Thai Dhupp and Princess Joy's Thai House Build

[Norton]

we have a legitimate BLUE BOOK now

Great! You can forget the yellow book now. Redundant and pretty much useless with blue book you have.

[Thai Dhupp]

Great! You can forget the yellow book now. Redundant and pretty much useless with blue book you have.

Hi Norton...I think I still have to get the Yellow book as the Blue book only references me as the owner, not a resident!!

PJ , who is listed as a resident can vouch for me come visa/residency application time, and at that time I will get the Yellow book confirming I am a resident in the same house that the Blue book confirms I am the owner of!

Its one overly-complicated system, methinks, mainly designed to get payments from farangs

[Thai Dhupp]

Tuesday Update

finally catching up to 'real time' at last...

today we went straight to the Amphur. the OBT had been updated but even he could not influence this one - i stayed in the car, while PJ went in, with the 10k in a plain envelope.

farcical scenes with the envelope that everyone could see being passed under the counter... lol.. but after 20 minutes, PJ was out with the Blue Book.

i was recognised as the owner. she was the Thai as the resident. I needed the yellow book to be a resident. and out house number was written and confirmed. and all within 24 hours!!

It could be worse!

Next stop - PEA. we had the temporary 15/45 supply which has been 100% reliable for K.Pots constriction activity. now we wanted to formalise the permanent supply.

the blue book was of course accepted, but doubt was cast about what supply was needed. what was needed was a site visit, apparently.this included 2 engineers and an administrator. this is the standard site visit team in out area.

We got to site and lots of comment from the PEA team almost immediately, 'oh this is a big place, you will need a transformer. that transformer was mentioned several times, clearly planing this idea in our heads

Now... you guys know me... i cant be doing with the prolonged plan of hard sell, or the build up to the bottom line. 'what's the cost?' says I. a bit of shuffling round and they came up with the idea that it was going to cost 100,000 thb. I had been expecting 30-35k since we are rural but this was 3x that. OMG no no no says I thats way out of the price plan!!'

they decided to go back and work it out properly and let us know the next day.

We were them blessed with a visit To us FROM the OrBorTor himself, together with the big boss of the local water supply. Of course the OBT handles the national water supply, and we thought we would be using him. Turns out that my budget of 10k for his supply was dwarfed by the bill proposal of 400M of 2'' pipe from his nearest connection, plus meter and fitting.

he organised the second supply option, again we had been using it throughout the build. We spoke to the 'big boss', who went for the meter, fitted it, and we then had a bona fide water supply for the princely sum of 800 baht!

Just needed the power... roll on tomorrow!

[lom]

Now... you guys know me... i cant be doing with the prolonged plan of hard sell, or the build up to the bottom line. 'what's the cost?' says I. a bit of shuffling round and they came up with the idea that it was going to cost 100,000 thb. I had been expecting 30-35k since we are rural but this was 3x that. OMG no no no says I thats way out of the price plan!!'

Do a rough calculation of your monthly power usage and compare the KWH price difference between the low-voltage tariff and the high-voltage tariff you get when you own the transformer, around 10 years before ROI is common. Another advantage of having a transformer is that you get a more stable low-voltage which you will notice if the now existing transformer is far away.

[Thai Dhupp]

Do a rough calculation of your monthly power usage and compare the KWH price difference between the low-voltage tariff and the high-voltage tariff you get when you own the transformer, around 10 years before ROI is common. Another advantage of having a transformer is that you get a more stable low-voltage which you will notice if the now existing transformer is far away.

lol I really hope so,lom... because unfortunately, this is not the end of the tale!

[Thai Dhupp]

Wednesday update

Today...we awaited the result of those 'calculations' from the PEA, but TBH i was not optimistic..

Then we got a call from the senior guy from PEA, the one the OBT knows well... he would like to meet us on site and he had the calculations!

Are things looking up? hey!... lets go find out!

We got to the house and he was there already, just arrived. Went through all the formalities, glad-handing, offering them some drink, etc.

It was smiles all round.... dare I hope, hope for a change in that quote from his minions yesterday?

He started talking about the available supply, and the transformer locations. he assessed the 'load' of the house - he had a lot of calculations with him.

Obviously, he was talking to PJ a lot but she was nodding along and I started to get a good feeling.

Finally, he told her that those same minions should not have come to the house (he apparently tore them off one) and the price they gave was ill thought out and wrong!

Oh good - so give us the right price n lets get this moving!

Sure... ''they were way out with 100,000 THB because in fact I cant do it for less than 200,000 THB and that INCLUDED a massive discount thanks to your OBT intervention!!!''

Guess who was not smiling any more!

To say the wind was out of my sails, and I thought in his sales.... well - of course I tried all angles - smaller supply, payment plan, I get the transformer, etc etc.. all dead alleys.

He said he would have one more look at the price and give us a firm quote and timescale..

200,000 THB!!!!????!!!

Yes...I was definitely not expecting that one

[Stumpy]

We have 8 cameras on a 30 day continuous loop, so like you, footage will be available.

We have similar but 12 cameras. Our primary intent when we put them in was so my wife and I can travel and she can check in on her Dad who lives with us. They have been very useful. We did not install them out of fear or concerns of burglary or theft. In fact we leave almost everything open and unlocked all the time. Kind of like it was when I was growing up in the states. never locked anything.

[Stumpy]

I needed the yellow book to be a resident. and out house number was written and confirmed. and all within 24 hours!!

Having the Yellow book helps in many other ways as well. Now that immigration knows I am resident and homeowner I fly through my annual and 90 day check ins. It also was a huge benefit when getting my recent work permit and makes registering and owning a vehicle quick and no hassles. Also allows you to open up bank accts at banks other than BKK Bank. Having a work permit here also is a key piece of documentation. I always tell colleagues while they have a WP to get a much in place as you can then if the job ends or the contract is done, you keep all the perks.

[Boon Mee]

Great! You can forget the yellow book now. Redundant and pretty much useless with blue book you have.

Well, don't short the Tabien Ban Leung there Norts.
As far as I know, without it you can't get the Pink Card.
Probably depends on one's Amphur Baalat though...

[Maanaam]

Wednesday update

Today...we awaited the result of those 'calculations' from the PEA, but TBH i was not optimistic..

Then we got a call from the senior guy from PEA, the one the OBT knows well... he would like to meet us on site and he had the calculations!

Are things looking up? hey!... lets go find out!

We got to the house and he was there already, just arrived. Went through all the formalities, glad-handing, offering them some drink, etc.

It was smiles all round.... dare I hope, hope for a change in that quote from his minions yesterday?

He started talking about the available supply, and the transformer locations. he assessed the 'load' of the house - he had a lot of calculations with him.

Obviously, he was talking to PJ a lot but she was nodding along and I started to get a good feeling.

Finally, he told her that those same minions should not have come to the house (he apparently tore them off one) and the price they gave was ill thought out and wrong!

Oh good - so give us the right price n lets get this moving!

Sure... ''they were way out with 100,000 THB because in fact I cant do it for less than 200,000 THB and that INCLUDED a massive discount thanks to your OBT intervention!!!''

Guess who was not smiling any more!

To say the wind was out of my sails, and I thought in his sales.... well - of course I tried all angles - smaller supply, payment plan, I get the transformer, etc etc.. all dead alleys.

He said he would have one more look at the price and give us a firm quote and timescale..

200,000 THB!!!!????!!!

Yes...I was definitely not expecting that one

Transformers are expensive and that is probably the major part of the cost quoted, BUT, I had (he's passed on) a Kiwi mate here in Hatyai who was an electrical engineer and did consultancy jobs here. He was telling me that he always saved his clients BIG dollars by recalculating the size of the transformer that local sparkies always recommend. He told me they always calculate for maximum load and thus the transformer needed is big. He maintained that no dwelling or building ever went into maximum load. He went on, "Can you imagine a house with all the lights, all the appliances, the water heater, all the airconditioners, every outlet with something significant plugged in, the washing machine, the fridges all kicking in simultaneously, the stove with all elements and the oven on... all turned on at the same time?" That's what the locals calculate for, and that never ever happens, and the bigger the building, the less likely it is that it would happen.

You can probably halve the size of the transformer, or maybe even smaller.
My advice is to do a quick and generous estimate of what is likely to all be on at the same time, take a worst case scenario, eg a party at night; the fridge, the stove, 3 aircons, 15 lights, a TV and a stereo etc and take the list of those things to an electrician (maybe online?) and get their advice on what size transformer you need.

[Maanaam]

What size transformer did your guy say (what KVA)?
KVA is (amp x volts)/1000. From that we'll be able to see what sort of load he's "expecting" or preparing for.

[Thai Dhupp]

What size transformer did your guy say (what KVA)?
KVA is (amp x volts)/1000. From that we'll be able to see what sort of load he's "expecting" or preparing for.

Thanks for that, Maanaam... I will be looking into that today.

I will keep everyone posted.

[Maanaam]

Have a look at your fuse box and see what rating all the breakers have, add them up, multiply by 240 then divide the product by 1000. My guess is that will be the KVA he's worked out. It should certainy not be any more than that, and that full load will never happen.

[Klondyke]

TD, I recommend you to keep your nerves calm and not to get at all excited about a transformer. Of course, the electrical (fai faa) people are seeing a potential source of improvement to their pocket. You are not going to convert your TD Towers to TD factory, are you?

The existing power supply that had withstood the extensive works with many machines, weldings will surely withstand your modest dwelling, even if 2 - 3 a/c will run in same time and your water pump will kick in (beside all the large TV's, mobiles and TD forum on full speed).

In my case it's similarly running on simple meter 15/45A on the pole, 3 a/c every night, plus swimming pool pump and fish pond pump and a water pressure pump either, sometimes also the bore pump pulling the rusty water in my system.

[Norton]

In my case it's similarly running on simple meter 15/45A on the pole

Exactly what I have. Never close to a problem.

[Norton]

https://teakdoor.com/living-in-thaila...ml#post2307373

You may need a transformer if none coverering your locale. Here the entire village has a single transformer supplying all homes.

Be careful what PEA says you need. Your builders obviously used local supply.

[Boon Mee]

I needed to get 3 phase to my location as the local utility is woefully under powered.

At least now when I turn on the A/C the lights don't dim any more.

[Maanaam]

https://teakdoor.com/living-in-thaila...ml#post2307373

You may need a transformer if none coverering your locale. Here the entire village has a single transformer supplying all homes.

Be careful what PEA says you need. Your builders obviously used local supply.

Interesting tagline for that post's poster:
Teakdoor CSI, TD's best post-reality thinkers

featuring Prattmaster ENT, Prattmaster Dapper and PrattmasterPseudolus

Dedicated to uncovering irrational explanations to every event and heroically
defending them against the onslaught of physics, rational logic and evidence

[Neverna]

Sure... ''they were way out with 100,000 THB because in fact I cant do it for less than 200,000 THB and that INCLUDED a massive discount thanks to your OBT intervention!!!''

200,000 THB!!!!????!!!

I was definitely not expecting that one

Why not? It's not really a surprise after you paid 10,000 under the table to the OBT to "fast track" your blue book. Of course , it will all be above board and the OBT's intervention will have nothing to do with the increased price and she won't be getting a cut at all.

[Stumpy]

In my case it's similarly running on simple meter 15/45A on the pole,

Exactly what I have.

Me 3 and never had a Problem. Using my welder, Air compressor, wife running big western style dryer, water pump cycling on and off.

[Airportwo]

The existing power supply that had withstood the extensive works with many machines, weldings will surely withstand your modest dwelling

One welding machine will use a little less power than a 18 BTU AC & the load isn't constant, doubt the builders would have used much more than this, household load will be much higher.
How far are you from other residences that will use similar power to what you will.

[lom]

One welding machine will use a little less power than a 18 BTU AC & the load isn't constant, doubt the builders would have used much more than this, household load will be much higher.

Yes, correct. Cooling and heating appliances are the big consumers.

How far are you from other residences that will use similar power to what you will.

There are a couple of things to consider:
How much spare capacity in the current transformer, how much capacity will you need, how far away is the transformer, and are there any more consumers from the current transformer planned for the near future?

[David48atTD]

https://teakdoor.com/living-in-thaila...ml#post2307373

You may need a transformer if none coverering your locale. Here the entire village has a single transformer supplying all homes.

Be careful what PEA says you need. Your builders obviously used local supply.

Interesting tagline for that post's poster:
Teakdoor CSI, TD's best post-reality thinkers

featuring Prattmaster ENT, Prattmaster Dapper and PrattmasterPseudolus

Dedicated to uncovering irrational explanations to every event and heroically
defending them against the onslaught of physics, rational logic and evidence

Humm ...

[Stumpy]

One welding machine will use a little less power than a 18 BTU AC & the load isn't constant

Also to note, that if you have an inverter style AC the unit load is high at initial turn on but reduces quickly. I have checked with a current meter out curiosity. Our Western Dryer and Jacuzzi pumps use a big consistent load. I do have 2 meters to our house. both 15/45. One is allocated to the shop and kitchen area, the other is the main house.

[Klondyke]

TD, in case your head still hasn't been running crazy by the many advices, herewith one more, actually a "precaution":

Beside the cost for installing the transformer with the appropriate High Voltage incomer, there is a different meter for that.

And there are different tariffs in Thailand, one of them (mostly when the transformer owned) comprises of two rates: one with quite high rate for the maximum power input (kW) reached in the counted period and the other for the measured consumption (kWh).

It means, that when you are just one day on your mansion running on a full speed, and the rest of the month nobody there (just the CCTV cameras running), you already will pay more than half of the amount what you would pay when consuming the same power every day.

Anyway, the tariffs are quite complicated. To understand how it was measured and billed, I doubt that a math doctor from Chula Uni will be able to decipher it...