water purification options

[kekalot]

hi guys, looking for options on water purification, mostly only for cooking/drinking water.

 

I have one of those counter top 3M thing here that is hooked up to the tap:

 

 

the filters are 1750 baht each and they are supposed to be good for 2800 liters of water (costs 1.6 baht per liter) which in theory would give you roughly 7.5 liters of water per day..

we might drink 6-10 bottles of water per day from it which would amount to 4.5L and then the dogs get their water from there too but not 3 liters per day

 

problem I am getting is that when I change the filter, it flows like the picture

but only for a few days later and then it becomes absolutely slow. at this time I might be to 6 months and now it drips one drop per 2 seconds or so. it takes the whole day to fill the ice bucket I have put it in, then we put the water in the bottles and in the fridge.

 

I think it's something to do with the very poor state of the water here sometimes.. sometimes the water is dirt dirty, like brown when the tanks are empty.. it seems to ruin the filtering very quickly and then we're back to drop drop.

 

what I would like would be a better system. I've seen them online in Lazada whatever with the 3 filters system (or more) like this (just an example, don't care about this particular one):

 

 

but all I want is quality filter that actually works (won't make us sick from drinking tap purified water), that has easy to purchase filters (don't mind purchasing 10 of them) and not too expensive hopefully and that is not going to cost me 1700 baht every 2-6 months from being gummed up (hard to avoid, i know).

 

I can get bottles of water delivered with the truck here and it's at least 15 liters if not 20L for 15 baht which is cheaper than purifying it.. but it's certainly a chore to bring 20kg bottles upstairs (few floors up) and dump them in smaller bottles.

 

If anyone has some experience with any good brands or any better ideas then i'm all ears.

 

 

 

 

 

[tweedledee2]

   You didn't mention where your water comes from (city, village or well) but your 3M filter system is rated at 5 microns.  It would work best with a clean, clear water supply, but poor quality water would soon restrict the water flow. You could install a 5 micron "sediment" filter in the supply line as a pre-filter to trap the particles that are plugging the 3M unit. This would extend the life of the 3M cartridges.

    Another option is to replace the 3M unit with a multi-filter unit. This would the most economical and offer longer filter life.

     I have a 5-stage system similar to the picture you posted but Colandas brand. The water flows first thru a 5 micron sediment then 5 micron activated charcoal and resin filters then two 1 micron charcoal filters. Cost for a similar system depends on the brand you choose. Replacement Colandas filters for mine are around 300 baht a set. 

    

    

 

 

 

    

      

     

     

    

   

[rwill]

If there are a lot of particles in your water it will clog any filter you use. 

Perhaps you could put a spindown filter under the sink to remove the larger sediment before it gets to that unit.  They need to be back flushed when they get clogged.

Something like this:  

Spin Down Sediment Filter Reusable Whole House Sediment Water Pre Filter 40-60 Micrometre Whole House Water Filter | Lazada.co.th

[fittobethaied]

Forget about the countertop filters for purifying your drinking water. Been there...done that....total waste of time and money. I buy the 20 liter bottles off the water truck and pay the driver 20 Baht extra to carry them into my home. He can do the same for you. I bought a meter off Lazada for around 100 Baht that will measure your water quality. My bottled water is 5 microns. Next, go to the 20 Baht store and buy a dozen 750-1000mm plastic bottles that have a snap on lid, then fill them up daily from the 20 liter bottle. It only takes 3 minutes. Buy a 100 baht plastic stool to set the 20 liter bottle on until empty, then load another one. That makes is super easy to pour from them. Problem solved! You'll go crazy and spend a fortune on those water filters if you go the other route. My wife and I spend 240 Baht a month, including tip, for the drinking water, and we drink a lot of water daily. Problem solved. 

[brianthainess]

9 hours ago, kekalot said:

but it's certainly a chore to bring 20kg bottles upstairs (few floors up) and dump them in smaller bottles.

We brought one of these pumps from Lazada for 50 baht, rechargeable from any phone charger, you can empty about 60 ltrs +  before recharge is needed, had ours for more than a year no prob. They fit any bottle.

[Tropposurfer]

We have an Aquasana 'whole house' system on our 'taps' (faucets to you Yanks out there) in our home.

Reverse osmosis, U-V the lot ... lol ????, in-line large particle filters at pre- entry to ceramic & carbon filters. This system means no small purified H2O mini-faucet next to your main taps - it comes straight out of the normal house taps which means we can brush teeth (so no more of the need to have to go get a glass of filtered water to rinse your mouth or face (some of the bugs here will get into your body through your eyes as well as your mouth folks so washing your face with straight tap water can be very risky!), hooked up to the ice making machine in the 'pantry', fill dog's n cat water-bowls, they drink from the hose and garden taps if they want with no problems.

We have about 40 PSI pressure on all taps. Water is as pure as pure as can be had. Takes about ½ a second to fill a large, large glass.

Cost a few thousand Euro to install but since it was designed into the home it wasn't a big chore to do - and it's superb. Costs about 200 Euro's a year to maintain and change filters which is dead easy.

System has a PC so it monitors itself and sends an sms to our smart phones to change filters, or if there is any breach in the systems (leaks or what not).

Also filters our large underground tank - rainwater too, which is truly delicious to drink.

We had an English engineer oversee the install to make sure all was kosher.  

 

[bankruatsteve]

I would endorse some type of sand filter in-line with the main supply.  That should take care of the "dirty".  If your calcium content is high, you may want a softener also.  We buy the 20 liter jugs for 10 baht and it's my job to mount on the water cooler.  We also have the Lazada pump for filling the kettle.

[Kenneth White]

Like they say in Mexico, "don't drink the water here" Montezuma's revenge is painful to say the lest. I wonder what they call it in Thailand.

I live along side the Phon River just south of the reservoir where our village syphon's water from. It is the nastiest water ever. I don't know what bacteria exits in this water but I am sure it is not good. The water is drawn up to a small purification plant and on up to the water tower. The village manager does a good job hiring someone to manage the water plant, however I elected to install a water filter system of my own consisting of three 5 micro pre filters then into a 2000 liter water tank and pumped into the house through two 5 micro filter. Although I would not drink the water is is suitable for cooking, bathing and washing close. 

[Tubulat]

3 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Forget about the countertop filters for purifying your drinking water. Been there...done that....total waste of time and money. I buy the 20 liter bottles off the water truck and pay the driver 20 Baht extra to carry them into my home. He can do the same for you. I bought a meter off Lazada for around 100 Baht that will measure your water quality. My bottled water is 5 microns. Next, go to the 20 Baht store and buy a dozen 750-1000mm plastic bottles that have a snap on lid, then fill them up daily from the 20 liter bottle. It only takes 3 minutes. Buy a 100 baht plastic stool to set the 20 liter bottle on until empty, then load another one. That makes is super easy to pour from them. Problem solved! You'll go crazy and spend a fortune on those water filters if you go the other route. My wife and I spend 240 Baht a month, including tip, for the drinking water, and we drink a lot of water daily. Problem solved. 

That's a good idea, but I do a little bit more, I put them in 1.5 ltr bottles and purifying it with osmose, with other words, I put the bottles a few days in the sun, very clear and drinkable water.

[kekalot]

5 hours ago, rwill said:

If there are a lot of particles in your water it will clog any filter you use. 

Perhaps you could put a spindown filter under the sink to remove the larger sediment before it gets to that unit.  They need to be back flushed when they get clogged.

Something like this:  

Spin Down Sediment Filter Reusable Whole House Sediment Water Pre Filter 40-60 Micrometre Whole House Water Filter | Lazada.co.th

there's only a lot of particle when the supply runs low, as during songkran lots of tourists around there was no water for a day or two and then dirty water for a day or two.

it's mostly  clear now but this would likely help, it seems that there is a manual drain to it which hopefully wouldn't be clogged every 1 hour

 

I added that to my cart as any system I would choose would probably benefit from this.. makes me wonder if chaining more than one after the other would help more

[kekalot]

4 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Forget about the countertop filters for purifying your drinking water. Been there...done that....total waste of time and money. I buy the 20 liter bottles off the water truck and pay the driver 20 Baht extra to carry them into my home. He can do the same for you. I bought a meter off Lazada for around 100 Baht that will measure your water quality. My bottled water is 5 microns. Next, go to the 20 Baht store and buy a dozen 750-1000mm plastic bottles that have a snap on lid, then fill them up daily from the 20 liter bottle. It only takes 3 minutes. Buy a 100 baht plastic stool to set the 20 liter bottle on until empty, then load another one. That makes is super easy to pour from them. Problem solved! You'll go crazy and spend a fortune on those water filters if you go the other route. My wife and I spend 240 Baht a month, including tip, for the drinking water, and we drink a lot of water daily. Problem solved. 

yep, i used to do that when I was living up near CM on the ground floor, I had one of those pumps from Lazada mentioned later on this post but mine was a cheap piece of trash (didn't pay much, you get what you pay for :)

 

I used to use the big bottles, they would deliver 2 at a time (maybe it was 3) then I'd put them in those 6L jugs from 7eleven that I would buy a new one once in a while cause plastics and then in smaller bottles as needed or for fridge and cooking.

 

now here problem is several floors of stairs and no one downstairs to pay for the bottles or receive them.. (I guess I could pre-pay or they could call..) we have a metal contraption to tilt the big bottles to dump them in the the 6L to bring up but its made very low to the floor so you have to put it up on a stair.. not that bad..

 

I suppose I was just looking to have an easy solution for one tap, which what I have now is, replacing the filter takes literally 10 seconds but if it's going to be 1700 baht filters that clog up within a month to being dripping for 12 hours to fill an ice bucket then it just sucks.

 

[Dart12]

4 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Forget about the countertop filters for purifying your drinking water. Been there...done that....total waste of time and money. I buy the 20 liter bottles off the water truck and pay the driver 20 Baht extra to carry them into my home. He can do the same for you. I bought a meter off Lazada for around 100 Baht that will measure your water quality. My bottled water is 5 microns. Next, go to the 20 Baht store and buy a dozen 750-1000mm plastic bottles that have a snap on lid, then fill them up daily from the 20 liter bottle. It only takes 3 minutes. Buy a 100 baht plastic stool to set the 20 liter bottle on until empty, then load another one. That makes is super easy to pour from them. Problem solved! You'll go crazy and spend a fortune on those water filters if you go the other route. My wife and I spend 240 Baht a month, including tip, for the drinking water, and we drink a lot of water daily. Problem solved. 

plastic stool?  Can you share a pic of what exactly you are using?

And might you have a link to that "water purity tester" for 100 baht?  

Thank you in advance ????

[lopburi3]

Multi stage RO filter systems are very cheap and work very well - you have several gallons in storage tank - it may not look the best but it does the job.  First filter removes dirt and can be changed as needed (cheap) - can be had for about 3k-4k on Lazada or Shopee (although you can spend many times that for same item from some sellers so be careful).

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/colandas-ro-5-50-gpd-00001-water-filter-1-i2319029740-s13942552018.html?search=1&freeshipping=1

[kekalot]

31 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Multi stage RO filter systems are very cheap and work very well - you have several gallons in storage tank - it may not look the best but it does the job.  First filter removes dirt and can be changed as needed (cheap) - can be had for about 3k-4k on Lazada or Shopee (although you can spend many times that for same item from some sellers so be careful).

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/colandas-ro-5-50-gpd-00001-water-filter-1-i2319029740-s13942552018.html?search=1&freeshipping=1

would you know which filters are the change for this system? it's always hard to tell (or i'm an idiot)

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/colandas-6-mineral-water-filter-i2917881580-s10696074009.html?mp=1&freeshipping=1

I see stuff like this which might be it but it looks different cause I assume the filters go in the plastic bottom 3 things.. seems a bit on the cheap side to me for 6 filters. idk

 

maybe just used to the 1 filter for 1700 baht..  definitely an option, even tho it looks like the 3-4 companies this seller sells stuff for looks almost if not exactly the same but with a different sticker on the units

[kekalot]

59 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

plastic stool?  Can you share a pic of what exactly you are using?

And might you have a link to that "water purity tester" for 100 baht?  

Thank you in advance ????

don't know about his stool but I have this <deleted> tester

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/<deleted>-meter-tester-portable-detection-pen-water-quality-test-quality-tester-meter-digital-ec-<deleted>-3-test-pen-i1219998093-s2902950360.html?search=1

[Dart12]

20 minutes ago, kekalot said:

don't know about his stool but I have this <deleted> tester

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/<deleted>-meter-tester-portable-detection-pen-water-quality-test-quality-tester-meter-digital-ec-<deleted>-3-test-pen-i1219998093-s2902950360.html?search=1

you think this tester is good or bad?  hard for me to tell by the deleted word I'm filling in the blank with

hahaha

[kekalot]

14 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

you think this tester is good or bad?  hard for me to tell by the deleted word I'm filling in the blank with

hahaha

yeah it's good, it just checks for sediments.. <deleted> is for "Total Dissolved Solids" so its not the be all for knowing water quality but its better than nothing, i'm sure there are fancier kits that check for something else but i don't own one

edit: it's blocking T.D.S.

[lopburi3]

Yes <deleted> is (total dissolved solids) which indicates how well the RO filter is working and the meter works well.  

 

The system comes with all filters and they should last a year or more and the RO filter probably two years.  Only the first filter may need more often replacement and it is very cheap.  

 

This would be a complete set.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/fast-pure-6-ro50gpdmineral-water-filter-i2863586696-s10448274581.html?&search=pdp_same_topselling?spm=a2o4m.pdp_revamp.recommendation_1.4.41d07cca21XOQi&mp=1&scm=1007.16389.126158.0&clickTrackInfo=a948272b-063b-44f7-8e00-2ea923af0e79__2863586696__11826__trigger2i__224806__0.046__0.046__0.0__0.0__0.0__0.046__3__null__null__null__null__null__null____2600.0__0.6696153846153846__0.0__0__859.0__158442,154904,155592,108012,158463,162332__null__null__null__3650.16544_955.3632_3650.16542__null__13426__null__0.0__0.0________null__null

 

Believe this is first filter type (which gets dirty):

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/pp-10-3-sediment-spun-ifresh-3-i2878160354-s10505027245.html?&search=pdp_v2v?spm=a2o4m.pdp_revamp.recommendation_2.5.1b383a4dFeQ0OV&mp=1&scm=1007.16389.126158.0&clickTrackInfo=a48c0b00-93a4-493c-b40b-36b7c4b2f28f__2878160354__11827__cate__202835__0.87685764__0.87685764__0.0__0.0__0.0__0.87685764__4__null__PDPV2V__null__null__821036033 411479383__0____150.0__0.6466666666666667__4.95475113122172__221__53.0__108012__null__null__null__3650.16544_955.3632__null__13499__null__0.0__0.0________null__null__0

[rwill]

3 hours ago, kekalot said:

there's only a lot of particle when the supply runs low, as during songkran lots of tourists around there was no water for a day or two and then dirty water for a day or two.

it's mostly  clear now but this would likely help, it seems that there is a manual drain to it which hopefully wouldn't be clogged every 1 hour

 

I added that to my cart as any system I would choose would probably benefit from this.. makes me wonder if chaining more than one after the other would help more

Yes a manual valve at the bottom.  You will need a bucket or something to catch the water when you need to flush it out.  If it is only dirty occasionally you shouldn't have to do it that often. 

 

I don't think chaining them would help because they all filter to the same size particle.  Spindowns are usually 40 microns.  Your filter on top may have a sediment filter.  Some of them go down to 5 microns.  You could add a sediment filter after the spindown filter but then you have another filter to change periodically at additional cost.  The good thing about the spindown is you don't have to keep replacing it.

[bankruatsteve]

If all you are filtering is sediment, you don't need the expensive "system" filters.  Just sayin.

[kekalot]

5 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

If all you are filtering is sediment, you don't need the expensive "system" filters.  Just sayin.

nah its more than sediment, it's just the sediment is heavy at certain time of the year when ppl drain the water supply and it clogs my little filter up. those prices above not bad, i wouldn't consider say 4000 baht expensive but if its a few thousand dollars? I'd rather get a workout bringing the 6L bottles up the stairs.

 

I rent here it's not a system for whole house, just for one tap to get drinking water for me and doggies

[thaibook]

10 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Multi stage RO filter systems are very cheap and work very well - you have several gallons in storage tank - it may not look the best but it does the job.  First filter removes dirt and can be changed as needed (cheap) - can be had for about 3k-4k on Lazada or Shopee (although you can spend many times that for same item from some sellers so be careful).

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/colandas-ro-5-50-gpd-00001-water-filter-1-i2319029740-s13942552018.html?search=1&freeshipping=1

when you say "it may not look the best...", do you mean the filtration equipment or the water coming out?

 

Is 50 gpd sufficient ?  How large is your household?  We are a couple.  It would be in the kitchen for food preparation, cooking and drinking (me - my wife has her favourite bottled water) but my wife does a lot of cooking and washes all the shopping.

 

[lopburi3]

9 hours ago, thaibook said:

when you say "it may not look the best...", do you mean the filtration equipment or the water coming out?

 

Is 50 gpd sufficient ?  How large is your household?  We are a couple.  It would be in the kitchen for food preparation, cooking and drinking (me - my wife has her favourite bottled water) but my wife does a lot of cooking and washes all the shopping.

 

We are a family of 8 and 50GPD is more than enough for drinking and cooking.  That is 5 large water cooler bottles per day.

 

Looks was that it is an open system - rather than in a case.  But you could locate it out of sight if wanted - we have above kitchen sink and have no issues with that.  The water is about as pure as pure can be.  RO is the system used to convert sea water to drinking water and very effective filtration.  

[Lacessit]

If you just want drinking water, take what comes out of the tap, and boil it. That volatilizes chlorine and organochlorines. It also kills any bacteria, viruses or oocytes that may be lurking.

Most water authorities here produce good quality water that has no suspended solids requiring filtration, they may occasionally get heavy-handed with lime, which will show up as calcium deposits in the kettle. Calcium is good for bones anyway.

 

It kills me reading all the posts about reverse osmosis, filters, ozonation, ion exchange, and activated carbon. A complete waste of money, and it really is using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut.

 

As for cooking water, use what comes out of the tap. You're going to boil it anyway, aren't you?

 

 

[unheard]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

It kills me reading all the posts about reverse osmosis, filters, ozonation, ion exchange, and activated carbon. A complete waste of money, and it really is using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut.

 

As for cooking water, use what comes out of the tap. You're going to boil it anyway, aren't you?

A complete waste of money if your local sources aren't loaded with some nasty stuff that can not be neutralized by boiling, as being the case with minerals.

And how would you know without performing a comprehensive water quality test?

High levels of calcium is not a big deal but that is only one of many minerals found in ground water.

e.g. your water source might be loaded with fluoride (many times over the safe drinking level) - a well known problem in some areas of Thailand.

And you'll never know about its presence since fluoride doesn't add any taste or smell.

Try to boil that stuff out...

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, unheard said:

A complete waste of money if your local sources aren't loaded with some nasty stuff that can not be neutralized by boiling, as being the case with minerals.

And how would you know without performing a comprehensive water quality test?

High levels of calcium is not a big deal but that is only one of many minerals found in ground water.

e.g. your water source might be loaded with fluoride (many times over the safe drinking level) - a well known problem in some areas of Thailand.

And you'll never know about its presence since fluoride doesn't add any taste or smell.

Try to boil that stuff out...

What you say may be true of some groundwater supply, and certainly I would wanting comprehensive testing before deciding if boiling was enough.

 

Having said that, AFAIK the vast majority of water coming out of a domestic tap in Thailand is derived from rivers and dams, which are replenished by rainfall. In case you have not noticed, it does rain quite a lot here. Fluoride does not fall out of the sky with it.

 

I've been here 12 years now. It's been my standard practice in any country, and even in my country of origin, to boil tap water for drinking, and use tap water for cooking. That's because chlorination does not kill intestinal parasites such as giardia and cryptosporidia. True, filtration works as well as boiling, but more expensively, and filtration does not remove chlorine or chloramines. I'd be more worried about the risk of soft tissue carcinomas arising from chloramine exposure.

 

In that time, I have not grown two heads, my teeth are not mottled, and AFAIK I don't have skeletal fluorosis. IMO I've probably saved a lot of money, I can buy a kettle on Lazada for 500 baht.

 

 

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

and filtration does not remove chlorine or chloramines.

Nonsense - up to 98% removal by RO/carbon filtration.

Quote

A filtration system that uses reverse osmosis is not only effective in removing chlorine and chloramine. It can also remove the byproducts and heavy metals in the water.

 

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Nonsense - up to 98% removal by RO/carbon filtration.

 

Show me anywhere in my post where I used the qualifying adjectives of RO or activated carbon to describe filtration. I was referring to simple filters, to remove suspended solids.

Then show me how the cost of RO or activated carbon compares with a 500 baht kettle from Lazada, which can be used for many years without requiring regeneration or replacement.

 

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Show me anywhere in my post where I used the qualifying adjectives of RO or activated carbon to describe filtration.

The point is that you did say 

 

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

filtration does not remove chlorine or chloramines.

Filtration, as has been pointed out, in fact does remove virtually every contaminant. The fact that the Filtration gets more and more expensive as you get les and less stuff in the water doesn’t make it less Filtration. RO is filtration multi stage is still Filtration.

 

if you intended Filtration to be limited you should have said so, but you didn’t 

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

a 500 baht kettle from Lazada, which can be used for many years without requiring regeneration or replacement.

 

Show me the electric kettle that removes 1/10th of the contamination (an example is lead or any heavy metal) that a good filter system can.