How To Have Tap Water Tested

[JustLikeThat]

Does anyone know how I can have the tap water tested in our apartment block?

The apartment owners have drilled a hole in the rear car park and are now pumping water into the main tank for delivery to the taps in the apartments. The water seems to go through a pressurised metal cylinder a very small gravity filter and into large plastic storage containers then into the main underground water tank which is then pumped around the apartment taps.

Since they started doing this a lot of friends in the apartment have complained about dry skin, eczema starting, etc. When asked, the management say everything is okay and they are doing nothing wrong. I'd just like to have piece of mind and have the water tested.

[elektrified]

You can take a sample to CMU. Cost for full analysis is about 15-16K THB. I have the number here somewhere. PM me if you can't find it.

[PoodMaiDai]

You can take a sample to CMU. Cost for full analysis is about 15-16K THB. I have the number here somewhere. PM me if you can't find it.

That is insanely expensive. I would have guessed 3000 - 4000, but was way off the mark.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

The price would depend on what you're testing for - looking for pesticides are apparently more expensive, minerals (especially heavy metals) less so. Maybe start with the basics, you might see a problem with something like just the PH level!

I'm sure there are commercial services with higher volumes (hence lower prices) elsewhere - at these prices it might be worth even sending your sample to say Singapore.

[elektrified]

You could drop the Fluoride test @ 400 THB, Silver, Zinc, Copper, and Iron @ 600 each, etc. That's 2800 less right there.

[KhunVee]

SGS or INTERTEK are both surveyors and deliver internationally recognised lab reports in English

The price obviously depends on the type of test(s) you need.

I have always used SGS for export purposes and am satisfied with their services. Their prices however are also international LOL

[Greenside]

Firstly, check out this thread which gives a bit more detail about the options.

CMU testing no doubt offers the most comprehensive range of tests but the problem is without some help it's tough to know which to have done if all you want to know is "is it drinkable?". If you get them all done it comes to about 15,000 baht but that's a bit like saying a restaurant's pricey on the basis of ordering everything on the menu.

I'm in the middle of this at the moment and have got a sample being analysed by the Water Authority (see my map for location) which should be back in a couple of weeks. The cost was just north of 1000 baht but you almost certainly need to have a fluent Thai speaker on hand, not so much at the stage of handing over the sample, but to make sure the results are understandable. All that's needed is a clean 1.25L PET soda bottle and your address details, although if you're having a borehole tested you may need paperwork to show it's been dug officially if it's deeper than 30m (I think). I'm hoping our results will give me the confidence to use our water for drinking, installing an extra filter if necessary.

Seems to me that CMU are missing out on some useful income by not providing a more friendly menu where you could simply pick a "set" of tests that match your objectives. Doubtless it would have to be qualified with dozens of disclaimers to indemnify them but as far as water goes we're all pretty much at risk every day.

[stuartd1]

Yes, I know it's Thailand, but isn't there a government authority on water standards that can be approached?

What about the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ? I expect some cynicism now!

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Yes, I know it's Thailand, but isn't there a government authority on water standards that can be approached?

What about the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ? I expect some cynicism now!

And so you should. You seem to be under the illusion that government agencies have some sort of public service function here. My perception is that they are basically franchises with territories operated for the private profit of those who have purchased or won the right to operate them.

I'd be very surprised if such a testing service were available to the public from a government agency, and imagine that they may even rely on private/university labs themselves. Even if such a service did exist, they could IMO certainly not be relied upon to provide objective scientific test results that may work against the interests of the powers that be.

I would also trust a commercial operation above a government-sponsored university, although in the case of CMU I imagine you'd be OK as long as the owner of your building doesn't have direct connections with them.

[Greenside]

Yes, I know it's Thailand, but isn't there a government authority on water standards that can be approached?

What about the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment ? I expect some cynicism now!

And so you should. You seem to be under the illusion that government agencies have some sort of public service function here. My perception is that they are basically franchises with territories operated for the private profit of those who have purchased or won the right to operate them.

I'd be very surprised if such a testing service were available to the public from a government agency, and imagine that they may even rely on private/university labs themselves. Even if such a service did exist, they could IMO certainly not be relied upon to provide objective scientific test results that may work against the interests of the powers that be.

I would also trust a commercial operation above a government-sponsored university, although in the case of CMU I imagine you'd be OK as long as the owner of your building doesn't have direct connections with them.

Didn't either of you bother to read the post above? The local water authority does tests - well water, your water, their tap water, bottled water or bath water for all I know. You might doubt the veracity of the results but they can't possibly have any kind of agenda because you don't even have to be honest about the source unless you declare it's from a deep borehole in which case they want to see the permit is in order.

If you're that paranoid about water quality I imagine sticking to only using big brand name bottled product is the only recipe for peace of mind - stay with Evian is my advice.

On second thoughts maybe Nestle, but then again, given the counterfeiting situation in Asia you should probably be sure to check the lot number of each bottle online before consumption.

[Greenside]

Update: We got the results back from the Water Authority and, my wife assures me, the certificate they gave us says that our water is fit to drink. They also gave us a couple of photocopied pages with the permitted levels of the things they tested for. There was no testing done for bacteria such as Coliform organisms so we may get that done as well.

It looks to me like they did 14 tests which I'm sure worked out very much cheaper than CMU but if you prefer to use them, at least you can take our list of tests as a guide.

[AndersSN]

If saveral people u know are having issues, then it would be in everybody's interest to do a test.

Why don't u collect money from your friends to do the test?

[beau thai]

On 3/11/2012 at 9:39 AM, Greenside said:

Firstly, check out this thread which gives a bit more detail about the options.

CMU testing no doubt offers the most comprehensive range of tests but the problem is without some help it's tough to know which to have done if all you want to know is "is it drinkable?". If you get them all done it comes to about 15,000 baht but that's a bit like saying a restaurant's pricey on the basis of ordering everything on the menu.

I'm in the middle of this at the moment and have got a sample being analysed by the Water Authority (see my map for location) which should be back in a couple of weeks. The cost was just north of 1000 baht but you almost certainly need to have a fluent Thai speaker on hand, not so much at the stage of handing over the sample, but to make sure the results are understandable. All that's needed is a clean 1.25L PET soda bottle and your address details, although if you're having a borehole tested you may need paperwork to show it's been dug officially if it's deeper than 30m (I think). I'm hoping our results will give me the confidence to use our water for drinking, installing an extra filter if necessary.

Seems to me that CMU are missing out on some useful income by not providing a more friendly menu where you could simply pick a "set" of tests that match your objectives. Doubtless it would have to be qualified with dozens of disclaimers to indemnify them but as far as water goes we're all pretty much at risk every day.

Greenside, just refreshing this thread as I am trying to discover if our condo filtered bore water is safe to drink after running it through an 8.5l small Brita filter.

The measurements with a Xiaomi pen monitor are 207ppm pre Brita and 147ppm post Brita.  So far, ok.

But the same test with Singha Bottled Water gives 297ppm pre and 217ppm post Brita!  Clearly minerals are added to Singha giving a higher ppm but I am still in the dark about the desirability of drinking Brita filtered condo water as the water monitors do not distguish between good and bad ppm.

Next step is a lab test and as your thread was back in 2012 I wonder if there is anything new to add that uou have learned along the way please? Or from other readers on their experience with water quality here.

[HullyGully]

I use a RO System for drinking water

 

I have attacDRINKING WATER CHART.doched for general info a drinking water ppm chart

[BritManToo]

It would be cheaper to just buy a RO kit from Lazada/Shopee ...... around 4k.

https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องกรองน้ำ-RO-เครื่องกรองน้ำro-เครื่องกรองน้ำดื่ม-เครื่องกรองน้ำระบบ-RO-reverse-osmosis-เครื่องกรองนำ-ro-ไส้กรองน้ำ-i.106705014.4124868745

Edited May 24, 2020 by BritManToo

[beau thai]

Interesting suggestion. Thanks. Do you have experience of these units?

[Kiniyeow]

For those that do use a RO system, how often do you need to change the filters and at what cost?

[Bill97]

1 hour ago, Kiniyeow said:

For those that do use a RO system, how often do you need to change the filters and at what cost?

Well that would depend on at least two factors:  1.  How dirty the input water is and 2.  The quantity of water filtered daily. Might also depend on your tolerance for slow filtering and water less than 100%, like a little dirty because the filter is dirty.

 

Filters vary in price a lot.  You going to change them yourself or have someone do it?

[Greenside]

Our water turned out to be way too rich in iron to consider drinking so we buy 25L bottles.  That choice was made on the basis that I feel that we'd be unreliable about changing filters regularly and the cost and convenience of the way we buy it is acceptable.  We use a jug filter for the coffee machine but to be honest I don't know if it really improves the taste any.  Domestic water is from the PWA and now the well is just for garden irrigation. 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Greenside

[beau thai]

Many thanks for responding after so many years Greenside!

 

Still trying to discover the quality of our filtered bore water straight from the tap, and then after Brita.

 

Hoping to find a testing 'lab' costing less than the 15k quoted earlier for CMU.

[JohnBarleycorn]

No problem with the water here.  I have been drinking it for years.

I do not filter it.

I do boil it before drinking.

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by JohnBarleycorn

[beau thai]

2 hours ago, JohnBarleycorn said:

No problem with the water here.  I have been drinking it for years.

I do not filter it.

I do boil it before drinking.

 

City Water or Bore water?