Our cold water is extremely warm - solutions please?

[Nanaplaza666]

Maybe change from two tanks to only 1 tank so the water doesn't sit in there to long . I geuss the water filling the tank is cooler then the water sitting in the 2 tanks and going from 1 tank to another stays warm and will never get any cooler as the water from government or the well will never be the water you use , if you uderstand what i mean . (Ofcourse it's the water you use but not at once , it will be kept in the 2 tanks first mixing with the heated water.)

[n00dle]

On 5/10/2020 at 1:51 PM, Crossy said:

"Songkran" style block or two from the local ice man?

 

Drop in the tank a bit before your shower, bliss.

 

 

short of changing climate, or burying a length of pipes (or tank itself) from tank to house underground, this is the only real option.

our underground tank here in bkk  remains somewhat cool, but certainly not bracing.

Edited May 13, 2020 by n00dle

[Thingamabob]

For taking a shower a well directed fan works wonders.

[khunPer]

Thai way of solution to cold shower...

 

 

Otherwise a kind of cooling tower might work with a fan blowing air through spayed water...

 

 

–It can be made very simple, the above drawing just illustrate the principle.

 

It actually works well, we used simple constructed cooling towers in my vinyl record pressing plant for so-called cooling water in the pressing machines that works with 140 centigrade steam. The system needed to be cooled fast to get the pressed vinyl record to separate from the mould (stamper) – it's just like making moulded chocolate – so the return water was quite warm in the collection tank, could be almost boiling in summertime, as it would be mixed with steam. With a huge fan and simple cooling tower we got it down to below 30 centigrade in the cooling tank, even during sunshine and summer. The principle is that when water evaporates it use energy and cools down.

This simple experimental drawing might give you idea for a solution...

 

 

Link to page with explanation.

Edited May 13, 2020 by khunPer
Problem with inserting image url, upload instead.

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 5/10/2020 at 1:51 PM, Crossy said:

"Songkran" style block or two from the local ice man?

 

Drop in the tank a bit before your shower, bliss.

Crossy, do you really do that??

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 5/10/2020 at 2:02 PM, cliveshep said:

For Crossy - a workable idea but with 2 tanks and ice at 50 baht a sack we'd be looking at 100 baht a day, or 3000 a month plus the drive to collect the ice - with a family of 6 not practicable sadly!

You could buy a small freezer and dedicate it to ice. No idea of the freezer cost or electric demand.

[AgMech Cowboy]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

And how would we know a berried tank is good or not?

Every tank in our village was buried by the developer. I've been here 15 yrs and have no problem with it.  Since it had to be cleaned after the 2011 flood we did have an 'inspection' 9-1/2 yrs ago. It's not a metal tank and don't think it will ever leak.  Unfortunately, I suffer the warm cold water, too. If I'd put a cover over it I don't think we'd have a problem, but that would block part of my driveway and I don't want that. (Oh, yes, we have driven cars over it, but it's not a common occurrence).

[Denim]

On 5/10/2020 at 2:08 AM, Moonlover said:

The Thai way. Simple and cheap. Works a treat.

 

Best solution here by far. However it is fatally flawed from a westerners perspective. It is too cheap, too low tech , too maintenance free  .................too common sense . What is needed is something high tech, expensive that will break down and be a lot of hassle.

 

We have used this for years ( try to get a butt that is not too loud and color coded with bathroom.)

It's really refreshing to have a big ladle full poured over your head like a waterfall.  Our mains water

( never had or needed a pump ) is also fairly cool if you let it run for 60 seconds before showering.

[ben2talk]

Simpler solution is to use a fine mist spray from the shower head. 

Our water sometimes gets pretty damn warm - but the joy of having water pressure is that you can push out a fair bit of water in a mist, which feels a good few degrees colder than a stream.

Having put the water tank INSIDE the kitchen, I'd say the only other feasible option would be to have a built in tank possibly underground... but I find that a mist is cool enough even on a super hot day.

Edited May 13, 2020 by ben2talk

[xtrnuno41]

Before you installed it inside, you had no problems then? Maybe put it back again where it was before.

If you still want it there where it is now, you can isolate the place and dont let the wind blow in.

Is there something changed in the inlet? What is the inlet temperature of the water?

IF that temperature is low, then the tanks are heated by the wind and sun on roof? But then the place should be also high in temp.

 

Depending on how much water you need in day time, you can have a lower level of water in the tanks. Say 250 ltrs each.

When it comes to showering you fill up the tanks to max level with fresh water, it mixes with the warm water but getting temp down by fresh water.

Installing an electromagnetic valve with a timer could do it automatically.  

Maybe need some additional levelmeter on minimum level, which will override timer and fresh water is filled up to minimum level.

You can also have one tank empty and only fill it when having that shower, auto fill with fresh water, with timer when it is shower time.

However that takes more effort with additional electro valves. Shut off normal tank and switch to shower tank with same pump.

 

[Stevemercer]

We have an extraction fan above the shower and a wall fan near the toilet. The breeze make things much cooler in the bathroom. The shower is sealed so everything stays dry. We also have normal sized house windows (screened and always open) and half a dozen passive vents which help keep the temperature down.

 

This means you aren't steaming away in a sauna as in a typical Thai wet bathroom. We have a run of about 10 m underground pipe from the tank to the house so the first minute or two of the shower is cool until the tank water arrives (assuming no one else has used the first run). Our water tank is mostly shaded by trees and that helps a lot, I think.

[thailand49]

9 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

The water in tanks is indeed heated (in shade to daytime temps (about 38C) - in sun to much more).  The amount in pipes in only a few seconds and many of us do not even have pipes in ground.

 

Chance for more issues, very hard to repair, very hard to keep clean (it does flood here) and if pipe has no pressure who knows what is leaching in, have to have foot valve working or lose pump prime.   But yes it may be a bit cooler in the hot weather months (I have not found warm water to be objectionable for anything but drinking and use cooler for that).

If you don't have pipes how are you getting your water into your tanks? I get City water delivered by large black PVC under the road in front of my house it leads to the meter and out the other side to the PVC blue pipes which are under the ground all along the side of my retaining wall then into my tank.

 

Second agree the last thing you want is to put the tanks under the ground unless you build some type of cement box to contain it because if you just place it into a hole sooner or later the dirt around even with the tank full majority of the time will create a crack you find out when you get a huge water bill. I had a rubber tank in the ground for my apartment after so many problems I got a new PVC and placed it above ground for emergency.

[thailand49]

9 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Underground temps are consistently cooler than surface temps and thats a global phenomenon due to how the heat from the earths core radiate outward. Couple feet below the surface the temps are constant year round. 

 

I can state unequivocally that my hot-ass water is due to my stainless tank being exposed to about 4 hours of direct sunlight per day, combined with daytime temps being 40C. 

 

As soon as it rains the tank cools off and water is cool again. 

 

I need to build a shelter for the tank but im too lazy. 

 

9 hours ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

Underground temps are consistently cooler than surface temps and thats a global phenomenon due to how the heat from the earths core radiate outward. Couple feet below the surface the temps are constant year round. 

 

I can state unequivocally that my hot-ass water is due to my stainless tank being exposed to about 4 hours of direct sunlight per day, combined with daytime temps being 40C. 

 

As soon as it rains the tank cools off and water is cool again. 

 

I need to build a shelter for the tank but im too lazy. 

Let me be a bit more cleared about my first statement!  I have two stainless steels tanks also total volume is something like 5000-6000 lits, there is a small gap between the tanks and my retaining wall where I put my ladder so I can climb up to the roof to keep my balance I need to put my hands on the tanks you talking about hot so I usually need to put a blanket or towel prior.  I know what you are talking about when it comes to HOT.  This is the reason I said just shut off water heater.

 

I noted I have an apartment building all Thais non of them have water heaters the water is deliver from the City in PVC pipes then to PVC blue pipes in the ground to each unit the water comes in much cooler many of the tenants have a large container in their bathroom which they fill and just do the normal scoopy doo thing.

 

As I made an earlier reply for this apartment I also had a underground tank it's nothing but problems cracking full of sand tough to get inside to repair so I purchased a new PVC tank and place it above surface for emergency.

 

Here is the difference between you and me, I'm not lazy nor cheap which you seem to be although you got the 2 steel tanks I easily build a cover for both of them less than a 1000 baht each for the metal tanks I got some insulation wrap. If you too lazy pay someone to do the job.???? you have a problem because you too cheap!???? but have no problem like most buying cases of beer?????

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by thailand49

[The Theory]

Too late, 

you needed to burry a tank in the ground (for cool water) and one on the ground (for warm water) + an electric valve for quick access to warm or cool.

[lopburi3]

43 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

If you don't have pipes how are you getting your water into your tanks?

Into tanks is via normal city water pipes (but subject is about cooling water from tank to home in pipes - not going to happen as after first few seconds it is coming from tank very quickly).  For home pipes mine are replacements above ground for easy service.

[Elkski]

If your water supply is cooler than your tanks I like the idea of keeping a tank level low.    the idea of the bucket for a quick cool refreshing rinse is okay but I do not think it's clean shampoo off your hair very well if it's the only shower

[cliveshep]

Cannot move tanks now - not only because pipes are all tiled over but because we have a 5-bed/4-bath house on 51 talang wah only. The front is a little garden to one side for sister-in-law and her little pooches, then the covered car-port for 2 cars, then my outside work-shop cum store. Behind that is my wife's garden shared by 4 large dogs, my wife and I, other sister-in-law, her son and his girlfriend. So unlike most provincial houses there simply is no room or land left. 

 

For us only seem to be 2 ideas amongst all the tech responses that would merit action were we ever to buy land and build with more space and that is a wall fan in our bathroom, and perhaps over time in the other bathrooms, and/or the dustbin and scoop into which ice could be added if needed.

 

I prefer my shower so I suspect it will be the fan!