So I have been spending a few days with my Thai in-laws in Phuket over the “Festive Season” – all going well, having a nice time. However I have one minor little pet hate: Whenever I flick a switch in their house (say to turn on a kettle, a fan or a table lamp) nothing happens. I then have to put in a request and finally the person who masterminded the house network, comes clutching various adapters and extension leads.

So this has to plugged into this and this into this. This plug can’t be plugged into this socket and this socket doesn’t work in the afternoons and you have to jiggle this wire around a bit…

From what I can make out, there are two reasons for this: 1) They are bonkers. 2) They hold the belief that if an electrical appliance is left plugged in, it is only a matter of time before it bursts into flames.

Is this sort of thing normal in Thailand or my in-laws particularly strange?

If they have done the wiring work themselves...I would trust the notion that anything plugged in will burst into flames.....usually a reason for certain behaviors

mate, all is normal for Thailand power points, dont know how many times I have been zapped when I have put my hands near one of them at our inlaws house. Luckily we had a real electrician re wire out house last year, now everything works normal. The unplugging is also normal here as most power points dont actually have a switch on them apart for lights, things are active as soon as they are plugged in

Luckily, I've never been zapped. We do remove all the switch less plugs before leaving the house.

I was in a local restaurant, farangs run pizza place. They had little hut type booths scattered around their grounds and we sat in one of them waiting for our food to be delivered. The fluorescent light in the roof of this hut kept going on and off. When the waiter came, we told him, (Italian guy with very good English). He pulled the plug out and put it back and the light came on. While he was away getting the remaining dishes the light went off again. He came back, fiddled with the plug, but this time the light stayed on, even with the plug removed. I traced the cable from the light and it went directly to the removed plug.

My wife suggested the ghosts were in our favour that evening.

After a while you will get the feel for it and will decide for yourself which switch need jiggling and which plug has to be bashed into the socket with your fist. Welcome to Thailand.

I wear rubber shoe shoes around the house because nothing seems to be grounded. If you don't, then you get a little tingle if you touch something metal that is plugged into a live power point. For example, Mr. Bitey always does a little shake when he climbs up onto the ovens to stay warm because he's getting a shock. But he persists. He's good at figuring out the exact time after the oven has been turned off to make his move. Never been burned, and he's willing to put up with a little shock to get warm. The calico climbed up on the oven once, trying to push Mr. Bitey off, got a shock and basically said "scr@w this". She's never gone back. Maybe that's why Mr. Bitely likes the top of the oven. To get away from her.

It sounds like there is either faulty wiring and/or possibly faulty information - they have found their way to live comfortably with the situation…

It sounds like there is either faulty wiring and/or possibly faulty information - they have found their way to live comfortably with the situation…

They would be right at home at "Fawlty Towers"....

Is this sort of thing normal in Thailand or my in-laws particularly strange?

Your in-laws are not strange at all.

And I find it interesting that you write this from Phuket.

So its also not an Isan thing.

Thais are aware of the poor quality of their wiring, sockets, plugs etc.

And from childhood on they are taught to unplug, unplug, unplug.

iggle this wire around a bit

Most sockets are made from cheap metal that is not too resilient/springy over time.

They wear out quickly.

I prolonged the lifetime of some stuff by "bending back".

i await the comments of the senior forum electrician/adviser to comment, i rather think that you will be told that you and all around you have caught thai ittus life seems to be so cheap considering a small professional rewire job in a wooden home would amount to approx 60.000 bht labour/materials

i await the comments of the senior forum electrician/adviser to comment, i rather think that you will be told that you and all around you have caught thai ittus life seems to be so cheap considering a small professional rewire job in a wooden home would amount to approx 60.000 bht labour/materials

I think 60K THB would be way above the requirement to re-wire most rural Thai homes. Most would just need proper sized wiring with circuits protected by RCD (Safe-T-Cut) and with radials to receptacles in all the convenient places so the terrible daisy-chain of extension wheels are not necessary. Ground would be a plus of course, but whatever. Just eliminate the crazy adaption of extension crap would be a big improvement.

i await the comments of the senior forum electrician/adviser to comment, i rather think that you will be told that you and all around you have caught thai ittus life seems to be so cheap considering a small professional rewire job in a wooden home would amount to approx 60.000 bht labour/materials

I think 60K THB would be way above the requirement to re-wire most rural Thai homes. Most would just need proper sized wiring with circuits protected by RCD (Safe-T-Cut) and with radials to receptacles in all the convenient places so the terrible daisy-chain of extension wheels are not necessary. Ground would be a plus of course, but whatever. Just eliminate the crazy adaption of extension crap would be a big improvement.

a small professional rewire job in a wooden home please re read

I wear rubber shoe shoes around the house because nothing seems to be grounded. If you don't, then you get a little tingle if you touch something metal that is plugged into a live power point. For example, Mr. Bitey always does a little shake when he climbs up onto the ovens to stay warm because he's getting a shock. But he persists. He's good at figuring out the exact time after the oven has been turned off to make his move. Never been burned, and he's willing to put up with a little shock to get warm. The calico climbed up on the oven once, trying to push Mr. Bitey off, got a shock and basically said "scr@w this". She's never gone back. Maybe that's why Mr. Bitely likes the top of the oven. To get away from her.

Mr. Bitey on the oven.JPG

Your cat needs to find somewhere warm in Thailand?

I wear rubber shoe shoes around the house because nothing seems to be grounded. If you don't, then you get a little tingle if you touch something metal that is plugged into a live power point. For example, Mr. Bitey always does a little shake when he climbs up onto the ovens to stay warm because he's getting a shock. But he persists. He's good at figuring out the exact time after the oven has been turned off to make his move. Never been burned, and he's willing to put up with a little shock to get warm. The calico climbed up on the oven once, trying to push Mr. Bitey off, got a shock and basically said "scr@w this". She's never gone back. Maybe that's why Mr. Bitely likes the top of the oven. To get away from her.

Mr. Bitey on the oven.JPG

Your cat needs to find somewhere warm in Thailand?

it might be that if the electricals deteriorate further mr bitey will be toast