PEA warns of electrical risks during thunderstorm

[bluesofa]

Anyone know any Thais that wont touch their mobile phone during a storm.

A sensible move, for much the same reason why you're not allowed to use a mobile phone on a fuel station forecourt.

Electricity is very lazy, it looks for the easiest way to earth (Route of least resistance.), so if you offer it an easy route it will take it, even if it has to pass through you!

The merits of using a mobile phone in a petrol station has been discussed within the trade for decades now.

However, it's absolutely nothing like the same reason when talking about lightning strikes and mobile phones.There's no way lightning can be transmitted via a radio signal from a mobile phone, Physical impossibility.

Having said that, there was a news report of a Thai woman who was struck by lightning when using her mobile phone. That was only because she had the charger plugged in while using it. The domestic mains supply received a hit, which was conducted to her via the charger.

[bluesofa]

Only moments after reading your post, our elect. went out. It was out for a/b 3.5 hrs. Maybe the cause was a few distant rumblings... no big deal. Except in temps. 30+ it's not enjoyable ESPECIALLY w/out fans etc.

Wonder if the heat will kill some folks when the elect. goes out and remains out for prolonged periods of time?

I wonder if you've tried the PEA call centre after a power failure?

When we have a power outage, I wait for half an hour in case it comes back on, then I call them.

They are more than helpful - every single time. When I report the power failure, they confirm my address then check the local power status – usually within thirty seconds. They'll tell me that either they're aware and in the process of repairing it already, or, more often that no one else has reported and they'll get onto it. Usually an hour or two it's back on.

The phone number is 1129. First time you call, have an electricity bill handy and give them your reference number on it. For subsequent calls you need nothing, as your caller ID is logged on their system and they actually tell you your address just in order to confirm that where you're making the report about.

For me, I can't praise them enough. Sometimes they've even called me back an hour or two later to see if the power has been restored.

Going off at a tangent. Before I discovered the call centre, our local number was useless despite being listed as 24 hour service.

What that meant in reality, as my wife found out that if you call out of hours, the phone is answered, but by the security guy on the gate, who'll tell you to call back tomorrow.

On one occasion a few years back, the in-laws power went off for a few days. It was a very localised fault. My wife called the local number and the staff promised they'd get someone out to it soon (this wasn't after any rain or anything). Three days and three calls later, still no power. On the fourth day call my wife was put through to a more senior person. He berated my wife for keep calling about the power failure, and told her to stop calling and annoying his staff.

That was when I googled and found the 1129 call centre in Bangkok. My wife called them, told them the whole story – including about the rude local official. Bangkok obviously reported the incident, as an hour later, that same guy who was so rude, called my wife apologising for his rant to her. The power was restored two hours later.

The call centre seem to have the authority to make sure the job gets done. Excellent service.

[selftaopath]

Only moments after reading your post, our elect. went out. It was out for a/b 3.5 hrs. Maybe the cause was a few distant rumblings... no big deal. Except in temps. 30+ it's not enjoyable ESPECIALLY w/out fans etc.

Wonder if the heat will kill some folks when the elect. goes out and remains out for prolonged periods of time?

I wonder if you've tried the PEA call centre after a power failure?

When we have a power outage, I wait for half an hour in case it comes back on, then I call them.

They are more than helpful - every single time. When I report the power failure, they confirm my address then check the local power status – usually within thirty seconds. They'll tell me that either they're aware and in the process of repairing it already, or, more often that no one else has reported and they'll get onto it. Usually an hour or two it's back on.

The phone number is 1129. First time you call, have an electricity bill handy and give them your reference number on it. For subsequent calls you need nothing, as your caller ID is logged on their system and they actually tell you your address just in order to confirm that where you're making the report about.

For me, I can't praise them enough. Sometimes they've even called me back an hour or two later to see if the power has been restored.

Going off at a tangent. Before I discovered the call centre, our local number was useless despite being listed as 24 hour service.

What that meant in reality, as my wife found out that if you call out of hours, the phone is answered, but by the security guy on the gate, who'll tell you to call back tomorrow.

On one occasion a few years back, the in-laws power went off for a few days. It was a very localised fault. My wife called the local number and the staff promised they'd get someone out to it soon (this wasn't after any rain or anything). Three days and three calls later, still no power. On the fourth day call my wife was put through to a more senior person. He berated my wife for keep calling about the power failure, and told her to stop calling and annoying his staff.

That was when I googled and found the 1129 call centre in Bangkok. My wife called them, told them the whole story – including about the rude local official. Bangkok obviously reported the incident, as an hour later, that same guy who was so rude, called my wife apologising for his rant to her. The power was restored two hours later.

The call centre seem to have the authority to make sure the job gets done. Excellent service.

Thank you.

Great to hear you and your Mrs. got results.... lol Not many or often eh? lol

[gandalf12]

No, the current will discharge into the ground as a gap of 150mm is insufficient to isolate you from a million volts or more.

This is common knowledge. Can someone with the right educational background please put an end to this?

Current flows it does not discharge, Voltage discharges and vehicles remain charged after a lightning strike which has a very high but short characteristic. The current flow is a result of the discharge resistance and the remaining static charge on the vehicle.

[mgjackson69]

I was chatting with a friend in USA earlier today...

He: That was a close one.

Felt the static charge on the defibrillator. (He has an implanted heart defibrillator/monitor)

Me: ??

He: Lightning strike outside

[mgjackson69]

"in Penang I saw the results of a lightning strike that killed a car driver because the badly constructed lightning protection for a high rise building fell on the car and completely buried it. "

and ....

"NB you are much safer in a car during a thunderstorm because the rubber tyres insulate it from the road."

Faraday's law is no protector!

Sorry,mate, but you got that wrong. The few inches of rubber do f.a. in the way of protection when it comes to a few million volts of lightning. Faraday is it. Don't try to re-write the laws of physics.

Actually he is correct. The frame of the car will be at the same potential which may well be extremely high. The problem comes if you try exiting the vehicle without the electricity being discharged to earth

He is not correct..the relative safety of being in a car during a thunderstorm is *not* due to the rubber tires insulating it from the road.