Do You Drink Tap Water?

[Jet Gorgon]

OK, I know BKK and other city dwellers will think I'm wacko to ask, but as a rural resident connected to well water, I use my tap water for cooking, brushing my teeth, and often for making coffee. I found my well water tastes and smells better than some of the local bottled stuff. BTW, I used bottled water one time in my guppy bowl and several died.

I also think well water boosts the immunity system, as I rarely get flus or colds. But, that could be in the genes, I guess.

Any opinions, Gentle TV members?

[farangsay]

When I was in Phuket the Gazette had a "don't drink the water" panel

every week.

Here in Bangkok I am not about to check if it's any different.

I use the water from the building machine for coffe/soup etc.

As for drinking it straight.

"Don't drink water fish **** in it" W.C.Fields.

Stay healthy OK , drink beer.

[Jet Gorgon]

But, FS, crabs, shrimp and lobster eat it...

[farangsay]

But, FS, crabs, shrimp and lobster eat it...

Sorry for asking but what is the "it" these creatures eat ?

Please do not reply on a public forum if the answer

might embarass you or shock infants.

[Jet Gorgon]

But, FS, crabs, shrimp and lobster eat it...

Sorry for asking but what is the "it" these creatures eat ?

Please do not reply on a public forum if the answer

might embarass you or shock infants.

Please refer to your WC Fields quote...

[John_Betong]

>>> Do You Drink Tap Water?, Not For City Dwellers

An simple check for your tap water is to fill a glass and leave it for about three of four days.

My house tap water in Sathorn, Bangkok cultivates little red worm like creatures dancing similar to my avatar.

[macb]

Whilst the water from my bore looks exceeding clear its not, lime scale and whatever else:

We collect rainwater in the wet season in two tanks accumulating 3100 litres this is what we cook with and drink. I used to add a Clear water tablet but I dont bother now and have no ill effects.

[lingling]

>>> Do You Drink Tap Water?, Not For City Dwellers

An simple check for your tap water is to fill a glass and leave it for about three of four days.

My house tap water in Sathorn, Bangkok cultivates little red worm like creatures dancing similar to my avatar.

That sounds like mosquito larvae. Mosquitos probably laid eggs in the water after you filled the glass.

As for drinking well water - have it tested for microbes first to avoid surprises.

[naka]

Good idea to use a rainwater tank for drinking water, particularly if your

well water has a lot of calcium in it (not really harmful, but tastes bad).

If your well water is clear and does not smell then it should

be fine for coffee/tea, cooking. Should also be ok for drinking if you

boil it (roiling boil for 10 min) before cooling and putting in the fridge.

Also have a good look around the area of your well, any grazing animals (poo),

cultivation (chemicals), industry (battery re-cyclers ) etc.

I once flew a government inspector kM 1,000 into our remote mining township

to inspect and license our new water reticulation system.

He filled a glass from the tap, looked at it,

smelled it, tasted it and said ... no problem.

He later explained that his main job (area of expertize)

was to tour the water catchment area and ensure

there were no potential contaminants.

Naka.

Edited January 23, 2007 by naka

[Jet Gorgon]

Thanks for the tips! And if I want to get the water checked, where do I take it? Friends took samples to Bhumingrad (sp) Hospital in BKK, as they were getting stomach probs -- big, new farang development.

Ours has been clear, except some rainy seasons, but neighbours complain that their suppy is being tainted by extra drilling and new developments nearby.

[Heng]

>>> Do You Drink Tap Water?, Not For City Dwellers

An simple check for your tap water is to fill a glass and leave it for about three of four days.

My house tap water in Sathorn, Bangkok cultivates little red worm like creatures dancing similar to my avatar.

That sounds like mosquito larvae. Mosquitos probably laid eggs in the water after you filled the glass.

As for drinking well water - have it tested for microbes first to avoid surprises.

More likely tubefex blood worms. Mosquito larvae aren't red. Sounds more like a contaminated (open to the elements) water storage tank on your house or condo. My Bangkok tap water doesn't generate any microbes. Even so, we only use it to do the dishes, wash clothes, veggies, meat, etc. For food, we have the maid rinse one more time before cooking with bottled water. For drinking.... bottled water is the only way to go. You can order water test kits from air-n-water.com Singh, Aura, and Crystal came up with the highest ppm readings (bad).... Purita and Nestle came up with the lowest ppm readings (good). Those water.net machines don't produce consistent water readings (usually for chlorine + ppm), so probably best to stear clear unless you don't have any other options.

[lingling]

And if I want to get the water checked, where do I take it?

Check with the local tambon office. If they don't do it, they at least know who does.

[chownah]

We drink the tap water. The water coming out of the well stinks. We have a slow sand filter. The water coming out of the slow sand filter does not stink. We took a sample to the gov't water testing place and the report indicated it was drinkable. We drink it. It tastes fine. We have not had any illness that we think might have come from the water.

Chownah

[kwamrakmaimeeraka]

At my house just outside of Bangkok we have a water filtration system. The filter turns green and we change it. I have noticed a bizaar taste occasionally, but still feel it is better than water straight from the tap.

[bina]

heng, ppm (parts per million) of what? minerals, microbes?

[Heng]

Bina,

Parts per million of undisolved -and unspecified- particulate matter (handheld electronic reader), not a lab analysis.

[nokia]

Folks,

How about the common water dispenser machine that sells 1 baht per litre? It uses tap water too.

[Beavis and Butthead]

anyone who even thinks about drinking tap water in this country needs to have his head checked out asap. might I rec. the psycho ward at BKK General. all one has to do is taste the horrid beers brewed here to know that something is horribly wrong with the water, I mean horribly

[lingling]

anyone who even thinks about drinking tap water in this country needs to have his head checked out asap. might I rec. the psycho ward at BKK General. all one has to do is taste the horrid beers brewed here to know that something is horribly wrong with the water, I mean horribly

That has less to do with the water and more to do with the preservatives you need to use to make beer that can be stored in this heat without going bad.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2...tent_460109.htm

Edited January 23, 2007 by lingling

[Jet Gorgon]

anyone who even thinks about drinking tap water in this country needs to have his head checked out asap. might I rec. the psycho ward at BKK General. all one has to do is taste the horrid beers brewed here to know that something is horribly wrong with the water, I mean horribly

I think you boys are homesick for your pickup with the turkey balls, case of Labatts and catcalls from the truck window as you spin donuts in the snow. Oh...I hear your mummy calling you for supper.

[Thaddeus]

We use our bore water for everything but drinking, for that we use the village supply. Even though the water supply in the village also comes straight out of the ground, it goes through a very large filtration system before being dispensed.

I've been drinking that for years and even though I had an upset stomach when I first moved here, I put that down to some uncooked, spiced, meat I ate by accident (it was spiced, it didn't look raw, but boy did I suffer)

[psychedelix47]

Bangkok tap water is alright for cooking. Bottled water for drinking.

Upcountry we use rainwater - my gf insists it's safe.

Cool, I haven't had the squids yet!

Edited January 23, 2007 by psychedelix47

[ProThaiExpat]

There are previous threads on this subject in which I shared my two year experience following TV advice about "don't drink the water, even ice cubes" coming out of the spigot in Chiang Mai.

Tired of making ice cubes with bottled water, I finally had the local water company called and they advised that the water was fine for a falang to drink. I started out using ice cubes made with tap water with no difficulty. Then water that had gone through the particulant filter in my fridge with no problem and then went straight to tap water with no ill effects. By the way, anyone want to buy an ice maker that makes ice with bottled water?

Today, my Whirpool icemaker connected to the house water and in door water and ice dispenser with the built in particulant filter is all that is between me and drinking straight out of the tap.

I do use bottled water as it flows quickly into drink glasses, not because it is safer. I guess I have some respect for the engineers employed by our local water company to keep the water they supply safe for their customers. No outbreaks of any kind linkable to the water supply has ever been heard of.

I do live in a fairly new development with fairly new pipes. I am not so sure I would drink tap water in a old condominium with ancient pipes. Nor would I drink tap water in BKK.

[November Rain]

I don't drink tap water when I want a glass of water, I drink bottled water. However, I use tap water for everything else - cooking, boiling for hot drinks, brushing teeth etc. No stomach upsets or problems.

[tutsiwarrior]

here in small town Suphanburi the tap water is drinkable but with a heavy chlorine smell...I drink it, bathe innit and cook widdit...no problemo...

at 4am with the drooth one ain't got no choice...I supplement wid orange juice and A&W root beer...packaged, filtered water for the ice for de vodka...

upstream, sum one probably swam and shat innit...who gives a shit?...this is Thailand...

Ms gorgon...I got my red kidneys soaking in the tap water now...and I don't expect no problems

[DragonQuest]

:lol:i shower in it, i wash dishes with it, and I brush my teeth with it, hel_l i probably had alot already with all the ICE they put in my drinks, but I avoid dinking it or swallowing it for that matter lol

[macb]

Good idea to use a rainwater tank for drinking water, particularly if your

well water has a lot of calcium in it (not really harmful, but tastes bad).

If your well water is clear and does not smell then it should

be fine for coffee/tea, cooking. Should also be ok for drinking if you

boil it (roiling boil for 10 min) before cooling and putting in the fridge.

Also have a good look around the area of your well, any grazing animals (poo),

cultivation (chemicals), industry (battery re-cyclers ) etc.

I once flew a government inspector kM 1,000 into our remote mining township

to inspect and license our new water reticulation system.

He filled a glass from the tap, looked at it,

smelled it, tasted it and said ... no problem.

He later explained that his main job (area of expertize)

was to tour the water catchment area and ensure

there were no potential contaminants.

Naka.

Thats interesting info thnx our well water discolours the toilets and you get scale build up on the taps and shower heads, the toilets get left with a brown mark round the water level so the maid is constantly using DUCK toilet cleaner.

Any input on this NAKA

[lingling]

Thats interesting info thnx our well water discolours the toilets and you get scale build up on the taps and shower heads, the toilets get left with a brown mark round the water level so the maid is constantly using DUCK toilet cleaner.

Any input on this NAKA

Probably high iron content in your water. There are filters for that...

[libya 115]

Drinking tap water will always present risk.

How large is that risk?

For example, you might drink tap water for years without sickness then drink a few glasses and become seriously ill.

It is a gamble. For those of you who drink rain water up north, I guess the risk is less: You have control.

But honestly, the quality of my tap water in Pattaya is poor. I used to boil it for tea and use it for cooking, but stopped because it smelt bad during that water shortage/drought in 2005. If I were desperate I would purify tap water with KMNO4 crystals, but these RO machines on the streets offer safer water for 1 baht per litre.

For those of you interested; there are three basic shapes of bacteria: rod shaped, cocci (round), coccobacillary (oval), and spirillum (cork screw shaped). Bacteria can be classified by shape and by staining. Classification by shape is recommended because it easier and less expensive. However one may classify bacteria by a procedure called gram staining. A bacterial cell has a cell wall and a cell membrane. The gram stain will attach to the sugar molecule that is built into certain types of bacterial cell walls. The stain indicates if that particular sugar is present and classifies the bacteria accordingly.

Bacteria can also be grouped by their dependence on temperature. Most bacteria prefer to grow at room temperature or between 10 - 30 C. These bacteria are called mesophiles. Some bacteria are cold tolerant and will grow at 5 C and below. The cold tolerant bacteria are called psychrophiles. Thermophiles are heat tolerant bacteria that grow at 30 C and above. Remember that most bacteria grow at room temperature.

Upon opening a test sample with bacteria one must be careful because it may give off an odour. The bacteria that give off this odor are called anaerobes. Anaerobes means that these bacteria are growing without oxygen. The smell is a result of anaerobically produced metabolic end products. Sulphur containing compounds called mercaptans are often the cause of the strongest odors. Aerobes, on the other hand, do not typically yield odour causing compounds. Their final breakdown products of AOC are water and carbon dioxide.

Edited January 23, 2007 by libya 115

[lingling]

there are three basic shapes of bacteria: rod shaped, cocci (round), coccobacillary (oval), and spirillum (cork screw shaped). Bacteria can be classified by shape and by staining. Classification by shape is recommended because it easier and less expensive. However one may classify bacteria by a procedure called gram staining. A bacterial cell has a cell wall and a cell membrane. The gram stain will attach to the sugar molecule that is built into certain types of bacterial cell walls. The stain indicates if that particular sugar is present and classifies the bacteria accordingly.

Bacteria can also be grouped by their dependence on temperature. Most bacteria prefer to grow at room temperature or between 10 - 30 C. These bacteria are called mesophiles. Some bacteria are cold tolerant and will grow at 5 C and below. The cold tolerant bacteria are called psychrophiles. Thermophiles are heat tolerant bacteria that grow at 30 C and above. Remember that most bacteria grow at room temperature.

Upon opening a test sample with bacteria one must be careful because it may give off an odour. The bacteria that give off this odor are called anaerobes. Anaerobes means that these bacteria are growing without oxygen. The smell is a result of anaerobically produced metabolic end products. Sulphur containing compounds called mercaptans are often the cause of the strongest odors. Aerobes, on the other hand, do not typically yield odour causing compounds. Their final breakdown products of AOC are water and carbon dioxide.

Source link for the full text quoted by libya115:

http://www.che.wsu.edu/home/modules/94modu...g/bacteria.html