Deep Well Water Results / OK To Drink?

[Sparktrader]

How Reverse Osmosis System Filters Fluoride?

Reverse Osmosis (RO) can help remove fluoride from the water supply effectively because its molecules are larger than the molecules of water. RO system not only removes fluoride but several other contaminants from water.

https://fliersqualitywater.com/does-reverse-osmosis-remove-fluoride/

 

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

https://au-espwaterproducts.glopalstore.com/how-to-remove-fluoride-from-water/

 

RO removes 90%

RO is not a filter, it is a permeable membrane. And a lot more expensive than a simple filter.

[Sparktrader]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

RO is not a filter, it is a permeable membrane. And a lot more expensive than a simple filter.

Reverse osmosis is a filtration method that passes water through a filter membrane that has pores that are so small, only pure water is able to get through. Other contaminates are physically too large to pass through the membrane, so they do not enter the water supply.

 

https://www.uswatersystems.com/systems/reverse-osmosis

 

ie it is a FILTER!

[Lacessit]

51 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Reverse osmosis is a filtration method that passes water through a filter membrane that has pores that are so small, only pure water is able to get through. Other contaminates are physically too large to pass through the membrane, so they do not enter the water supply.

 

https://www.uswatersystems.com/systems/reverse-osmosis

 

ie it is a FILTER!

"Only pure water is able to get through".

 

From your own link, efficiency is 90% for fluoride. That means RO treating water that contains 100 mg/L fluoride will result in a permeate that contains 10 mg/L fluoride.

 

That's not pure water in my book, or anyone else with a chemistry background. I stand by my original statement.

[Sparktrader]

29 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

"Only pure water is able to get through".

 

From your own link, efficiency is 90% for fluoride. That means RO treating water that contains 100 mg/L fluoride will result in a permeate that contains 10 mg/L fluoride.

 

That's not pure water in my book, or anyone else with a chemistry background. I stand by my original statement.

Its the best filter system. 

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Its the best filter system. 

Permeable membranes and filters are not the same technology or manufacturing process.

RO is the best system for water treatment. Best is relative to molecule size, efficiency is lower for small highly soluble molecules such as fluoride and borates.

[sandyf]

On 11/2/2022 at 6:10 PM, farang712093 said:

It was our only option as I wanted my own water source

I have not heard of anywhere in Thailand that doesn't get rain.

[Encid]

On 11/2/2022 at 5:51 PM, farang712093 said:

I just got the results back from a test of my deep well water. 

May I ask how you contacted TestTech and how you specified what you wanted in the test criteria?

 

The test report you have shows a lot more testing than those explained on their website, and I am interested in finding out how your test criteria was determined.

 

The reason why I ask is that I have tried to contact them myself (in English) via the email address on the Contact Us page on their website, but no answer.

 

My wife has also tried to contact them (in Thai) via the message facility on the Contact Us page on their website, but no answer.

[Cake Monster]

On 11/3/2022 at 6:49 PM, unheard said:

He has corrected himself that the well is actually 190m deep.

It depends on the contractor, but from what I've seen the price is pre-negotiated in advance, regardless of depth as long as it's a working well with specifically mentioned minimally acceptable water flow rates.

If the initial bore location doesn't deliver for whatever reason, they will drill another one without any extra surcharges.

Better equipped well drillers don't charge by the meter: a 30m well would be the same price as a 190m one if they choose to go that deep without trying a different spot.

 

Rain water has multiple downsides.

 

1. Availability

In most areas of Thailand precipitation amounts vary  significantly by season.

Most areas get almost no rain for several months.

 

2. Storage

The prolonged storage of rain water in plastic tanks would require constant sanitation. Plastic in itself is not a great material for long storage, regardless of the material safety ratings.

 

3. Water quality

Rain water is almost always contaminated by bacteria, much more so than deep well water that is being sourced from the relatively bacteria-free environment.

Over time the bacteria tend to multiply creating real danger if the tanks are not sanitized.

Sources of bacteria: to the lesser extent the atmosphere, but the main source of contamination being water collecting surfaces (roof).

I also had a Deep Well drilled about 6 Years ago now.

This method was chosen over Rainwater due to collection issues with the storage of the Water and Bacterial contamination, causing poor quality, among other downside issues.

My contractor negotiated the price prior to work @ 300K.

He drilled the first hole to a depth of 300 M without a really strong water find before he lost the drill head

There was a slight ingress of water at a depth of 150 M , so he then drilled bore 2 with no water at all to a depth of 200 M

All I paid for him was the costs of Diesel and labour, as the agreement he made was " Water or no pay "

We store the water from the well in food grade Plastic Tanks, and it seems very good, although I havent had it tested, and would certainly not drink it.

I was really glad I chose a deep well over Rain water, as over the previous couple of Years there has been a drought, and even during that period I noticed a significant downturn in the wells production as the water table dropped.

One thing that is always in the back of my mind is whether there is any ingress from Chemical contamination in water from that depth

I am talking Industrial Chemicals as opposed to the Agri stuff that is tested for.

How can you even test for all of that Industrial type C22p, there is so much used of so many different types.

[Kanchon]

The most concerning parts are the microbiological test results, especially the high number of total coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria will not likely cause illness. However, their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms, pathogens, could be in the water system. Since coliform bacteria usually persist in water longer than most disease-causing organisms, the absence of coliform bacteria leads to the assumption that the water supply is microbiologically safe to drink.

From the microbiological point of view the recommendation for sampling: "Buying drinking water bottles, then emptying them out and immediately refilling with water to be tested in their lab" is questionable. Basically for microbiological sampling always sterile containers should be used.

[unheard]

2 hours ago, Kanchon said:

Basically for microbiological sampling always sterile containers should be used.

Agreed.

This is being one of the reasons why I question the validity of the Coliform bacteria count results on the test.

[unheard]

20 hours ago, Encid said:

My wife has also tried to contact them (in Thai) via the message facility on the Contact Us page on their website, but no answer.

The best way to reach them is to call the number displayed at the top of their webpage.

Did she try either of those numbers?

 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by unheard

[unheard]

20 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

One thing that is always in the back of my mind is whether there is any ingress from Chemical contamination in water from that depth

Could you elaborate on the types of the chemical contamination?

Is there anything related to mining or fracking activity going on in the nearby vicinity?

Edited November 9, 2022 by unheard

[Mickeymaus]

On 11/2/2022 at 6:39 PM, farang712093 said:

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

I didn't think the arsenic is high at 0.0069mg/L when it says maximum allowable 0.05mg/L ?  I guess I'll need to research this more...

I thought you could use PFA-2 filters for fluoride?

 

Anyway, no problem, we certainly won't drink it.   How about if we want to use it for showering/washing dishes?  How could we treat the water to make it OK for this?

I'll try and find out if there is a lab that could test trivalent and hexavalent chromium content.

One other thing about our well is the water coming out is hot.  The deep well company said they have never seen this before on Samui.

 

If you are worried about arsenic then google arsenic and rice. Better avoid rice then ????. 

[Cake Monster]

3 hours ago, unheard said:

Could you elaborate on the types of the chemical contamination?

Is there anything related to mining or fracking activity going on in the nearby vicinity?

There may not be any at all

I dont really know as I haven't had the water analyzed

I always think there could possibly be Industrial type Chemicals in the Water, as I live only a few KM away fro some really large Industrial Estates, and this being Thailand, there are all kinds of recycle type business's that have sprung up around the main Industrial Estates also.

Can the water be tested for Paint thinners , Acids, Toxic Cadmium Etc Etc Etc Etc .

They probably could test for any and all of this stuff that could maybe have leeched down through the rock, but what do you tell them to test for ? There is so much of this stuff used , and the costs to process test all the water for everything would be horrendous. 

 

 

[unheard]

54 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

They probably could test for any and all of this stuff that could maybe have leeched down through the rock, but what do you tell them to test for ?

I'd say just run a standard test at first.

Close proximity to big industrial estates is a legitimate concern but that in itself doesn't necessary mean that your well water is contaminated.

If your standard test turns out OK then your well water should be suitable for drinking - just make sure to use a good consumer RO system.

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by unheard

[Encid]

5 hours ago, unheard said:

The best way to reach them is to call the number displayed at the top of their webpage.

Did she try either of those numbers?

 

 

No, she tried the message app.

 

We will try calling instead.

[farang712093]

On 11/8/2022 at 4:31 PM, Encid said:

May I ask how you contacted TestTech and how you specified what you wanted in the test criteria?

 

The test report you have shows a lot more testing than those explained on their website, and I am interested in finding out how your test criteria was determined.

 

The reason why I ask is that I have tried to contact them myself (in English) via the email address on the Contact Us page on their website, but no answer.

 

My wife has also tried to contact them (in Thai) via the message facility on the Contact Us page on their website, but no answer.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been travelling.  They didn't respond to my emails.  The only way I could contact them was via LINE app.  This was their standard test, I didn't ask for any specific testing.

[farang712093]

On 11/9/2022 at 1:02 PM, unheard said:

Agreed.

This is being one of the reasons why I question the validity of the Coliform bacteria count results on the test.

I'm going to test it again.  I've ordered three inline uv filters for the system to kill bacteria/viruses.  One will filter it before it goes in to the "clean water" tank and then two as it goes out to the house.  Just to be sure.

[Encid]

On 11/16/2022 at 7:49 AM, farang712093 said:

Sorry for the late reply, I've been travelling.  They didn't respond to my emails.  The only way I could contact them was via LINE app.  This was their standard test, I didn't ask for any specific testing.

Yes I was able to finally contact them via LINE too... just this morning actually.

They wanted my home address so they could send me a quotation.

Unbelievable how backward thinking some organisations are.

And as soon as a falung was detected on the phone the line went dead so telephone contact and email contact is ignored.

 

Can you please advise how much your test cost?

And did you send the samples to them or did they collect them?

[unheard]

17 hours ago, Encid said:

Can you please advise how much your test cost?

And did you send the samples to them or did they collect them?

They do offer an optional service to collect your samples, at an extra cost of course.

I've collected and sent my samples out myself.

I don't remember the exact cost but I think it was around 6-7K

 

[farang712093]

On 11/17/2022 at 4:26 PM, Encid said:

Yes I was able to finally contact them via LINE too... just this morning actually.

They wanted my home address so they could send me a quotation.

Unbelievable how backward thinking some organisations are.

And as soon as a falung was detected on the phone the line went dead so telephone contact and email contact is ignored.

 

Can you please advise how much your test cost?

And did you send the samples to them or did they collect them?

I think it was around 6000 baht.  I took the samples myself and sent them express courier.  They wanted 3L of water.

[farang712093]

On 11/9/2022 at 10:14 AM, Kanchon said:

The most concerning parts are the microbiological test results, especially the high number of total coliform bacteria. Coliform bacteria will not likely cause illness. However, their presence in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms, pathogens, could be in the water system. Since coliform bacteria usually persist in water longer than most disease-causing organisms, the absence of coliform bacteria leads to the assumption that the water supply is microbiologically safe to drink.

 

From the microbiological point of view the recommendation for sampling: "Buying drinking water bottles, then emptying them out and immediately refilling with water to be tested in their lab" is questionable. Basically for microbiological sampling always sterile containers should be used.

 

I'm going to send my filtered water to them again to have it tested to see how it is after the filter process.   I've been looking for sterile containers online, but can't find any larger enough to send them 3L.

Any idea how I could sterilize water bottles myself and not leave any contamination?   Wash them out with pure alcohol and leave in the sun for it to evaporate?

[longball53098]

23 hours ago, farang712093 said:

I'm going to send my filtered water to them again to have it tested to see how it is after the filter process.   I've been looking for sterile containers online, but can't find any larger enough to send them 3L.

Any idea how I could sterilize water bottles myself and not leave any contamination?   Wash them out with pure alcohol and leave in the sun for it to evaporate?

i would use a hydrogen peroxide solution or chlorine solution.

[Encid]

On 11/26/2022 at 10:56 AM, farang712093 said:

Any idea how I could sterilize water bottles myself and not leave any contamination?   Wash them out with pure alcohol and leave in the sun for it to evaporate?

You don't need to use sterile bottles... just buy some new 1.5L bottles of drinking water, empty the contents, and screw the caps back on straight away.

3 litres should suffice for testing.

Testing for the coliform, E.coli test must be performed within 24 hours of sampling.

(As advised by TestTech)

[Phnom Penh Trader]

So stick with the bottled water seems to be the take from this thread?

[Phnom Penh Trader]

On 11/17/2022 at 9:26 AM, Encid said:

And as soon as a falung was detected on the phone the line went dead

I can imagine red flashing lights and sirens going off at the water testing facility when this happened! ????

[unheard]

18 hours ago, Phnom Penh Trader said:

So stick with the bottled water seems to be the take from this thread?

Yes, it should be sufficient.

Farang712093 wants to sterilize his bottles in order to be able to evaluate the efficiency of his filtration system, and how good it is at removal of the bacterial load.