Well water - how to purify for drinking

[jameskeats]

Hello everyone

 

We have a 60 meter deep well in our place in Mae On, providing us with water for cleaning and washing. It's has a lot of limescale and it often stinks. We would like to turn it into drinkable water if possible, or a least something we can use for cooking. We're surrounded by rice paddies (they spread a lot of chemicals there) but we also have a river flowing next to our house.

 

My question is, would a RO system do? Is it good enough to remove all possible chemicals and heavy metals? Or do I need additional filters for that.

 

I kindly ask that only those who have a direct experience with purifying well water here in the area of Chiang Mai answer. I've researched a lot and I've only found conflicting information about what I should do. I was thinking of getting my water tested but that's a lot and if RO removes the vast majority of impurities anyway, I would simply go straight for that.

 

[trawler]

We are out near Mae Rim and have a well although not as deep as yours.We pump up to a tank and then it gets filtered through the large blue Thai style filters x 2.This is then clean enough for using in the house.We have another filter with outside the big house and the water is fine for cooking/showering etc.In the kitchen we have a RO system and thats used for drinking water.Had this system for nearly twenty years now and no health issues.Obviously the usual filter material changes and backflush the filters once a week.

Hope this helps.cheers

[Tayaout]

Reverse osmosis. 

 

Or Berkey: https://www.berkeyfilters.com/

 

Or cheap DIY:

 

[Thainesss]

19 hours ago, jameskeats said:

My question is, would a RO system do?

 

Its impossible to say definitively without a proper check on the water itself by a lab and I have no clue how to do that in Thailand, however, I do have well water and use an RO system to drink the well water very similar to this one:

 

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/star-pure-5-reverse-osmosis-ro-50gpd-3-3-ppcors-waterway1992-i7960567-s360429003.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.43.1c2d3f2cSaws8K&search=1

 

I setup mine by the kitchen sink and just refill plastic bottles and pop them into the fridge. I use it for cooking and making coffee but everything else is done by unfiltered water. Shower, brush teeth etc is all unfiltered. 

 

It is the exact same system that those little water dispensing machines use on the side of the road - only a smaller scale and kept clean by you. 

[canthai55]

You will not know what is the quality of your water unless you test it.

That being said, lime can be removed.

Stinks of what ? Testing will tell you.

To not get it tested ... UP 2 U

We test our well water yearly. What is your health worth ?

[worgeordie]

With all these methods of filtration,RO,U.V. ,Ozone, you must

remember to do strict maintenance,filters need regular cleaning,

UV tubes changed at regular intervals,forget to do that could

put your health at risk. 

regards worgeordie

[Thainesss]

7 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

We test our well water yearly.

 

Where do you get your water tested at? 

[Halfaboy]

9 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

You will not know what is the quality of your water unless you test it.

That being said, lime can be removed.

Stinks of what ? Testing will tell you.

To not get it tested ... UP 2 U

We test our well water yearly. What is your health worth ?

 

Could you please name the institute testing the water ? I want to do the same but have no idea where.

Thanks...

[Thainesss]

Just now, worgeordie said:

With all these methods of filtration,RO,U.V. ,Ozone, you must

remember to do strict maintenance,filters need regular cleaning,

UV tubes changed at regular intervals,forget to do that could

put your health at risk. 

 

This is True, but don't forget that if anyone is getting their drinking water from the village in those cheap plastic bottles then you are basically relying on someone else to do all this for you. And they are likely using RO as well. 

[worgeordie]

4 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

This is True, but don't forget that if anyone is getting their drinking water from the village in those cheap plastic bottles then you are basically relying on someone else to do all this for you. And they are likely using RO as well. 

I think they will be using R.O. if you are lucky,that's the smaller water companies.

regards worgeordie

[Thainesss]

14 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

I think they will be using R.O. if you are lucky,that's the smaller water companies.

Yep and those drinking water dispensing machines on the side of the road also use RO and who knows how often they are cleaned/tested/maintained. 

 

It'll be safer to to it at home 

[canthai55]

44 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Where do you get your water tested at? 

http://www.omicfoodsafety.com/html_eng/bankoku.html

[Chazar]

1 hour ago, Thainesss said:

Its impossible to say definitively without a proper check on the water itself by a lab and I have no clue how to do that in Thailand,

you  can  get  it  tested  here

[Chazar]

58 minutes ago, Halfaboy said:

 

Could you please name the institute testing the water ? I want to do the same but have no idea where.

Thanks...

see  my  post

[canthai55]

2 minutes ago, Chazar said:

you  can  get  it  tested  here

No pathogens

We had ours fully tested the first couple of years. As we are across the canal from the major agricultural land we now just get it tested for pathogens.

[Chazar]

7 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

No pathogens

We had ours fully tested the first couple of years. As we are across the canal from the major agricultural land we now just get it tested for pathogens.

You can ask them to test for many things, this is a  small sample, you can add many more to it and the price goes up accordingly.

[tigerbeerz]

This company carries out water analysis , send them a sample.

 

https://swimmingpoolsthailand.com/en/125-total-water-analysis

 

also any water filtration supply company should also be able to arrange it, had mine done by "Pure Water" stops in all major towns.

[jameskeats]

Provincial Water Authority (PWA) also does it, though they do not cover everything. You need to take their special bottles for sampling and the water needs to be freshly collected

 

1.Water color -100฿
2.Acidity - alkalinity         (ph)-100฿
3.Turbidity - 100฿
4.Electrical conductivity -100฿
5.Total dissolved substances content -200฿
6.Total floating content -200฿
7.BOD-450฿
8.Alkalinity (as CaCo3)-200฿
9.Total hardness -200฿
10.Temporary hardness -200฿
11.Permanent hardness -200฿
12.Chloride -200฿
13.Remaining clean necks -150฿
14.iron-300฿
15.Manganese-300 ฿
16.Zinc - 450฿
17.copper-450฿
18.Sulfate-300฿
19.Fluoride-300฿
20.Nitrate -300฿
21.Ammonia -450฿
22.total coliform bacteria400฿
23.E-coli-400฿
24.Sand uniformity coefficient and sand effective size-600฿
25.Specific gravity PVC-300฿

[canthai55]

6 minutes ago, tigerbeerz said:

https://swimmingpoolsthailand.com/en/125-total-water-analysis

Free chlorine

Total  chlorine

pH

Calcium hardness

Total alkalinity

Cyanuric acid

Copper

iron

Salt

Phosphate

OK if you drinking pool water I guess

[canthai55]

8 minutes ago, Chazar said:

You can ask them to test for many things, this is a  small sample, you can add many more to it and the price goes up accordingly.

Thanks. My reply was based on your post

[kevinmartyn]

Filter and boil 2 times!!!

[canthai55]

23 minutes ago, kevinmartyn said:

Filter and boil 2 times!!!

With the cost of the fuel required you would probably be better off buying.

To say nothing of the time involved

[The Theory]

You need to set up different kind of filters. A single large carbon filter (large particles) for 1st stage. Then 3 stage large filters (cost around 18000 I recall it correctly) for households use. 3rd, RO for drinking water. 

You need to replace 1st filter often (of 3 stage large filter). Store at least a few extra. 

[khunPer]

23 hours ago, jameskeats said:

My question is, would a RO system do? Is it good enough to remove all possible chemicals and heavy metals? Or do I need additional filters for that.

60 meter deep well should be fairly clear for pesticides and chemicals.

 

A 5 micron or 10 micron filter plus a 0.5 micron ceramic filter could take a lot of the color/limestone/rust out. You might need to clean/wash the filters often, but in a clear plastic filter-house you can see when it's needed; for example make it a weekly routine to check and clean filters.

 

Dirt-filters don't last for ever, so you might need to change the 5-10 micron filter quarterly (or more often), they can be bought for about 50-60 baht; and the ceramic filter annually, price is about 350 baht. I'm talking about 10" length of filter cartridges, which are big enough for drinking water. A clear plastic filter-house is reasonable priced (I cannot remember the price, but probably around 500 baht).

 

 

Bad smell are often due to lack of oxygen, that's why many water treatment plants have an oxygen ladder. The typical procedure is drilling -> oxygen ladder -> sand filter -> storage tank.

If you have water in a tank, you can use a small pump to mix oxygen in the water, just like in an aquarium. Another possibility to remove bad smell is an active carbon filter, preferably coconut-carbon (it's said to be the best). Again a 10" filter cartridge can be use, cost is around 200 baht, and the carbon-filter need to be changed at least annually.

 

To make the water clean reversed osmosis is excellent. You might not need a carbon filter, or oxygen pump, when using RO, you can test without, and make space for installing an extra filter-unit if needed. It's said that RO water is clear of minerals, so make sure you get minerals from other sources, when drinking RO water; i.e. that's why health specialists recommend "mineral water". rather than "drinking water".

 

Remember, that RO-filters also need to be taken care of. Lots of the RO water-machines by roadsides are not maintained, and has dirty filters; there was an article in the Thaivisa news-section recently, bad news for those getting water from roadside RO-machines.

????

[mikecha]

if your well smells then something is dead inside  

we also had this and found a be nest inside whem removing cover 

we got a guy come in and pump the well out for 3 hours to the drain 

then looked down and saw clear water coming in

did this 2 times now is good again

 

you can also use a big chacoal filter   for lime scale 

[laochef]

9 hours ago, Halfaboy said:

 

Could you please name the institute testing the water ? I want to do the same but have no idea where.

Thanks...

SGS, a Swiss testing company has about 6 offices in TH,
Google to get addresses...

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, mikecha said:

if your well smells then something is dead inside  

we also had this and found a be nest inside whem removing cover 

we got a guy come in and pump the well out for 3 hours to the drain 

then looked down and saw clear water coming in

did this 2 times now is good again

 

you can also use a big chacoal filter   for lime scale 

Not always, if water don't include enough oxygen it might smell. That why older water works mix oxygen into the water by water-ladders or water-steps. Some modern plants mix with hydrogen peroxide instead.

[jameskeats]

I do have an oxygen ladder so it must be something else. I will just test the water for the usual stuff (bacteria, turbidity, tds, metals) and also heavy metals and see what shows up. It's just that these tests are expensive. CMU lab prices for heavy substances testing:

1.Arsenic -600 ฿
2.Cyanide -1,000 ฿
3.Lead - 600 ฿

4.Mercury - 600 ฿

5.Cadmium - 600 ฿

[xtrnuno41]

11 hours ago, Chazar said:

you  can  get  it  tested  here

Weird , not long ago my gf had a check of her well water (you even need to do it, otherwise you can have a fine! she said) but pH was 4.5 and they said ok. I was amazed as this is close to acid and the limit would be 7-8.5. Same as on yours.

 

 

However your skin is also about pH 4 , so would be no problem for the skin, i found out. In fact it should be better for your skin.

Dont know about drinking all the time, maybe your body gets too acid then, which is good for growing cancer. Your stomach and guts are acid , but the rest of your body mostly all base. Didnt know until you read about it. 

Maybe all depends on what you are doing with water. THe more acid it is, the more metals can be solved in it, which again arent good for your body. Besides your valves will be more damaged and can start leaking in time. 

Too bad they dont check on organic stuff which can be real poison, like paraquat and other organic chemicals (pesticides). They also use some poison to kill palm trees, it ends up in the......groundwater. Guess you ll have to pay more then to find out.

[Tayaout]

9 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Weird , not long ago my gf had a check of her well water (you even need to do it, otherwise you can have a fine! she said) but pH was 4.5 and they said ok. I was amazed as this is close to acid and the limit would be 7-8.5. Same as on yours.

 

 

However your skin is also about pH 4 , so would be no problem for the skin, i found out. In fact it should be better for your skin.

Dont know about drinking all the time, maybe your body gets too acid then, which is good for growing cancer. Your stomach and guts are acid , but the rest of your body mostly all base. Didnt know until you read about it. 

 

Your body won't get acid by drinking water. Your blood pH can't change much before you die: https://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2014/03/24/dont-believe-the-hype-10-persistent-cancer-myths-debunked/#acidic-diets