Pattaya: German pensioner electrocuted installing ceiling fan

[ChipButty]

This has turned into a DIY thread 

[Muzzique]

13 hours ago, smedly said:

It would be wrong to assume that lights in the bathroom are fed off the light circuit - especially in Thailand were standards are possibly not followed 

 

I think you the added the word 'Possibly' by mistake

 

Anyone who takes on Electrics in Thailand should start with the assumption that it's 100% a death trap and assume nothing. Work on the basis everything is live even if you switched the mains switch off.

 

I feel sorry for this poor guy. A simple safety check and he would have survived. He paid a terrible price for 'assuming' everything was wired correctly. RIP 

 

If there is one thing I have learnt in life it is never assume anything, especially when you are dealing with stuff that can kill you.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

A post suggesting a dangerous action and a reply to it have been removed.

[Bundooman]

22 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! 

That word, 'accidentally' was the word that flashed through my mind as I read this sad story.

[transam]

14 hours ago, blookhead57 said:

Always be weary of these neon screwdrivers as they can give you false reading better use a volt meter.

I first shove it in a wall socket to see that it is working, I use it to determine live and that it is connected to the live terminal and not "N". I also never touch any copper and use insulated tools. 

I have a volt meter for specific jobs...

[quake]

Very sad

RIP.

[aussie11950]

22 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I'm not an electrician, having said that I do know the difference between active, neutral and earth. Although I do not see too many earthed appliances or connections in Thailand.

Any electrical work I ever did, I made damn sure the circuit was dead before doing any work on it. I'd pull the fuses on the mains switchboard to be sure. Then check again.

To quote Clint Eastwood " Man's got to know his limitations".

 

removing  sub breakers or switching ofF the circuit breaker, only disconnects power to the circuit "if the active is switched"

If the main and neutral is reversed, which I have seen a number of times, the light, or appliances, will switch off (by disconnecting neutral) but the device, WILL STILL BE ALIVE AND VERY DANGEROUS.

Only switching off the main breaker/switch, will remove power.

However, there have been cases of connections which bypasses the main switchboard.

Always check, then check again, never assume in Thailand.

I have seen mains reversed and a metal oven where 3 pin main plug was replaced with a 2 wire plug, then the rewired plug connected the frame earth wire, to the active terminal.

If I ever find who did that, I will punch them in the face, I am a buddhist and not a violent man, but that is such a very dangerous thing, it could have easily killed more than 1 person.

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/30/2021 at 4:53 PM, ChipButty said:

Even if I turned the power off I would still test it to see if it was dead, silly old <deleted> 68 climbing in ceilings 

That's ageist. I'm well past that age but I would still climb up in the roof space to fix something electrical if I needed to.

When in LOS I discovered that sometimes the so called "electricians" would attach the wiring the wrong way around ie the neutral wire to the circuit breaker instead of the positive wire, which to my understanding means that even if the circuit breaker is OFF, the wire to the light or whatever is still ON. I've even discovered wiring that was joined together was joined positive to neutral wire, and neutral to positive wire as per colour coding.

Anyway, one should not be putting an electrical fan on a lighting circuit.

One of the best items to install on a house electrical system is an RCD, which saves even silly people from death. Otherwise, a tester screwdriver costs little and tells if a wire is live.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/31/2021 at 4:20 PM, aussie11950 said:

removing  sub breakers or switching ofF the circuit breaker, only disconnects power to the circuit "if the active is switched"

If the main and neutral is reversed, which I have seen a number of times, the light, or appliances, will switch off (by disconnecting neutral) but the device, WILL STILL BE ALIVE AND VERY DANGEROUS.

Only switching off the main breaker/switch, will remove power.

However, there have been cases of connections which bypasses the main switchboard.

Always check, then check again, never assume in Thailand.

I have seen mains reversed and a metal oven where 3 pin main plug was replaced with a 2 wire plug, then the rewired plug connected the frame earth wire, to the active terminal.

If I ever find who did that, I will punch them in the face, I am a buddhist and not a violent man, but that is such a very dangerous thing, it could have easily killed more than 1 person.

 

 

I didn't see your post before I posted, so I wasn't knowingly repeating information in your post, which is excellent.

 

Re connections by passing a circuit breaker, I discovered a plug outside that was connected directly to the wire from the power pole. It was connected through one of those knife blade switches which had no cover, which meant the road side of the switch was always live and had no breaker to cut the connection if anyone touched the live side. The whole thing was hidden behind a load of old boards, so anyone could easily have touched the live side without realising what it was. I did put a cover over it.

[jacko45k]

38 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Otherwise, a tester screwdriver costs little and tells if a wire is live.

Only if you are grounded yourself. And don't use the tried and tested PP3 method of touching it to your tongue. I admire your ability to still get up into the roof space, but I have decided in the last couple of years that I am too big of a lump, and getting a bit too clumsy, to take it on. 

[ChipButty]

32 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Only if you are grounded yourself. And don't use the tried and tested PP3 method of touching it to your tongue. I admire your ability to still get up into the roof space, but I have decided in the last couple of years that I am too big of a lump, and getting a bit too clumsy, to take it on. 

There comes a time in your life you have to draw a line about doing your own repairs, 

[Golden Triangle]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Anyway, one should not be putting an electrical fan on a lighting circuit.

The house I am currently renting has all the ceiling fans on an independent light switch, doesn't operate anything else, why is that dangerous ?

[Surelynot]

48 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

The house I am currently renting has all the ceiling fans on an independent light switch, doesn't operate anything else, why is that dangerous ?

I guess the current could be seriously high depending on the power and number of fans????

[Golden Triangle]

1 minute ago, Surelynot said:

I guess the current could be seriously high depending on the power and number of fans????

 

Sorry, I read my comment again, maybe I should be clearer, each room has 1 overhead fan, Lounge & 2 of the bedrooms, each has there own dedicated switch, been here close to a year and no problem so far, our bedroom has the fan on all night, doesn't seem to be a problem.......yet, I know nothing about electrical stuff so I thank you for your input, do you think I  need to worry ? The place was rewired just before we rented it.

[Surelynot]

4 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

 

Sorry, I read my comment again, maybe I should be clearer, each room has 1 overhead fan, Lounge & 2 of the bedrooms, each has there own dedicated switch, been here close to a year and no problem so far, our bedroom has the fan on all night, doesn't seem to be a problem.......yet, I know nothing about electrical stuff so I thank you for your input, do you think I  need to worry ? The place was rewired just before we rented it.

Oh I see.....at the risk of being quoted at a later date I would say you are okay........OR do switches have ratings? That is the only other thing that might be a fly in the ointment.

 

https://www.tpub.com/neets/book3/9f.htm.    (haven't actually read this)

[ChipButty]

On 1/31/2021 at 7:49 AM, Muzzique said:

If there is one thing I have learnt in life it is never assume anything, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never assume anything in Thailand

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/2/2021 at 8:03 PM, Golden Triangle said:

The house I am currently renting has all the ceiling fans on an independent light switch, doesn't operate anything else, why is that dangerous ?

Perhaps you are not aware that plug circuits use a thicker wire than light circuits, which is for a practical reason that you can research yourself.

Anyway, just because it's on a light switch does not mean that the wire is for lighting. I wasn't talking about the switches per se.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/2/2021 at 12:17 PM, ChipButty said:

There comes a time in your life you have to draw a line about doing your own repairs, 

I did my own because almost every Thai worker I ever employed did a terrible job, including the welder that couldn't weld, and the electrician that thought a single 1 foot long earth rod was sufficient, not forgetting the other electrician that melted 30 feet of wiring because he didn't understand that having a direct short from positive to neutral is not a good thing.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/2/2021 at 9:08 PM, Surelynot said:

Oh I see.....at the risk of being quoted at a later date I would say you are okay........OR do switches have ratings? That is the only other thing that might be a fly in the ointment.

 

https://www.tpub.com/neets/book3/9f.htm.    (haven't actually read this)

So long as the wiring is the correct size I wouldn't worry about the switches myself, but Crossy can probably give a better answer. The question could be asked on the DIY thread where he moderates.

[Yahooka]

On 1/30/2021 at 5:46 AM, ChipButty said:

Many especially no Earth

"Earth in Thailand ? No hab..........Thai electricity nr.1 in the world " ???? !