Phuket Poll: Is Our Tap Water Safe To Drink?

[george]

Phuket Poll: Is our tap water safe to drink?

Would you wet your lips with Phuket tap water?

PHUKET: The current issue of the Phuket Gazette out today carries a feature on whether Phuket tap water is safe to drink.

The authorities say it is at the point it leaves the water treatment plants, but resident water-quality expert Brad Kenny of Environmental Solutions says there are many factors that affect water quality between where the water is treated and it landing in a glass in Phuket.

What do you think? Is Phuket tap water safe to drink?

Vote in our Poll.

[Daren]

No. Way.

[BangTaoBoy]

Probably wouldn't kill you but I doubt it would do you much good. I'm sure you'd get a bug sooner or later. Why would you want to anyway, what with the price of bottled water being so low.

[stevenl]

I'm not drinking tapwater, from our well btw, but am collecting rainwater and use that for drinking.

[LivinLOS]

I just put a reverse osmosis thing in the house.. And even that I view with some distrust.

But I figured probably less distrust than the bulk bottles..

[DougLee]

I just put a reverse osmosis thing in the house.. And even that I view with some distrust.

But I figured probably less distrust than the bulk bottles..

Really? those white bottles taste a lot better than regular bottled water imo

[Ping]

Tap water remains reputedly unsafe to drink, and many people won't even trust it after passing it through home filtration treatment systems (including myself). As to the bulk water bottles, there has always been those who won't trust it, but I've never had nor heard of anyone catching a bug from them.

[DougLee]

Tap water remains reputedly unsafe to drink, and many people won't even trust it after passing it through home filtration treatment systems (including myself). As to the bulk water bottles, there has always been those who won't trust it, but I've never had nor heard of anyone catching a bug from them.

Yes but i have heard people getting sick from Singha water though. Official redneck water of thailand

[iSabai]

I just put a reverse osmosis thing in the house.. And even that I view with some distrust.

But I figured probably less distrust than the bulk bottles..

Really? those white bottles taste a lot better than regular bottled water imo

I agree, some of the bottled water has a weird taste to it IMO. The big white bottled water taste better, and after over four years of drinking it regularly, no ill effects.

[surangw]

if you shower in it ( hard to avoid) whatever is in it will get in your eyes no matter what.

still, using it to brush the teeth never caused us any problems ( that I know of)

[Benjie]

Shock Horror - Someone who sells water purification systems thinks we should use them!

I wouldn't drink it but I bet your average Thai would be OK, I'm sure they have drunk much worse elsewhere.

[hkt83100]

Yes but i have heard people getting sick from Singha water though. Official redneck water of thailand

I normally get sick from Singha beer, but I cannot cope with the Singha Soda Water, too...

[markg]

As I understood it, it's not the bugs that are unsafe, but the residual heavy metals in it, which accumulate in your body over time. These metals are in it from water coming from the old tin mines. I don't know if the water authority can or do take these out? I also don't know if a reverse osmosis system can take these out either.

I use the big white 25 litre bottles and never get sick off them, but don't know if they are safe. I have to assume they are i guess

[sanuk21]

Recently got tap water for my pot plants and a bottle of Singha drinking water mixed up.

Subsequently I unknowingly drank the 1.5 litres of tap water ...source I think was Bang Wat Dam in Kathu.

As I was drinking it I commented on the delicious taste.........

No after effects for me from the tap water .....

and no after effects for my pot plants either from the Singha water

The 20 litre 10 baht delivered water is great ....only problem is getting out of the bottle....

Sanuk

[HDRIDER]

Recently got tap water for my pot plants and a bottle of Singha drinking water mixed up.

Subsequently I unknowingly drank the 1.5 litres of tap water ...source I think was Bang Wat Dam in Kathu.

As I was drinking it I commented on the delicious taste.........

No after effects for me from the tap water .....

and no after effects for my pot plants either from the Singha water

The 20 litre 10 baht delivered water is great ....only problem is getting out of the bottle....

Sanuk

You don’t have to be sick NOW bit long time effect is the one to look at, when even the government say it’s not safe to drink, do you think it is??

Well keep drinking tap water and tell me in a few years time how it was.

As for the 25L for 10B, don’t you think it sound cheap, can they make it for 10B, i remember years ago some company got caught here in Phuket using dirty water, when i moved to Thailand i used to big 25L as well, but i could see when you used the water in an electric kettle there was some black stuff/rings after boiling, now i use the 1,5 L drinking water for cooking and Minere mineral water for drinking. And family with kids, kids should have the best, me think

[katabeachbum]

As I understood it, it's not the bugs that are unsafe, but the residual heavy metals in it, which accumulate in your body over time. These metals are in it from water coming from the old tin mines. I don't know if the water authority can or do take these out? I also don't know if a reverse osmosis system can take these out either.

I use the big white 25 litre bottles and never get sick off them, but don't know if they are safe. I have to assume they are i guess

Tin mine water is very unhealthy due to heavy minerals/metals. In most areas in Phuket with public supply, you never know if your tap water comes from a mine or a lake as they switch every day.

Reverse osmosis removes all minerals and metals from water, in addition to bacteria.

UV removes only bacteria.

Its an advantage to drink water with a normal mineral content, but build up of heavy metals is.......................well not so good

My tap water comes from 72 meter well in Kata valley. Contains huge amounts of minerals, calsium and iron being the most visible. Its free of bacteria, but still prefere to drink the 20 litres bottles at 10 baht, reverse osmosis treated by my supplier. As for getting the water out of them, simply keep it upside down in a 3k baht cooler. Open the tap, nice and cold

[petercallen]

Sometimes the tap water smells of chlorine and sometimes it does not.

Every now and again the water just smells.

We use the 20 litre bottles for general use and Nestle small bottles for drinking,

At 52 baht for 12 its a lot cheaper than beer.

[steelepulse]

>>Recently got tap water for my pot plant

Are those legal to grow here ?

I drink from those white big bulk bottles and sometimes they do taste quite metallic, especially when the water is not cold.

[DougLee]

Im not surprised that someone who drinks singha water thinks tap tastes great

It's a vast improvement in water quality

[Ping]

<SNIP>

My tap water comes from 72 meter well in Kata valley. Contains huge amounts of minerals, calsium and iron being the most visible. Its free of bacteria, but still prefere to drink the 20 litres bottles at 10 baht, reverse osmosis treated by my supplier. As for getting the water out of them, simply keep it upside down in a 3k baht cooler. Open the tap, nice and cold

I'm not a fan of those coolers, but I've seen a swinging cradle for the large bottles that makes it easy to pour. They are sized for bench top use. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anywhere that currently sells them. Can anyone help? (Slightly off topic, but probably of interest to others.)

[Jimi007]

My neighbor has been drinking water from our well for over twenty years with no ill effects. I have tried it, no ill effects either...

[HDRIDER]

<SNIP>

My tap water comes from 72 meter well in Kata valley. Contains huge amounts of minerals, calsium and iron being the most visible. Its free of bacteria, but still prefere to drink the 20 litres bottles at 10 baht, reverse osmosis treated by my supplier. As for getting the water out of them, simply keep it upside down in a 3k baht cooler. Open the tap, nice and cold

I'm not a fan of those coolers, but I've seen a swinging cradle for the large bottles that makes it easy to pour. They are sized for bench top use. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anywhere that currently sells them. Can anyone help? (Slightly off topic, but probably of interest to others.)

I have seen them in Makro and Lotus, and in a lot of small hardware stores.

[HDRIDER]

My neighbor has been drinking water from our well for over twenty years with no ill effects. I have tried it, no ill effects either...

Is he/her Thai?

Have you tried to test the water?

There is a shop in Homeworks there can test your water, when i was in the shop they got two sample of well water, one from Kathu and one from a Villa near BIS none of them was suitable for drinking, including my own water, too much of everything there can cause long term illness, but i guess it’s up to people what they want to do with their own body

[Jimi007]

My neighbor has been drinking water from our well for over twenty years with no ill effects. I have tried it, no ill effects either...

Is he/her Thai?

Have you tried to test the water?

There is a shop in Homeworks there can test your water, when i was in the shop they got two sample of well water, one from Kathu and one from a Villa near BIS none of them was suitable for drinking, including my own water, too much of everything there can cause long term illness, but i guess it's up to people what they want to do with their own body

All of my Thai neighbors drink it and they have lived here all their lives. The guy who has lived here for 20 years is also Thai. I'll have to ask my German neighbor who has lived here for 30 years if they drink it, but I never see any water deliveries there either... And thanks for the tip on the testing at Homepro. Is it the one in Chalong?

[petercallen]

<SNIP>

My tap water comes from 72 meter well in Kata valley. Contains huge amounts of minerals, calsium and iron being the most visible. Its free of bacteria, but still prefere to drink the 20 litres bottles at 10 baht, reverse osmosis treated by my supplier. As for getting the water out of them, simply keep it upside down in a 3k baht cooler. Open the tap, nice and cold

I'm not a fan of those coolers, but I've seen a swinging cradle for the large bottles that makes it easy to pour. They are sized for bench top use. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anywhere that currently sells them. Can anyone help? (Slightly off topic, but probably of interest to others.)

Super Cheap,They were in back right hand corner near gardening gear

[HDRIDER]

All of my Thai neighbors drink it and they have lived here all their lives. The guy who has lived here for 20 years is also Thai. I'll have to ask my German neighbor who has lived here for 30 years if they drink it, but I never see any water deliveries there either... And thanks for the tip on the testing at Homepro. Is it the one in Chalong?

Hi

No its homeworks close to Central, in the basement they have a water treatment shop, they can test your water.

[Ping]

Thanks HDR & PC for the cradle tips

[BangTaoBoy]

As for getting the water out of them, simply keep it upside down in a 3k baht cooler. Open the tap, nice and cold

I keep meaning to get one of those. In the mean time I just use a simple plastic pump and pump it in to smaller plastic containers for the fridge.

[BangTaoBoy]

Sometimes the tap water smells of chlorine and sometimes it does not.

Every now and again the water just smells.

We use the 20 litre bottles for general use and Nestle small bottles for drinking,

At 52 baht for 12 its a lot cheaper than beer.

I always used to use proper bottled water for everything, only recently swapping over to the big white bottles. It wasn't anything to do with price, I just found constantly buying water at Tescos and lugging it in and out of the car a bit tedious. Perhaps that's just me being a bit lazy. I do wonder how clean it can be though at such a give away price. It's almost free!

[HDRIDER]

Sometimes the tap water smells of chlorine and sometimes it does not.

Every now and again the water just smells.

We use the 20 litre bottles for general use and Nestle small bottles for drinking,

At 52 baht for 12 its a lot cheaper than beer.

I always used to use proper bottled water for everything, only recently swapping over to the big white bottles. It wasn't anything to do with price, I just found constantly buying water at Tescos and lugging it in and out of the car a bit tedious. Perhaps that's just me being a bit lazy. I do wonder how clean it can be though at such a give away price. It's almost free!

Just get them to deliver, you can get all kind of water direct to your door, just goggle water delivery