Do you folks use tap water to cook pasta?

[thaibeachlovers]

Where I used to live the local water supply company took water from the swamp when their well pump broke. 

Good luck cooking in that.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, realenglish1 said:

Cooking and brushing teeth for 15 years here in Bangkok Never sick Its fine

This subforum is in Chiang Mai, not Bkk.

[balo]

No I don't , I only pay 6 baht for 5 litres from the machine downstairs so I don't need to gamble with unfiltered tap water, don't see any point . Even if its probably safe. 

 

 

[khunPer]

Use tap water for cooking, but have a coconut-carbon filter plus a ceramic micro filter inserted before the tap for cooking water. Also use it for ice cubes, and we have survived drinking it as well.

 

I'm having a ceiling water tank with circulation pump through a ceramic micro filter and UV-light, plus adding air to the water (like with an aquarium pump). The water originates from a well and has been cleaned through sand filters and ceramic filters, before reaching the ceiling storage tank. No chlorine is used, but a little bit of 35% food-grade hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) when weekly cleaning the micro-filter in the storage tank. Hydrogen peroxide is water-oxide and kills any bacteria that may have build up in the ceramic filter, and also clean pipes etc. – it's totally harmless, if not healthy in thin solutions – hydrogen peroxide is used in modern water treatment plants iso. chlorine and pumping air into the water; some also use hydrogen peroxide in fish aquariums, as fish need very clean water.

[quandow]

I cook with it, make coffee and tea with it, brush my teeth with it. I draw the line at plain drinking water and fill up one of those big jugs for 5 baht which I pour into several smaller ones to keep in the fridge for cold drinking water. Been doing this for YEARS, recently had a very thorough medical checkup, blood tests all came out clean.

[BuddyDean]

1 hour ago, balo said:

No I don't , I only pay 6 baht for 5 litres from the machine downstairs so I don't need to gamble with unfiltered tap water, don't see any point . Even if its probably safe. 

 

 

and of course, they meticulously service the machine and filters regularly.

[ubonjoe]

Some bickering posts and replies to them have been removed.

[bazza73]

6 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

A four-stage under-cabinet water filter with UV seems to have solved all our water issues. The carbon filter takes care of taste, the resin reduces (but doesn't remove all,) minerals,  a .3 micron filters out any and all bacteria and parasites, and the UV filter removes the possibility of viral contamination.  What comes out of the spout is pure, clean, fresh-tasting H2O.

Cost is about 4,000 -5,000 Baht at most home centers and took me almost 15 minutes to install myself under the kitchen sink.  No carrying water bottles down to the corner machine. No crates of empty bottles waiting for pick-up. Just turn the handle and voila!

Bacteria, parasites, viruses and off tastes will all be destroyed by simply boiling water. A lot less expensively.

Water filters with carbon, resin, filters and UV are only as good as the maintenance they get.

I buy water from the RO machines ( 3 baht for 2 litres ), boil it and transfer when cool to a storage container.

[FolkGuitar]

1 hour ago, bazza73 said:

Bacteria, parasites, viruses and off tastes will all be destroyed by simply boiling water. A lot less expensively.

Water filters with carbon, resin, filters and UV are only as good as the maintenance they get.

I buy water from the RO machines ( 3 baht for 2 litres ), boil it and transfer when cool to a storage container.

 

We all have different priorities, and different concepts of what is 'expensive.'

Personally, I don't want to have to carry jugs of water from the village well (RO Machine these days) every other day.  By my calculations, having bought the filter almost 5 years ago, I spend about 2 baht per day for water, and that prices is going down every year, even with replacement filter cartridges. I certainly can't be bothered to boil vats of water every day... or even every other day!

 

You prefer to carry water bottles and boil water.

I prefer to turn a tap. Cost seems about the same.

We all make our own choices.

[Ned]

Many people here in the village drink the well water. High calcium content and kidney problems are common. Whether cooking pasta in high calcium water is a problem I'll leave to the scientists amongst us.

[rwill]

It depends on if you are city water or unfiltered well water.  The mooban I live in both are available.  The moobans well water is 7 baht/unit.  City water starts at 10 baht/unit and goes up from there with higher usage.  Even the city water I filter for cooking purposes.  But it would probably be fine for cooking.

 

[fanjita]

The Thai in-laws use Bai Yoke drinking water for cooking which comes in soft bottles of 900ml.  Never seen them use anything else.

[madusa]

17 hours ago, SheungWan said:

Its important that you save 15 baht not using bottles water.

I would think bottle water and tap water the difference isn't that big is it? Bottle water came from factory that use tap water they just filter it through a huge water filter and bottle it for sale. Bottle water can't possibly came from some waterfall or underground water that went through layers of rocks can they?

You are lucky if you don't die from drinking bottle water because one day it will happen. Well, typhoid, hepatitis, amoeba dysentry. ....the list goes on..... Thailand is not a country that account for its mistake legally or otherwise. This is fact not thailand bashing ok?

[fanjita]

4 minutes ago, madusa said:

I would think bottle water and tap water the difference isn't that big is it? Bottle water came from factory that use tap water they just filter it through a huge water filter and bottle it for sale. Bottle water can't possibly came from some waterfall or underground water that went through layers of rocks can they?

You are lucky if you don't die from drinking bottle water because one day it will happen. Well, typhoid, hepatitis, amoeba dysentry. ....the list goes on..... Thailand is not a country that account for its mistake legally or otherwise. This is fact not thailand bashing ok?

I'll think you'll find the bottled water is UV and reverse osmosis treated.  Really won't do you any harm.  

[madusa]

2 minutes ago, fanjita said:

I'll think you'll find the bottled water is UV and reverse osmosis treated.  Really won't do you any harm.  

Unless I go to the Bottled Water Factory to see for myself what they actually do there . Some brand of bottled water in Thailand taste so awful. I couldn't believe they actually sell them and people drink them. Everywhere in the world bottled water is making big profit.

[SiSePuede419]

10 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

My wife used to use tap water for her cooking a few years ago, but gave it up when we all started glowing in the dark.

Last year I tried making my own pasta.  Flour and water.  Can add egg also. 

 

Hard to believe you need to travel to Italy to buy?!?!

 

Isn't fresh pasta considered to be better than dried in Italy? 

 

Or China (where "pasta" came from)?

[FolkGuitar]

28 minutes ago, fanjita said:

I'll think you'll find the bottled water is UV and reverse osmosis treated.  Really won't do you any harm.  

 

Supposedly....   But this IS Thailand.

[fanjita]

6 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

Supposedly....   But this IS Thailand.

Agreed.  But the in-laws have been using Bai Yoke drinking water for years and I prefer to go along with the locals.  That's what the OP is looking for, not drinking water but cooking water.  

 

I've been eating their food for over ten years so comes highly recommended from me.

[FolkGuitar]

20 minutes ago, fanjita said:

Agreed.  But the in-laws have been using Bai Yoke drinking water for years and I prefer to go along with the locals.  That's what the OP is looking for, not drinking water but cooking water.  

 

I've been eating their food for over ten years so comes highly recommended from me.

 

You, and they, have been lucky. Of course there aren't pathogens in every milliliter of water, perhaps not even in every hundred thousand gallons of water. But they're there... Everybody eventually gets a turn.

[fanjita]

Just now, FolkGuitar said:

You, and they, have been lucky. Of course there aren't pathogens in every milliliter of water, perhaps not even in every hundred thousand gallons of water. But they're there... Everybody eventually gets a turn.

Seriously, whatever.  Think you're going a bit too far now.  

[FolkGuitar]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

You, and they, have been lucky. Of course there aren't pathogens in every milliliter of water, perhaps not even in every hundred thousand gallons of water. But they're there... Everybody eventually gets a turn.

 

1 hour ago, fanjita said:

Seriously, whatever.  Think you're going a bit too far now.  

 

While it IS possible that the majority of people in S.E. Asia are simply paranoid, the fact remains that this majority of people who can afford it will still drink bottled or filtered water. There may actually be a good reason for it. Perhaps there is no need to purchase Evian or San Pellegrino, but being sure to get the pathogens out isn't such a radical idea...

[Wake Up]

I drink bottle water. I cook and wash vegetables and shower and brush teeth with tap water in BKK. Never had a problem. 

[fanjita]

1 hour ago, FolkGuitar said:

While it IS possible that the majority of people in S.E. Asia are simply paranoid, the fact remains that this majority of people who can afford it will still drink bottled or filtered water. There may actually be a good reason for it. Perhaps there is no need to purchase Evian or San Pellegrino, but being sure to get the pathogens out isn't such a radical idea...

The thread is about cooking.  I don't know anyone in LOS that is paranoid about cooking water.

 

As I said, the in laws cook with Bai Yoke drinking water, I didn't mention that the drank it.  Are you okay?

[bazza73]

4 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

We all have different priorities, and different concepts of what is 'expensive.'

Personally, I don't want to have to carry jugs of water from the village well (RO Machine these days) every other day.  By my calculations, having bought the filter almost 5 years ago, I spend about 2 baht per day for water, and that prices is going down every year, even with replacement filter cartridges. I certainly can't be bothered to boil vats of water every day... or even every other day!

 

You prefer to carry water bottles and boil water.

I prefer to turn a tap. Cost seems about the same.

We all make our own choices.

You do like your exaggerations. I don't boil vats of water, just one kettleful a day. I don't have to carry bottles of water very far, the back of my scooter does that for me. You make it sound like I'm trekking several km.

Your system can break down without you knowing about it. By definition, mine can't.

 

[FolkGuitar]

38 minutes ago, bazza73 said:

You do like your exaggerations. I don't boil vats of water, just one kettleful a day. I don't have to carry bottles of water very far, the back of my scooter does that for me. You make it sound like I'm trekking several km.

Your system can break down without you knowing about it. By definition, mine can't.

 

 

You need to use a motor-scooter to carry your water? That certainly can't make it very cost-effective! This means it's either too far or too heavy to carry it and walk with it. Doesn't sound so simple to me...

Simplified, you do boil water every day. Every day. Sure, most of us do that too, for cooking. But you do it for drinking too. Suddenly that's not so simple. Every day.

Simplified, you do carry water every day. Sure, most of us do that every day too, but not large bottles of it. We carry a glass. We don't need a scooter to tote it for us.

 

As long as you're healthy enough to ride your scooter, you're OK. As long as you're healthy enough to work in the kitchen, you're OK. A flat tire wrecks your plan. So does a case of the Flu with its attending high fever.

 

I turn a tap. That's my choice. If if breaks down, it doesn't work. It really is that simple. If the UV light goes out, it's not on. We find it simple to notice if a bright light isn't bright. 

 

If that happens... we'll buy a bottle of water. Mai pen rai..

 

[Grumpy Duck]

I live in a mansion. Once I made a fatal mistake of cooking a cup of noodles with tap water, I was deathly sick for 4 days. I did some research on water in Bangkok, I understand tap water directly from the water supply is safe, however in my place water is stored in a large concrete cistern. A cistern that is not filtered or treated which is why I got sick.  I only cook and drink bottled water. After I got sick I would even wash dishes in bottled water, but that's not necessary. 

[Elkski]

During my 72 days in Thailand I have had a bit of a tummy issue 3 times.  I do eat food from the street.   I now use only bottled water for  my toothbrush.   I think a home filtering system is what I would use in Thailand if I settle down.   Yes a RO filtering system requires maintenance but I am good at that job.   I used to travel to Mexico quite a bit 30-35 years ago.  Never was a good idea to eat washed veggies or salads.  Caused several friends to get Montezuma's revenge.  Even ice cubes were an issue.   I think the same rules apply in Thailand.  I also wonder about the Thai thing of showering before intimacy.   My motto is let the lettuce dry well before a meal.  Oh and keep mouth closed in the shower.  

 

As far as cooking in the water this seems like such a small % of our yearly water consumption I don't see how tap water would be an issue as long as it tastes good. 

[bazza73]

6 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

 

You need to use a motor-scooter to carry your water? That certainly can't make it very cost-effective! This means it's either too far or too heavy to carry it and walk with it. Doesn't sound so simple to me...

Simplified, you do boil water every day. Every day. Sure, most of us do that too, for cooking. But you do it for drinking too. Suddenly that's not so simple. Every day.

Simplified, you do carry water every day. Sure, most of us do that every day too, but not large bottles of it. We carry a glass. We don't need a scooter to tote it for us.

 

As long as you're healthy enough to ride your scooter, you're OK. As long as you're healthy enough to work in the kitchen, you're OK. A flat tire wrecks your plan. So does a case of the Flu with its attending high fever.

 

I turn a tap. That's my choice. If if breaks down, it doesn't work. It really is that simple. If the UV light goes out, it's not on. We find it simple to notice if a bright light isn't bright. 

 

If that happens... we'll buy a bottle of water. Mai pen rai..

 

As I said before, you do like to exaggerate.

Do you have  mystical powers of divination which tell you when the carbon filter, resin and particulate filter are not functioning as they should?

Any engineer or scientist will tell you the more components you have in a process, the more likely it is one of them will fail at some point in time.

Perhaps you have never heard of the KISS principle. Mai pen rai.

[jacko45k]

On 11/25/2017 at 7:21 PM, mommysboy said:

Absolutely, yes.  Tap water is fine for boiling.  You can also brush your teeth using it.

Seems a rather blanket statement.

I expect it would vary from building to building, area to area. Importantly if you apply any filtration of your own. If the pipes have been worked on in my area it comes out dirty for a while and I probably would not use it for boiling pasta.

 

Large clear bottles of water are delivered by a guy in a pick up each week.... that is our drinking water. I only have filters on water going into the washing machine.

[FolkGuitar]

2 hours ago, bazza73 said:

As I said before, you do like to exaggerate.

Do you have  mystical powers of divination which tell you when the carbon filter, resin and particulate filter are not functioning as they should?

Any engineer or scientist will tell you the more components you have in a process, the more likely it is one of them will fail at some point in time.

Perhaps you have never heard of the KISS principle. Mai pen rai.

 

Fortunately, the engineers have heard of the KISS principle. There is nothing to break. Both carbon filters and resin filters operate in the same fashion; water goes in one side, passes THROUGH the filters, then out the other side. If the filters stop doing what they are supposed to do, the flow of water simply begins to slow down. NO MOVING PARTS to break. In fact, other than a possible leak, there is just nothing to break. The UV bulb might blow after a dozen years, but I learned how to change a light bulb a while ago. Not a problem.  I'll stick with just turning a tap. You stick with riding your scooter (is that part of the KISS principle?) to the well carrying your water bottles, carry them home and boil the water before using it, then pouring it into other bottles to cool. We all make our own choices.