Drinking Water Filter System Recommendations?

[waters]

Hi All, we've lived in a condo in central Bangkok for several years now. We've relied almost exclusively on bottled Aura Mineral Water for our drinking water but would now like to switch to a water filter system (to reduce plastic bottle waste, and maybe overall costs).

 

I've seen systems from Stiebel Eltron, and Mazuma in the forums, as well as this post from 2016 - https://aseannow.com/topic/940312-what-drinking-water-filter-do-you-recommend/

 

I understand the basic difference between RO and non-RO systems, and am not particularly worried about mineral content as we're likely to get enough of the important minerals from other sources. Taste might be a factor.

 

These two systems from Stiebel Eltron look pretty good -

Stream 5S

https://www.stiebel-eltron.co.th/en/home/products-solutions/water-filter/drinking-water-filter/domestic-use/stream-5s/stream-5s--ste-.html

 

Glacier (STE) - RO - although not shown in the pictures here, pretty sure it requires a tank.

https://www.stiebel-eltron.co.th/en/home/products-solutions/water-filter/drinking-water-filter/domestic-use/glacier/glacier--ste-.html

 

There are other more modern 'tankless' RO systems - although they might have to be imported, like..

SimPure T1-400

https://www.amazon.com/SimPure-T1-400-UV-Tankless-Filtration/dp/B0B14TM99T

The big issue with a system like this I think would be getting replacement filters.

 

I don't think we have space for a tank - although we own our unit, and so could install a 5 stage system on the other side of the wall from our kitchen sink (in our bathroom, on a wall that has water, drain, and power) and route the tap through the wall to appear just above the sink next to the normal tap.

 

Our main concern is general drinking water safety - especially as we have a 6 year-old.

 

Anyway - was wondering if there were any 'Bangkok water gurus' in the forum would might be able to share some advice?

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by waters

[waters]

Quite a good blog post here...

https://iamkohchang.com/blog/tap-water-in-thailand.html

 

As well as data from MWA here...

https://twqonline.mwa.co.th/EN/map.php?type=

 

And the paper referred to in the blog post above here...

https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/abs/2018/05/e3sconf_iwa2018_01011/e3sconf_iwa2018_01011.html

[carlyai]

Hi, trouble is with the Stiebels types, the replacement cartridges are expensive.

Enclosed some pics of our under-sink-unit and tap. 

Just bought 3 new filters about B1300 total for the 3.

We've had this unit for about 6 years and not died yet. ????

 

 

[Why Me]

I have had

https://mazuma.co.th/en/product/aq-5f-uvs/

for 3 years now. No complaints and haven't had any stomach issues I could attribute to drinking water.

[waters]

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

Hi, trouble is with the Stiebels types, the replacement cartridges are expensive.

Enclosed some pics of our under-sink-unit and tap. 

Just bought 3 new filters about B1300 total for the 3.

We've had this unit for about 6 years and not died yet. ????

Thanks for posting @carlyai - I've seen the Treatton name around as well. Will also compare the cost of replacement filters..

[waters]

3 hours ago, Why Me said:

I have had

https://mazuma.co.th/en/product/aq-5f-uvs/

for 3 years now. No complaints and haven't had any stomach issues I could attribute to drinking water.

Thanks @Why Me - do you know if the tap can be removed on the Mazuma system you've linked to? So that we could thread a pipe and place a custom tap near the sink?

[Why Me]

1 hour ago, waters said:

Thanks @Why Me - do you know if the tap can be removed on the Mazuma system you've linked to? So that we could thread a pipe and place a custom tap near the sink?

Looking at my unit I would think so. Their tap is just a screw-on unit with a pipe carrying water leading into it from the final filtration step. So, unscrew the tap and attach the pipe to your own tap I would say.

 

But best ask Mazuma at

https://mazuma.co.th/en/contact/

Btw, from recent interaction there's at least one person who answers their phone whose English is excellent.

[unheard]

@waters

 

https://shopee.co.th/⚡️7.7ลดราคา⚡️-Mi-Water-Purifier-600G-เครื่องกรองน้ำอัจฉริยะ-MR624-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-i.309606885.6654902336?sp_atk=2a3ed35e-a744-4c0b-892b-d1ade8d6560c&xptdk=2a3ed35e-a744-4c0b-892b-d1ade8d6560c

 

https://shopee.co.th/Philips-water-AUT2015-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-เครื่องกรองน้ํา-ro-เครื่องกรองน้ําดื่ม-เครื่องกรองน้ําประปา-เครื่องกรองน้ําระบบ-ro-i.310902722.7957156848?sp_atk=9c117894-1902-40ac-8ce4-ddfbba6656f9&xptdk=9c117894-1902-40ac-8ce4-ddfbba6656f9

 

https://shopee.co.th/YOMIZU-รุ่น-Kiyo-ii-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-RO-Tankless-Real-time-<deleted>-monitor-i.269977134.12225835321?sp_atk=a9368f10-a725-4ea4-939a-f894305c93cd&xptdk=a9368f10-a725-4ea4-939a-f894305c93cd

 

 

[retiree]

I recently got the Mazuma stainless guy.  Works excellently.  I think the zero-force knobs will probably go longer than my previous Turbora (which only lasted 20 years or so).  No, you can't easily re-route the drinking water spigot on it, though.  Maintenance is much cheaper long term than the plastic cartridge guys.  

https://mazuma.co.th/en/product/m3f3-uf/ 

-- Retiree

[lopburi3]

This is an RO system that makes mineral water - I prefer non mineral as use for iron and coffee has better taste without so removed the final filter and unit works very well - all connections are well made and having first filter visible helps to remind that filter may need more than yearly change.  Have been using such systems for many years and believe product is great and cost is very little at about 2.5 to 3.5k.  I would buy the 5 filter system if no need for mineral water.

https://www.google.com/aclk

Edited October 25, 2022 by lopburi3

[cmjc]

We've been using rain water to drink for the rainy season, curious how it would fair in a geiger counter test post-fukishima.

 

Carting 20 litre flagons of water from the local tessabahn is a bit of a chore, so this cool season I briefly considered using our locally piped water from the village water supply.

 

Our well water dried up two years ago, and most of the village is now on piped water.

 

I inspected the village water system, which is pumped from an aquifer, and merely for washing (not potable) and immediately ruled out using it for making drinking water.

 

1) The whole site pongs of raw sewage.

2) The concrete settling tank is crumbling, algae covered, and leaks.

3) The primary filters are rotten, and covered in clay deposits.

4) The village water table is heavily polluted with agrochemicals.

 

The above reverse osmosis and filtering systems would, remove most of the crud, but would soon become clogged and need replacing, but I suspect only the expensive reverse osmosis types would tackle the carcinogens in the agrochemical-laced piped water.

 

Our local tessabahn drinking water supply uses man-sized, basic three-stage filtering, with final high-pressure six inch square filters (It looks like a knee-high pressure cooker.) 

 

But there's no laboratory reports on the water quality before and after processing!

 

By which it is safe to assume most of the agrochemicals in the ground water will still be in the 20 litre plastic flagons... and our cups of tea.

 

Consequently, I've settled on pouring the tessabahn flagons into a container loaded with 3kg of activated charcoal (contained in six carefully positioned Einstein tubes) and letting it soak for at least 24 hours before drinking it. 

 

The charcoal is pre-washed, and only a little black comes through, which could be removed with a coffee filter paper.

 

A consumer tip I picked up from a hilltribe friend was to add a squirt of lime, or lemon, juice to your daily drinking water to help dissolve away kidney and bladder stones gradually forming in one's urinogenital system. Ascorbic acid would serve the same purpose.

 

I'd be interested to know if your village water has ever been properly analysed.

 

The general rule here seems to be if it's wet it's okay.
 

Edited October 25, 2022 by cmjc
Sp

[unheard]

1 hour ago, cmjc said:

But there's no laboratory reports on the water quality before and after processing!

As far as I know all bottled water companies are regulated and do periodically lab test their product.

 

1 hour ago, cmjc said:

Our local tessabahn drinking water supply uses man-sized, basic three-stage filtering, with final high-pressure six inch square filters (It looks like a knee-high pressure cooker.)

Are you saying your local bottled water companies are not using RO?

My understanding is that every company that is in the business of selling drinking water does use RO.

Edited October 25, 2022 by unheard

[cmjc]

20 minutes ago, unheard said:

As far as I know all bottled water companies are regulated and do periodically lab test their product.

If that were the case, they'd be happy to display the results, in order to prove their product is non-toxic, but have you seen a single lab test of your drinking water: Good or bad?

 

Me neither.  That's why I bought 3 kg of activated charcoal ????

 

24 minutes ago, unheard said:

Are you saying your local bottled water companies are not using RO?

My understanding is that every company that is in the business of selling drinking water does use RO.

My local tessabahn produces drinking water that only uses backpressure filtering, no reverse osmosis at all. And that from an aquafer replete with toxins from agrochemicals.

 

It was a very deep drilling, I watched it first-hand, but it's smack in the middle of maize and paddy fields deluged with pesticides monthly.

 

I suggest you visit your drinking water supplier, and check with your own eyes; their purification system, and their laboratory analysis reports.

 

You may be surprised, like I was. ????

[retiree]

And I was surprised to learn a while back that even deep wells can have problems if Mother Nature is of a mind.  This is a report on the well-known problem of excessively high levels of fluoride in some shallow and deep wells in Chiang Mai and Lamphun.  

https://www.academia.edu/21014373/Fluoride_in_the_Water_Resources_of_Northern_Thailand_Source_Transport_Distribution_and_Water_Management_Implications 

 

[unheard]

59 minutes ago, cmjc said:

If that were the case, they'd be happy to display the results, in order to prove their product is non-toxic, but have you seen a single lab test of your drinking water: Good or bad?

If they're not obligated to display test results, then they certainly won't do that even if they regularly test their output.

Yes, I've tested my drinking water at a Bangkok lab, at my own expense.

[unheard]

1 hour ago, cmjc said:

My local tessabahn produces drinking water that only uses backpressure filtering, no reverse osmosis at all. And that from an aquafer replete with toxins from agrochemicals.

Are we talking about  a company that distributes drinking water on trucks, similar to the one below? If yes, then they certainly do use RO.

 

 

[Mark Nothing]

I have been using a countertop water distilling machine which eliminates all mineral solids and bacteria from the water.  Each gallon can be tested with a <deleted> (total dissolved solids) meter  to ensure 0 parts per million pure water.

 

Interestingly enough the highest priced bottled mineral water leaves the most grayish concrete like sediment at the bottom of my distiller.  The cheaper bottled waters much less.  When I distill tap water the sediment is more blackish concrete like.  

 

[unheard]

1 hour ago, cmjc said:

It was a very deep drilling, I watched it first-hand, but it's smack in the middle of maize and paddy fields deluged with pesticides monthly.

If they well is properly sealed, doesn't get contaminated by surface water along the wellbore and is deep enough (more than 50 m) then it's safe to assume that the water quality in the aquifer has nothing in common with polluted surface water.

Depending on the local geology and depth it might take centuries for surface water to filter through.

It's also common for water to travel miles underground.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by unheard

[waters]

8 hours ago, unheard said:

@waters

 

https://shopee.co.th/⚡️7.7ลดราคา⚡️-Mi-Water-Purifier-600G-เครื่องกรองน้ำอัจฉริยะ-MR624-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-i.309606885.6654902336?sp_atk=2a3ed35e-a744-4c0b-892b-d1ade8d6560c&xptdk=2a3ed35e-a744-4c0b-892b-d1ade8d6560c

 

https://shopee.co.th/Philips-water-AUT2015-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-เครื่องกรองน้ํา-ro-เครื่องกรองน้ําดื่ม-เครื่องกรองน้ําประปา-เครื่องกรองน้ําระบบ-ro-i.310902722.7957156848?sp_atk=9c117894-1902-40ac-8ce4-ddfbba6656f9&xptdk=9c117894-1902-40ac-8ce4-ddfbba6656f9

 

https://shopee.co.th/YOMIZU-รุ่น-Kiyo-ii-เครื่องกรองน้ำ-RO-Tankless-Real-time-<deleted>-monitor-i.269977134.12225835321?sp_atk=a9368f10-a725-4ea4-939a-f894305c93cd&xptdk=a9368f10-a725-4ea4-939a-f894305c93cd

 

 

@unheard - thanks! Some interesting units here - the YOMIZU machine is a tankless real-time RO system, which I was particularly interested in. I'll do a little more digging.

[waters]

8 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

This is an RO system that makes mineral water - I prefer non mineral as use for iron and coffee has better taste without so removed the final filter and unit works very well - all connections are well made and having first filter visible helps to remind that filter may need more than yearly change.  Have been using such systems for many years and believe product is great and cost is very little at about 2.5 to 3.5k.  I would buy the 5 filter system if no need for mineral water.

https://www.google.com/aclk

Thanks @lopburi - this machine looks like 'the business'. We're just a bit tight for space and a tank - although we might be able to make it work.

[waters]

3 hours ago, unheard said:

As far as I know all bottled water companies are regulated and do periodically lab test their product.

 

Are you saying your local bottled water companies are not using RO?

My understanding is that every company that is in the business of selling drinking water does use RO.

As far as I know - Aura Mineral Water (the green bottles) is genuinely a mineral water from a spring in Chiang Mai. We've driven past the company, and also know a little about the work they've done in 'ecosystem services' and some NGO work. We like it, but we're going through a LOT in a month - hence the search for a water filter system.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Mark Nothing said:

Interestingly enough the highest priced bottled mineral water leaves the most grayish concrete like sediment at the bottom of my distiller.  The cheaper bottled waters much less.

Is that surprising to you? I would expect a similar result, given that the mineral water is actually mineral water. 
 

Going by my physics and chemistry education during dive training along with 4 to 5 dives a day for weeks on end you really don’t want to be drinking the non mineralised water unless you are adding electrolytes or drinking it with a meal.
 

The problem with drinking pure water is that it dilutes the blood salt’s levels so causing the body to eliminate water to remedy the balance. So unless you are drinking it with a meal that will allow for needed salts, along with a banana or 2, drinking demineralised water will dehydrate you.

 

So in the tropics drink mineral water or add electrolytes to your RO water.

[waters]

This unit looks very good - but I have no idea what Philip's reputation is like in Thailand.

 

We had a terrible experience with Siemens refrigerators for example which are manufactured here under license from Siemens.

 

(Note, I am in no way associated with either Philips, or the company presenting the demonstration below.)

 

Thoughts anyone?

 

 

Very good demonstration video here, although for the previous model - which is very similar....

 

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by waters

[carlyai]

8 hours ago, unheard said:

If they well is properly sealed, doesn't get contaminated by surface water along the wellbore and is deep enough (more than 50 m) then it's safe to assume that the water quality in the aquifer has nothing in common with polluted surface water.

Depending on the local geology and depth it might take centuries for surface water to filter through.

It's also common for water to travel miles underground.

 

 

I'm not sure which ones, but a lot of the aquifers in Thailand are charged by rain water and not underground streams.

I read about this years ago and I think NW Thailand before the plateau aquifer is rainwater charged.

[cmjc]

2 hours ago, carlyai said:

I'm not sure which ones, but a lot of the aquifers in Thailand are charged by rain water and not underground streams.

I read about this years ago and I think NW Thailand before the plateau aquifer is rainwater charged.

 Indeed, add to that the multiple recent earth tremors in Thailand and Burma, and see what that does to idealized thoughts of sealed aquafers and "uncontaminated" water.

 

11 hours ago, unheard said:

Yes, I've tested my drinking water at a Bangkok lab, at my own expense.

Perhaps you could post an image of the report, it would be of great interest ????

[cmjc]

12 hours ago, unheard said:

Are we talking about  a company that distributes drinking water on trucks, similar to the one below? If yes, then they certainly do use RO.

Thank you for the picture of your water-truck, I see them daily ????

 

The tessabahn can deliver like that, but most people collect their own flagons because they are out at work, not at home, so collect when convenient to them.

 

With respect, I'd find little comfort in observing a truck with a sign assuring its water is purified by reverse osmosis, unless it is regularly laboratory toxicity tested, and the results posted for all to see.

 

Could you pay a visit to your water supplier, and take a picture of the lab results for us?

 

 

[lopburi3]

10 hours ago, waters said:

Thanks @lopburi - this machine looks like 'the business'. We're just a bit tight for space and a tank - although we might be able to make it work.

The tank comes with it and is very compact (about the size of a two litter milk bottle - but you do need a drain for any RO process as there is a lot of lost water in that process.  

[carlyai]

36 minutes ago, cmjc said:

 Indeed, add to that the multiple recent earth tremors in Thailand and Burma, and see what that does to idealized thoughts of sealed aquafers and "uncontaminated" water.

 

Perhaps you could post an image of the report, it would be of great interest ????

Correction, NE Thailand not NW Thailand and I think the plataeu is the Korat plataeu. Aquifers in Thailand have been extensively surveyed years ago.

 

[cmjc]

12 minutes ago, carlyai said:

Correction, NE Thailand not NW Thailand and I think the plataeu is the Korat plataeu. Aquifers in Thailand have been extensively surveyed years ago.

There's actually more tectonic movement in the North. A quake centered in Tachilek, woke me from my slumbers in Chiang Rai! Time for another survey methinks ????

 

https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/place/2120/earthquakes/tachilek.html

Edited October 26, 2022 by cmjc
Added link

[unheard]

2 hours ago, cmjc said:

Perhaps you could post an image of the report, it would be of great interest ????

I've tested my well water.

The test result came out all good on all parameters except of fluoride which is elevated.