14 BUSINESS/PROPERTY
THE PHUKET NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011
Hot water heaters and Rising how to survive them Electricity and you
by David Robertson
This is the first in a series of articles about electrical safety in your home.
The reader may be surprised to know that there are electricity regulations in Thailand: the Engineering Institute of Thailand Standards for Electrical Installations 2551. The regs are not easy to get hold of; I ordered our copy from the Chulalongkorn University Bookshop and I have yet to find another electrician on the island who has a copy. Contrary to popular opinion, water is not a particularly good conductor of electricity. In fact, totally pure water is a pretty good insulator. However, the wet human body is an excellent conductor. Dry skin is a good insulator, but, when wet, the skin’s resistance becomes very low. This is why there are special regulations for bathrooms that do not apply, for example, in kitchens. (I don’t know about you, but I tend not to be naked and dripping wet when I’m in the kitchen.)
Properly equipped water heaters have a cut-out that detects electricity leakage and turns off the power. The cut-out can be checked by pressing the test button. Water heaters can present a serious hazard. Over time, the insulation of wires inside deteriorates. Eventually, if a fault develops, we need to ensure that the electricity supply is disconnected quickly. In Thailand, further protection is required by the EIT code which, in this instance, is more rigorous than European regulations. The code requires that heaters must have a special circuit breaker called an RCD (residual current device, also known as an ELCB or RCBO) which provides protection even if there is no ground connection.
In layman’s terms, electricity flows down the live wire, returns through the neutral wire and reverses direction 50 times a second. The current in the live and neutral wires should be exactly the same. An RCD checks this is the case. If the currents are not the same, then some current has been lost, possibly through you. In this case the RCD disconnects the supply very quickly indeed and saves your life. When buying a heater, make sure it has one of these devices – some imported heaters don’t. Water heaters or shower units have built-in RCDs. These can usually be tested by pressing a button and resetting. In conclusion, ensure your water heater has integrated or external RCD/ELCB protection and test its operation regularly. In addition, the heater should be connected to ground. David Robertson is Managing Director & Chief Engineer of Phuket-based Electrical Safety Consultants Co Ltd. For more information visit elec-safety.com. To ask David any questions, email: info@elec-safety.com.
demand in Bangkok for temp offices
Almost 30 major office buildings in the Vibhavadi-Rangsit and Phaholyothin areas of Bangkok have been hit by floods, but the whole impact of the flooding on the Bangkok office market has yet to unfold, property agency Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) has warned. Suphin Mechuchep, JLL’s Managing Director, said “Most office buildings in the city are located in downtown areas which have remained dry. “But a typical office lease term of three years does not tenants the flexibility to move out before the lease expires. As the floods continue to spread, it may be too early to tell how the Bangkok office market will be affected by the flooding. “We have seen companies becoming less keen to make leasing decisions; they are waiting to see if or how their business operations will be impacted by the floods. “We expect this to be only temporary and leasing activity should recover once the floods
recede,” said Mrs Suphin. One immediate effect, JLL noted, is that the flooding in the northern corridor of Bangkok has generated demand for temporary substitute offices in the inner areas of the city which are at less risk of flooding. Yupa Sathienpabayut, Director of Office Agency at JLL, reported, “We have received an increasing number of enquiries from companies for temporary offices in the inner locations of Bangkok. These companies are those whose offices are in areas that are affected by floods or that are at risk of floods. “These enquiries require fully or partly fitted office units between 50 and 300 sqm, that are available for immediate occupation for one to two months. “There are a number of office buildings that can cater to these temporary requirements as they have office units that became vacant after some
tenants moved out. Basic office facilities including chairs, tables, phone lines and internet are provided,” she added. “While rentals vary greatly, some building owners are charging more generous rents as part of flood relief efforts. But generally, short term rents are 20 per cent higher than rental rates offered on a long lease term.” “We have also seen some big corporations looking for temporary offices in locations outside Bangkok such as Pattaya, Sriracha and Laemchabang,” Ms Yupa noted. Mrs Suphin predicted that the f looding in the major industrial estates north of Bangkok may have some impact on the Bangkok office market at a later stage. “Many companies that operate in industrial estates affected by the floods have corporate offices in Bangkok. More firms may opt to set up a separate office in Bangkok to diversify operational risks,” she explained.
Security with a view There is a fine line between ensuring your home is secure and turning it into a prison. Phuket company Pailin Smiley manages to walk that line, guaranteeing top class protection from intruders without affecting the aesthetics of the home. Pailin Smiley are the sole Phuket agents for Majestec, an Australian company that manufactures premium security doors and windows. The security screens, made from high tensile stainless steel, are designed to complement the design of
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ADVERTORIAL a modern home, appearing more like screen doors than security shutters. Andy Payne, Managing Director of Pailin Smiley, said: “It is the best deterrent available on Phuket. It’s designed to deter the would-be opportunists and get them to b***er off somewhere else.” And the product is already receiving a lot of positive feedback. One ‘relieved and secure customer’ reported that an intruder had attempted to gain entry through his
Majestec doors. “It appeared that a thief had tried to force the frame near the lock with a metal spike. He failed. “I realised early on that the screens were expensive, but I would like to say that this product, combined with the exemplary service provided by Pailin Smiley... is extremely good value for money.” ■■ For more information, visit the Pailin Smiley showroom at Homepro Chalong (near Banana IT); call 08 7470 9149 (English) or 08 6942 2672 (Thai and English); or email: andy@pailinsmiley.com.