Please don’t laugh… I know how crap is electrical installations in Taiwan but at some point, I need to do it right especially when I will get bigger tools.
Are there any such thing as a certified electrician in Taiwan who I can at least hire for an hour or so to check the connection to make sure its up to code (whatever that might be), and to get GCFI outlets and industrial grade outlets that can stand up to abuse?
For starters there are no outlets in my bathroom and I really need one, and I read that bathrooms and kitchens must have a high current outlet that is GFCI protected so you can run stuff like hair dryers and stuff without killing yourself and your family.
I plan on eventually bypassing the existing circuit… it’s full of your average Taiwanese chabuduo-ism, where extension cords were somehow wired into the main circuit and screwed to the wall to act as extra outlets. Might work for a computer but like the average Taiwanese if one hooks up a dehumidifier and a toaster oven and a hair dryer to it, you’ll get a nasty surprise, not to mention every spliced wires are done with electrical tape and I feel like I had to really look to find wire nuts.
I also want to make a subpanel for the shop as there are a total of 5 breakers in the box including the main, a 50amp main breaker, a 20amp for AC, and another 20amp split to provide 2 110 lines, and a 10amp for something. There is another 20amp breaker hooked up to a meter that isn’t hooked up to anything, but upon closer inspection that breaker is not working… thus everything in the house is on the same breaker (the 110 stuff that is)!
I am surprised to see a “passed inspection” sticker on the breaker panel from Taipower… makes me wonder how much kickback did the inspector receive?
[quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”]Please don’t laugh… I know how crap is electrical installations in Taiwan but at some point, I need to do it right especially when I will get bigger tools.
Are there any such thing as a certified electrician in Taiwan who I can at least hire for an hour or so to check the connection to make sure its up to code (whatever that might be), and to get GCFI outlets and industrial grade outlets that can stand up to abuse?
For starters there are no outlets in my bathroom and I really need one, and I read that bathrooms and kitchens must have a high current outlet that is GFCI protected so you can run stuff like hair dryers and stuff without killing yourself and your family.
I plan on eventually bypassing the existing circuit… it’s full of your average Taiwanese chabuduo-ism, where extension cords were somehow wired into the main circuit and screwed to the wall to act as extra outlets. Might work for a computer but like the average Taiwanese if one hooks up a dehumidifier and a toaster oven and a hair dryer to it, you’ll get a nasty surprise, not to mention every spliced wires are done with electrical tape and I feel like I had to really look to find wire nuts.
I also want to make a subpanel for the shop as there are a total of 5 breakers in the box including the main, a 50amp main breaker, a 20amp for AC, and another 20amp split to provide 2 110 lines, and a 10amp for something. There is another 20amp breaker hooked up to a meter that isn’t hooked up to anything, but upon closer inspection that breaker is not working… thus everything in the house is on the same breaker (the 110 stuff that is)!
I am surprised to see a “passed inspection” sticker on the breaker panel from Taipower… makes me wonder how much kickback did the inspector receive?[/quote]
It sounds like you live in a really old place and it’s going to be incredibly expensive and time-consuming to re-wire it without stripping the entire place back to bare concrete and bricks. And even then, it might not be possible. Sometimes the plastic conduits for the wiring are blocked by cement or they are fractured and you can’t route wiring through them. Sometimes, builders saved money by just pouring concrete over copper wiring without conduits at all. The price of copper is extortionate now, so expect a huge bill in raw materials alone.
I am thinking of just mounting conduits to the wall… I seriously doubt I can do anything about stuff inside the concrete/brick. I think most Taiwanese contractors will (when remodeling) hide the wires/conduit behind a false wall.
I don’t know what is a lot but that is better than the house burning down…
Ok I found some GFCI outlets here:
tw.search.bid.yahoo.com/search/ac?p=防漏電插座&cat=24198&ei=UTF-8
but I need a favor from those from Europe…
I am looking for a Type C schoko type outlet (the ones they use in many European countries, has a big hole where the plug goes into it with 2 round prongs inside with a grounding clip inside the hole… these are found in Germany.
I am wiring a 220v socket to power my 220v power tools but I want them to look different enough that someone doesn’t plug an AC into it because I used a smaller gauge wire for that particular outlet… not really a must have but would be nice, since I do have an adapter that will turn a Taiwan/US 220v socket into a European socket.
[quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”]Ok I found some GFCI outlets here:
tw.search.bid.yahoo.com/search/ac?p=防漏電插座&cat=24198&ei=UTF-8
but I need a favor from those from Europe…
I am looking for a Type C schoko type outlet (the ones they use in many European countries, has a big hole where the plug goes into it with 2 round prongs inside with a grounding clip inside the hole… these are found in Germany.
I am wiring a 220v socket to power my 220v power tools but I want them to look different enough that someone doesn’t plug an AC into it because I used a smaller gauge wire for that particular outlet… not really a must have but would be nice, since I do have an adapter that will turn a Taiwan/US 220v socket into a European socket.[/quote]
I have a feeling a standard GFCI won’t work for you because it requires a neutral,live and earth wire. But you don’t have that with a Taiwan 220v supply (even if you can find a good earth) because it’s made up of 2 110v live phases.
You need a special 2-pole GFCI that can monitor and cut both 110v phases.
I am not trying to do a GFCI on the 220 line… only on the 110 line that will go to the bathroom or kitchen, mostly to prevent electrocution.
The guy selling the GFCI outlets at yahoo auction even showed a newspaper clip of someone who died from earth leakage when showering at a gym, which kinda shows you the lack of regard for electrical safety in Taiwan.
my friend ank works at Taipei electric & Ac ltd , he solves all my problem and speaks fluent English, btw he lives in taipei, 0987039992 ank