boxes in the USA also have to be fully accessible if installed in a finished wall. That's why they're mounted in the same way as switch/outlet boxes and are then fitted with a blank plate that can be unscrewed for inspection/repair.

Also, American sockets are not switched (like you see in the UK). We also don't use ring mains or put plugs in our fuses (UK). That is just the way these things evolved. Thailand just happens to follow mostly American standards and conventions for electric, adapted for local conditions and customes, just like the Philippines and South Korea.

However, that being said, there is no excuse for just taping a couple wires together and tossing the whole mess behind the wall. That would be improper in any country in the world. If anyone has seen wiring installations in the USA, you'll know we have lots of cowboys. Ditto the UK and Australia.

Be safe!

Only seen this on the high end of Philips Steam Irons. Lopburi said it was the new Thai Standard.

Is it the same? Looks plenty robust.

Yup, and theoretically all new appliances must have it. Finally we may have standardisation

Actually this page now says that it was [revoked] "from being mandatory standard September 20, 2008". So I guess this means appliances will continue to be sold with German or American earthed plugs?

www.tisi.go.th/standard/comp_eng.html

Eye of the beholder. I find the rubber Eagle to be both ugly and hard to handle (I do not like a collapsing feeling when unplugging plugs) and spent a work life using industrial rated equipment. The rubber type has been here for some years but have not seen the small metal type until recently (there is a larger model sold in States that I have used). The fact local cords are smaller (due voltage) so not fill up the wire hole also makes me want a case that can be easily pulled (without the risk of the rubber cover coming off the internals.

The "problem" with US style plugs is that they do not have a positive fit and expose hot wire if slightly out of socket (normal condition). The Schuko is much better in that respect and the new three pin Thai plug standard appears to use the same part way insulter for plugs.

These exact rubber and the metal "armored" plugs are sold here in the USA, and were originally manufactured domestically. Same dimensions, same look, but now branded "COOPER" (Eagle Electric was bought by Cooper Wiring Devices). The rubber ones are now imported from China but the armored type is made in Mexico.

Both plugs are very good quality, although I prefer the armored type for obvious reasons - and use them for everything from power strips and extension cords to power tools and appliances like washing machines or refrigerators. Here you see them used a lot in workshops and industrial/commercial establishments where plugs tend to be abused and treated roughly. A two-pin version (no round earth pin) is also manufactured for two-conductor cords.

The metal shell (with a plastic lining) is bonded to the round earth pin when the plug is screwed shut, so there should be no danger of electrocution.

We have just taken delivery of a new Whirlpool washing machine after the previous unit was declared beyond repair by our pet repair chap (it did make quite a big bang).

A pleasant buying experience in Homepro (well the THREE trainee sales girls were cute) was followed by prompt delivery and installation.

The old machine had a Schuko plug for which I'd installed the correct socket, the new machine has the plug pictured below:-

Interesting, I've not seen anything quite like it before and it's not on the usual 'international electricity' sites. It fits the regular Thai 'universal' grounded outlet perfectly (which the installation chaps re-fitted for us after I'd found it), so it's 1,000,000 times better than the Schuko that was fitted to the old machine, although it really looks like it's intended to fit a recessed outlet.

Anyone seen these elsewhere, or are they a strange hybrid dreamed up by the Thais to confuse everyone even more?

Looks very similar to the old UK 5A (still used in India) but the ground is the same size as the L and N pins and is closer to them, 5A plug pictured below for comparison.

It seems very similar to the Israeli plug:

The Philippines is somewhat special, in that their 220V is actually between phases (so both wires bite), means all MCBs, switches etc. have to be double-pole, pain in the XXX. Also the only country to use 220V 60Hz.

South Korea also uses 220 Volts at 60 Hertz. Both sides are live, similar to the Philippine system. Probably because early on, these were 110 - 0 - 110 volt systems (like in the US) and now they just bridge between the two active lines and dispense with the neutral.