Advice wanted about building a house

Information on building a house, buying poperty and land, and all other general contruction topics...
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Harry1534
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Post by Harry1534 » October 5, 2006, 12:44 pm

Hello chaps.
I'm an electrician and have spent twenty five years in the construction game back in jolly old England.
I recently wired my GF's family house in Thailand.
Fairly straightforward really.
The use of a 'ground' or earthing rod (as we call them) is highly recommended but in order to do the job properly you would also need to use earthed sockets and cable with an earthing conductor. Not only is that more expensive it's also a waste of time as almost all the portable appliances over here are double insulated two wire connected.
I used earthing for the shower and cooker supplies only.
The whole installation is protected by a 30mA RCD which operates by detecting the flow and return of electricity. It doesn't need a ground or earth to operate.
Anyway, I think I got it all right....no one has been electrocuted, yet!


Life's a beach.

Dakoda
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Post by Dakoda » October 5, 2006, 3:10 pm

jetdoc wrote: My limited knowledg of electricity says "that if there is no ground there is no circuit"
:shock: :shock: :lol:

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Post by Dakoda » October 5, 2006, 3:13 pm

Harry1534 wrote: I'm an electrician .........use of a 'ground' or earthing rod (as we call them) is highly recommended ....... a waste of time as almost .......no one has been electrocuted, yet!
:shock: :shock: :lol:

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Post by jetdoc » October 5, 2006, 3:24 pm

Dakoda posted:

jetdoc wrote:
My limited knowledg of electricity says "that if there is no ground there is no circuit"

Harry1534 wrote:

I'm an electrician .........use of a 'ground' or earthing rod (as we call them) is highly recommended ....... a waste of time as almost .......no one has been electrocuted, yet!


Dakoda, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed;o) If there is a point or question with your posts, fill me in and I will try to respond;o)

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Post by Dakoda » October 5, 2006, 3:36 pm

as
Mike said uses the "common" wire as the ground. the "common" wire is not a ground.
Of course there is a return wire, if not you are correct.

Its just so easy to get a buzzzz here in Thailand, that I find the whole subject :shock: and :lol: sorry :!:

8)

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Post by jetdoc » October 5, 2006, 4:07 pm

" sorry " No need to apoliagise I just thought I was out of the loop.
Most of the new houses that I have looked at have the three wire system, so maybe there is still hope for Thailand;o)

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arjay
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Post by arjay » October 5, 2006, 4:20 pm

While you bright sparks ( :D ) are on the subject, if I touch my PC case I get a lot of sharp prickles through my fingers, presumably of electricity and presumably because the PC isn't earthed. It has a three core supply cable from a two pin wall socket, though via a UPS. Is that something I just have to live with? The alternative being running a separate earth lead outside to a metal stake in the ground?

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Post by jetdoc » October 5, 2006, 4:23 pm

Quote:
Mike said uses the "common" wire as the ground. the "common" wire is not a ground.

To elaberate it seems to be self defeating to say the "common" is not a ground and also state that it is used for a ground. Location is the issue, the common is generally grounded at the generating source which has great potential for break down (many klicks) whereas the local ground is much easer to maintain and presents less opertunity for failure

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Post by jetdoc » October 5, 2006, 4:36 pm

arjay wrote:
While you bright sparks ( ) are on the subject, if I touch my PC case I get a lot of sharp prickles through my fingers, presumably of electricity and presumably because the PC isn't earthed. It has a three core supply cable from a two pin wall socket, though via a UPS. Is that something I just have to live with? The alternative being running a separate earth lead outside to a metal stake in the ground?

I make a couple of assumptions, you are standing on a tile floor and bare feet. Although tile is not a great conductor it is good enough to allow the case potential to flow through your body out your feet to "earth". Using a better insulator such as a dry carpet may solve the problem.

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BKKSTAN
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Post by BKKSTAN » October 5, 2006, 4:52 pm

Sugarfree,If you built in your wifes village,there is no reason to waste energy trying to protect yourself from loss!If you should break up,you will not stay in the village and you will not be able to sell or salvage anything!

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Post by Dakoda » October 5, 2006, 5:10 pm

BKKSTAN wrote:Sugarfree,If you built in your wifes village,there is no reason to waste energy trying to protect yourself from loss!If you should break up,you will not stay in the village and you will not be able to sell or salvage anything!
agree.

Since I was avoiding this topic like the plague & didn't .............

I guess my only comment is Don't do it :!: Look for a already built house, check out his current building process, save on Time & Headaches & money :!:


Good luck on whatever you do :!:


8)

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Post by Dakoda » October 5, 2006, 5:16 pm

arjay wrote:While you bright sparks ( :D ) are on the subject, if I touch my PC case I get a lot of sharp prickles through my fingers, presumably of electricity and presumably because the PC isn't earthed. It has a three core supply cable from a two pin wall socket, though via a UPS. Is that something I just have to live with? The alternative being running a separate earth lead outside to a metal stake in the ground?
exactly my point :!: Well Arjay, gloves are available at Global :lol: or pockets, ar, the answer to all those Buzzzzez pockets

8)

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Paul
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Post by Paul » October 5, 2006, 5:42 pm

arjay wrote:While you bright sparks ( :D ) are on the subject, if I touch my PC case I get a lot of sharp prickles through my fingers, presumably of electricity and presumably because the PC isn't earthed. It has a three core supply cable from a two pin wall socket, though via a UPS. Is that something I just have to live with? The alternative being running a separate earth lead outside to a metal stake in the ground?
I had the same problem.
Ran a seperate earth wire from the socket (you have to purchase new sockets of course) up with the other wires into the roof - here they joined up with other sockets I had done this with in other rooms, and then ran just one wire out into the garden - and attached it to the end of a 2 metre copper pole driven into the ground. Never had a shock off the pc case after that.

valentine

Post by valentine » October 5, 2006, 5:45 pm

I get a shock from pushing the trolleys in Tesco's and thats before I get to the tills. :lol:

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Post by rickfarang » October 5, 2006, 6:23 pm

"...use of a 'ground' or earthing rod (as we call them) is highly recommended ....... a waste of time as almost .......no one has been electrocuted, yet!" :roll: WAY TOO MANY people have died in Thailand because of insufficent electrical safety. Way too many :cry:

A good ground system, used in conjunction with equipment equipped with ground connections and an appropriate circuit breaker or even better a Ground Fault Interrupter, will offer some protection against both painful and deadly electrical shocks.

When we lived in the small rice farming community outside Nong Khai, there were no grounds, but we did have a steel antenna mast that was sunk into the ground. I found that by grounding my metal desk the ground connection from a USB port on my portable computert, I could get rid of that annoying tingle. Wearing rubber sandals in the house would help as well.

Very few appliances in Thailand come with grounded plugs, but somebody who with some skill in the area can add a grounded plug to many appliances. If you don't netural from hot, don't try this yourself.

This thread is a great example of how much a thread can change in just a half dozen posts.

Back to sugarfree's earlier question (are you still reading this?). We did the "USUFRUCT" at the land office. It cost 70 baht plus a 15 or 20 baht for photocopies, and now my name is on the property title, and it cannot be sold without me either giving my permission or being dead.

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banpaeng
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Post by banpaeng » October 5, 2006, 7:06 pm

and staying on topic Rick what happens if you split before either of the two things you said happen. I bet you get to walk away and say goodbye is about all. Sure you can be vindictive and not sign for sale. But in the end who wins. :shock:

I am not saying it is a bad thing, I just do not see how it really helps. Maybe makes a person feel better is about all.

This all goes back, Sugarfree, to a statement that has been made on here many times.

"Don't bring any more money to Thailand than you can afford to loose." That is good advice. :cry:

A bit off the subject, If for some reason I was single again, I would not do all this if I had to get a paper to protect myself from my future wife. If I could not trust her, I sure would have a hard time marrying her. That is me and most will say then must be an easy target. That might be true, but if Ihad doubts then I could not proceed either, be it a house or car or cell phone or whatever.
Last edited by banpaeng on October 5, 2006, 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Sugarfree
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Post by Sugarfree » October 5, 2006, 7:07 pm

That is correct. Another issue. I just got the proposed drawings of the house from the company, and to be honest donดt understand half of it. If anybody wantดs to take a look I can send them the drawings via e-mail and hopefully get some comment.

This house is supposed to cost about 800.000 bath fully finished. My idea was to pay 200.000 up front and let my girlfriend/her mother (gf father is deceased) take a bank loan for rest of the amount. Then I would pay the loan to the bank monthly, as we do it in the West. Is this possible in Thailand? Since the house will be in my gf/and or her mothers name and they have a lot of land, should they not to be able to get the bank to finance the rest. I would of course pay the monthly payments, hopefully within range I can cope with.

I can hardly belief that Thai people pay their houses in few months. Up front. Donดt they have the same system as we in the West. Some amount is paid in advance and the bank loans you for the rest and then you pay monthly to the bank for 20 years or so? I proposed we get married in november, when I come back to Thailand, and she agreed. It was orginally her idea but she did not expect me to want to do it so soon. I am not going to waste anymore time trying to figure out how to protect myself. Like BKKSTAN says there is no or little use. This USUFRUCT is though some possibility.

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Sugarfree
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Post by Sugarfree » October 5, 2006, 7:18 pm

I have decided to trust her. She, her mother or both of them can have the house on their own name. It will be my sinsod to her. The house and the monthly payments for it. Like banpaeng
said, if I donดt trust her, why bother. :D

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Post by kevh » October 5, 2006, 7:18 pm

Good plan, if she is not serious about the relationship then she won't want to take out the bank loan.

And yes thailand does have a mortgage system and if she has land as colateral then she could get a loan.

Kev

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arjay
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Post by arjay » October 5, 2006, 7:26 pm

So as I understand it, you propose to put up 200K deposit yourself and hopefully GF and mother can borrow the rest from the Thai bank. So your initial exposure will be 200K baht. Does the GF and her Mum have sufficient income to repay the bank each month, as the bank will be lending to them not you?

Things are moving very quickly if you say you are getting married next month. Has a sin sodt (dowry) been mentioned, or is that the 200K baht?

As BKKSTAN has said already, however you protect yourself legally, if things don't work out, you will inevitably have to walk away, particularly as the house will be in the village where GF and mother come from. You would not be able to carry on living or staying in the house, and most probably not be able to take away anything from it. The legalities of ownership become somewhat superfluous in such situations.

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