Tap water horribly stinks

[Abo Kor]

I do not know what they started to add to the tap water, but turning on the tap, I even to start to feel sick. Smell of disinfectants like an old morgue. 

I live on Sukhumvit soi 50. Someone has the same problem or is it a local "Phra Kanong" problem?

This is the first time I have faced such a serious problem in my many years in Thailand.

 

[blackcab]

What type of building do you live in? A house or a condo?

 

If it is condo then the water will be stored in tanks inside or on top of the building. It is possible that someone in the condo has poured chemicals in the condo tank.

[Abo Kor]

I live in a compound of townhouse buildings. And after talking with the management, I found out that they did not add anything to the water, it comes like this through the water supply. IDK what MWA is doing but it is even cannot call "water"  ????

 

[blackcab]

Tap water is normal in the Phrom Phong area.

[bkk6060]

21 minutes ago, blackcab said:

What type of building do you live in? A house or a condo?

 

If it is condo then the water will be stored in tanks inside or on top of the building. It is possible that someone in the condo has poured chemicals in the condo tank.

There are stories like this from 2019:

The remains of a human body were discovered in water storage on top of a building at Ratchada Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok City. The body was found by a civilian at around 16.00 on the 1st of September this year on a building across from the Ratchada Criminal Court at Ratchadapisek 32.

 

 

In some of the older buildings, I believe these tanks are not even covered.  I have seen this at the top of older hotels from my window of an adjacent hotel.  Looked like clothes, trash, garbage being churned in these water tanks and I assume filtered at some point.  Who knows.  But, I would not use the water in your room until requesting the water system is checked out

[AquaThai]

Because its not tap water.  Its water that sits in tanks that are never ckeaned, lids are left ooen, bugs get in them, and other things get in them. If you use it for anything other than a shower, you shoykd filter clean or boil.  

[marcho]

18 hours ago, Abo Kor said:

I live in a compound of townhouse buildings. And after talking with the management, I found out that they did not add anything to the water, it comes like this through the water supply. IDK what MWA is doing but it is even cannot call "water"  ????

 

Could be that a snake has got into the main supply and died, that will stink for days and weeks when you turn on water taps. But as you said disinfectant smell would rule that out.

[jomtienisgood]

19 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

There are stories like this from 2019:

The remains of a human body were discovered in water storage on top of a building at Ratchada Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok City. The body was found by a civilian at around 16.00 on the 1st of September this year on a building across from the Ratchada Criminal Court at Ratchadapisek 32.

 

 

In some of the older buildings, I believe these tanks are not even covered.  I have seen this at the top of older hotels from my window of an adjacent hotel.  Looked like clothes, trash, garbage being churned in these water tanks and I assume filtered at some point.  Who knows.  But, I would not use the water in your room until requesting the water system is checked out

It is said this improves the quality of distilled alcohol... 55555

[WildBillHiccup]

"Residents at the Patcharin apartments on Soi Thai Thani 31 found the body after noticing their tap water started to smell bad. ... They were shocked when they opened one 2,000-litre water tank atop the four- storey apartment and found a black plastic bag with human organs sticking out. Police were called"

— (another sad tale ..... below) 

https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-05-18/horrified-tenants-unwittingly-drink-corpse-tainted-water-tank

 

 

[Abo Kor]

I am absolutely aware that the discussion went absolutely "in the wrong way"
I would like to emphasize what I have already mentioned above, but apparently no one understood
The water started to stink just this week. The smell is not ooze, corpses, and rotting. Smell of a very strong disinfectant. It is similar to the smell of formalin or the smell of the liquid with which corpses are washed (which is why I compared it to the smell in a morgue)
My tank is on my roof and is clean. And yes, we use water only for shower purpose and dish cleaning.
The odor of such strange disinfectants (not chlorine) is not associated with the plumbing system or the tank. This concerns what exactly now the Thai MWA authorities have begun to add to the water. If in this way it was decided to "disinfect" the water to fight Covid, then soon hospitals will be full of people with severe skin allergies or something else. It was on this topic that my question was.  

Believe me, I have lived in Bangkok long enough (27 years) to understand where the clean or not clean water, and where the hell liqued with formalin smell from the tap!

At this point, I consider this discussion to be over.

[jomtienisgood]

13 minutes ago, Abo Kor said:

I am absolutely aware that the discussion went absolutely "in the wrong way"
I would like to emphasize what I have already mentioned above, but apparently no one understood
The water started to stink just this week. The smell is not ooze, corpses, and rotting. Smell of a very strong disinfectant. It is similar to the smell of formalin or the smell of the liquid with which corpses are washed (which is why I compared it to the smell in a morgue)
My tank is on my roof and is clean. And yes, we use water only for shower purpose and dish cleaning.
The odor of such strange disinfectants (not chlorine) is not associated with the plumbing system or the tank. This concerns what exactly now the Thai MWA authorities have begun to add to the water. If in this way it was decided to "disinfect" the water to fight Covid, then soon hospitals will be full of people with severe skin allergies or something else. It was on this topic that my question was.  

Believe me, I have lived in Bangkok long enough (27 years) to understand where the clean or not clean water, and where the hell liqued with formalin smell from the tap!

At this point, I consider this discussion to be over.

Time to go for a drink now..????????

[chilly07]

Attach a filter to your incoming supply. Many different types available in Home Pro

[Polar Bear]

I live off Sukhumvit 50 and our water is fine. I can't say if it tastes different because I don't drink it, but it smells and looks normal. 

[Kinok Powell]

On 6/23/2021 at 5:57 AM, Abo Kor said:

I am absolutely aware that the discussion went absolutely "in the wrong way"
I would like to emphasize what I have already mentioned above, but apparently no one understood
The water started to stink just this week. The smell is not ooze, corpses, and rotting. Smell of a very strong disinfectant. It is similar to the smell of formalin or the smell of the liquid with which corpses are washed (which is why I compared it to the smell in a morgue)
My tank is on my roof and is clean. And yes, we use water only for shower purpose and dish cleaning.
The odor of such strange disinfectants (not chlorine) is not associated with the plumbing system or the tank. This concerns what exactly now the Thai MWA authorities have begun to add to the water. If in this way it was decided to "disinfect" the water to fight Covid, then soon hospitals will be full of people with severe skin allergies or something else. It was on this topic that my question was.  

Believe me, I have lived in Bangkok long enough (27 years) to understand where the clean or not clean water, and where the hell liqued with formalin smell from the tap!

At this point, I consider this discussion to be over.

No problem,if you need help with any more problems we are happy to oblige.That's what friends are for.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Kinok Powell

[Heng]

Do you have a faucet from the water main (like a garden faucet) but before your main home plumbing so you can rule out in home issues?   If so and you have the chemical smell in every faucet, call the MWA.   

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 6/22/2021 at 1:17 PM, blackcab said:

If it is condo then the water will be stored in tanks inside or on top of the building. It is possible that someone in the condo has poured chemicals in the condo tank.

Possible but not very likely, why would anyone do that to already-treated water?

[MadMuhammad]

Does it smell far worse when using warm/hot water? I ask

because I had a similar problem just  recently. The water started to smell faintly of ‘rotten eggs’ but became far worse when heated water was used. 
I found that running my showers on full hot for some time, I did it twice for around 10 minutes each time, cleared up the problem.

After some net based research I figure it was a build of of bacteria/algae in either my hot water heater or the lines themselves. All is great now with zero odour 

Edited June 28, 2021 by MadMuhammad

[HashBrownHarry]

On 6/28/2021 at 10:59 AM, MadMuhammad said:

Does it smell far worse when using warm/hot water? I ask

because I had a similar problem just  recently. The water started to smell faintly of ‘rotten eggs’ but became far worse when heated water was used. 
I found that running my showers on full hot for some time, I did it twice for around 10 minutes each time, cleared up the problem.

After some net based research I figure it was a build of of bacteria/algae in either my hot water heater or the lines themselves. All is great now with zero odour 

You need to be very aware of what the rotten eggs smell may relate to, H2S at very very low concentrations.

 

Long exposure to this or higher concentrations may have extremely bad consequences.

 

https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Hydrogen-sulfide-and-public-health

[MadMuhammad]

21 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

You need to be very aware of what the rotten eggs smell may relate to, H2S at very very low concentrations.

 

Long exposure to this or higher concentrations may have extremely bad consequences.

 

https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Hydrogen-sulfide-and-public-health

Great info, thanks. Although low risk it may be prudent to get my water tested nonetheless. 

[HashBrownHarry]

11 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

Great info, thanks. Although low risk it may be prudent to get my water tested nonetheless. 

Until tested resist to assist smelling it in low lying areas where it will accumulate due to it's SG being heavier than air.

[steven100]

are you sure it's the tap water ......

is there anyone else in the room     ?