KPG59 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 NEVER trust house wiring in this country. In my houses the FIRST thing installed is a simple 200Baht Knife switch between the meter and the house. Flip that and both the hot and neutral wires are completely disconnected from the mains. No possibility of a shock then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NanLaew Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 RIP. I had a rental home in Pattaya where the previous owner had an extension built on for an office with an air conditioner installed. I was doing some other electrical work and turned all the breakers AND the main breaker off. However, the air-conditioner in the extension was still running. I never did work out where the installer had picked up the power feed from. One look at the wiring in the roof space with unraveling insulating tape hanging off every twisted wire connection, I reckoned I didn't need to be doing anything up there. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post transam Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said: Never rely on assumptions about circuit breakers. Invest a few Baht for a voltage tester. And test the voltage tester on a live line before relying on it. About 70bht buys you a screwdriver tester.....Simple, cheap life saver...... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post xylophone Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Lacessit said: Makes you wonder how many houses in Thailand are wired that way, gross incompetence or laziness. Useful to know, thanks. Something else to remember here in Thailand is that very often "electricians" who are doing some work in a house etc do not adhere to the (any) colour coding and will use any odd lengths of wire they have lying around, to use on the job, so the person working on the installation has no idea whether it's supposed to be a live wire or a neutral, for example, and in the rare occasions when there is an earth wire available, it can be any colour!!!! Traps for the unwary. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onebir Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, xylophone said: The electrician had fed it from the cables coming in from the pole off the road, even before it got to the distribution board, so it was continuously live, and I was a very lucky boy. WTAF!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylophone Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 46 minutes ago, KPG59 said: NEVER trust house wiring in this country. In my houses the FIRST thing installed is a simple 200Baht Knife switch between the meter and the house. Flip that and both the hot and neutral wires are completely disconnected from the mains. No possibility of a shock then. Unless of course the electrician has run a supply from another point, which happened with my situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgw Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, rooster59 said: Pattaya: German pensioner electrocuted installing ceiling fan Image: Siamchonn News Police captain Phinyalak Sinworawiwat responded after reports that a foreigner had died in a house in the Park Rung Ruang housing estate in Moo 9. Dead at the scene stuck in a ceiling was 68 year old German national I.J.L. He had an electrical cord around his leg and a ladder and repair tools were in the area. His body was moved with difficulty. His girlfriend Jitta, 53, said she had warned him about making repairs but he wouldn't listen. He had climbed up into the crawl space to install a ceiling fan in the bathroom. The circuit breaker had been turned off but there was a spark. She ran to get the security guard but it was too late. Police are investigating. Source: Siamchonn News -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-30 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates RIP. in Thailand, it's better to double check everything. 1- buy a voltage meter 2- test the voltage meter on live wires 3- test the wires you will be working on 4- switch the power off at the main 5- take reasonable precautions for preventing anyone from switching it on again 6- re-test the wires before doing any work 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dddave Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said: Never rely on assumptions about circuit breakers. Invest a few Baht for a voltage tester. And test the voltage tester on a live line before relying on it. Reliable "Pocket pen" style testers can be purchased for less than B200 on Lazada. I have several toolboxes for different purposes and have a tester in each toolbox. Around electricity, there is no such thing as "Too Careful" 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HashBrownHarry Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said: Labor here is so cheap, why do it yourself and take the risk? Especially at his age. RIP. Labour is cheap for a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacherclaire Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, smedly said: he should have turned the power "OFF" he may have thought the breaker for the lights fed the lights in the bathroom - a fatal error it seems and a lack of electrical knowledge RIP He must have thought by turning the breaker off, there's no more power. TIT, in our gormer place, the neutral was going over the switch and the phase, or lead was constantly hot. In the bathroom, a very dangerous job with water all around you. You have to take the main fuse out or turn all power off. Some of these electricians use the neutral for the switch, and the leading wire is continuously hot. I got an electrical shock thought of something like rest energy, which was idiotic, and a friend got one more shock before I realized that we were dealing with a hot wire. Then we took the main fuse out that no more power could get further to the switches, and I could finish installing a new light. The poor man must have thought it was properly done, but never trust a local electrician. Usually, when pulling the breaker, there's no more power getting to the power using the appliance. Two hundred thirty volts usually push you away, but he seems to have insulated the leading wire with tape and maybe grabbed it. Then it's different, and you can't let go, and your muscles become stiff, the current flows through your body until you die. Getting grilled is not an excellent way to die. Those who are not experienced enough to deal with high voltage, keep your hands off and let a specialist do the job. RIP, poor man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said: Labor here is so cheap, why do it yourself and take the risk? Especially at his age. RIP. Exactly, a job best done by a fat Thai guy yelling instructions from below at a skinny accomplice up in the ceiling space. It is vey difficult to work up in them places, only divider wall tops to stand on and the roof to help balance. Commiserations to this lady and a lesson for many. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niteowl45 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 You have to feel sorry for the guy... Instead of enjoying his retirement in Thailand he came to a premature end. It's quite sad actually. Having said that... I would never try repairs involving electricity in general and certainly not in Thailand. I'm into DIY but plumbing and electricity are better left to professionals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacherclaire Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 21 minutes ago, tgw said: RIP. in Thailand, it's better to double check everything. 1- buy a voltage meter 2- test the voltage meter on live wires 3- test the wires you will be working on 4- switch the power off at the main 5- take reasonable precautions for preventing anyone from switching it on again 6- re-test the wires before doing any work I never to anything with my electric without this thing: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacherclaire Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 33 minutes ago, xylophone said: Unless of course the electrician has run a supply from another point, which happened with my situation. I'm using this thingy that also works as a screwdriver. Never trust their installations,. they sometimes do weird things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 minute ago, teacherclaire said: I never to anything with my electric without this thing I want one... I suppose it works better than the screwdriver tester I have.... which by the way can give a false negative if you are not grounded yourself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 45 minutes ago, xylophone said: Something else to remember here in Thailand is that very often "electricians" who are doing some work in a house etc do not adhere to the (any) colour coding and will use any odd lengths of wire they have lying around, to use on the job, so the person working on the installation has no idea whether it's supposed to be a live wire or a neutral, for example, and in the rare occasions when there is an earth wire available, it can be any colour!!!! Traps for the unwary. Be wary of buying the last houses on any development. The wiring and plumbing may have a high proportion of connections due to using up the ends of wire spools as well as off-cuts of piping and conduit from the whole development. I once rented a property that had been the show-house for a small development and the wiring was also done with the bits and pieces from the other dozen or so villas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Just a heads up from my place AND my friends a few miles away, he lives on one of those concrete estates, so the wiring will be all the same in those houses. The A/C and showers DO NOT get fed from the consumer unit, they are spliced onto the live feed entering the house, they are controlled by those daft switches on the wall only..Which means you have live wires throughout the house you cannot turn off.... ???? ...Do not trust the consumer unit. I've had a few shocks with that turned off.....Took me quite a while to remove the dangers. PS. I replaced the wall switches for showers and A/C "live" with Haco SB25E, similar below. If you do this, get a sparks to do it..(I worked with live mains) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneMoreFarang Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, smedly said: he may have thought No, he didn't think - at least not much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICELANDMAN Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 "She ran to get the security guard but it was too late." Why girlfriend no before close " off " all and only after ask help ? Because she know well where the man, or maybe the brain no work or work too well ? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xylophone Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 21 minutes ago, transam said: The A/C and showers DO NOT get fed from the consumer unit, they are spliced onto the live feed entering the house, That's how my aircon was connected, spliced onto the live feed coming into the house, somewhere in the ceiling, before the mains actually reached the distribution board/consumer unit – – – and it's a thoroughly disgusting practice, not to mention life-threatening. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said: "She ran to get the security guard but it was too late." Why girlfriend no before close " off " all and only after ask help ? Because she know well where the man, or maybe the brain no work or work too well ? In Iceland maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transam Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Just now, xylophone said: That's how my aircon was connected, spliced onto the live feed coming into the house, somewhere in the ceiling, before the mains actually reached the distribution board/consumer unit – – – and it's a thoroughly disgusting practice, not to mention life-threatening. Yep, I couldn't believe it, its not as if a consumer unit RCD or MCB could not handle the load......???? Now readers, try this, turn off your main board/consumer unit, now see if your A/C and showers still work... Some of you may end up with food for thought..???? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSF Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 3 hours ago, ChipButty said: How much to get that done the ceiling fan I mean? 500 baht to a 1000 baht I've seen some dodgy wiring in Thailand We bought one a few months ago in Mega Home, cost around 1000bt, my missus got a young electrician to come over and install it, he was 300bt, did a very good job too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RJRS1301 Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 3 hours ago, KhunKenAP said: As stated by KhunBENQ, always use a voltage tester before performing work on any electrical circuit. Breakers can fail, you may have turn off the wrong one and as TIT some idiot may have fed the circuit from more than one breaker or location. If you can also lock the panel door or breaker to prevent someone "accidentally" turning it back on! My suggestion would be, especially here, that if you are no trained and qualified, do not touch the electricals ever. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asiasurfer Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Very sad. RIP old fella. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazinoz Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 4 hours ago, worgeordie said: That does not seem correct regards Worgordie Maybe an exhaust fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazinoz Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, xylophone said: That's how my aircon was connected, spliced onto the live feed coming into the house, somewhere in the ceiling, before the mains actually reached the distribution board/consumer unit – – – and it's a thoroughly disgusting practice, not to mention life-threatening. I did my electrical apprenticeship in Australia as electrical fitter/mechanic. Basically I can work on machines as in factories as well as house wiring. At college we all used to tell stories about things like you mention. Fortunately VERY rare in Australia and 99% of the time if breaker is off then usually safe to work on. Obviously we were taught to test before work. In the average house mains cable (active and neutral) come in from the street pole then attached to the house and routed through the ceiling space and to the main switchboard which is usually located on the house itself. This included metering. So from pole to meters on switchboard there is no metering. When I was wiring houses the mains cables were substantial usually 16mm2 for a domestic house. One story told was an electrician was called to a house. He was required to get up into the roof space. He switched main switch and all breakers off. He climbed into the ceiling and received a non fatal shock. On investigation the owner of the house had installed a new AC himself. To save on power bill he laid the 2 main cable on a roof beam (wood) and drove a large nail through the insulation and copper of each into the beam. He then wrapped the active and neutral wires to the AC around the nails. He obviously knew what he was doing as the were alive when doing all this as the only way to "kill" the power was to remove the service fuse high up on the power pole. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confuscious Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Give the guy a break. He only wanted to install the fan upto GERMAN QUALITY. But he forgot he was in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbj2 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said: Never rely on assumptions about circuit breakers. Invest a few Baht for a voltage tester. And test the voltage tester on a live line before relying on it. Yes I was doing some minor electrical work on my place in Chiang Mai and so just switched the light off at the switch in the room. However, I NEVER touch any electrics unless I have checked with a volt-stick that they really are not live and hey presto they were live. The electrician who installed everything had put the switch in the neutral line rather than the phase! This was perhaps not altogether surprising as the whole house had been wired with single cables all of which were grey so un-colour coded. The electrician was clearly extremely gifted as he installed a non-waterproof mains switch for the extractor fan actually INSIDE the shower cubicle in the bathroom well within splash range of the shower nozzle. The circuits there were not protected by an RCCB so a mishap with the switch in the shower would likely have been terminal. The first thing I did when I moved in was to get an electrician to move the switch out of the shower cubicle and fit an RCCB at the consumer unit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lacessit Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 2 hours ago, ICELANDMAN said: "She ran to get the security guard but it was too late." Why girlfriend no before close " off " all and only after ask help ? Because she know well where the man, or maybe the brain no work or work too well ? The average Thai understands electricity about as well as I understand open heart surgery. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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