15 — Electricity

1. Electricity 220 V is available throughout the property.
   
   

   

   Electricity meters: DH, TSCP, CC (left), and PH, LL (right)

   
   
2. There are 2 external(!) main power lines that supply the entire property of Baan Sammi with electricity. Within the property, there are several independent current circuits.
3. Connected to the first main power line are the Clerodendrum Chalets (CC), the community facilities (SH etc.) throughout the property, with several current circuits, and with 1 electricity meter, and Lychee Lodge (LL), with several current circuits and with 1 electricity meter.
4. Connected to the second main power line are the homes Plumeria Home (PH), Dillenia Home (DH), and Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion (TSCP) or Moonlight Pavilion, each home with several current circuits, and each home with 1 electricity meter.
5. Since Baan Sammi is supplied with electricity via 2 external main power lines, an external power interruption may either interrupt only one of the two main power lines, or both main power lines may be interrupted simultaneously.
6. All 5 electricity meters are located on a single concrete electricity pole outside the Baan Sammi property on the public road next to the main entrance gate (photo above).
   
   

   

   Hut containing the main fuses for each house — from left to right and top to bottom:
   The hut is covered by a yellow curtain;
   in the hut are three boxes fixed on the walls;
   the first box contains the main fuse for the Clerodendrum Chalets (CC)
   and for community facilities, and further fuses for each circuit;
   the second box contains two black main fuses,
   one for Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion (TSCP) and the other for Dillenia Home (DH);
   the third box contains two gray main fuses,
   one for Plumeria Home (PH), the other for Lychee Lodge (LL)

   
   
7. There is a single main fuse for each house (photo above). All of these(!) main fuses are in boxes in a hut which is an annex to the western outer wall of Clerodendrum Chalet West. This annex is recognizable by its yellow curtain behind which the main fuses are located.
   
   

8. 

   Plug adapter 250 V 10 A
   
   

   The installed sockets in the buildings are usually suitable for common European and Asian plug types. The sockets are usually not with an integrated safety plate to protect children; our houses are therefore not suitable for infants. 
9. Plug adapter: You might need a plug adapter to use the installed sockets. Single plug adapters are fused at 10 A, which is only sufficient for 2,300 W, so not to be used for a washing machine or an inversion water pump. Plug adapters can be bought from supermarkets (BigC, Lotus's), electricity shops, and computer shops in Chiang Mai. For temporary use, different adapters can be provided.
   
10. External electric power interruption or voltage drop: This can happen occasionally and affects all houses connected with one of the two main power lines (see previous sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 in this chapter).
    ● The causes are usually either the work of connecting a newly built house somewhere in the area to a main power line, or a strong thunderstorm. In most cases, the interruption or current fluctuation affects only one of the two main power lines, is quite short, and rarely exceeds one hour.
    ● In the event of a power interruption, any power-dependent device is temporarily out of order. In the event of a voltage drop, some devices (e.g., LED lamps, ventilators) still work a little with reduced performance, while some other devices (e.g., neon lamps) stop working. It can happen that a voltage drop immediately precedes and/or immediately follows a power interruption.
    ● As a precaution after dark, it is recommended that your smartphone has a flashlight application installed. If using a PC, it is recommended that you have your PC connected to a UPS power supply.
    ● Immediately after the end of a power interruption, but especially after a voltage drop has ended, the tenant should check if the electric devices are still working properly. This is especially true for units with inversion motors: this includes some of the refrigerators, some of the air conditioners, and all the water pumps for the houses. In rare events, these devices are malfunctioning and require a reset to function properly again. In most cases, a reset is accomplished by unplugging the power cord, waiting a few seconds, and then plugging it back in. The same applies to Internet routers.
11. Internal electric power interruption: This affects only one circuit or all circuits connected to a single electricity meter, so the power break is limited to a certain house. Please, contact us without delay and we will try to find out the cause of the interruption. Such a power break occurs rarely, almost always due to too many simultaneously working electric devices within a single house, or is caused by a single defective electric device. There is a fuse box in every house for their circuits, and for each house, there is an additional main fuse in boxes located in a hut attached to the exterior wall of Clerodendrum Chalet West (see above).
    The location of the fuse boxes inside the houses is as follows:
    • Plumeria Home: in the pantry of the kitchen in Plumeria Bungalow;
    • Dillenia Home: under the sink of the kitchen in Dillenia Bungalow;
    • Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion (Moonlight Pavilion): next to the room safe in the dining and living room;
    • Lychee Lodge: outside, on the northern exterior wall of the bathroom, access is from the attached storage hut.
    
12. Each individual building (Plumeria Bungalow, Khilek Pavilion, Dillenia Bungalow, Chom Doi Pavilion, Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion, Lychee Lodge) has its own circuit for lighting in the rooms, including for the ceiling and wall fans, and for sockets in the rooms. This circuit is designed for maximum power consumption for electrical devices of 3,600 W. If this circuit is used above 3,600 W, the fuse for the circuit or the fuse for the entire system can interrupt the circuit. In addition, the risk of a cable-scorching fire cannot be completely ruled out.
    
    

13. 

    Socket (reverse view) with a scorch mark

    Typically, Thai-type plugs have only 2 pins which are not thick and round but thin and flat. Mostly, this plug type is the cause of an inadequate electrical contact between a plug and a socket. Other causes can be corrosion of the pins, e.g. rust or defilement. An inadequate electrical contact between a plug and a socket can lead to overheating and potentially cause a scorch mark or even a cable-scorching fire.
    This socket (see photo) suffered from a scorch mark on the inside that caused the circuit to break down, but fortunately did not cause a fire in the cable. There was no damage to the outside of the socket, so the problem could not be detected visually.
    
    
14. There is an own circuit for the air conditioning in the bedrooms (Plumeria Bungalow, Dillenia Bungalow, Lychee Lodge, Clerodendrum Chalet West), an own circuit for the electric water heaters in the bathrooms (Plumeria Bungalow, Dillenia Bungalow, Chom Doi Pavilion, Lychee Lodge, Clerodendrum Chalet South), and an own circuit for kitchens of kitchen appliances (Plumeria Bungalow, Dillenia Bungalow, Tai Saeng Chan Pavilion, Lychee Lodge, Clerodendrum Chalet South).
    
    
15. Examples of power input in watts (W) of various electrical devices available:
    • Hot water heater 4,500 W
    • Mitsubishi air-conditioner (e.g., Plumeria Bungalow, Dillenia Bungalow) max. 3,300 W
    • Washing machine 500 W
    • Inverter water pump 250 W
    • Electrolux induction cooker 2,000 W
    • Hot water kettle 1,500 W
    • Toshiba microwave 1,270 W
    • Electric cooking pot 1,000 W
    • Iron 1,000 W
    • Oven 800 W
    • Rice cooker 400 W
    • Blender 350 W
    • Refrigerator (small) 50 W
    • LG inverter refrigerator 305 W
    • Table fan 50 W
    • Floor (pedestal) fan 80–300 W
    • MasterKool cooling fan 85 W
    • Ceiling fan 80 W
    • Hair dryer 850 W
    • LCD computer monitor 15–100 W
    • PC 60–350 W
    • Laptop 15–45 W
    
    
16. Since the power lines in the buildings were mostly flush-mounted, the exact course of the power lines cannot be seen. If holes are to be drilled in the walls, for example, to attach a picture to a wall, the wiring diagram must first be checked to determine exactly where the power lines run. Otherwise, when drilling holes or driving nails into the wall, there is a risk of damaging a power line and thus interrupting the circuit.