Udon Thani: German pensioner electrocuted trying to do his own pump repairs 

 

Caption: Saying goodbye with incense to husband

 

Sanook reported that a 78 year old German pensioner was electrocuted trying to repair a pump at his house in the Nong Samrong area of Udon Thani in Thailand's north-east. 

 

Police said he had not unplugged the pump.

 

A video on Sanook showed his Thai wife lighting incense saying goodbye to her husband.

 

Mr Werrer (name transliterated from Thai) was found by the pump and a 2,000 liter water container.

 

His right hand had burns and there was a monkey wrench and pliers by the body. 

 

Warunee, 56, his wife said they had been pottering about the garden before her husband decided to mend the pump that had been broken for two days. She said he liked to do odd jobs around the house.

 

She found him lying dead a while later and alerted neighbors. 

 

Muang district police said that he had not unplugged the pump before attempting repairs and had likely been electrocuted. An autopsy has been ordered. 

 

Warunee said that the couple met more than ten years ago in Koh Samui where she was working as a traditional Thai masseuse. 

 

They got married and later moved into the house in her hometown five years ago. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-06-12

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

 

Before commenting on this topic, please consider the subject matter and be respectful that someone has died.
Any off topic and/or insensitive posts will be removed without warning and could result in those who made the posts being banned from the site. 

RIP.

 

Condolences to the wife.

R.I.P

 

Germans are usually pragmatic in their approach to such things as turning the electric off I guess at 78 he failed to do the basic test ????

I've always been surprised over here the general attitude to do it yourself fixing of electrical things. My landlord comes around and sorts out issues with fuse boxes, water pumps etc - stuff that back home we'd almost always outsource to a professional. A timely but sad reminder that some things are best left to those who are experienced. 

It is so hot here, I find it very difficult at times to concentrate and do repairs with mental clarity. Easy to rush to be done too. 

 

Too bad about this. 

Oh man. Silly bugger. RIP 

 

NOTE: If you must do your own repairs please buy a cheap multi meter from HomePro or whatever. Learn how to use it: YouTube.

Test on a known power source, test your appliance or whatever you plan to work on/touch, then test your meter again. 

 

very simple process that WILL save your life. 

Thai electrics,??  no thankyou,

15 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

Thai electrics,??  no thankyou,

Police said he had not unplugged the pump.  - What does this say about Thai electrics ? Try to stay reasonable, if possible.

Back when I was in the RAF I was always taught SIDE

Switch off

Isolate

Dump

Earth

37 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

Back when I was in the RAF I was always taught SIDE

Switch off

Isolate

Dump

Earth

But why did you flyboys need to go to the dunny though?

1 hour ago, Aachen said:

Police said he had not unplugged the pump.  - What does this say about Thai electrics ? Try to stay reasonable, if possible.

It says that no protection was installed. A simple RCCB could have saved his life. 

 

2 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

Oh man. Silly bugger. RIP 

 

NOTE: If you must do your own repairs please buy a cheap multi meter from HomePro or whatever. Learn how to use it: YouTube.

Test on a known power source, test your appliance or whatever you plan to work on/touch, then test your meter again. 

 

very simple process that WILL save your life. 

Multi meter best for sure but every toolbox should at least have one of the pen shaped electrical field testers.  Just wave it near wires or an electrical device and it will buzz if there is a live wire.  Less than B200 at all hardware and home improvement stores or online at Lazada:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/non-contact-electronic-digital-display-pencil-digital-test-pencil-super-safety-induction-pen-led-i262834774-s405288306.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistcategory.list.50.548c37f8wUCH2Y&search=1

Depends if it was hard wired or a plug in,i have 2 houses one pump is a plug in,one hard wired ,wires are under the pump,so he would have had too turn off the main fuse box,even then knowing Thai electrics,still risky,somehow due to builders building opposite me,and wiring up to the meter box i ended up with a live fuse box inside the house!

Lesson learned? know your electrical system, don't trust someone else and assume it is ok!

I guess if anyone has ever worked in Industry one has "lockout" procedure ingrained.

I've been in Udon for 23 years.  I'm sure a handful of expats over that time in the surrounding area alone have succumbed to the same thing........water pumps, hot water heaters, the kiss of death here if you don't know what you're doing.

1 hour ago, dddave said:

Multi meter best for sure but every toolbox should at least have one of the pen shaped electrical field testers.  Just wave it near wires or an electrical device and it will buzz if there is a live wire.  Less than B200 at all hardware and home improvement stores or online at Lazada:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/non-contact-electronic-digital-display-pencil-digital-test-pencil-super-safety-induction-pen-led-i262834774-s405288306.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistcategory.list.50.548c37f8wUCH2Y&search=1

You must of started a run on them, Lazada says zero left in stock.

 

Even when I turn it off at the main fuse box, I have to admit that doing any work on the water pump scares the hell out of me.

Thai electrics dreadful standards and non-compliance aside, this poor chap should not have been working with high voltage electrical circuits. I’m not his judge but I stopped my (former electrician) father working on electrics at aged 80 purely because at that age, you can easily make a deadly mistake that takes your own life and possibly also that of others. Thank God the wife had the presence of mind not to touch him as if in contact with a conductor, his body could have been electrically live and there would be two deaths to report. This is so tragic but as we see in many of the stories in TV, many could have been avoided had it not been for poor practices and incompetence. RIP

1 hour ago, Matzzon said:

That´s brilliant! Almost like pouring gasoline on yourself at the same time as lightening a cigarette.

You are so compassionate, I bet you win awards. Evidently you didn't read the footnote by ThaiVisa asking people to be respectful and considerate.

4 hours ago, SammyT said:

I've always been surprised over here the general attitude to do it yourself fixing of electrical things. My landlord comes around and sorts out issues with fuse boxes, water pumps etc - stuff that back home we'd almost always outsource to a professional. A timely but sad reminder that some things are best left to those who are experienced. 

Agreed, but in Thailand no one is experimented.

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

But why did you flyboys need to go to the dunny though?

Well in case of electrocution, saves having to clean em up

1 hour ago, kokesaat said:

I'm sure a handful of expats over that time in the surrounding area alone have succumbed to the same thing

Haven't counted but multiple deaths for this reason over the years reported in Thaivisa.

3 hours ago, Matzzon said:

That´s brilliant! Almost like pouring gasoline on yourself at the same time as lightening a cigarette.

The post said to be respectful, try and remember that

3 hours ago, OttoPollmann said:

A simple RCCB could have saved his life. 

Absolutely essential specially for outdoor electric and wet rooms.

One pensioner here in close vicinity was killed by driving over the power line of his electric lawn mover.

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

I guess if anyone has ever worked in Industry one has "lockout" procedure ingrained.

Agreed.  LOTO.  Lock Out Tag Out.

2 hours ago, dddave said:

Multi meter best for sure but every toolbox should at least have one of the pen shaped electrical field testers.  Just wave it near wires or an electrical device and it will buzz if there is a live wire.  Less than B200 at all hardware and home improvement stores or online at Lazada:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/non-contact-electronic-digital-display-pencil-digital-test-pencil-super-safety-induction-pen-led-i262834774-s405288306.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlistcategory.list.50.548c37f8wUCH2Y&search=1

At home, we're calling this a Lügenbold (liar) because it tells you not every time the truth. If you're want to check potential free you need a phase tester. 

 

My motto is "if you can't see it don't touch it"

Water leaks are easy, leave the electrics alone!

R.I.P fella

I am 75 and I do most of my own electrical and water pump repairs. 

 

I have just moved my pump from the floor on to a table and I always unplug it if I need to work on it. I also have a shutoff valve on each side of the pump so that I can isolate the pump from the water supply and take it to my work bench to fault find.

 

And yes I do have a clamp meter with flying leads to test the electrica; side of things.

8 hours ago, mercman24 said:

Thai electrics,??  no thankyou,

Why ,they claim it's different than Farang Electric , But it will still Kill you.