What Size Is Yours?

[Bluetongue]

No, not that. Your rainwater tank. Just wondering if most of you drink rainwater or if you filter or buy your own. I went with the stainless steel tank 1600 litres, and use runoff from the roof - after a suitable period for rinsing detritus off the tiles and the gutter I simply open a tap. It has just run out, never before over several years. I'm thinking the problem is I didn't fill it in October and November, just got lax I suppose. There are 4 of us so if it was full in September that is about 5 months or about 10 litres a day. Never mind an opportunity to clean it I suppose.

I've noticed that the Thai's like hoarding water, I'm currently using my sister's in law she has 6000 litres of it probably about 5000 left. True to that thinking the missus wants to go straight out and buy another one now, and I'm resisting. Mainly because it will add to the higgledy piggledy effect I already have as I have 2 1000 litre pots to store domestic water in next to the steel one. 1600 should be plenty what do you think.

[jamescollister]

We just have a well for domestic use, our drinking water comes from a magic spring. Every week or so we head out in the truck and load up with bottles of spring water. Jim

[Mosha]

Our village supply comes direct from a spring, it's piped out before the flies can piss in it.We store it in a 1000 litre plastic tank. Now and again heavy rain knocks the pump out, and the water in the tank keeps us going a day or so. Drinking water we buy in, although the mains is safe enough.

[Gary A]

We have a 1,500 liter fiberglass tank and collect rain water in it. The wife says the water off the tile roof is not safe so she only collects the water from a metal roof over her open kitchen. That tank has its own pump and the water goes through a very large activated charcoal filter then to a three stage filter with the final stage a ceramic filter. She fills enough plastic soft drink bottles to fill a small refrigerator. The 1,500 liters lasts until the next rainy season.

[patongphil]

We just have a few of those large cement pots and collect and drink the water straight from the roof - no filtration. This is exactly how just about all the Farmesr here do and have done for generations.

[cornishcarlos]

We just have a few of those large cement pots and collect and drink the water straight from the roof - no filtration. This is exactly how just about all the Farmesr here do and have done for generations.

Us too... 2 x big pink jar things last 3 of us between rain seasons.

Have thought about installing some type of filter though or maybe using some tablets of some sort ?

Not got sick yet but who knows...

[Khonwan]

I have two above-ground concrete tanks: 94 cu.m. and 27 cu.m. I previously used both for rainwater only but now use the 27 cu.m. tower-tank for bore-well water to serve my guest house and BiL’s house whilst still relying on my 94 cu.m. tank for rainwater for all my main-house needs.

Rgds

Khonwan

[Mosha]

I only checked this topic because of the title --- I know back in my hole

[David48]

We just have a few of those large cement pots and collect and drink the water straight from the roof - no filtration. This is exactly how just about all the Farmesr here do and have done for generations.

Us too... 2 x big pink jar things last 3 of us between rain seasons.

Have thought about installing some type of filter though or maybe using some tablets of some sort ?

Not got sick yet but who knows...

And the Farm I just stayed at was the same ...

All the large pots in front of the err ... dwelling* ... I suppose you call it ...

It did go through a particle filter before drinking ... though you never know when that filter element was replaced.

Never got sick there once though.

*Aunts home ... not the Farmhouse I stayed in.

[Ticketmaster]

I get five gallon (20 liters) jugs of drinking water delivered to my house for 10 baht each (carried inside). At that price, I don't think I could recover the price of a SS tank in my lifetime. Tank, about 16,000 baht, divided by 10 = 1,600 bottles. Even if we drank a whole bottle every three days, it would take 13 years just to break even and that is without considering the time value of money!

[patongphil]

I get five gallon (20 liters) jugs of drinking water delivered to my house for 10 baht each (carried inside). At that price, I don't think I could recover the price of a SS tank in my lifetime. Tank, about 16,000 baht, divided by 10 = 1,600 bottles. Even if we drank a whole bottle every three days, it would take 13 years just to break even and that is without considering the time value of money!

Some of us stay in places a little bit remote for this sort of service!!!!

[jamescollister]

Think people take this drinking water thing a bit too seriously at times.

As said get our drinking water from a magic spring, but the well water at home is fine to drink as is rain water, just the spring water tastes better.

It's not as if rural Issan is polluted with heavy metals or industrial poisons, it's water, if the locals drink it you can drink it. Jim

[Gary A]

We used to buy drinking water that is delivered in those big translucent plastic bottles. One day I took the cap seal off and screwed off the cap. I saw something inside and found a bunch of mosquito wrigglers swimming around. That's when I decided to use filtered rain water.

[Bluetongue]

I'm pretty sure my well water which I store in the big pink cement jars and use for showering, gardening, washing is not safe to drink. The family says that it has too much lime and calcium in it, they say it clogs you up so you cant piss. I'll take their word for it but it doesn't seem to effect the dogs.

[jamescollister]

I'm pretty sure my well water which I store in the big pink cement jars and use for showering, gardening, washing is not safe to drink. The family says that it has too much lime and calcium in it, they say it clogs you up so you cant piss. I'll take their word for it but it doesn't seem to effect the dogs.

You can have it tested, but I use the simple method. Fill a clear glass bottle with the water, seal it and leave for a month or so, nothing grows it's safe for bacteria. Taste it, if it doesn't have a bad taste, it's safe.

Same goes for rain water, round here people will not drink rain water off the roof, but happy to collect it from a sheet of tin into a big jar. They believe that there's rats shit on the roof it's poison.

Look in an out back town in OZ, not much rain, dead birds in the tank, bad stuff sinks to the bottom. It's water and your taste buds can tell.

Usually get a dose of the trots when I go back to OZ, water tastes crap where we stay, but safe to drink. Jim

[IsaanAussie]

Tell you what, I'll bring you some of my "EM" for the pigs. Thats lactic acid bacteria and will sterilise your well water.

[jamescollister]

Tell you what, I'll bring you some of my "EM" for the pigs. Thats lactic acid bacteria and will sterilise your well water.

Just bring your self and wife, waters for washing, beers for drinking. Jim

[DerkMR]

Think people take this drinking water thing a bit too seriously at times.

As said get our drinking water from a magic spring, but the well water at home is fine to drink as is rain water, just the spring water tastes better.

It's not as if rural Issan is polluted with heavy metals or industrial poisons, it's water, if the locals drink it you can drink it. Jim

Sure on this?

I stopped FIL burning all the rubbish on the farm which also contained the old batteries.

They don't know about the construction or the toxicity if they are dropped or burned anywhere.

Also the burnt plastic may drop some toxic rests when next rain comes.

They also do it close to farming land or dwells...

Si I'm not sure on the water quality in Isaan and while FIL drinks the 20 l bottled water I don't as it has too much chlorine in it for me to tast acceptable.

Bye,

Derk

[jamescollister]

Think people take this drinking water thing a bit too seriously at times.

As said get our drinking water from a magic spring, but the well water at home is fine to drink as is rain water, just the spring water tastes better.

It's not as if rural Issan is polluted with heavy metals or industrial poisons, it's water, if the locals drink it you can drink it. Jim

Sure on this?

I stopped FIL burning all the rubbish on the farm which also contained the old batteries.

They don't know about the construction or the toxicity if they are dropped or burned anywhere.

Also the burnt plastic may drop some toxic rests when next rain comes.

They also do it close to farming land or dwells...

Si I'm not sure on the water quality in Isaan and while FIL drinks the 20 l bottled water I don't as it has too much chlorine in it for me to tast acceptable.

Bye,

Derk

As said doesn't taste right don't drink it. Surface

pollution will very unlikely get down to drinking well water level. It will run off to rivers and then the sea.

Remember being in a mine, water dripping from the roof or what ever you call the top of a hole in the ground. They said the rain fell when JC was a kid [not this JC] 2.000 years ago.

Our under ground water comes from the mountains and may have fell 1,000s of years ago.

Just got to judge yourself, if it tastes OK and the locals drink it, chances are you will be OK. Jim

[diddums]

I get five gallon (20 liters) jugs of drinking water delivered to my house for 10 baht each (carried inside). At that price, I don't think I could recover the price of a SS tank in my lifetime. Tank, about 16,000 baht, divided by 10 = 1,600 bottles. Even if we drank a whole bottle every three days, it would take 13 years just to break even and that is without considering the time value of money!

Some people like to know where their water comes from and has been.

We lived near a water filter plant in Bkk...filthy joint.

[Bluetongue]

I'm pretty sure my well water which I store in the big pink cement jars and use for showering, gardening, washing is not safe to drink. The family says that it has too much lime and calcium in it, they say it clogs you up so you cant piss. I'll take their word for it but it doesn't seem to effect the dogs.

You can have it tested, but I use the simple method. Fill a clear glass bottle with the water, seal it and leave for a month or so, nothing grows it's safe for bacteria. Taste it, if it doesn't have a bad taste, it's safe.

Same goes for rain water, round here people will not drink rain water off the roof, but happy to collect it from a sheet of tin into a big jar. They believe that there's rats shit on the roof it's poison.

Look in an out back town in OZ, not much rain, dead birds in the tank, bad stuff sinks to the bottom. It's water and your taste buds can tell.

Usually get a dose of the trots when I go back to OZ, water tastes crap where we stay, but safe to drink. Jim

ok I'll try that and report back, I've drunk a lot or rainwater in OZ too off the roof, never a problem.

[Bluetongue]

I get five gallon (20 liters) jugs of drinking water delivered to my house for 10 baht each (carried inside). At that price, I don't think I could recover the price of a SS tank in my lifetime. Tank, about 16,000 baht, divided by 10 = 1,600 bottles. Even if we drank a whole bottle every three days, it would take 13 years just to break even and that is without considering the time value of money!

Some of us stay in places a little bit remote for this sort of service!!!!

yes I'd have to arrange to get one of my relatives it in the village to buy it and then bring it back home so with that cost on top more like 20 baht per bottle.

In any case as we go through 10litres a day that would be 180 bottles a year = 3600 by 4 = 14,400 not to mention the time involved, also some other posters have indicated this water has issues too, not that I have seen this

[Gary A]

I'm pretty sure that water from our bore hole would be safe to drink. I comes from about 100 feet down. My wife, who knows everything, says it is NOT safe to drink because of pesticides and fertilizer. She claims to not know where to have the water tested and says it would just be a waste of time and money just to prove that the water is not safe.

[jamescollister]

I'm pretty sure that water from our bore hole would be safe to drink. I comes from about 100 feet down. My wife, who knows everything, says it is NOT safe to drink because of pesticides and fertilizer. She claims to not know where to have the water tested and says it would just be a waste of time and money just to prove that the water is not safe.

Rural myths started by someone who knows nothing, get it all the time.

Tell your wife, if the water is bad so will all the rice. No more rice, only potatoes from now on. Think the water will get better. Jim

[comserve]

The standard guideline for rainwater collection requirement in Australia is a capacity of 20,000 ltrs. I have 6 x 3000 ltr tanks & 3 X 2000 ltr for rainwater, plus we have 1 X 2000 ltr for town water. That has been OK for the last few years but this year I am running short of water in my fresh water tanks. The fresh water is used for the kitchen, and one bathroom only. Laundry is always done using town water.

Previous years we never used more than half our capacity but this year we are looking to the sky for help.

I think the 20,000 ltr requirement is pretty accurate.

[Bluetongue]

The standard guideline for rainwater collection requirement in Australia is a capacity of 20,000 ltrs. I have 6 x 3000 ltr tanks & 3 X 2000 ltr for rainwater, plus we have 1 X 2000 ltr for town water. That has been OK for the last few years but this year I am running short of water in my fresh water tanks. The fresh water is used for the kitchen, and one bathroom only. Laundry is always done using town water.

Previous years we never used more than half our capacity but this year we are looking to the sky for help.

I think the 20,000 ltr requirement is pretty accurate.

You have 24000 litres of rainwater capacity which however you use for a bathroom as well. Seems a lot but we only use our rainwater for drinking and cooking. Mind you I wouldn't expect to go for 6 months without some refilling rain, whereas in Australia depending where you are you might have to wait longer than that.

[Gary A]

My wife waters her gardens and uses the washing machine often. Our village water bill is about 150 baht per month during the dry season. The water cost 3 baht per cubic meter. That is about 50,000 liters a month. During the rainy season, often there is no water bill. We can store 3,800 liters if rain water for house hold use. Not including the 1,500 liter tank of drinking water.

[David48]

Actually I'm thinking long term here ... but does/has anyone dug an in-ground tank and made that part of their slab and then used the dirt removed to raise their dwelling above the natural ground level.

Building on the higher ground (might only be 300 mil ... but that could make the difference) after the fill has been 'seasoned'.

Just tossing round ideas for a build in a few years time.

[Khonwan]

My 94,000 litres is needed and used every year; I have no piped water. My family of four use at least 500 litres per day and I recall one year here when we received no rainfall for seven months.

Rgds

Khonwan

[slapout]

Actually I'm thinking long term here ... but does/has anyone dug an in-ground tank and made that part of their slab and then used the dirt removed to raise their dwelling above the natural ground level.

Building on the higher ground (might only be 300 mil ... but that could make the difference) after the fill has been 'seasoned'.

Just tossing round ideas for a build in a few years time.

The inground tank (cistern) was the norm in the great plains areas of the US. Rainfall was the only source of drinkable water, thus the cistern was its collection tank.They were dug by hand and then bricked up the sides. They were the size the individual felt he needed. I think about the largest I can remember was 10 foot across by about 30 foot deep. This one was basically a project to keep the boys out of trouble, (4 of them)