Phuket residents left in the dark over huge blackout

[snoop1130]

Phuket residents left in the dark over huge blackout

Tanyaluk Sakoot

 

A worker attends to high-voltage power wires. Photo: PEA / file

 

PHUKET:-- Officials from the Phuket Provincial electricity Office today were scnat on details on what caused a power failure that left thousands of residents and businesses without electricity this afternoon (May 30).

 

Swathes of heavy residential areas and their key neighbourhood businesses were left powerless today as the electricity supply shut down at 1:20pm.

 

Repeated calls to the PPEA – and even to the PEA main headquarters in Bangkok – resulted in confusing and oblique explantions as to the unscheduled outage.

After the power supply was finally restored at 3:45pm, an official at the Phuket PEA office, who asked not to be named, said, “The equipment is broken, we fixed the load break switch again.”

 

Exactly which “load break switch” failed and reasons as to why it failed were not forthcoming, though one officer said that the power outage followed residents saying that the power went out in their areas after heavy rain.

 

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-residents-left-in-the-dark-over-huge-blackout-62368.php#uXiKfKeBl6shDzBO.97

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-5-30

[thequietman]

This is so frustrating in this 3rd world country. Whilst there is money for subs, there is no money for infrastructure. The moment it rains in my area, the moment the wind picks up, the moment it gets too hot and the moment a gecko farts, the power goes off.

It's not occasionally, but all the time. Its the same old same old excuses every year for the past 13 years. Clearly the budget at the PEA is being pissed away or squirreled away. The same applies to TOT and any government institution.

Submarines ? tanks ? Money for that but no money for the things that Thailand really needs - infrastructure. It's sickening and frustrating. 

[Ralf61]

3 hours ago, thequietman said:

This is so frustrating in this 3rd world country.

You are completely right, but one point to add: The 1st and 2nd world countries are on the same down-move and therefore frustrating in much the same manner...

[thaigirlwatcher]

As one who has visited Phuket numerous times and had once thought, foolishly, of moving there I can understand your frustration. My suggestion...move elsewhere in that 3rd world country or to a better one. 

[klauskunkel]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 “The equipment is broken, we fixed the load break switch again.”

"the paper clip with which we previously fixed the load break switch broke. We now have replaced the paper clip with a brand new one."

[gk10002000]

18 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

"the paper clip with which we previously fixed the load break switch broke. We now have replaced the paper clip with a brand new one."

Or the good old copper penny in the fuse box maybe

[thaigirlwatcher]

Funny response. Unfortunately, I don't see Thai infrastructure getting better in our lifetimes. Why would you put yourself through all the bullshit and uncertainty to live there? Of course...up to you. 

[Soupdragon]

42 minutes ago, thaigirlwatcher said:

Funny response. Unfortunately, I don't see Thai infrastructure getting better in our lifetimes. Why would you put yourself through all the bullshit and uncertainty to live there? Of course...up to you. 

Ever hear of UPS ? 

 

Problem solved.

[Crossy]

12 minutes ago, Soupdragon said:

Ever hear of UPS ?

 

Yup, we're not in Phuket but we do get fairly regular power outages.

 

UPS keeps the technology and some lights on. Genset starts after 30 seconds and will run for 18+ hours on a full tank, enough fuel in-stock for another 24 hours or so.

 

Wifey never has to miss her soaps, happy Wifey, = Happy me

 

[thaigirlwatcher]

Uninterruptible power supply? That doesn't take into account the traffic, pollution, crime, rudeness, mafia and corruption on that god forsaken island. 

[ExpatOilWorker]

5 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

Yup, we're not in Phuket but we do get fairly regular power outages.

 

UPS keeps the technology and some lights on. Genset starts after 30 seconds and will run for 18+ hours on a full tank, enough fuel in-stock for another 24 hours or so.

 

Wifey never has to miss her soaps, happy Wifey, = Happy me

 

 

I am surprised you have power outages that regularly. Just isolated to your moo ban? You are in the northern part of Bangkok, right?

 

Local transformer failures were pretty common 20 years ago in the center of Bangkok during the rainy season. You could sit in darkness in a bar while they had all the lights in the world 50 m down the road.

Must have been more than 10 years since the last power cut in the center of Bangkok. Even through various riots, floods and lighting storm, power stayed on. Things are slowly getting better.

[Crossy]

Just now, ExpatOilWorker said:

I am surprised you have power outages that regularly. Just isolated to your moo ban? You are in the northern part of Bangkok, right?

 

We are not in a moo baan but the outages are invariably pretty local, either our local village Tx (accompanied by fireworks of course) or something a bit further away.

 

The non-local cuts are mainly short, the MV/HV has auto re-closers which usually blow whatever (snake, monkey etc.) clear, but the village Tx has drop-fuses which require the attendance of a man, of course he won't arrive if it's raining.

 

Longest outage recently was nearly 12 hours after a cement truck pulled over a couple of the 25KV poles, luckily the internet wasn't affected.

 

Despite being within the outer-ring road we are pretty remote, it's 5km to the nearest 7-eleven.

 

[dick dasterdly]

I've had three power-cuts over the last few days - the first two lasting the obligatory three hours, but today lasting nearly six hours..... (Edit - I live in Rawai)

 

Very odd as (until recently)  the three hour power-cuts have been far less frequent over the past few years.

 

Being technically illiterate, UPS means the small boxes that store enough power to keep the 'computer system' going for a couple of hours and need to be frequently replaced?

 

Three long power cuts within a week is more than annoying, and buying a generator briefly crossed my mind !

Edited June 1, 2017 by dick dasterdly

[LivinginKata]

16 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

<snip>

Being technically illiterate, UPS means the small boxes that store enough power to keep the 'computer system' going for a couple of hours and need to be frequently replaced?

 

[LivinginKata]

Try again ....  Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

 

Depending on the size of the internal battery and load these can last from 20 minutes to a few hours.

 

After a power out then they just recharge the battery automatically. A quality unit can last a few years before the internal battey has had enough charge cycles. I usually just replace the internal battery rather than buy a complete new UPS.

[dick dasterdly]

24 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I've had three power-cuts over the last few days - the first two lasting the obligatory three hours, but today lasting nearly six hours..... (Edit - I live in Rawai)

 

Very odd as (until recently)  the three hour power-cuts have been far less frequent over the past few years.

 

Being technically illiterate, UPS means the small boxes that store enough power to keep the 'computer system' going for a couple of hours and need to be frequently replaced?

 

Three long power cuts within a week is more than annoying, and buying a generator briefly crossed my mind !

 

Just now, LivinginKata said:

Try again ....  Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

 

Depending on the size of the internal battery and load these can last from 20 minutes to a few hours.

 

After a power out then they just recharge the battery automatically. A quality unit can last a few years before the internal battey has had enough charge cycles. I usually just replace the internal battery rather than buy a complete new UPS.

So there are better UPSs than the aforementioned small boxes used to keep the computer system going for a couple of hours?

 

Recommendations would be appreciated.

[LivinginKata]

15 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

So there are better UPSs than the aforementioned small boxes used to keep the computer system going for a couple of hours?

 

Recommendations would be appreciated.

 

They all 'small boxes' or bigger boxes that you plug into you house socket then plug you devices into the back of the UPS. Most have 4 outlet sockets.

 

Here is an example from Lazada http://www.lazada.co.th/bcn-ups-micro-eco-1000va-black-313440.html?ff=1&sc=EV0P

 

Personally I just buy in Banana IT in Chalong the biggest power rating the offer .. at least 1,000 VA

 

I have 3 units at home. One for Computer system and router, one for big flat screen and DVR, one for  CCTV system. They last maybe 3+ years before require battery change or complete replacement. 

 

Edit ... it's not just for power out, but also for power fluctations that can wreck your electronics. There units can 'help' smooth out larger power dips. (brown outs) 

Edited June 1, 2017 by LivinginKata

[Crossy]

There are "whole house" (several KVA) UPSs available, they're very popular in India (unlike generators you can use them in an apartment) and the ones we have on the MRT stations are many times bigger, with battery banks and price tags to match.

 

Much depends what you want to run, and how long you want to run it for.

 

A couple of lights, TV and a fan can be run from a computer UPS, give it external batteries (not a complex job) and you can be good for many hours. You'll need an external charger to re-charge afterwards, but the UPS's internal charger will keep even large batteries topped up once fully charged.

 

[dick dasterdly]

13 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

They all 'small boxes' or bigger boxes that you plug into you house socket then plug you devices into the back of the UPS. Most have 4 outlet sockets.

 

Here is an example from Lazada http://www.lazada.co.th/bcn-ups-micro-eco-1000va-black-313440.html?ff=1&sc=EV0P

 

Personally I just buy in Banana IT in Chalong the biggest power rating the offer .. at least 1,000 VA

 

I have 3 units at home. One for Computer system and router, one for big flat screen and DVR, one for  CCTV system. They last maybe 3+ years before require battery change or complete replacement. 

 

Edit ... it's not just for power out, but also for power fluctations that can wreck your electronics. There units can 'help' smooth out larger power dips. (brown outs) 

I bought two American UPSs (can't remember the name - but expensive) from Banana IT in Chalong, thinking one could power the computer system, and the other the TV system.  The one powering the TV system didn't work at all (insofar as it didn't work on the TV system), and the one powering the computer system failed after a couple of years.

 

Replacing it with the put-aside UPS bought for the TV system, it was annoying to find that it didn't work there either....

 

But that's just a personal gripe!  I appreciate the lazada link and will check it out.

[dick dasterdly]

21 minutes ago, Crossy said:

There are "whole house" (several KVA) UPSs available, they're very popular in India (unlike generators you can use them in an apartment) and the ones we have on the MRT stations are many times bigger, with battery banks and price tags to match.

 

Much depends what you want to run, and how long you want to run it for.

 

A couple of lights, TV and a fan can be run from a computer UPS, give it external batteries (not a complex job) and you can be good for many hours. You'll need an external charger to re-charge afterwards, but the UPS's internal charger will keep even large batteries topped up once fully charged.

 

You're forgetting that I'm technically illiterate, so phrases like "give it external batteries" mean nothing to me!

 

A 'whole house' UPS (no idea what "several KVA" means) sounds interesting but, from what you say, also extremely expensive.

Edited June 1, 2017 by dick dasterdly

[dick dasterdly]

4 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I bought two American UPSs (can't remember the name - but expensive) from Banana IT in Chalong, thinking one could power the computer system, and the other the TV system.  The one powering the TV system didn't work at all (insofar as it didn't work on the TV system), and the one powering the computer system failed after a couple of years.

 

Replacing it with the put-aside UPS bought for the TV system, it was annoying to find that it didn't work there either....

 

But that's just a personal gripe!  I appreciate the lazada link and will check it out.

Quickly checked out the lazada link, and it was far less expensive than the American UPSs that I bought previously - so I'm v wary of believing it will work on the TV system.  But I'll give it a try as a computer system UPS.

 

Having wasted so much money over the years on UPSs, I'd given up and have found that relatively inexpensive 'surge control' extension leads have worked well - although obviously not as UPSs!

[LivinginKata]

16 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

I bought two American UPSs (can't remember the name - but expensive) from Banana IT in Chalong, thinking one could power the computer system, and the other the TV system.  The one powering the TV system didn't work at all (insofar as it didn't work on the TV system), and the one powering the computer system failed after a couple of years.

 

Replacing it with the put-aside UPS bought for the TV system, it was annoying to find that it didn't work there either....

 

But that's just a personal gripe!  I appreciate the lazada link and will check it out.

 

Surprised to hear that ... these UPS are just plug in and go. I've bought quite a few over many years, never had a problem. I usually buy the cheaper 2,000+ baht units. Last year I bought Banana's most expensive unit about 4,500 baht  - 1,250 VA with digital front display showing volts in volts out charge status. I am very happy with it 

 

Clearly you cannot put to much load (power out) on these units, and I previously stated too many charge cycles (power downs) will severly reduce the internal battey life. On a power down I wait a few minues to see if it's just a 'switch over' by the elecric company, then I power down the main computer tower and screen. I leave the router only on for use with mobile devices, the UPS can last 3 hours and more. 

Edited June 1, 2017 by LivinginKata

[dick dasterdly]

6 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Surprised to hear that ... these UPS are just plug in and go. I've boughyt quire a few over many years, never had a problem. I usually buy the cheaper 2,000+ baht units. Last year I bought Banana's most expensive unit about 4,500 baht  - 1,250 VA with digital front display showing volts in volts out charge status. I am very happy with it 

 

Clearly you cannot put to much load (power out) on these units, and I previously stated too many charge cycles (power outs) will severly reduce the internal battey life. On a power out I wait a few minues to see if it's just a 'switch over'  then I power down the main computer tower and screen. I leave the router only on for use with mobile devices, the UPS can last 3 hours and more. 

If memory serves correctly, the American UPSs I bought cost nearly 5,000 bht each!

 

I was disappointed that the computer system stopped working after a couple of years - but far more disappointed that the one bought for the TV system didn't work at all....  Although again, if memory serves correctly, it kept the sound system working - but not the TV.

 

It probably has something to do with the energy supply to my house, as I had to give up on TOT modems as they broke down (needed replacing!) whenever a storm came into the area....

 

Edit - Plus I've gone through two 'sound systems'..... and have similarly given up on them.

Edited June 1, 2017 by dick dasterdly

[LivinginKata]

12 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

You're forgetting that I'm technically illiterate, so phrases like "give it external batteries" mean nothing to me!

 

A 'whole house' UPS (no idea what "several KVA" means) sounds interesting but, from what you say, also extremely expensive.

 

External batteries means a number of lead acid truck batteries (large car batteries) connected to the UPS to boost the duration of the internal batteries. Not a very pretty solution in your lounge. Needs an out house. And the lead acid batteries need some sort of battery charger and need venting depending on battery type.  More expensive set-up might not use lead acid batteries but more expensive Lithiums or similar.

 

A KVA is simply 1,000 volt amps. A volt is electrical pressure. An amp is electrical current. A term called apparent power (the absolute value of complex power, S) is equal to the product of the volts and amps. On the other hand, a watt (W) is a measurement of real power.  Basically the more KVA then the more power available. 

 

[dick dasterdly]

1 minute ago, LivinginKata said:

 

External batteries means a number of lead acid truck batteries (large car batteries) connected to the UPS to boost the duration of the internal batteries. Not a very pretty solution in your lounge. Needs an out house. And the lead acid batteries need some sort of battery charger and need venting depending on battery type.  More expensive set-up might not use lead acid batteries but more expensive Lithiums or similar.

 

A KVA is simply 1,000 volt amps. A volt is electrical pressure. An amp is electrical current. A term called apparent power (the absolute value of complex power, S) is equal to the product of the volts and amps. On the other hand, a watt (W) is a measurement of real power.  Basically the more KVA then the more power available. 

 

At the end of the day, it requires someone with some technical 'savvy' to sort these things out....

 

Sadly, I have ZERO technical savvy and have lost trust in the 'electricians/handymen' that I used to employ - until I realised they were useless .

Edited June 1, 2017 by dick dasterdly

[wakeupplease]

On 30/05/2017 at 4:41 PM, thequietman said:

This is so frustrating in this 3rd world country. Whilst there is money for subs, there is no money for infrastructure. The moment it rains in my area, the moment the wind picks up, the moment it gets too hot and the moment a gecko farts, the power goes off.

It's not occasionally, but all the time. Its the same old same old excuses every year for the past 13 years. Clearly the budget at the PEA is being pissed away or squirreled away. The same applies to TOT and any government institution.

Submarines ? tanks ? Money for that but no money for the things that Thailand really needs - infrastructure. It's sickening and frustrating. 

3rd world country you said it as it is and always will be if r>>>> mates keep control

 

[carken]

On 6/1/2017 at 3:09 PM, Crossy said:

There are "whole house" (several KVA) UPSs available, they're very popular in India (unlike generators you can use them in an apartment) and the ones we have on the MRT stations are many times bigger, with battery banks and price tags to match.

 

Much depends what you want to run, and how long you want to run it for.

 

A couple of lights, TV and a fan can be run from a computer UPS, give it external batteries (not a complex job) and you can be good for many hours. You'll need an external charger to re-charge afterwards, but the UPS's internal charger will keep even large batteries topped up once fully charged.

 

you said

"give it external batteries (not a complex job)"

for the uneducated could you possibly explain how to set this up as it sounds like an excellent solution to the constant power failures

[Naam]

On 6/1/2017 at 3:53 PM, LivinginKata said:

External batteries means a number of lead acid truck batteries (large car batteries) connected to the UPS to boost the duration of the internal batteries. Not a very pretty solution in your lounge. Needs an out house. And the lead acid batteries need some sort of battery charger and need venting depending on battery type.

not in the lounge, inverter integrated battery charger, ventilated storage area, 4 systems in our home to cover different areas, bridging 10 hours power cut no problem, assembly time 15 minutes, cost 19,000.- Baht.

 

[dick dasterdly]

11 minutes ago, Naam said:

not in the lounge, inverter integrated battery charger, ventilated storage area, 4 systems in our home to cover different areas, bridging 10 hours power cut no problem, assembly time 15 minutes, cost 19,000.- Baht.

 

Excellent!  Can you recommend someone on Phuket to install these systems?

[Naam]

14 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Can you recommend someone on Phuket to install these systems?

i don't think you find anybody who installs these simple do-it-yourself systems like mine. but you can easily buy the components (an inverter and one or more batteries) and any person with a wee bit "electrical know how" can assembly it in no time.

 

caveat: ventilation is important!