Water Drinking Machines-Interesting Article

[lovetotravel]

I just read this in the Pattaya Mail today. A bit shocking:

http://www.pattayama...-enactment-9114

Regulations governing water-dispensing machines drips toward enactment

Bubpa Songsakulchai, a Pattaya Sanitation Office researcher, told legislators Aug. 26 that random tests on water-vending machines in South Pattaya had turned up five dispensers on Soi Day Night with Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, which includes Salmonella and E.Coli. These coliform bacteria are almost exclusively of fecal origin.

Don't think I will be using these anytime in the near future.

[Darrel]

I read that too. As a regular user of those machines I have no intention of changing my habits, but I dont think that I would ever use machines in that particular area, as it is very close to the market and the machines there probably get very heavily used (or abused).

I do wonder where/how the bacteria got into the water though.

[lovetotravel]

That is an excellent question. Would love to know.

[pattayadingo]

I used to buy bottled water. The big bottles at 10 Baht. One day I got toxic water poisoning and was hospitalised. Never again will I but that large bottled water.

I use the water machine near me and I have never had a problem. It has filters, ultraviolet and such. I doubt it is perfect water, but then again this is Thailand and I have no great expectations on water purity.

[easyride]

I too use these machines but given the demolition of the Day & Night hotel I'd wonder if that has caused cross contamination?

I would like to think there's a regular maintenance of the machines if only to empty the cash boxes......

[necronx99]

Look at that thing, you people actually pay to drink from it?

[kennalder]

More useless reporting. Does anyone in Thailand take statistics courses? Random tests found 5 contaminated machines. How many did they test in total? Perhaps just 5. Were the offending machines clustered or spread over a wider area. Were some machines in the immediate area of the offending machines satisfactory? I'm sure there will be no clarification or follow-up. One has to wonder if there is any clean drinking water available in Thailand.

[ignis]

I buy the big bottles, not the cheap one, delivered every 2 weeks @ 50 baht per bottle [20 lts]

Used to for years buy the cheap ones until one of the Thai families young Daughter got sick in the Village, smelling the water was like being in a petrol station...... maybe someone had filled the bottle with petrol before ? ....

They now go to the next Village to one of those drink machines, after the floods the water was light brown.......... No thank you will continue with 'Pure water'

[WaywardWind]

One solution is to buy a British Berkefeld (also called Berkey) water filter. Gravity fed, so no electricity needed.

I've used them in many countries, including some where the water was a very nice tan color coming out of the tap, and have never had any problems. The ceramic filters work fine;the carbon filters are better.

At 40-50 baht for a 19 liter bottle, the filter pays for itself in a year or two, depending on the size you buy and consumption rates.

[lovetotravel]

I've done quite a bit of research on this. Even in the US and Europe, they've had problems with these machines. Here, you can be guaranteed they have problems.

Even the big bottles come from dodgy sources. I'm not sure all the stuff they do to the water can get out the heavy metals and pesticides, etc, that are in the waters here??

[sunshinegirl]

I got water from the machine near me during the shortage and it started to go green after a few days. never again.

[Rimmer]

I got water from the machine near me during the shortage and it started to go green after a few days. never again.

That's the bacteria in the water.

My watar is crystel clear having gone through 35 meters of sand in a deep tube well, but if I leave it standing for a few days will turn green as the bacteria in it is not treated or removed by the sand filters. Very scarey

[smedly]

I too use these machines but given the demolition of the Day & Night hotel I'd wonder if that has caused cross contamination?

I would like to think there's a regular maintenance of the machines if only to empty the cash boxes......

well it seems the regular maintenance guy takes a dump and doesn't wash his hands then services the machines working parts or people handling the outlet nozzle with soiled hands, that is the only way I can think of how this reported contamination occurs

[Gone]

I just drink tap water. Fill my bottles and put them in the fridge. Never had a problem. A little Chlorine doesn't hurt you.

[Darrel]

well it seems the regular maintenance guy takes a dump and doesn't wash his hands then services the machines working parts or people handling the outlet nozzle with soiled hands, that is the only way I can think of how this reported contamination occurs

I think it's more likely to be connected with road works and broken pipes.

[XAMPI]

seems the link is no longer working

[lovetotravel]

I just drink tap water. Fill my bottles and put them in the fridge. Never had a problem. A little Chlorine doesn't hurt you.

Chlorine is not the problem. It's all the other nasties they've found in the water that will get you eventually. Pesticides are pretty common.

[WarpSpeed]

^ And most of those aren't removed by any filters or simple osmosis processes either so the only real solution is take the chance with the cleanest water you can get and then boil it for any possible cross contamination, don't rely on ANY water source ANYwhere as being 100% reliable and safe..

Edited January 12, 2012 by WarpSpeed

[Tolley]

Reverse osomosis water purifiers are pretty good and also save you money in the long run and the hassle of going and lugging the stuff back from the markets.

[lovetotravel]

Reverse osomosis water purifiers are pretty good and also save you money in the long run and the hassle of going and lugging the stuff back from the markets.

That what I should have done!

[Oink]

I saw ome of these machines being maintained yesterday. The guy did not exchange the filters (that would cost money) he just put the filters on the ground and tried to wash the dirt with a hosepipe, then put them back! They were dark brown when they went back in. New ones are brilliant white as they are spun Polyester or somthing.

[smedly]

the simple way to clean these filters is to run water in the reverse direction

[lovetotravel]

I saw ome of these machines being maintained yesterday. The guy did not exchange the filters (that would cost money) he just put the filters on the ground and tried to wash the dirt with a hosepipe, then put them back! They were dark brown when they went back in. New ones are brilliant white as they are spun Polyester or somthing.

Maybe we've just found out how fecal matter got into these machines?

the simple way to clean these filters is to run water in the reverse direction

For sure. But you can't do that if it's a RO system. You need new filters, which are expensive! Mine were $200. Have to be changed on a regular basis. Doubt these guys do that.

[Oink]

These were ordinary partical filters. Not Reverse Osmosis. Just to get the grit out i guess, before they reach the RO filter.

[kjelljit]

Look how tap water looks here in Pattaya.

I would like to buy the British Berkefeld (also called Berkey) water filter.

Does anyone know where to find these?

[fakename]

These threads about water come every so often, and there are more theories than posters. We had a water dispenser outside our market before, and in two years, never seen it serviced, except when there was a problem with the money. The water is just from the mains, and if there is bacteria, it is from the main water supply, more than likely. Of course there was a lady that came around every now and then, and washed the outside of the machine, but how clean was her wash cloth, and could have been transferring bacteria to all the parts she cleaned.

I get the 20L white bottles,(15 baht bottles) and Never had a problem with the water, no sediment, no bad taste, no odor. I even fill small bottles and keep them in my car, up to a week, and never any problem. Of course, some idiot may use one of the bottles for petrol, or something else, but I havent tasted anything strange, and I use three bottles a week, for three years now. I dont know the cleaning process for the bottles, but its probably better than the city water. I have seen many water leaks around the area, and in some places, its a permanent leak, for years. Its not a sewage leak, since the water would be bluish. Im sure the health authorities could do testing once ever 100 years, if they were really interested, but they wait for something to happen first, then try to blame it on someone or something else.

[Guderian]

I found the solution to these problems some years back. Don't drink the water, it's obviously not good for you, stick to drinking beer...

[OMGImInPattaya]

I read that too. As a regular user of those machines I have no intention of changing my habits, but I dont think that I would ever use machines in that particular area, as it is very close to the market and the machines there probably get very heavily used (or abused).

I do wonder where/how the bacteria got into the water though.

Probably the kee from the hamsters that run around inside them and provide their power source

Seriously thou...do you think the owners of these machines ever change or clean the R-O filters or replace a U-V lamp that's gone tits-up? I never have and never would use one of these machines, my heath is too important, but others have different priorities ..like saving a few baht to buy their next beer or barfine.