Cables

Cables

In 2007, I called an electrician to make some additional wiring in my house. Some lighting and outlets in my carport, lighting around my house on the outside, some outlets in my kitchen, etc.

The electrician came to look at the work to do and made me an estimate of the price. In Europe, the electrical wires are embedded in the wall. More aesthetic and safe. I asked the electrician to do the wiring like in Europe, embedded in the wall.

He looked at me, at my wife and asked: "Do you really want me to put the wiring in plastic pipes in the wall"?.
I answered him that I wanted to electric wiring in my house embedded in the wall. Outside the house he could do the wiring "the Thai way"?
I looked at my wife and she nodded her head.

We agreed on the price and the next, early in the morning, he came back with 4 helpers.

2 workers, very young boys, started to cut a slice in the wall and insert an electric pipe whilst the other 2 workers were doing the outside job. At the evening, everything was done. Clean and professional. Satisfied of their job, I paid them the agreed price and they left.

About 1 year later, as I was cooking lunch, the new outlet started to emit black smoke, and after a few minutes, it explodes with a loud bang. My wife came looking what was happening and saw the outlet and the blackened wall after the explosion. I turned the breaker to the new wiring "OFF" and started to dismantle the outlet to see what was gone wrong.

As I took the top off of the outlet, a termite nest fell out of the outlet. Termites had been building a nest in the pipe and the outlet without being noticed.

My wife started to laugh and said: "There you have it. The European way. Except that in Europe there are no termites."

I called the electrician back and asked him to repair the wiring, but to put it on the wall now. Visible and easy to clean termites and other bugs away.

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