Water In Pattaya

[dressedingreen]

Couple of questions about water ... any feedback would be appreciated. I've just bought a house in Takhiantia 4 km off Sukhumvit, out past Banglamung. Standard bungalow, 60 tw of land. New development so no real history for us to go on. The site owner stipulated that the properties would be on mains water. Turns out they're fed by a tank, topped up by water trucks. 1) I'm concerned about the water purity. I don't expect to be able to drink it, of course, but do expect it to be ok for teeth-cleaning. So ... anyone know where I can get a sample of the water analysed in Pattaya? 2) Site owners are billing us ... at 15 baht per unit. We don't use a lot of water, but 10 days has been billed at 638 baht, that's almost 2000 baht in a full month. I'd call that extortionate. What do you think? I'm told the standard water cost around here is 7 baht per unit.

Thanks in advance.

DIG

[learningcurve]

Hi DIG

I can not answer your first question, but I can answer your second question. YES, that is extortionate. I live on an estate in East Pattaya. In my house there are 3 adults, myself, Commander-in-Chief Home Forces (my wife), and Attila the Hun (mother-in-law), and then there are 2 small children. Along with the normal water usage (bathroom, clean mop floors, water the garden when not raining) we have the washing machine on at least twice a day, and the car gets washed once a week. My average water bill (from the mains) is 340 baht per month. Until a few months ago my average bill was 280 baht per month, so I assume the main water charges have recently gone up.

Bringing water in by trucks will alway be expensive, but more importantly more open to ripping customers off by greedy estate managers.

Good luck.

[exgov]

Hi DIG

I can not answer your first question, but I can answer your second question. YES, that is extortionate. I live on an estate in East Pattaya. In my house there are 3 adults, myself, Commander-in-Chief Home Forces (my wife), and Attila the Hun (mother-in-law), and then there are 2 small children. Along with the normal water usage (bathroom, clean mop floors, water the garden when not raining) we have the washing machine on at least twice a day, and the car gets washed once a week. My average water bill (from the mains) is 340 baht per month. Until a few months ago my average bill was 280 baht per month, so I assume the main water charges have recently gone up.

Bringing water in by trucks will alway be expensive, but more importantly more open to ripping customers off by greedy estate managers.

Good luck.

Large rip!! I live in a gated community east pattaya and I shower 2 or 3 times daily, water many plants, wash the soi down for the dog shit and wash clothes. NEVER more than 85 Baht. Yes, 85 Baht.

[begsaresponse]

I agree it would seem you are paying a lot of money for water...we too only pay 85 baht per month.

The other comment I would make and it is only my opinion..I would never never put any of that water in my mouth to clean my teeth. I do know others who do.

We buy large bottles of water from the guys who drive round out village 40 baht each. We use this for making tea/coffee/and drinking water. Usually we buy 2 and they last 10 days or more.

begsaresponse

[londonthai]

yes, this water is not for consumption.

you can, togethr with the others on your estate, put a pressure on the menagement, to connect you at some stage to the mains.

[Naam]

Site owners are billing us ... at 15 baht per unit. We don't use a lot of water, but 10 days has been billed at 638 baht, that's almost 2000 baht in a full month

assuming that a "unit" is a cubic metre you would have used 4,250 litres a day = impossible = the "site owner" is cheating you big time.

edited for addendum: average consumption in my house for 4 persons (half of them females who live part time in bathrooms/showers and pee three dozen times a day) is 600-800 litres a day.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Dr. Naam

[candoman89]

I have always wondered what a unit of water is. No one can ever tell me. I ask if it is 1 cubic meter and they have no idea what a cubic meter is. Then I ask if it is 1,000 L and they say no............that would be 1000 units.

Same with electricity..........I ask them what is a unit of electricity and they say huh????

I ask if it is 1 KW or 1 KWH and they say huh.

Nobody knows what a unit is....must some sort of national security thingy.

[Jingthing]

I experimented with using tap water here for tooth brushing for a few months. Definitely noticed a difference in the stomach department. Dropped that idea, back to the bottled for everything.

[Rimmer]

If all else fails put in your own tank and get it filled up yourself from a reputable supplier who uses city water and not pond water. You will need a tank anyway due to the on off water supply.

[Naam]

I have always wondered what a unit of water is.

don't you have a water meter? "unit" is indeed m3 when water and kWh when electricity. why the expression "unit" is used is beyond my comprehension

[Chang_paarp]

I have always wondered what a unit of water is.

don't you have a water meter? "unit" is indeed m3 when water and kWh when electricity. why the expression "unit" is used is beyond my comprehension

Honorable Dr Nam. You are using usual units of measure. As you have resided in this country for an extended period, you should have realised that a unit is whatever the billing person can get away with, it little to do with what has acually been consumed.

The OP did not mention if he had a water meter on his property, but it would be a worthwhile investment to ensure that the correct units are being used. You will need one when you get the town water connected any way.

[dressedingreen]

Thanks for the feedback on this one, guys. Let me explain a little further now I've had chance to talk to a contact at 'the office'.

We DO have a water meter. Meter says we've used 4.25 units. The local authority charge 5 baht per unit here. But they won't deliver water to the site until all the houses are finished ... about 1 year (Thai time?) The company who are developing the site assume one unit to be only 100 litres, 1 tenth of the government standard. They've decided they will drop the price from 15 baht to 10 baht per unit. How kind of them. That makes them only 20 times as expensive as the local authority. There are 16 houses on the development, 8 finished, 8 under construction. This, of course, means a mob-handed approach to 'the company' by the 8 who are resident, and advice to the 8 who WILL be resident, when we can track them all down. I'm sure that shipping in the water by tanker is more expensive. Whether it's 20 times more expensive, I don't know ... but I doubt. The idea of water tanks is inviting in the circumstances. At current usage I calculate it would cost us some 950 baht per year from local authority, and 18600 baht from 'the company'. So if a tank and pump cost less than 17500 baht we'll be in pocket, assuming the decision would be to pay or not pay the 10 baht per 100 litres. Perhaps with more pressure, and bearing in mind 8 of the properties are yet to be finalised, financially, we may be able to get the figure to a more reasonable level.

Appreciation to all who responded.

DIG

[Naam]

I have always wondered what a unit of water is.

don't you have a water meter? "unit" is indeed m3 when water and kWh when electricity. why the expression "unit" is used is beyond my comprehension

Honorable Dr Nam. You are using usual units of measure. As you have resided in this country for an extended period, you should have realised that a unit is whatever the billing person can get away with, it little to do with what has acually been consumed.

i stand corrected Honourable Chang_paarp, Sir my excuse is that i never had the experience of a "billing person". during construction of my house, when staying in rental premises, i paid a flat fee of 50 Baht for water and my electricity was billed directly by the electric company.

BUT something quite interesting in this respect! i am paying to whatever Pattaya water "authority" every month 246.10 Baht although in the 1½ years since the meter was installed i never received one single drop of water (have my own deep well and a water treatment). once i enquired "why" and was told by the village management "everybody pays but nobody has ever had any water supplied"

[Binkie]

Get yourself a well. 50,000 twill cost but that will be relatively cheap by the sounds of the watter you have been receivin.

[Jomtien]

I also think, buying a well is the best solution.

It is quite possible that even after the goverment takes on the project, you still will be without water. Water supply on some area's of Soi Khaotalo is on/off for years now......

your own 1.500 liter tank (drop it in the ground) and pump are a good investment, whatever you choose.

Jomtien

[farangtingtong]

Hi DIG

I can not answer your first question, but I can answer your second question. YES, that is extortionate. I live on an estate in East Pattaya. In my house there are 3 adults, myself, Commander-in-Chief Home Forces (my wife), and Attila the Hun (mother-in-law), and then there are 2 small children. Along with the normal water usage (bathroom, clean mop floors, water the garden when not raining) we have the washing machine on at least twice a day, and the car gets washed once a week. My average water bill (from the mains) is 340 baht per month. Until a few months ago my average bill was 280 baht per month, so I assume the main water charges have recently gone up.

Bringing water in by trucks will alway be expensive, but more importantly more open to ripping customers off by greedy estate managers.

Good luck.

Large rip!! I live in a gated community east pattaya and I shower 2 or 3 times daily, water many plants, wash the soi down for the dog shit and wash clothes. NEVER more than 85 Baht. Yes, 85 Baht.

Same here!!!! Here = Aekmongkol 3, Soi Khao Talo.