Patanawet Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 2 hours ago, luk AJ said: I think nothing more important than check if the heater is connected with ground. First I should state that I am (was) an electrical engineer, although more on the electronics side than heavy duty electrics. I've lived in Bangkok at the same apartment for 13 years. The bathroom heater started giving shocks to the maid. The landlord called in a specialist company who discovered the heaters weren't earthed (grounded). Then the whole apartment wasn't earthed. Yes the heater had one of those Thai plastic circuit breakers in the shower area. Horrifying! First get a professional electrician to check your earth connections. (How to find a PROFESSIONAL in Thailand I have no idea). I If I were leaving for a period of time, I'd unplug any appliances (knowing the state of Thai wiring). Lastly, although this thread contains a lot of useful advice, don't take any advice on electrical, medical or legal advice from forum threads or bar-rooms (ESPECIALLY MY ADVICE). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyg Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Srikcir said: Only story (2011) I can find: http://www.thelocal.se/20110404/32990 RIP. A truly sad and shocking story. Surely there are others... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) I reckon turn it off when not in use.... my systems starts sending a warning alarm if the unit is not turned off after the tap is closed. also.... I have just had an "electrician" here to troubleshoot circuit breaker loading, in that I'm getting load on two water heater circuit breakers, which are in the spare bedrooms, and never used... and turned off! electrician said to call him back if the circuit breaker started to trip.... lol.... right... so obviousely I simply flicked the circuit off. attached is a pic of a broken circuit breaker, that I noticed recently... it was still live, and powering a bench-saw! i was a bit too scared to get closer, for a better pic, but they orange spot in the middle (RHS of melted fuse) of the pic is where the current was jumping across metal components on either side of the "circuit breaker" do not trust thai wiring! Damn... my stove heard that.... now it's started shocking me! Edited January 3, 2017 by farcanell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12DrinkMore Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 4 hours ago, AlQaholic said: If you see sparks and flames coming out of it, you should probably turn it off..... That is the time to turn the shower on full and direct the water over the unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Deerhunter Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 6 hours ago, mania said: Actually the heating of water is using your electricity But your right you do not have a tank Thailand rarely has tank heaters They use instant heaters that flash heat small amounts of water as it passes thru So as to your original question...no need to turn it off as when water is not passing thru it/ your not using hot water... no heating is occurring Not even a greedy little LED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterw42 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) I have a shower unit with an on/off switch and left on it generates a small amount of heat, enough to notice in the morning if its been on all night and the bathroom door is shut. I read somewhere that its allways a good idea to turn it off and run the water until cold. I would have thought the same, no water flow its not on, but maybe the coil/element is energised a little to prolong the life of the unit. Edited January 3, 2017 by Peterw42 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12DrinkMore Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Apropos. The water where I live is extremely hard. Is it possible to remove the build up of deposits inside the heating unit? I think this is one of the reasons why my units give up after a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 9 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said: Apropos. The water where I live is extremely hard. Is it possible to remove the build up of deposits inside the heating unit? I think this is one of the reasons why my units give up after a few years. Depending on your plumbing arrangement, you might be able to introduce citric acid, or some other fluid, like vinegar, into the heater, and let it steep for a couple of hours washing machines or dishwashers are easier to fix, as they recirculate the same treated water for a time, which is why I can only suggest trapping a cleaning agent within the heater and letting it steep. rinse and repeat.... you might also want to remove the shower head to allow any particles free exit, as some shower heads and tap openings, have wire mesh filters... lose of pressure is sometimes indicative of blocked mesh you could also consider installing a decent water filtration system, to slow down the build up in future best of luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxed Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 9 hours ago, kannot said: yes it sure take a "bright spark" to spot a sarcastic comment I was just playing along.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepinthailand Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Just me but I always turn everything off after use and still to this day unplug everything before bed. Brought up that way done it all my life so will just carry on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOUTHERNSTAR Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Don't worry too much about the wiring inside the unit, the problem is the lack of insulation where the units wires are attached to the houses wiring. Most unit are well insulated and don't cause problems. We have moved out of hotel rooms due to open wires (no insulation) in showers, no earth wires and open non water proof electrical switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindMagician Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Head slap. Try an experiment, and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 2 hours ago, farcanell said: I reckon turn it off when not in use.... my systems starts sending a warning alarm if the unit is not turned off after the tap is closed. also.... I have just had an "electrician" here to troubleshoot circuit breaker loading, in that I'm getting load on two water heater circuit breakers, which are in the spare bedrooms, and never used... and turned off! electrician said to call him back if the circuit breaker started to trip.... lol.... right... so obviousely I simply flicked the circuit off. attached is a pic of a broken circuit breaker, that I noticed recently... it was still live, and powering a bench-saw! i was a bit too scared to get closer, for a better pic, but they orange spot in the middle (RHS of melted fuse) of the pic is where the current was jumping across metal components on either side of the "circuit breaker" do not trust thai wiring! Damn... my stove heard that.... now it's started shocking me! Actually that is not a circuit breaker but a simple wire fuse knife switch without the normal cover over the bottom part. The fuse wire has not blown and the knife is in the on position so still usable. Obviously not the best example of safe wiring. Below is how it should look taken apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Lol.... ok.... as I said, I was too chicken shit to get too close.... thanks, that explains things my head was having trouble assimilating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12DrinkMore Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 1 hour ago, farcanell said: Depending on your plumbing arrangement, you might be able to introduce citric acid, or some other fluid, like vinegar, into the heater, and let it steep for a couple of hours washing machines or dishwashers are easier to fix, as they recirculate the same treated water for a time, which is why I can only suggest trapping a cleaning agent within the heater and letting it steep. rinse and repeat.... you might also want to remove the shower head to allow any particles free exit, as some shower heads and tap openings, have wire mesh filters... lose of pressure is sometimes indicative of blocked mesh you could also consider installing a decent water filtration system, to slow down the build up in future best of luck Lemon juice is going to be a bit slow. I was considering using one of those industrial strength cleaners that work so well in the bathroom, with lots of fizzing and bubbling. The unit would have to be removed from the wall unless I buy a small pump. Yep, might try that. What could possibly go wrong...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSJPC Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 of course not!...it only heats water on demand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opalred Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 only when in laws come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish monger Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) Gee, I'm not sure...Do you use a new condom whenever you have sex...? Do you really need 47 people explaining the common sense aspect of an on and off switch.....? Seriously. Edited January 3, 2017 by fish monger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mania Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 19 hours ago, The Deerhunter said: Not even a greedy little LED! Actually I don't know about all heaters but the few I have had in Thailand never have a lit LED unless water is passing thru or it needs a reset Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gk10002000 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 On 1/2/2017 at 3:47 PM, Crossy said: Yup^^^, cannot disagree. Our OP says "... boxes above the shower where you can adjust the temperature ..." so I assumed that it is the shower unit itself which he wants to turn off (ours has an 'off"position on the temperature dial). If it's a separate switch then no way would one want to touch it with wet hands whilst standing in water. I recommend a big blob of paint on rubber stuff you can get at any hardware store, like the stuff you can coat tool handles with. I mean really make it so your hand really is isolated from the box or mounting, even to the point of gluing on some bigger looking handle that is non conductive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 ...or better yet, get a gas hot water heater, if you are able to mount one on the outside. No worries about bad and potentially dangerous electrics, plus with the cold ambient temperature of water in the winter, you actually get a hot shower with lots of water, rather than the trickle that you might get with some electric heaters. I would guess that the energy cost is less as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgroper2 Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 On 1/3/2017 at 4:16 AM, kannot said: yes it sure take a "bright spark" to spot a sarcastic comment A redic;ous question earns a sarcastic answer. Im waiting for someone to ask how to tie their shoe laces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Deerhunter Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 On 1/3/2017 at 6:35 AM, Crossy said: It's not going to be using any power, but many Thais turn off electrical appliances when not in use due to a worry (often real) of safety issues with iffy wiring. It costs nothing to turn it off if you want. In my family it is fear of lightening (or a major short out in a transformer pole, or car/vs/transformer pole-accident) frying the appliance. But they do not turn fridges off. Pretty much everything else, all the time. Particularly if I am backing up the entertainment system computer in the day room. GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Deerhunter Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 10 hours ago, mania said: Actually I don't know about all heaters but the few I have had in Thailand never have a lit LED unless water is passing thru or it needs a reset The two in our place have a green LED that goes to red when water is passing, if it is not turned off at the breaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 (edited) On 1/3/2017 at 7:09 AM, Crossy said: Not seen any stories directly attributing death to touching switches, but the number of tourists electrocuted in the shower (or swimming pool) is more than somewhat alarming. With respect, is this hearsay or can you provide some evidence? I am not saying it didn't happen, but I would certainly like to read the reports regarding "the number of tourists electrocuted is alarming" . I lnow of the Swede incident 6 years ago down south, any other articles? Edited January 5, 2017 by uptheos Asking for clarification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossy Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 @uptheos Google is your friend if you really want to know. https://www.google.co.th/search?q=shower+electrocution+thailand&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=NaNtWJySFoX8vgS2rKCQAQ#q=thailand+shower+electrocution 2.2 million results. Slightly fewer (380,000) results for swimming pool deaths. https://www.google.co.th/search?q=swimming+pool+electrocution+thailand&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=4qNtWNTBAoeFvQTnoIKgAQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Just now, Crossy said: @uptheos Google is your friend if you really want to know. https://www.google.co.th/search?q=shower+electrocution+thailand&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=NaNtWJySFoX8vgS2rKCQAQ#q=thailand+shower+electrocution 2.2 million results. Slightly fewer (380,000) results for swimming pool deaths. https://www.google.co.th/search?q=swimming+pool+electrocution+thailand&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gws_rd=cr&ei=4qNtWNTBAoeFvQTnoIKgAQ Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grubster Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 I adjust mine while in the shower to control the heat. the unit is always dry and the knob is plastic so I am not afraid of it at all. I am mare afraid that poor workmanship inside the unit could allow electric current to come in contact with the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deepinthailand Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Someone said " Google is your friend if you really want to know." don't belive everything you see or read on there very easily doctored. Your real friend is written proof ie books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgroper2 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 10 minutes ago, Deepinthailand said: Someone said " Google is your friend if you really want to know." don't belive everything you see or read on there very easily doctored. Your real friend is written proof ie books. Yes, every thing you read in books , take the bible for example, is the truth. Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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