Bad Thai plumbing

[gargamon]

I've stayed  in a number of different condos in and around Pattaya and it seems in about half of them they didn't install  sewer traps to block the sewer smells from periodically entering the unit. Anyone else notice this? Maybe we should make a list of "safe" buildings. If nothing else it might incite them to do it properly in the future, but no, it probably wouldn't help.

[Lungstib]

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

[worgeordie]

10 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

Ditto , Thai electrician , wire ,pliers,and screwdriver,maybe some insulating tape.

regards worgeordie

[LongTimeLurker]

4 hours ago, gargamon said:

it seems in about half of them they didn't install  sewer traps to block the sewer smells from periodically entering the unit.

The problem is most likely that the downpipe is not vented to the atmosphere above the roof level creating a closed system, so when the water flows down the 4" downpipe pipe it creates a vaccuum which sucks the water from the sewer traps of the smaller 2" branches.

[LongTimeLurker]

3 hours ago, Lungstib said:

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

The wife had one of these so called 'plumbers' install a couple of lever taps on our bathroom sink when I was away working.

 

He installed one lever correctly, parallel to the wall, but the other was at 90 degrees. He told my wife that there was no other way it could be installed. I had the wife show him the American Standard instructions which he then claimed were incorrect and it couldn't be done that way.

 

She had him unscrew the tap (as we didn't have the correct spanner) she turned it to the correct position and had him screw it back up again.

[gargamon]

19 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

The problem is most likely that the downpipe is not vented to the atmosphere above the roof level creating a closed system, so when the water flows down the 4" downpipe pipe it creates a vaccuum which sucks the water from the sewer traps of the smaller 2" branches.

Yes, whatever they did it wasn't done properly. I'd hate to spend millions of baht on a condo to find out after a few  days they'd screwed up the plumbing and I'd have to put up with the smell.

[stanleycoin]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:14 AM, Lungstib said:

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

You forgot,  the Hammer with the broken handle, the bent screwdriver,  the drill with on plug on it,   and his mate with the silly grin, now sitting on your sofa.

Edited January 28, 2019 by stanleycoin

[bkk6060]

The OP is correct on this.

Even in some of the higher end places there is sewage smell.

I suggest anyone rent in a prospective building before making a purchase mistake.

No fun sitting in your ocean view condo smelling S... all day.

Edited January 28, 2019 by bkk6060

[catman20]

The wife had one of these so called 'plumbers' install a couple of lever taps on our bathroom sink when I was away working.

 

my girlfriend does most of her own plumbing jobs at home herself. ????

[Peterw42]

A lot of people dont realise that Thailand often has bell traps, the floor/shower waste is the trap, there is no trap under the floor. you need to keep water in the bell trap and cleaning ladies love removing the bell. 

 

[RocketDog]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:14 AM, Lungstib said:

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

Yep. And called a plumbing engineer by most people too. 

Anybody here with any technical "skills" is called an engineer. 

[RocketDog]

On 1/27/2019 at 1:40 PM, LongTimeLurker said:

The wife had one of these so called 'plumbers' install a couple of lever taps on our bathroom sink when I was away working.

 

He installed one lever correctly, parallel to the wall, but the other was at 90 degrees. He told my wife that there was no other way it could be installed. I had the wife show him the American Standard instructions which he then claimed were incorrect and it couldn't be done that way.

 

She had him unscrew the tap (as we didn't have the correct spanner) she turned it to the correct position and had him screw it back up again.

Good for her. I'm very impressed if she is Thai as this inevitably led to the guy losing face. 

Some of these Thai women have real moxie in the right situation. 

 

I watched from a few feet back one day when leaving a market as a woman on a motorcycle tried to enter the market (!?!) through the narrow passage we were in. My Thai GF kept her face forward and did not give way. The motorcycle woman, true to form, continued onward. Rather than hitting my GF she came too close to a concrete piller and cleanly  sheared off one of her mirrors. My GF, bless her defiant heart, never looked back or said a word. 

I later asked her about it and she simply replied that she was a pedestrian and had the right of way. I commented on the other lady not stopping and she just said "up to her". And so it was. 

 

I questioned why the woman  insisted on riding a motorcycle into a crowded market, and again she said "up to her". 

 

I'll never understand some things here. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

A lot of people dont realise that Thailand often has bell traps, the floor/shower waste is the trap, there is no trap under the floor. you need to keep water in the bell trap and cleaning ladies love removing the bell. 
 

Yup, I found this to be the case in my house, a couple of bells missing.

Also if you have a drain in a room that gets little use then could be the water has evaporated and therefore becomes ineffective.

[khunPer]

On 1/27/2019 at 3:31 AM, gargamon said:

Anyone else notice this?

Sewer traps seem to be rarely used in Thailand, you can find a drain grille with a smell trap included – there's a number a variants available – however, they might costs little more than just a sewer grille.

 

And as others have already replied, anyone can call themselves a plumber here, as long as they can cut and glue blue pipes; which of course can be mixed with white or yellow electric pipes, if no more blue

...

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Yup, I found this to be the case in my house, a couple of bells missing.

Also if you have a drain in a room that gets little use then could be the water has evaporated and therefore becomes ineffective.

Gawd Save the 'faulty dripping shower tap' - from extinction

 

- probably the one and only thing it's good for! but

[PETERTHEEATER]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:14 AM, Lungstib said:

A Thai plumber is any man with a saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. 

A Thai plumber is any man with a BLUNT saw to cut plastic pipe and a tin of 'cement' to glue the bits together. WHILST SMILING.

[Rimmer]

A couple of off topic posts have been removed

[VocalNeal]

Just a technicality? The Kipper reference is Ace Rimmer. Arnold's alter ego.

[The Theory]

Not having trap is somehow fixable, but no slop or opposite way slop ???? is even worse and not fixable. 

Slop has no meaning to them. 

[tifino]

5 minutes ago, The Theory said:

Not having trap is somehow fixable, but no slop or opposite way slop ???? is even worse and not fixable. 

Slop has no meaning to them. 

Oh I am sure that a 'slop' spill would get their attention, quick smart!

 

 

slope is where the laxness lies

 

 

 - and as for Traps...

wonder the average Thai plumber's attitude for deciding between S Bends and P traps?

Edited January 29, 2019 by tifino

[The Theory]

6 minutes ago, tifino said:

Oh I am sure that a 'slop' spill would get their attention, quick smart!

 

 

slope is where the laxness lies

 

 

 - and as for Traps...

wonder the average Thai plumber's attitude for deciding between S Bends and P traps?

They don’t bother to make any decision, they just use what they got if there is any ????

[Jaggg88]

The kitchen sink waste in our house does not have a trap or u bend so I purchased a plug until I get round to fixing it. Does anybody know a plumber? ????

[harleyd61]

On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 6:27 PM, stanleycoin said:

You forgot,  the Hammer with the broken handle, the bent screwdriver,  the drill with on plug on it,   and his mate with the silly grin, now sitting on your sofa.

and of course....the magic silicone....

[Sydebolle]

Is anyone seriously surprised, honestly? Look at the roadside wiring, the sewer next to the pavements, the way manholes are put in etc. etc. etc. 

It is called education, vocational training and supervision - go figure! 

[DrTuner]

On 1/29/2019 at 8:09 AM, Peterw42 said:

A lot of people dont realise that Thailand often has bell traps, the floor/shower waste is the trap, there is no trap under the floor. you need to keep water in the bell trap and cleaning ladies love removing the bell. 

 

If there are any Thai inhabitants in the condo, they will remove the plastic cap under the grill in 0.0000001 secs as "water not go down". There is no hope.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎1‎/‎28‎/‎2019 at 2:42 PM, gargamon said:

Yes, whatever they did it wasn't done properly. I'd hate to spend millions of baht on a condo to find out after a few  days they'd screwed up the plumbing and I'd have to put up with the smell.

Ah, LOS. Spend millions to build a condo, then hire a man with no qualifications to install the plumbing and electricity.

Gotta love the place.

 

Not that it's only a Thai problem. My new flat in London had leaking sewer pipes which leaked all through the ceiling.

[1haribo]

There is a stench in the cabinet under the kitchen sink in my new condo. I complained several times, they always opened the pipe and cleaned it, and advised me to keep the pipe clean using hot water. The trap seems ok, I think the smell comes out of the joints of the pipe. I wrapped them with cling film, it is a bit better now, but still smelly. I have to keep the cabinet closed.

[chickenslegs]

On 1/29/2019 at 8:17 PM, Jaggg88 said:

The kitchen sink waste in our house does not have a trap or u bend so I purchased a plug until I get round to fixing it. Does anybody know a plumber? ????

LongTimeLurker's missus sounds handy (post #5).????

[DrTuner]

23 hours ago, 1haribo said:

There is a stench in the cabinet under the kitchen sink in my new condo. I complained several times, they always opened the pipe and cleaned it, and advised me to keep the pipe clean using hot water. The trap seems ok, I think the smell comes out of the joints of the pipe. I wrapped them with cling film, it is a bit better now, but still smelly. I have to keep the cabinet closed.

It's usually from where the pipe enters the wall, sometimes they just stick the pipe from the bottle trap into the pvc pipe in the wall with a half inch gap on all sides and put the metal cover plate on, sometimes they bother to stuff the gap with caulking or such. I fill the gap with silicone myself and make sure the pipe is at an angle where it drains out. No smell. Can't expect that from Thai "builders", so DIY. 

[DrTuner]

15 hours ago, Kim J said:

Add to that list electricians, painters, gardeners, roofers, etc etc. I have yet to find a contractor in Thailand that comes even close to being diligent, honest, competent or professional.

So far in 12 years I've only had one, double floor from BKK did an excellent job on an engineered wood floor. European materials and the manager very obviously had spent time in Europe, judging from the small accent his English had. Utterly professional, fast and as can be guessed, not cheap. 

 

So the key is to have farang work etchics. However ..

 

 

All hope is lost.

 

EDIT: Add ARC Engineering to the good guys list, excellent job on installing a full aircon system. German director.

Edited February 5, 2019 by DrTuner