And... we're back @ 1:17.

So what the heck are they playing at?

Playing? Might also have been an accident, like a tree toppling over, dragging power lines with it. Apart from the other usual reasons, transformers blowing out and repairs/upgrades being carried out.

Also they warned repeatedly that there might be a shortage of power in all of southern Thailand, people being asked to try to use electricity sparingly.

re. "playing": It was a sort of rhetorical question illustrating my frustration and irritation. I'm sure these guys aren't actually playing at anything!

the ups I have on my office has large external batteries added, power failure and I can run my computer system and lights for over 4 hours.

at one time ( still thinking about it) I was going to add a 400+ watt solar panel to it also, simple to keep the batteries and inverter running during daylight hours

I'm going to give this solution some serious thought! Can you give some details about how the external batteries are hooked up?

The ups I have had 2 12v 7 amp batteries inside wired in series for 24vdc. I added longer cables ( removed the orig batteries) and connected 2 large 12vdc 70amp batteries to the cables. its possible to add even larger batteries if needed. It I were to add a solar panel to the system i would use the matching 28,8 v charging regulator to the external batteries .

Thanks. I'll investigate what I can do with mine without doing any damage or invalidating the warranty.

the ups I have on my office has large external batteries added, power failure and I can run my computer system and lights for over 4 hours.

at one time ( still thinking about it) I was going to add a 400+ watt solar panel to it also, simple to keep the batteries and inverter running during daylight hours

I'm going to give this solution some serious thought! Can you give some details about how the external batteries are hooked up?

The ups I have had 2 12v 7 amp batteries inside wired in series for 24vdc. I added longer cables ( removed the orig batteries) and connected 2 large 12vdc 70amp batteries to the cables. its possible to add even larger batteries if needed. It I were to add a solar panel to the system i would use the matching 28,8 v charging regulator to the external batteries .

Thanks. I'll investigate what I can do with mine without doing any damage or invalidating the warranty.

Thailand and warranty. ??

I'm going to give this solution some serious thought! Can you give some details about how the external batteries are hooked up?

The ups I have had 2 12v 7 amp batteries inside wired in series for 24vdc. I added longer cables ( removed the orig batteries) and connected 2 large 12vdc 70amp batteries to the cables. its possible to add even larger batteries if needed. It I were to add a solar panel to the system i would use the matching 28,8 v charging regulator to the external batteries .

Thanks. I'll investigate what I can do with mine without doing any damage or invalidating the warranty.

Thailand and warranty. ??

Yes.

Power and cable TV have been off for 30 minutes and there's 25 minutes until the match starts.

What's the chances of both coming back before kick-off?

Thanks PEA, you're a real <deleted>.

(I deleted it, to save the forum software the trouble.)

Lots of good information in this thread. Will keep it for reference, yesterday Khao Lak blacked out for 9 hours.

Edit: On second thoughts, I think nobody mentioned the possibility of getting a small diesel generator?

Lots of good information in this thread. Will keep it for reference, yesterday Khao Lak blacked out for 9 hours.

Edit: On second thoughts, I think nobody mentioned the possibility of getting a small diesel generator?

Yes, I did . Have a look here:

I had thought of something like that. My next door neighbour has a deisel generator. Might be worth considering if the switch-over can be made simple.

This is something I have tried to look into without success and the only advice I have been given is to run a house I will need a Honda 4 or 5. I have no idea what that is, where to get one or how to get it fitted.

Out of interest how big is your neighbours generator and what does it power, if you know.

SDM

Sorry, I have no idea what his generator is or what it powers. I can hear it sometimes when the electricity is off for a long time.

4 or 5 probably refers to kVA - kilo Volt Amps. It's the way generator outputs are measured. (I'm just reading up on this now, so I'll probably get the terms wrong. )

This site shows how to calculate the output of the generator you need:

http://www.dieselserviceandsupply.com/Power_Calculator.aspx

So, for a single phase 220 volts at 30 amps output, you'll need a 6.6 kVA generator.

But you'll probably need to run just the fridge(s), TV, computer and lights. So probably 13 amps would be enough, which requires only a 2.86 kVA generator, such as...

http://www.justgenerators.co.uk/pages/Honda_Generators.htm

...which are priced at around 3,000 GBP. Add on 30% because TiT and that's a lot of dosh.

Or maybe get a cheap Chinese one but, then, isn't it the cheap Chinese street transformers that are the cause of our power cuts in the first place?

Hello can you tell me if SYNDOME ups are good ? Is it a Thai brand and do they have a website ?

Would you recommend or any other cheap brand ?

Thank you.

Hello can you tell me if SYNDOME ups are good ? Is it a Thai brand and do they have a website ?

Would you recommend or any other cheap brand ?

Thank you.

I have a Syndome UPS protecting my bedroom TV. But, although it is still working after several years, I would only recommend APC UPSs now. I have three of them. They are expensive, but are generally accepted as the best quality.

http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=13

I do not understand why we need expensive ups when these machines are just a battery connected to a socket !

We could even build one !

What is better with APC to justify high prices ?

And another one today at 6:25 am. Power went off with a bang and woke me up.

Didn't come back until about 10 am and even then the voltage wasn't right - the lights were dim and the fans in my bathroom were going slow and then fast and then slow again. And the shower water was coming out cold when the fans were going slow, and came out hotter when the fans speeded up!

I turned all the breakers off apart from the one supplying the fridges and went out.

What a place. At least we have good water pressure now. (Famous last words.)

glad I've invested in a proper computer - a MacBook, can go without power supply for 2-3 hrs. when the juice is low, just pop to the nearest coffee shop with it, UPS? not for me!

i had a silly UPS some years ago, but deceided it was not worth charging it 24/7 for the little minutes you get in return when you have a black out

Those silly few minutes are normaly time enough to shut the computer down correctly.

For me it is more about surge protection and line conditioning. Helps protect your system in the event of rapid power interuptions. Well worth the samll cost of powering the UPS 24/7.

With Thailand having the 2 pin power point plugs, and some questionable house wiring, the UPS may save your computer, but what saves the UPS from the surge?

Actually, I only just thought of this, for an even cheaper Charlie emergency laptop charging method, during a long blackout.

You modem will still go off, but if you have an "aircard" (usb stick with a sim card receiving internet) you could sit in your car and use one of these in the below link, or, just buy a car battery and cheap car battery charger, for the house, if you don't have a car.

You can buy these car chargers for mobile phones as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-DC-Power-Supply-for-Laptop-Adapter-Car-Adapters-Tips-Charger-Cord-80W-/380666525984?pt=Laptop_Adapters_Chargers&hash=item58a17e3920