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Interior Ministry Orders Nationwide Electrical Leakage Check


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TNR Staff 

 

AS FLOODING in many parts of the country has led to people being exposed to various hazards particularly electric shock as happened to some students on Friday, Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda today (Sept. 18) ordered local administrative organisations nationwide to quickly get all installations checked for electrical leakage, Naewna newspaper said.

 

Altogether five students suffered electric shock in Udon Thani on Friday with one of them having been saved by Mr. Atthachai Artudom, or Bass, 19, a vocational student who also works as a rider who himself got a shock from doing so.

 

Gen. Anupong told Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and provincial administrative organisations to coordinate with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) or Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA)  to quickly check all installations, particularly in flooded areas, for electrical leaks. This includes electric meters and large billboards and trees near power poles.

 

Full story: https://thainewsroom.com/2022/09/18/interior-ministry-orders-nationwide-electrical-leakage-check/

 

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-- © Copyright  THAI NEWSROOM 2022-09-19

 

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2 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Checking for leaks is the wrong solution.

 

The real solution is to require the installation of proper GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) breakers at EVERY public facility.  These breakers essentially cut power to the circuit if any leakage is detected, and they operate all the time.  A high-quality GFCI breaker will cut the power in under 40 milliseconds if as little as 5 milliamps of variance (leakage) in the voltage potential is detected.

 

Some electrical safety measures were discussed here a couple of years ago in THIS THREAD.

Change is slow here. Hope nobody dies before GFCI can be universally implemented. That technology has been in the US for many decades now

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27 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

"various hazards particularly electric shock as happened to some students on Friday," Correct. Electric shock, not electrocution. No one died,  no electrocution. ELECTRO-EXECUTION! English grammar class dismissed. 

There were many, many comments on this in the original thread. Seems both are right as it depends on the dictionary used and, I think, whether you use UK or American English. My own view is that I agree with you.

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3 hours ago, webfact said:

 to quickly check all installations, particularly in flooded areas, for electrical leaks.

Just need to find volunteers to go into the water ... preferably non- thai . Survey them , if they float = electricity on , if they make it back , everything ok ...? may be can use prisoners  ?

Sorry , bad mood this morning ...

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3 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Checking for leaks is the wrong solution.

 

The real solution is to require the installation of proper GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) breakers at EVERY public facility.  These breakers essentially cut power to the circuit if any leakage is detected, and they operate all the time.  A high-quality GFCI breaker will cut the power in under 40 milliseconds if as little as 5 milliamps of variance (leakage) in the voltage potential is detected.

 

Some electrical safety measures were discussed here a couple of years ago in THIS THREAD.

I'm not too sure earth leakage circuit breakers are even understood here.....but agree 100% with you.

Edited by ChrisY1
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1 hour ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Change is slow here. Hope nobody dies before GFCI can be universally implemented. That technology has been in the US for many decades now

Actually Thailand was and is well aware of such - have been using here in Bangkok since 1977 locally made units long before they became common in USA (and then only for single circuit bathrooms/pools).  They are not law here but many people have bought and use.  Safe-t-cut was the original local maker and still in business.  Getting grounds installed should also be a higher priority but as said change can be slow.

Edited by lopburi3
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4 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Checking for leaks is the wrong solution.

 

The real solution is to require the installation of proper GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) breakers at EVERY public facility.  These breakers essentially cut power to the circuit if any leakage is detected, and they operate all the time.  A high-quality GFCI breaker will cut the power in under 40 milliseconds if as little as 5 milliamps of variance (leakage) in the voltage potential is detected.

 

Some electrical safety measures were discussed here a couple of years ago in THIS THREAD.

Unfortunately, In most homes and public facilities nowadays, there are frequency converters integrated in many electrical appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerator, water heaters, LED lighting. These have a deliberate small leakage current towards earth, which renders GFCI useless. You could of course put these appliances on separate power system, but that renders the whole idea about GCFI pointless.

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1 minute ago, AlQaholic said:

Unfortunately, In most homes and public facilities nowadays, there are frequency converters integrated in many electrical appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerator, water heaters, LED lighting. These have a deliberate small leakage current towards earth, which renders GFCI useless. You could of course put these appliances on separate power system, but that renders the whole idea about GCFI pointless.

I have used RCD for more than 45 years here in Bangkok in home with 5 refrigerators/6 air conditioners/6 water heaters/LED lighting and in the handful of times there was an issue got it fixed.  Yes it can be a PIA to find issue at times but as said they have been years apart.  RCD works well.

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19 minutes ago, Xonax said:

I guess that there would be many more electrocutions, if all hanging wires were burried under ground.

Most of the  wires you see are communication wires. The act of burying them is ongoing, along with the power cables.... I have high hopes that being underground there will be fewer electrocutions of people wading through flood waters. The connections are made above ground, hopefully high above ground.... those new boxes on the pavements of Walking ST and Klang are examples. 

Something new for the drunk pick-up driver to plough into.

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2 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Change is slow here. Hope nobody dies before GFCI can be universally implemented. That technology has been in the US for many decades now

Along with high prices.

GDP per capita based on PPP is more than 3 times in the US than it is in Thailand.

One day the penny may drop that you cannot have western standards at Thai prices.

Maybe they should implement air passenger duty at the same level as Heathrow to help pay for the upgrades.

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5 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Checking for leaks is the wrong solution.

 

The real solution is to require the installation of proper GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) breakers at EVERY public facility.  These breakers essentially cut power to the circuit if any leakage is detected, and they operate all the time.  A high-quality GFCI breaker will cut the power in under 40 milliseconds if as little as 5 milliamps of variance (leakage) in the voltage potential is detected.

 

Some electrical safety measures were discussed here a couple of years ago in THIS THREAD.

Probably wouldn't work around our Soi as our electrical supply varies all the time every day from lights that dim and fans that go slow to complete shut down for maybe 1-2 seconds. Forget full blackouts (or is that no longer an acceptable phrase in the current woke era)

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1 hour ago, AlQaholic said:

Unfortunately, In most homes and public facilities nowadays, there are frequency converters integrated in many electrical appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerator, water heaters, LED lighting. These have a deliberate small leakage current towards earth, which renders GFCI useless. You could of course put these appliances on separate power system, but that renders the whole idea about GCFI pointless.

What is a power 'frequency converter' and why do they put them in aircons, refrigerators etc.?

Do you mean an inverter?

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27 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Probably wouldn't work around our Soi as our electrical supply varies all the time every day from lights that dim and fans that go slow to complete shut down for maybe 1-2 seconds. Forget full blackouts (or is that no longer an acceptable phrase in the current woke era)

The GFCI breaker has nothing to do with power fluctuations.  It has everything to do with checking that the same amount of power outgoing on the hot wire is returning through the neutral line and/or to the panel.  If outgoing power does not match returning power--there's a leak somewhere, right?  That might mean someone is getting shocked and the electricity, instead of returning to the electric panel, was grounded out; hence the "ground-fault" in its name.

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