rooster59 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Pattaya: German pensioner electrocuted installing ceiling fan Image: Siamchonn News Police captain Phinyalak Sinworawiwat responded after reports that a foreigner had died in a house in the Park Rung Ruang housing estate in Moo 9. Dead at the scene stuck in a ceiling was 68 year old German national I.J.L. He had an electrical cord around his leg and a ladder and repair tools were in the area. His body was moved with difficulty. His girlfriend Jitta, 53, said she had warned him about making repairs but he wouldn't listen. He had climbed up into the crawl space to install a ceiling fan in the bathroom. The circuit breaker had been turned off but there was a spark. She ran to get the security guard but it was too late. Police are investigating. Source: Siamchonn News -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-30 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarteso Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Horrible scene !!! RIP 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post smedly Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 he should have turned the power "OFF" he may have thought the breaker for the lights fed the lights in the bathroom - a fatal error it seems and a lack of electrical knowledge RIP 14 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surelynot Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 minute ago, smedly said: he may have thought the breaker for the lights fed the lights in the bathroom That is exactly how I know how quickly the circuit breaker works.....5555 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KhunBENQ Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 Never rely on assumptions about circuit breakers. Invest a few Baht for a voltage tester. And test the voltage tester on a live line before relying on it. 38 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KhunKenAP Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 As stated by KhunBENQ, always use a voltage tester before performing work on any electrical circuit. Breakers can fail, you may have turn off the wrong one and as TIT some idiot may have fed the circuit from more than one breaker or location. If you can also lock the panel door or breaker to prevent someone "accidentally" turning it back on! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post worgeordie Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 51 minutes ago, rooster59 said: to install a ceiling fan in the bathroom. That does not seem correct regards Worgordie 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FritsSikkink Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 10 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said: Never rely on assumptions about circuit breakers. Invest a few Baht for a voltage tester. And test the voltage tester on a live line before relying on it. Even better, don't touch it if you haven't got a clue. 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) Even if I turned the power off I would still test it to see if it was dead, silly old <deleted> 68 climbing in ceilings Edited January 30, 2021 by metisdead 8.) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Did he have a work permit? Sorry, that was meant satirically because someone always asks that. Definitely an unfortunate tragedy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jeffr2 Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 Labor here is so cheap, why do it yourself and take the risk? Especially at his age. RIP. 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 How much to get that done the ceiling fan I mean? 500 baht to a 1000 baht I've seen some dodgy wiring in Thailand 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PFMills Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) 54 minutes ago, Surelynot said: ...but thinking about it....a circuit breaker would act so fast he wouldn't be electrocuted (I've cut through a few live wires).......she must have some how kept the circuit breaker on...... Really, so you know that circuit was protected by either a SafetyCut or RCBO and not just a circuit breaker! Do you actually know the difference? Edited January 30, 2021 by PFMills 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jingthing Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 4 minutes ago, ChipButty said: How much to get that done the ceiling fan I mean? 500 baht to a 1000 baht I've seen some dodgy wiring in Thailand There are many people that have always done and even enjoy doing home improvement projects so its normal for them to continue that here. I'm not one of them but I understand. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post xylophone Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 20 minutes ago, KhunKenAP said: As stated by KhunBENQ, always use a voltage tester before performing work on any electrical circuit. Breakers can fail, you may have turn off the wrong one and as TIT some idiot may have fed the circuit from more than one breaker or location. Yes, always use voltage tester if doing anything in Thailand like that, and I know because I've done some work on a few houses here (for friends) and I am a qualified electrical technician. I was extremely surprised when trying to do a bit of work on an air conditioner in my room, only to find out that no matter which circuit breaker I switched off, the thing would not go dead, so I switched off the main breaker and was just about to work on it when I thought I would test it just for the sake of it, and lo and behold it was still live. The electrician had fed it from the cables coming in from the pole off the road, even before it got to the distribution board, so it was continuously live, and I was a very lucky boy. So sad to hear that this man ended his life that way. 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldie Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 13 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said: Labor here is so cheap, why do it yourself and take the risk? Especially at his age. RIP. The labor is cheap but also often the quality. What I can do I do myself. Especially when it comes to electricity. Many locals seem to have no knowledge at all. This still seems to be something new for them. If I don't always check the wires before I touch them I would not be able to type this here anymore... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I'm not an electrician, having said that I do know the difference between active, neutral and earth. Although I do not see too many earthed appliances or connections in Thailand. Any electrical work I ever did, I made damn sure the circuit was dead before doing any work on it. I'd pull the fuses on the mains switchboard to be sure. Then check again. To quote Clint Eastwood " Man's got to know his limitations". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 9 minutes ago, Jingthing said: There are many people that have always done and even enjoy doing home improvement projects so its normal for them to continue that here. I'm not one of them but I understand. I can find lots of jobs to do at ground level 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 6 minutes ago, xylophone said: Yes, always use voltage tester if doing anything in Thailand like that, and I know because I've done some work on a few houses here (for friends) and I am a qualified electrical technician. I was extremely surprised when trying to do a bit of work on an air conditioner in my room, only to find out that no matter which circuit breaker I switched off, the thing would not go dead, so I switched off the main breaker and was just about to work on it when I thought I would test it just for the sake of it, and lo and behold it was still live. The electrician had fed it from the cables coming in from the pole off the road, even before it got to the distribution board, so it was continuously live, and I was a very lucky boy. So sad to hear that this man ended his life that way. Makes you wonder how many houses in Thailand are wired that way, gross incompetence or laziness. Useful to know, thanks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlover Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Surelynot said: 1 hour ago, rooster59 said: The circuit breaker had been turned off but there was a spark. In the first house we lived in, in Udon Thani, even if you knocked the circuit breaker off the circuit was still live! I discovered that the circuit breaker was on the neutral side of the circuit! Sounds like his house was wired the same. Edited January 30, 2021 by Moonlover Remove reported post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacessit Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 minute ago, ChipButty said: I can find lots of jobs to do at ground level I've heard you especially enjoy the horizontal ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metisdead Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 A reported callous troll post and a reply has been removed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FinickyOne Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 8 minutes ago, Lacessit said: I do know the difference between active, neutral and earth. Used to be - now - soon to be? RIP to the electrician Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 Electricity scares the cr*p out of me. I usually get an electrician to do any work, but if it's small and I know I can fix it quickly, my paranoia makes me throw the main breaker switch so there is no power in the house at all. I also put tape over it so that it can't be switched back on by accident. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlover Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I wish I'd photographed the new consumer unit that a (so called) electrician had installed in our house. Luckily I insisted on fully checking it myself before he switch the power back on. It would have probably melted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerryd Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I've done some electrical work in my house and it is scary to see what passed (or passes) for workmanship here. Very few places I've been in would ever pass an electrical inspection back home. I went through and identified which breakers control what (through a lot of testing) and labelled them. However, if I'm dealing with bare wires I will still test them again just to be sure. I've had "electricians" in as well. Like when I discovered a couple of the shoddy, cheapest "made in China" circuit breakers were literally crumbling in the electrical panel. Seriously, the electrician pulled them out and handed them to me and they fell apart in my hand like someone had whacked them with a heavy hammer. (That guy made me so nervous I actually had my phone out and the number for Emergencies -1669 - punched in just in case he electrocuted himself or started a fire.) I think there is a mix up in the news article/translation. The old guy was most likely trying to access the wiring by going through the access panel in the bathroom (which seems to be the common location in a lot of places). No doubt he was trying to wire in that new looking fan in the living room. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 18 minutes ago, Lacessit said: I've heard you especially enjoy the horizontal ones. Have been known to do the odd vertical one especially in the shower 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 21 minutes ago, Lacessit said: Makes you wonder how many houses in Thailand are wired that way, gross incompetence or laziness. Useful to know, thanks. Many especially no Earth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 27 minutes ago, Oldie said: The labor is cheap but also often the quality. What I can do I do myself. Especially when it comes to electricity. Many locals seem to have no knowledge at all. This still seems to be something new for them. If I don't always check the wires before I touch them I would not be able to type this here anymore... Agreed! I don't suggest unqualified labor for this. A proper sparky here isn't that hard to find. It takes time, but can be done. But climbing up into the attic to do this? At his age? No way. One of the biggest sources for injuries amongst us older folk. Ladders!! RIP to the gentleman and best of luck to his gal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ChipButty Posted January 30, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2021 A farang I know bought a existing bar and he planned to do some alteration, he asked me if I knew an Electrician, I said Ive got one so I called him up and sent him to the job, the farang didnt speak any Thai so the electrician called me back and said he would have to re wire the place, who ever had done the job before had used speaker cable for the lights in the bar, must have been glowing, 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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