Voltage Drop

[Apache704]

I have a real problem with the electricity at my home as the voltage is always dropping below what it should be and the electricity cutting in and out many times during the day and night. I have a 15 Amp meter and am about 1 kilometer from the nearest transformer. Is there anything I can do to at least keep the voltage steady at where it should be?? Thank you.

[MYKTHEMIN]

Welcome to rural Thailand, this is normal here, just to be on the safe side check all the connections on the meter are tight and that the overhead lines are well connected. Or just buy a good generator.

[KhunBENQ]

For small devices like your PC you can buy a UPS, so that the short voltage drops do not affect you that much.

A generator makes sense for longer outages only and does not prevent you from the effects of short power drops.

Can you find out, whether the problem is the same with your neighbours?

[tom21]

UPS is the way to go for the computer unless you have a laptop. if you want to be safe have a UPS for the TV and fridge. having a generator for outages would be good if they happen often. the best way is learn to live with it as setting up UPS and genertors will be expensive

[Semper]

the voltage is always dropping below what it should be

Hust make a similar cut when you pay the electric bill next time.

[JurgenG]

If I remember well I read something about similar problems in the DIY forum

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/124-do-it-yourself-housing-forum/

[bkk_mike]

UPS is the way to go for the computer unless you have a laptop. if you want to be safe have a UPS for the TV and fridge. having a generator for outages would be good if they happen often. the best way is learn to live with it as setting up UPS and genertors will be expensive

I thought UPSs couldn't handle things like fridges, aircon very well, and shouldn't be used on them (something to do with the way compressors work). It may be restricted to cheap (non sine-wave) UPSs though.

[jamescollister]

You guy complain about voltage drop, we often have no power for days at a time. Everyone sleeps outside, no fans. harden up and learn to go camping in your back yard. BBQs are good. Jim

[Lickey]

You can also choose where you live, you might listen to your G/F and buy some land from her parents, This really sounds great dosnt it???

So after the house is built, or even before, your mind is a little befuddled, all you think of is your pretty Thai Lady and the new house, so then you move in, er, do we have BB internet? no, do we have main sewer? no, where is the nearest beer shop, 12ks, and the nearest Supermarket? 100ks, We live in the middle of Namsom, no transport costs atall,,

Bugger, the power has stopped again, so no water cos the pump has stopped,my PC batterie has finished after 1 hr, we have no more candles so i cant read my book, off to bed at 7.30pm,

All that was in the not to distant past, now, it seems powercuts are of a max of 30mins, no probs, i have a big icebox for my medicine,,

[Squigy]

Have power cuts most days here and it always seems to be when I am reading or writing emails. Maybe tyhe 4th hand wartching over me..

Nah... Get real this is rural Thailand and you work around these issues. Life goes on with or without power.

[John 1]

Have power cuts most days here and it always seems to be when I am reading or writing emails. Maybe tyhe 4th hand wartching over me..

Nah... Get real this is rural Thailand and you work around these issues. Life goes on with or without power.

Yes life goes on with out power supply but why the hell, people should complain this is 2012 not 1912 rural folks should have same services as the city slickers.

[doglover]

Is that a 5(15)A or a 15(45)A meter? If the latter, it should be sufficient unless your home has multiple heavy loads. What is the number for these low voltages? I was getting voltages as low as 160V at full meter load. I am 0.8km away from the undersized transformer. I contacted the PEA who showed up to check for themselves on my second plea for help. They confirmed the problem and were kind enough to change the tap setting on the secondary of the transformer to allow a higher starting voltage. Unfortunately, actually upgrading the transformer is out of the local offices hands. They passed on the info to the powers that be and maybe in a few years something will happen, and maybe not.

It is possible to purchase your own transformer should you be fortunate to be living near a high voltage line. The PEA or a private contractor can sell and install for you. This will cost a bit of baht however.

In the meantime try to only run 1 large load at a time if possible. If you have more than 1 hot water heater only use 1 at a time. Your hot water heater is likely your biggest load. It is important to turn off motor loads while showering as running motors at low voltage is bad for there health.

Lots of info in the DIY forum where this aught to be. You may want to request a MOD to move it there.

[blue eyes]

Yes life goes on with out power supply but why the hell, people should complain this is 2012 not 1912 rural folks should have same services as the city slickers.

This I assume is in a rural area of Thailand.The same as a rural area anywere else in the world.Some people just do not get it.Complain?To who?This is a rural area.Have you any real idea what a RURAL area is like?And in Thailand?Not everyone in the world can have the same services that a city has.It is just not cost effective.And no the government can not do for everyone always.

Edited November 28, 2012 by blue eyes

[richardjm65]

I'd settle for constant power, having grown weary of sporadic power cuts, usually when I'm in the shower, fully soaped up! I've been told that this country has one of the most modern power generation systems, but one of the worst distribution systems with the poorest maintenance. I have no cause to doubt this, and ensure that we always have candles, ready to go, whenever the black-outs occur.

Some, I know, deal well with these conditions, Jim Collister being one, who seems to revel in the quietness and peace of such an event. For sure, it does mean that the thumping bass from some party, or the toneless wailing of a would be singer at some nearby karaoke joint are silenced for a while, at least. It's amazing how sound travels when you live in the boonies!

It does raise the question of how folk dealt with the absence of electrical power long ago. What would a temple fair have been like without the electrically powered lights and amplifiers? How would the young bloods been able to see enough to bash and stab each other? It could not have been half the fun it is nowadays.

We've become accustomed to having electrical power, and its cessation is, we feel, almost a personal affront. At such times, when the lightning is flashing, the thunder roaring, and I'm soaped up in the shower, I do sometimes spare a though for the poor bloody linemen who have to go out and fix that shit. Who'd be a Thai lineman at such times?

[jamescollister]

I'd settle for constant power, having grown weary of sporadic power cuts, usually when I'm in the shower, fully soaped up! I've been told that this country has one of the most modern power generation systems, but one of the worst distribution systems with the poorest maintenance. I have no cause to doubt this, and ensure that we always have candles, ready to go, whenever the black-outs occur.

Some, I know, deal well with these conditions, Jim Collister being one, who seems to revel in the quietness and peace of such an event. For sure, it does mean that the thumping bass from some party, or the toneless wailing of a would be singer at some nearby karaoke joint are silenced for a while, at least. It's amazing how sound travels when you live in the boonies!

It does raise the question of how folk dealt with the absence of electrical power long ago. What would a temple fair have been like without the electrically powered lights and amplifiers? How would the young bloods been able to see enough to bash and stab each other? It could not have been half the fun it is nowadays.

We've become accustomed to having electrical power, and its cessation is, we feel, almost a personal affront. At such times, when the lightning is flashing, the thunder roaring, and I'm soaped up in the shower, I do sometimes spare a though for the poor bloody linemen who have to go out and fix that shit. Who'd be a Thai lineman at such times?

Many moons ago I was a telephone lines man and perhaps I like the locals don't miss the power, as when I first came there was none. Things get better every year. Less and less power outages. once we had power, if they big rains came, the power was off for days or weeks, as we live on a dead end road with 3 bridges, They would be under water till the mountains rivers cleared the water. Now the power company sends guys over the bridges before the flood.

We are on our 3 rd meter box as the house gets bigger and uses more and more power. One day soon we may get telephone lines and I won't have to use an aircard that only works 6 hours a day. Jim

[KhunBENQ]

Fortunately it has never been that bad.

In the 90s on occasional visits it was quite common that there was a blackout after a thunderstorm.

Sometimes for hours or a whole night.

Now I am living here in the village for about 20 months and there was only one occasion of a whole night outage.

Another time a crash pilot hit a power line pillar. Outage for about 5 hours until a new one was erected.

But on certain days you have those short dropouts which are annoying when sitting at a desktop PC without UPS.

They do repair/upgrade works here without any announcement.

Simply cut the line for a few seconds to do a new connection or the like.

Dependency on electric power is a 100% like in the west.

In the past we had at least water running without power, today depending on an electric pump in the house and in the village "waterworks".

Edited December 4, 2012 by KhunBENQ

[Pink Mist]

go solar, you may have to import it but if you are serious then thats the way to go.

ups for pute is a solution, expensive and you dont get a lot of user time.

ups for fridge you are yankin my chain, have a look at the wattage and standby time.

generator is another option, do you want it auto, then control system should detect mains fail and under/over volts situations and then consider type of plan t and Kva needed, just take into consideration difference between Kva and Kilowatts as far as loads go.

If you do go solar or genny then you have to consider loads and divide switchboards into essential and non essential loads for a changeover to occur.

I was the service manager for a generator company in aussie so did have a bit to do with this stuff