Major Appliances in Udon Thani?

Thats the same here. Living 3 km from a bigger mainroad and thats where the development of infrastructure stops and in ower small village and we have no phonelines and no internet and 3G........................that is written in the sky if we can have ore not! Thailand is slowing of from the fast development in Asian and nothing have ore will change whit the new gowerment.....its the same.......

I had 3BB (an ISP) run a high-speed line 3+ km to my home. THB 10,000. I may still be the only user on the line. Speed and reliability is as advertised.

parrot...I am not an electrician either, so I may have phrased the question wrong. But 15 amps at the main box seems a bit small. My dryer here was on a 30 amp circuit. If 15 amps is all that is at the house, then it might explain the long drying times if there is a lot of draw in other places in the house.

Aardvark...that is a useful page, and yes, I knew that grounding was an issue in Thailand. But it did not talk about what the normal amperage is in Thailand. If it is 15 amps, that is a bit underpowered for a house with ac, tvs, washer/dryer, electric stove, microwave, etc.

Khondahm...that is interesting that it was that cheap to run the line. I will keep that in mind when we look at houses.

Again, thanks for all the info guys. It helps a lot.

KB

With A/Cs, but without dryer, electric stove or oven, I too have 15A service. One caution to the Americans doing load calculation is not to forget that the supply voltage in Thailand is 220V, twice the supply voltage in America; in other words the same amperage would allow for twice the electrical load. The electric supply company’s office can also give you some ad hoc, non-technical advice.

Ray.Charles wrote:With A/Cs, but without dryer, electric stove or oven, I too have 15A service. One caution to the Americans doing load calculation is not to forget that the supply voltage in Thailand is 220V, twice the supply voltage in America; in other words the same amperage would allow for twice the electrical load. The electric supply company’s office can also give you some ad hoc, non-technical advice.

That's a good point Ray, but my stove (4 element w/ oven) and dryer were both on individual 240 v, 30 amp circuits (120 v 15 amp X 2) IIRC. Of course, central heat and air, central hot water heater, etc. draws more than individual units unless you have a load of them, so perhaps it is a wash. Just thought I would raise the question since 2 hours seems excessive for any modern dryer.

KB

Sorry, I was corrected by my wife (who has the job of forking over the loot in most cases). It was THB 15,000 to run the line. Not free, but not too much to pay if ya reeeeeaally need the speed.

Cheers!

KHONDAHM wrote:I had 3BB (an ISP) run a high-speed line 3+ km to my home. THB 10,000. I may still be the only user on the line. Speed and reliability is as advertised.

KD Make sure if anyone else uses the line you payed for that you get some compensation, as I see it you own the line.

I feel the same. BUT...TIT.

KB,

Something to consider when shopping around for a washing machine. Front loader vs top loader, I read a consumer report giving the front loader better reviews than top loader. Basically more efficient, uses less water and does a better job of cleaning.

If it matters to you, some models come with an internal water heater for a hot water cycle option.

Have both, a top loader whirlpool and a front loader Zanussi, wife prefers the top loader, easier to mange and bigger capacity.

Looked thru the Appliance store by Makro, plenty of stock but more expensive than most other stores, like for like most stock was 1000 Bt more expensive than big c.
e,g Looked for a remote H Disk, quoted 2500 bt, at central it was 1900 bt for same size and Brand.
So will give them a miss for future purchases.

Just an update to let you guys know I got here, and found most of what I needed at a large electronics store my wife knew about, I think it is Nand Groups in English. Compared the prices, and they were already as low as Lotus or Big C, and with the major purchases (washing machine, TV, stove, etc) they threw in an additional discount. Delivery and set up included, so happily, we're settling in. They delivered everything the next day as promised, and when we had a small problem with the stove they came out the afternoon we called to fix it. Quite happy with the service and price.

Heh, and those of you who suggested not to buy a dryer, it took 2 full days to dry a single load, so we go to buy the dryer tomorrow. Maybe the place we have the drying rack is too closed in or something, but it definitely did not dry quickly.

One major shock so far...cheese is almost prohibitively expensive, so mac & cheese becomes a 'special' meal. Still have not seen a single liquor store...only the rather limited selection at Lotus. Where do you go to buy good single malt (e.g. Balvenie Doublewood, Macallan, etc) or Remy-Martin 1738 cognac? While the St. Remy brandy is not a bad deal at 500 baht, I would like some other choices.

I look forward to getting out and about and learning more about Udon Thani.

Best Regards,
KB

As it is still the rainy season, there is a lot of humidity and drying takes longer than normal - especially if there is no air movement. Typically not a problem during dry season when the air is - well - dry. A small fan to move the air around the clothes usually suffices during rainy season if one must dry quickly, but it is certainly a matter of preference. A day or two to airdry is all the same for most of us. Gives the Mrs. something to do for two days in a row.

Congrats and welcome back!