Oct
22
Things Going On
October 22, 2007 |
Yesterday the tiling of the kitchen floor was complete. So we continue outside with distributing sand and gravel. We are putting a one meter wide concrete “skirt” around the house. It will stop mud from splashing up the wall when it’s raining hard. And when it rains here it is always raining cats and dogs.
We are also putting most of the yard under concrete. So that will keep us from having to wade in mud everytime it rains too. I am not worried about it heating up to much, as it’s all in the shade from the house and surrounding trees for most of the day, except in the morning. And parts of it will be under the roof too.
So yesterday evening after dark I heard the sound of someone shoveling sand outside. There where not supposed to be someone out there doing just that at that time. So I wen’t outside to investigate. And naturally it was Nan out there. She was bored while waiting for her favourite soap to come on TV, and was busying herself shoveling sand and distributing it all over the yard in pitch darkness.
Well, out with the flashlight and help her was the only solution. So that’s what we did last night. Well, until the sound of the TV announced that her soap was on.
Later today we are going to call the electrician and see if we can lure him over to have a look the place. We will rip out the old system, and get a proper circuit breaker cabinet. And also put contact points around the house and get some proper grounding, as that is non existent. Anyway I’ll sleep better when that is done.
So we still have plenty to do up here in Isaan. But it’s going to be good to get that break and go down to Buriram and get some food shopping done. Even if we have to do it on a couple of motosais.
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Comments
17 Comments so far
Hehe, what you gonna do when the house is all ready? Sleep? Relaxing? Get bored?
He has to find the best place to sling a hammock Onkel, not to far from the house so he can still wifi in the hammock and so that Nan can hear him shout when he needs another beer…lol!
We bought all our stuff from the city for the electrics (including circuit box and earthing rod….good idea Will!). Got a list from the sparky and then brought all the cable back on a motorsai! I never knew copper was so heavy!
Just one thing to check, how many amps is your meter rated to?…I think you can only have as many ams as the meter but I’m no electrician.
I know exactly where to sling up that hammock Tony.
As for things to do. Nan is having no trouble keeping me on my toes. And else there is always fishing in the Mae Nam Moon river.
About the meter I don’t know, have to have a look. But the main fuse is 60A. Not that what it says on the fuse have got anything to do with reality here…
Gotta love Thai electricity. Being a former electrician of around 15 years myself I cring everytime I see their system.
Ok Dago, our meter says this:
1 phase 2wire
220V 1200 Rev/KWh
50Hz
5 (15)A
Been a while since I went to electricians school but what it says about ampere is sort of worrying. Think it can handle an electric oven?
If it’s 15A it can handle around 3500W which should be enough for the oven itself and a few other appliances. If it is 5A, your threshold is on around 1200W, and your oven would definitely draw too much. I guess todays ovens draw around 2000W, normally.
I’m not sure what today’s ovens are drawing, especially in Thailand (I haven’t twisted wires in about 15 years) but it would be wise to have at least a 30 amp breaker for just an oven without electric burners. At 30 amps you need a 10 gauge wire. I would run 40 amps with an 8 gauge wire if you have electric burners also.
I know they have Square D panels there I have seen them, not sure of the cost in Thailand but quality is definitely top notch.
Looking at the size of the primary ( actually secondary) wires coming from the transformers that I have seen I would install a 100 amp panel, some 15 amp branch circuits for general outlets (contact points I believe you call them), you can put about 6~10 points per circuit by American standards. I would then run a couple of circuits out to the kitchen area, make sure they are “ground fault” being outside.
Run a circuit for the stove, another for the well pump and you will have plenty for lighting and etc. A ground rod would be REAL NICE, LOL. You can run 2 ground rods but make sure they are 6’ apart and IN THE WEATHER. You WANT them to get wet.
In America we use 120/240 volt 60 Hz systems; everywhere else in the world uses 220 volt 50 Hz systems but the principal is the same. Our general and lighting circuits are 120 volt and things like ovens and pumps are 240 volt. You should be able to put a few more points per circuit because they are 220 volt. In America the rule for general circuits is 3 watts per square ft. and each receptacle (contact point) counts as 1.5 watts. You should be able to use 1.5 watts per square ft there with each receptacle (contact point) counting as .75 watts. Those would be some GREAT Standards for your area.
I hope that helps.
PS: Just thinking, those numbers are for a full size oven, if you get one of those mini ovens about 2′ x 2′ you should be able to drop those numbers in half.Personaly I wouldn’t go under a 30 amp circuit for an oven.
DAGO, 30 amps? With 220V? Even including heaters, that’s still a lot. I have an oven running with heaters on 25A and that is by far enough by strict Norwegian standards.
Well, you’re still the expert
The problem solved itself as we got gas stove. So all we need for the kitchen is light and some outlets for toaster, microwave, fridge etc…
Unkel Dag, you guys in Norway have 25 amp breakers? Back in the States ours run, 15, 20,30,40,50 and so on.
Also you should figure your ratings at 80% of the total wattage used so the wires don’t heat up. I didn’t give watt ratings because I would think most stoves would have to be the same; a heating element is a heating element. Now the only way I see the wattage being lower is if it is a convection oven (with a fan).
I’m far from an expert on anything, LOL.
Yeah, here it is 10, 16, 20, 25 - and the main breaker is usually 63 amps.
I guess you’re right about the watts
But as Rune pointed out, gas is gas - and current is current 
My gas heater is 7kW - far above my oven, luckily.
And yeah, you’re most probably right on the 20% “free elbow room” - I guess that’s why electricians here say don’t use more than 2.000W on 220V/10A and 3.000W on 220V/16A.
Rune, it’s pretty simple math: 220V * 10A = 2.200W. With 10% leeway that would be around 1.800W. Here we have 240V * 10A which calculates to around 2.000W with 20% risk free zone
Enough power talk for today
:D 
How come I aint got no smiley faces??? :o( WAAH, WAAH,WAAH…LOL
A d even simpler to let you guys do the math for me. Besides I checked in my brain at the airport when entering the country like all farang have to do
I think its pretty academic Rune as it appears you only have a 5A meter (which is the standard entry level meter in Thailand). I did this exercise a couple of years back on “Mama’s” property when we introduced tv, washing machine, fridge, etc. the next step up is to 15A and then in increments of 15 thereafter (30, 45, 60 etc.). If you plan to upgrade you need to do all of your rewiring before the people from the “offit fie” will come and change the meter and make a cursory check on the installation. For your info.
ROTFLMFAO!!! Tony so the meters there are fused? Jesus, 5a meter aint much. No wonder they still use Knife switches as main disconnects. Is there a building code there, an electrical code that one could get translated?
I’m curious because sooner or later I will be building a house there. I have been looking around at houses on the market and noticed a lot that have been wired to European standards.
Your right DAGO, only houses with (maybe) European standards are those with falang money backing or buyer in mind…..I speak you sure!….Thais are only worried when things go wrong, not when they go right. Buy a 500bt TV today, buy another tomorrow, but you buy a 10,000bt TV you ting tong!