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Electrical color codes


Bangkoktraveler

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I hear you. US 220 is completely different then Thailand 220. Problem is not so much the wiring but that of earth ground. The shit I have seen doesn't have an earth ground and I suspect some of the stuff gets wired without regards to polarity just as some do half ass wiring in the US.

 

For safety purposes, they should be using a standard, just wondering what it is.

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Thai 220 is the same, sort of, as Euro 220, that is 220 from line to neutral. US 220 is line to line, or phase to phase with 110 from phase to neutral. For most small stuff it's no big deal, either rewire for 220 or use an auto transformer that will drop the volts. Big stuff can be a pain depending on how it's built but in general I would't recommend bringing anything from US to work in Thailand, its just hassle and chances are something similar is available here.

 

Romex type wiring seems to be mostly black and grey, assume black is hot, line, phase, live, whatever. Wiring in the house is pretty much all colours of the rainbow, like the electrician was getting all psychotropic when he did the job.

 

Earthing is mostly p.m.e. in the newer places so they give you two wires with the neutal bonded to a ground at the service panel and also at the transformer in the street. Saves the elec company money but watch it if a neighbour loses their neutral as all their house current can flow through yours, eek. Normally just fine and is standard in EU these days.

 

M.

 

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Thanks.

 

I think one of the problem is no ground at the service panel. We have a new house, but the electrical needs to be straighten out. I had an apartment and it too had the same electrical problems.

 

[color:blue]Is there any place in Thailand to buy a plug in the socket type device to check to see if it is wired properly?[/color] In the States, these handy devices can be bought at the dollar store (about 42 baht).

 

 

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Hi,

 

When you only have two wires it is not quite so simple and, in theory, shouldn't matter provided any appliance you connect has an isolating transformer. Since the alternating current (AC) is going backwards and forwards 100 times a second, its 50Hz here not 60Hz as in US, so 50 positive peaks and 50 negative peaks every second.

 

A meter will just show you what volts you have between the two wires, should be 220, but expect 'some' variation. If you have a ground you can confirm that there is little or no voltage between neutral and ground and similar voltage from live to neutral and live to ground, but remeber ground is a safety earth and not meant to carry the neutral current which is why most electrical codes allow for smaller earth conductors.

 

Can't think of any device that would be able to tell the difference between live and neutral with only those two to reference against.

 

I think a third earth wire has only been mandatory here for about ten years and then only on new builds.

 

Wife brought home an extension cord with a multi way socket, had an indicator for confirming that the three wire circuit was properly wired. Trouble was it was built wrong!

 

Check the wiring, if it is only 1.5mm sq then don't run anything that draws more than about 4 amps continuous or around 880 watts.

 

Cheers

M.

 

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I'm not real sure on some of this, would have to go read, I never did understand all this 3ph stuff very well and pme makes my head melt.

 

Actually I think it gets delta wye converted at the local transformer, thats where the neutral comes from. And I think the ground was always there at the transformer but not necessarily at the consumer premises, that seems a recent requirement to satify various international codes etc.

 

Will try to remember and go look next time I'm at the up country place, that has only two wires at the house but will go look at the trafo and see how it's wired.

 

Cheers,

M.

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