Are All Thai Electricians Incompetent, Or Am I

[thaibeachlovers]

Had an electric shower installed. The "electrician"/ installer had a natty uniform, but was either unable to read instructions or didn't think it was necessary to follow them. he

put the unit too low on the wall ( and didn't have a spirit level to make sure it was vertical )

put the shower head too high

used the wrong gauge of wire

wasn't going to use a circuit breaker till I insisted

connected the wrong ampere circuit breaker

didn't seal the holes in the back of the housing with the provided silicone sealant

and not related to competence

nicked my spare pipe sealing washers provided with the heater

didn't tidy up after himself, leaving all his off cuts and stripped insulation, masonary dust etc for us to clean up

tried to charge me for a switch he didn't use

Meanwhile, his "assistant"

was going to use a too short earth rod to put in the ground, which would have meant I had no earth protection at all.

And I had to pay for that!

Edited September 23, 2011 by thaibeachlovers

[Jdietz]

Sounds about par for the course. Just have someone come and drill the holes and run wires where you want them, and finish it yourself.

[Artisi]

Next time how about posting something new

[kurnell]

That is nothing. A Nakhon Sawan 'electriction' installed the parent's in law electric shower directly above the toilet and became all indignant when my msz screamed at him. Prize idiot!

[Crossy]

Sadly you are not alone

In my experience Thai COMMERCIAL electricians are very good, there are lots of Thais working in O&G and major infrastructure projects whose work is of an excellent and internationally acceptable standard. These people are usually well paid and would not stoop to the pay levels expected of the domestic sparks.

Unfortunately, due to the limited pay levels available the people doing DOMESTIC installations are not of the same quality (the good ones are doing commercial). There is no regulation or training of these people a fact not helped by the absence of a coherent set of regulations and standards.

[thaibeachlovers]

Next time how about posting something new

If you don't want to read my post, don't open it, and who do you think you are anyway?

[Artisi]

Next time how about posting something new

If you don't want to read my post, don't open it, and who do you think you are anyway?

I was making joke - it's typical of thai sparkies

[transam]

Sadly you are not alone

In my experience Thai COMMERCIAL electricians are very good, there are lots of Thais working in O&G and major infrastructure projects whose work is of an excellent and internationally acceptable standard. These people are usually well paid and would not stoop to the pay levels expected of the domestic sparks.

Unfortunately, due to the limited pay levels available the people doing DOMESTIC installations are not of the same quality (the good ones are doing commercial). There is no regulation or training of these people a fact not helped by the absence of a coherent set of regulations and standards.

Even if they were payed mega bucks they still have no idea about safety.

[afarang]

Sadly you are not alone

In my experience Thai COMMERCIAL electricians are very good, there are lots of Thais working in O&G and major infrastructure projects whose work is of an excellent and internationally acceptable standard. These people are usually well paid and would not stoop to the pay levels expected of the domestic sparks.

Unfortunately, due to the limited pay levels available the people doing DOMESTIC installations are not of the same quality (the good ones are doing commercial). There is no regulation or training of these people a fact not helped by the absence of a coherent set of regulations and standards.

Even if they were payed mega bucks they still have no idea about safety.

I do ALL my own electrical work. Except for installing a circuit breaker box, and earthing. Often ,Thais use too smaller wiring(gauge) , and connect them to antiquated fuse systems.The possibility of fire ,is very high. I am not an electrician ,but I wired my whole house , myself. Maybe better than a local "sparky'. But my competence level told me - Do not install the circuit breaker box ,yourself. Now I am very content ,that I have a safe system, in place. It was also checked by the local P.E.A., who told me _ "It was done well"

[canopy]

didn't have a spirit level to make sure it was vertical

It seems to be because no one in this country actually cares everything is installed crooked, paint is slopped on, and the fit and finish horrendous. I've asked why they don't use levels and they say it wastes time; end of story. The electrical debacles are endemic and start at the top with the electric company. They put power poles in crooked which is easy to notice and also botch things so badly that the reliability of power in my village for instance is quite low, but no one complains. Trying to make a loaf of bread in the bread machine without a power outage ruining it is like playing russian roulette.

[beechstreet]

... Trying to make a loaf of bread in the bread machine without a power outage ruining it is like playing russian roulette...

UPS for the bread machine?

[Pib]

Sounds like the electrician fully meet Thai Electrical Standards and other Thai work standards. And I'm sure he placed a Safety First sign at the entrance to the bathroom while he was working.

[thaibeachlovers]

Next time how about posting something new

If you don't want to read my post, don't open it, and who do you think you are anyway?

I was making joke - it's typical of thai sparkies

Oh, sorry I got a bit miffed then.

On another forum I frequent some posters are always giving me <deleted>, so I'm a bit twitchy when I think I'm being harrased.

[thaibeachlovers]

Sadly you are not alone

In my experience Thai COMMERCIAL electricians are very good, there are lots of Thais working in O&G and major infrastructure projects whose work is of an excellent and internationally acceptable standard. These people are usually well paid and would not stoop to the pay levels expected of the domestic sparks.

Unfortunately, due to the limited pay levels available the people doing DOMESTIC installations are not of the same quality (the good ones are doing commercial). There is no regulation or training of these people a fact not helped by the absence of a coherent set of regulations and standards.

Even if they were payed mega bucks they still have no idea about safety.

I do ALL my own electrical work. Except for installing a circuit breaker box, and earthing. Often ,Thais use too smaller wiring(gauge) , and connect them to antiquated fuse systems.The possibility of fire ,is very high. I am not an electrician ,but I wired my whole house , myself. Maybe better than a local "sparky'. But my competence level told me - Do not install the circuit breaker box ,yourself. Now I am very content ,that I have a safe system, in place. It was also checked by the local P.E.A., who told me _ "It was done well"

I think any reasonably competent handyman could do a better job as far as the installation goes.

Of course it helps to have a forum like this to inform us of the correct cable size etc. In fact I learned more from the forum than in all the previous years of messing about with wiring in my house.

However, why stop at the earth. They never seem to use them, and in my case what they were going to do would have been pointless. All the info needed has been covered recently

[thaibeachlovers]

didn't have a spirit level to make sure it was vertical

It seems to be because no one in this country actually cares everything is installed crooked, paint is slopped on, and the fit and finish horrendous. I've asked why they don't use levels and they say it wastes time; end of story. The electrical debacles are endemic and start at the top with the electric company. They put power poles in crooked which is easy to notice and also botch things so badly that the reliability of power in my village for instance is quite low, but no one complains. Trying to make a loaf of bread in the bread machine without a power outage ruining it is like playing russian roulette.

I'd love to know the "real" reason why Thais accept shoddy workmanship. Is it lack of expectation, Mai Pen Rai, etc. I guess I'll never know.

I have noticed though that my wife has become a lot more critical of fellow Thais over the time I've known her!

Re elecrical poles- in the village the power people replaced all the power poles and wiring, did a nice job too, but they left the telephone wires in a terrible mess, lying in the grass even. Over a month later, no one has been to put up the telephone lines. TIT!

[Pib]

Heck, when TOT works around the moobaan repairing telephone/DSL lines on the poles, they frequently leave scrap pieces of wire laying at the bottom of the pole/in the road. The Metropolitan Electric Authority (MEA) here in Bangkok are just as bad....last year they installed lightning arresters on many of the poles around the moobaan and left boxes, wire, screws, nuts, etc., laying around many of the poles. While most Thais will keep their house very clean and maybe even their yard, anything outside their property is just a place to throw away trash and let the dogs go take a crap.

[cloghead]

I wired my new house with the scraps I found at the sites of new PEA utility poles! Saved a lot of $$$