Another thing that pissed me off today...

Post by **wayne747** » August 30, 2011, 8:10 pm

KHONDAHM wrote:
wayne747 wrote:Perhaps next time specify what you want done and ignore local custom and advice (if it is possible ).
Alas...that is the point of the post. You can tell, show, explain what you want and how you want it done until the cows come home (literally), but what you GET is often something other than what you expect. ESPECIALLY if it involves making common sense decisions.

Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Jungfrau_von_Orleans

Post by **Galee** » September 10, 2011, 2:05 pm

This week I've discovered two more things that piss me off.

Door handles
Kids on a plane

How come so many people don't know how to use a door handle?. It's not rocket science. You grasp the handle, turn it and close the door, quietly. It seems that most idiots just use it to grab hold of and slam the door shut making as much noise as they can.

All kids under 3 should be put in the luggage hold. Screaming bratts.

Rant over,

Best wishes,

Victor Meldrew.

Post by **stattointhailand** » September 10, 2011, 2:27 pm

Telephone queueing systems at UK banks.
You nip out, put B200 on your phone, listen to a nice Mozart tune for 20 odd mins (which is ruined by some idiot telling you they are sorry for the delay, that you are moving forward in the queue and that your call will actually be answered by a REAL PERSON as soon as possible, ever 30 secs), and then lo and behold when someone speaks to you, your money runs out half way through explaining what you wanted.
If they were half as concerned as their computer generated messages say they are, they would EMPLOY MORE BLOODY STAFF to answer the damn phones quicker.

Post by **trubrit** » September 10, 2011, 2:36 pm

Galee wrote:This week I've discovered two more things that piss me off.

Door handles
Kids on a plane

All kids under 3 should be put in the luggage hold. Screaming bratts.

Rant over,

Best wishes,

Victor Meldrew.

Yes I have always wondered why some airlines either offer free or reduced fares for them. They obviously cause more work for the hostesses and annoyance to other travellers. Charge them more.

Post by **red67** » September 10, 2011, 2:38 pm

or give them a seat on the wing

Post by **KHONDAHM** » February 11, 2012, 6:10 am

/rant

OK! I'm pissed off enough again to post here rather than go ballistic and regret it later.

Yes, the root cause is the same as it usually is: Lack of friggin' common sense which seems to be innate here. I will skip most of the blah blah blah to keep my blood pressure down:

We have a sewage pump (required because of a previous major lack of common sense) which failed to turn on while washing clothes, and the water backed up into the washroom where we keep it. Blah, blah, blah. So, I investigate and find that the float is covered in bacteria and GREASE which was weighing it down. A poke with a pole and presto - the pump turns on. Blah, blah, blah. The submersible sewage pump has a 2" outlet which, down the pvc line, tapers to a 1 1/2" pipe. Water should normally be gushing out, but it is barely flowing as much as a 1/2" pipe. Blah, blah, blah. So, I investigate and discover the Mrs. must have been pouring GREASE down the drain the entire time we've been in the house (almost a year now). WTH?!? So, I quizz her and she fully understands that hot grease and cold water form a solid. So WHY 'O FRIGGIN' WHY - knowing that - would you pour grease down the drain? Answer: "Well you didn't tell me NOT to do it!". *Slapping MYSELF because I love my wife*

So, fellas. TODAY - TELL your wife/girlfriend or whatever NOT to pour grease into the sink!!!

Luckily, I am discovering/realizing this now rather than when the pump blows up from the back pressure of NO water flowing out or when the sink isn't draining because of all the muck inside. I will be saturating our waste lines with baking soda today, then run a whole lotta vinegar through them to clean the PVC drains as much as possible that way, but it is likely I will also have to get a professional involved to run an electric auger through the lines at a cost of THB 1,500 (from her money, not mine).

/endrant

Post by **KHONDAHM** » February 11, 2012, 6:25 am

I married a wonderful "country girl" and I accept what comes with it...but just for my own edification, how many of you have a spouse who has also been pouring grease down the drain?

Post by **Galee** » February 11, 2012, 8:06 am

Friend of mine has had the same problem. When I get round to building my place I'll be installing a 'grease trap'.

Post by **trubrit** » February 11, 2012, 9:10 am

KHONDAHM wrote:I married a wonderful "country girl" and I accept what comes with it...but just for my own edification, how many of you have a spouse who has also been pouring grease down the drain?

By grease, do you mean the used cooking oil? If so the answer from me is no , my wife collects it in an aluminum bowl, mind you I do have a problem stopping her re-using it over and over again .After that it goes on the garden . I did have a stupid drainage problem though. When her grown up daughter was at home she used to wash the rice cooker out and swish all the remnants down the plug hole. took me a long time to figure out why the pipes were always blocked .

Post by **fatbob** » February 11, 2012, 5:00 pm

Grease trap or no grease trap you should'nt pour oil down the sink, bad habit, all you will end up doing is having to clean your grease trap which will stink with old oil and rotten food. If you live out of town on a bit of land run your toilets only to the septic tanks, I have two toilets at opposite ends of the house so I put in two systems, concrete rings, each system two tanks first tank for solids then clear water overflows to second and absorbs away, I never have to empty them, all my grey water runs on seperate lines to the garden at three points, if theres a bit of rice or food scrap going down the kitchen sink the chickens soon take care of that, the wife likes gardening so she knows if she puts oil down the sink her garden will die.

Post by **KHONDAHM** » February 12, 2012, 2:30 am

/Update
Problems solved and averted. New problem created, but maybe no big deal.

The wife contacted a company online and they sent a guy out pronto. I had him run the 5/8" electric auger (aka snake) from the kitchen sink to the solids tank, then from the overflow tank to the maximum length he had with him (@10m). During which, I had him pour a hot water sodium bicarbonate mix (4 liters + 2 bottles each run - overkill, I know) chased with 1/2 liter of vinegar, chased with 1 liter of hot water. Baffled the hell out of him, but he was planning to use room temp water on a grease (aka cooking fat and oils) problem. A "professional" (*cough*).

We lifted the lid of the grey tank and let the pump drain water to reveal most of the pump. There was about 3 cm of grease and sludge caked on the sides of the tank and twice that caked on the pump. 10 months of grease. Likey more in the solids tank as more was floating on the surface there. The low pressure problem turned out to be the net I rigged loosly around the pump to catch string, hair, and other stuff had become clogged by the grease and little water was flowing to the pump to be pumped out. Cleaning it of grease fixed that problem. The pump is elevated and secured to an big upside-down paint bucket. I couldn't pull it up, so there must be a lot off muck down there, too. Worry about it another day when it's time to suck the tanks out. Works for now.

The new problem was *surprise* created by the "professional" (*cough*). 60 cm of steel auger broke off likely at the
U trap and I'd have to dig up the yard to get it out (another lack of common sense story). If the wife no longer pours grease down there and the drain traps catch all the hair, and I keep the other muck checked, we should be ok for a good while if not forever. It's a 5/8" problem in a 2" pipe. Time will tell...

So the wife forked over the THB 1,500 while I re-fixed the pipes under the sink the "professional" (*cough*) disconnected/reconnected and all is bliss again in the LOS.

Post by **KHONDAHM** » February 12, 2012, 2:42 am

typo: grey should be overflow

Post by **rick** » February 12, 2012, 12:33 pm

Grease is a problem and also some washing powders can also block up pipes (although in Thailand i see many use liquid detergents). I have had problems in UK, and apart from some removal of solids at point of blockage (if accessible) have found the best solution is LOTS of hot water - 50 litres. Need to heat them pipes up enough so that oil and grease flows easy. the bicarb just doesn't sit around for long enough to have much effect unless actually blocked; but not usually strong enough to remove blockage itself. And water is cheap and easy to get!

Post by **BigBubba** » February 25, 2012, 5:15 pm

The Thai's just don't get it. I keep scolding my wife for removing the grid that covers the drain. I've tried to explain to her it's there for a REASON... it stops anything thats to big from going into the drain (duh) that should therefore be placed in the trash (bin).

Post by **mortiboy** » February 26, 2012, 3:23 pm

Like the thingy that traps all the crap in the sink.You merely take it out and empty in the trash bin.
OH no! it is left on its side bottom of sink. and the drain full of debri!

Post by **KHONDAHM** » February 27, 2012, 4:26 am

At the risk of sounding bigoted (apologies offered), the profound lack of common sense displayed by most Thais I encounter here continues to astound and confound me and is almost always the root cause of things which piss me off...

If I were to post them all, I'd be updating this thread several times DAILY! As it is, I refrain and update when I just can't take it anymore as an alternative to going postal with a slingshot or something.

Post by **rjj04** » May 4, 2012, 9:40 am

Why is it that most large Thai companies only "support" Internet Explorer. We are talking about large bank, insurance companies, etc. They surely have the resources to support Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, et al. It is incomprehensible to me that when IE has less than 28% of the browser market share these large companies can not, and will not, support other browsers to the point where using Firefox on their sites is useless.

Post by **BobHelm** » May 4, 2012, 9:48 am

Sadly it is not just large Thai companies rjj.

I have to keep a copy of Internet Explorer just for internet banking use with HSBC.
Since HSBC went to the 'dongle' sign on system Firefoxl often just will not work. Worse than that it seems to imply to HSBC that someone is possibly trying to hack my account so if I persist with it they lock my account.
Unfreezing the account is a major telephone conversation of extreme frustration that I pay for.

Hence I keep IE on my PC & use it for HSBC contact alone....

Post by **parrot** » May 4, 2012, 11:03 am

I use Opera 95% of the time. I use IE for 2 US banks (not compatible with Opera) and for Thai news (IE supports auto translate).
Most of the time when I use IE, I'll also have 10 or so tabs open in Opera. No hangups using both browsers at the same time.
I've used Opera for a good 3-4 years.......mouse gestures, multi-tab browsing, notes (kept on the cloud), sync compatible, never a hangup......can't see a reason to change full time to anything else.