If I Boil H20 In Bkk, Is It Safe To Drink In Coffee/Tea Etc ?

[chubby]

if I boil H20 in bkk, is it safe to drink in coffee/tea etc ?

are there reliable water reports on whats in the tap water ?

and/or where can I buy a big 5 gallon bottle to use at some refillable roadside reverse osmosis machine?

[whybother]

if I boil H20 in bkk, is it safe to drink in coffee/tea etc ?

are there reliable water reports on whats in the tap water ?

and/or where can I buy a big 5 gallon bottle to use at some refillable roadside reverse osmosis machine?

Depends on the quality of the tea or coffee.

Edit: but besides that, yes, probably not, and don't know.

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Edited March 6, 2012 by whybother

[Jdietz]

Bangkok water is safe to drink and tops bottled water in bacterial content in every test.

Note, this is exiting the water plant. If your building has a water storage / pumping facility (tanks on the roof) you may want to check it for contaminants (dead birds, rodents, bodies (seriously))

[WilliaminBKK]

I use a Brita filter and boil for 3 minutes. I always have a supply of charcoal tabs in case of an upset tummy.

[chiang mai]

Yes

[Carib]

Yes, it is safe to use after boiling.

[supaprik]

yes, never had any problems with tap water in Bangkok

[CharlieH]

If concerned and for the sake of a few baht just buy bottled water.

[rakman]

I've always had a problem putting the steam back together without the condenser.

[Gone]

They don't sell water in gallons in Thailand. Only in the USA I think but you can but the liters of water in many sizes in every store, 7-11, supermarket.....well ANYWHERE in Thailand.

Are you sure you are in Thailand? If yes have you gone outside to lets say a store or something?

6 liter re-fill = 5 baht

Cost and time of boiling =?

[DP25]

It's fine if you boil or if you don't boil it. You can see real time water quality online. There are treatment and pumping stations all over Bangkok where it is tested so it doesn't even travel far to get to you. Unless the water tank in your building is contaminated it is fine.

http://wqconline.mwa.co.th/wqc/OverviewMap.aspx?uiculture=en-US

You can buy 6L bottles of water at 7-11, buy a couple and refill them at the machines. Almost all the water I drink is from these machines, cheap and tastes better than straight out of the tap

[CharlieH]

They don't sell water in gallons in Thailand. Only in the USA I think but you can but the liters of water in many sizes in every store, 7-11, supermarket.....well ANYWHERE in Thailand.

Are you sure you are in Thailand? If yes have you gone outside to lets say a store or something?

6 liter re-fill = 5 baht

Cost and time of boiling =?

Wrong ! yes they do, go to any Tesco or Big C and you'll see them for around 22 baht.

Edited March 7, 2012 by CharlieH

[Payboy]

The waters fine when it leaves the treatment plant. I would worry about what happens to it while it travels to your tap through lead contaminated pipes and rarely cleaned storage tanks in buildings.

[sysardman]

if I boil H20 in bkk, is it safe to drink in coffee/tea etc ?

are there reliable water reports on whats in the tap water ?

and/or where can I buy a big 5 gallon bottle to use at some refillable roadside reverse osmosis machine?

Depends on the quality of the tea or coffee.

Edit: but besides that, yes, probably not, and don't know.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

@whybother - why did you bother????

[whybother]

if I boil H20 in bkk, is it safe to drink in coffee/tea etc ?

are there reliable water reports on whats in the tap water ?

and/or where can I buy a big 5 gallon bottle to use at some refillable roadside reverse osmosis machine?

Depends on the quality of the tea or coffee.

Edit: but besides that, yes, probably not, and don't know.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

@whybother - why did you bother????

It was late ... I wasn't thinking ...

[MauriceVanTine]

I use the large bottles from the local market for all my cooking and drinking, Ice etc. some companies put out a better product then others talk to your neighbors. Those road side machines are guestionable in my opinion they have a series of filters that need to be changed periodically. I aquired a brocure on one thinking about selling drinking water in the village it sounds like something a snake oil sales man might peddel they or at least the one I looked at are not reverse osmossis units.

[sysardman]

Are you sure you are in Thailand? If yes have you gone outside to lets say a store or something?

6 liter re-fill = 5 baht

Cost and time of boiling =?

If you watch out your window long enough you will surely see one of those guys passing with his pickup full of 20 litre bottles of water, stop him, tell him your water needs and hey presto!! problem solved. You use the water, give the guy his bottle back and he replaces it - no fuss and usually about Bt20 for 20 litres, right to your doorstep.

PS If you bought a big bottle to do it yourself then there might be a problem putting it in the RO machine, you would probably have to take a hose with you. I've also heard rumours about these machines having dirty filters but 1) if you're boiling it for tea/coffee etc it doesn't matter 2) I believe these machines have circuits to detect dirty filters and stop dispensing when they're bad (don't know for sure as I've never opened one but it makes sense and the machine I use does have a warning light). I've been using one of these machines for years with no problems (have one right next door).

Edited March 7, 2012 by sysardman

[Pseudolus]

Bottled water for cooking? Is this a taste thing?

I use a PURE reserve filter which is awesome. Have no qualms drinking from the tap though but the filter removes the matter picked up from the dodgy pipes. If you are boiling veg, then the water boils for longer than 2 mins and everything in the water is dead anyway.

[mijan24]

Are you sure you are in Thailand? If yes have you gone outside to lets say a store or something?

6 liter re-fill = 5 baht

Cost and time of boiling =?

If you watch out your window long enough you will surely see one of those guys passing with his pickup full of 20 litre bottles of water, stop him, tell him your water needs and hey presto!! problem solved. You use the water, give the guy his bottle back and he replaces it - no fuss and usually about Bt20 for 20 litres, right to your doorstep.

PS If you bought a big bottle to do it yourself then there might be a problem putting it in the RO machine, you would probably have to take a hose with you. I've also heard rumours about these machines having dirty filters but 1) if you're boiling it for tea/coffee etc it doesn't matter 2) I believe these machines have circuits to detect dirty filters and stop dispensing when they're bad (don't know for sure as I've never opened one but it makes sense and the machine I use does have a warning light). I've been using one of these machines for years with no problems (have one right next door).

Quite correct just remember you live in a country where by-passes are not limited to hospitals!!

[w11guy]

I doubt very much that it's safe, but depends on your definition of safe. Even in the UK and USA there are plenty of toxins and other undesirable things in the water. Just check the water report in your local area (USA, UK) and you will see that it's not clean at all. In big cities the water is also often contaminated with drug residues. So I can't imagine that the water in Thailand is better than the USA or UK. Nothing is safe. It's just up to you to decide what level of risk you want to take. Even crossing a road isn't 100% safe, but we all do that. So you need to define your definition of safe before someone can properly answer the question.

[w11guy]

Most here are concentrating on bacteria. If there are heavy metals and drug residues in the water, then boiling isn't going to get rid of them.

[lifeisthefun]

Boil the water for 3 minutes. That kills off the bacterial. Let it cool. Then slap the surface very hard with a large condom for a couple of minutes. That takes care of metals and other active chemicals (don't ask how because I don't know). The water is now 100% potable. And you can still use the condom for other stuff.

Edited March 7, 2012 by lifeisthefun

[tombkk]

Boil the water for 3 minutes. That kills off the bacterial. Let it cool. Then slap the surface very hard with a large condom for a couple of minutes. That takes care of metals and other active chemicals (don't ask how because I don't know). The water is now 100% potable. And you can still use the condom for other stuff.

Seriously though, I have been using tap water in my coffee machine for years. No problem.

[chubby]

http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/water-pitcher-filters-dont-remove-lead-particles.html

i think boiling then brita might make sense, that our hauling water, i will be near suk 22 for a month, really though, what i've done is use the instant tea boiler thing, dispenser, not actually boiling in a pot and just use It for tea and buy and haul family mart water, which is a pain though, never seen no guys in truck with 6 liter bottles

[JohnyBangkok]

You must let it rapidly boil for at least 3-4 minutes. I boil bottle water also then cool it and use it In my hydration pack (camel pack). Also don't eat salads there- guess what they wash the lettuce with.

[bangkokburning]

I drink BKK water after boiling it in microwave for 15-45secs depending on how desperate I am for my coffee. I also wash salad in the tap water and eat it. BKK water is fairly safe. I am a bit more cautious during monsoon season or after huge rains. The water is mor or less potable when it leaves treatment the issue is in the pipes getting to your tap.

Edited March 7, 2012 by bangkokburning

[edwardandtubs]

Boil the water for 3 minutes. That kills off the bacterial. Let it cool. Then slap the surface very hard with a large condom for a couple of minutes. That takes care of metals and other active chemicals (don't ask how because I don't know). The water is now 100% potable. And you can still use the condom for other stuff.

Seriously though, I have been using tap water in my coffee machine for years. No problem.

As someone else pointed out, the biggest problem is the drugs and other chemicals that get into the water supply. Obviously you wouldn't notice any problem but it might have long term health consequences.

[tombkk]

Boil the water for 3 minutes. That kills off the bacterial. Let it cool. Then slap the surface very hard with a large condom for a couple of minutes. That takes care of metals and other active chemicals (don't ask how because I don't know). The water is now 100% potable. And you can still use the condom for other stuff.

Seriously though, I have been using tap water in my coffee machine for years. No problem.

As someone else pointed out, the biggest problem is the drugs and other chemicals that get into the water supply. Obviously you wouldn't notice any problem but it might have long term health consequences.

Sure, like in any city in the world. I've been drinking tap water since I was a child, and half a century later, I am still alive and without problems.

[Gippy]

If you are worried about the tap water why get water delivered? We use Sprinkle, they have English speaking customer service and deliver straight to the house once a week, even carrying the bottles inside for us. Fit a pump on one bottle for cooking, stick another bottle in a cooler for drinking, job done.

[chiang mai]

I don't know the source of the water in Bangkok but in places like Phuket where there's a lot of old tin mins it's wise to be very careful since the water supply can contain metals that are not capable of being filtered out in the normal cleansing process.