Lack Of Water Pressure

[MilesCh]

In my area on the east fork of Sripingmuang Rd several houses are with very little to no water pressure. This has a daily occurrence for the entire month of April to date and occurred several times in March. I notice that in the middle of the night there is a little pressure. And when I say little or no water pressure I mean it. Insufficient to take a shower as presumably the hot water tank is not filling, and can't even take a cold shower.

I have discussed this with a few neighbors who witness the same if on city water. Those drawing from the ground have no difficulty. In my case the landlord refuses to install a tank and pump and this applies to 4 houses I'm aware of in this area that he owns. Therefore I've given notice of "uninhabitable and notice to immediately vacate" with full baht refund.

I've checked with several people in Chiang Mai and even in this area who don't have a problem; however they could have a pump/tank and wouldn't be aware. One neighbor talked to a small restaurant about 2 kilometers away on Sripingmuang Soi 4 who has similar difficulty with water pressure being up and down.

Is anyone else experiencing this? And is there a way to have this corrected by the Water Department?

[iainiain101]

We are experiencing the same problem in Mahidol Road near Chiang Mai Land. The first we knew of the problem was when our water tank emptied and would not refill until the early hours of the morning.

Our Thai neighbours are experiencing the same issue, and have contacted the water company who 'know of no problem'.

We are assuming that the high usage for this time of year, plus the amount of new houses using 'town water' has lead to the problem. This is our 6th hot season in the house and we have never had a problem with water supply before.

Parents at our children's school are reporting the same problem around Plaza 89 area.

I am interested to know if the water pressure is likely to increase, or its dig a well time!

[elektrified]

It's got nothing to do with "high usage for this time of year".

For the last year or 18 months now they have been rebuilding the water supply infrastructure in C.M., quite literally everywhere from the moat to all of the outlying areas in every direction. In the Sansai area we have either had days upon days of no water at all or days upon days of low or almost no water pressure. Finally a few months ago everything was back to normal as they completed the upgrades in the area. Then the pressure problem started again. We asked at the PWA office what was going on and the answer they gave us was that they are now putting even bigger pipes in because of all the construction going on, the system they put in one year ago was now obsolete! (Nice planning). We tried to go to the PWA office a month ago to pay the bill and couldn't even get in the parking lot because they were replacing the main valves which were about several feet in diameter. Needless to say we were without water for about 2 full days while they completed this.

When they glue the pipes together, they don't even use primer. They just quickly glue them and reduce the pressure for a few days and hope the fittings will hold!

This is going on all over the city.

We got 2 X 40 or 50 gallon water tanks on sale at Makro; one for upstairs and one for downstairs to get us through the days of no water/no water pressure. If the pressure is too low it twill not even activate the water heater and you can't even take a shower. Ahhh development in C.M.....

[BB1955]

I have got the same issue in Hang Dong very low water presure .. Great for me too I just laid down 500 sq meters of sod ..........

[worgeordie]

You need to buy a water tank and pump,as things are not going to get any better,

just look at all the house,mall,condo building thats going on,do you think the water

company has made plans for all the increase in customers,I don't think so.

Thailand =planing for the future, that has got to be the ultimate oxymoron.

Regards Worgeordie

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If the pressure is too low it twill not even activate the water heater and you can't even take a shower.

What city water was designed for:

Your expectations:

But seriously, the actual pressure in your bathroom depends on your own plumbing system, water storage and pump. Nobody should rely on city water pressure for anything; you just don't.

Edited April 9, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[tfc]

Ironically our water pump seems to have blown something today and I've been able to observe what it's like to get un-pumped water pressure. Not very good. A water pump is definitely needed.

[HullyGully]

We have a 1250Ltr tank and pump and never really know about water shortages / pressure drops

A must if you live in CM

[MilesCh]

Thanks, Worgeordie, for the suggestion to buy a pump and tank. However, as stated I am not the owner of the property and the owner refuses to spend a satang to fix anything. He claims he's a retired engineer, but hasn't said how much he paid for his license, which must have been considerable in light of the many things wrong with the house he built. As my masseuse said, "The house looks nice, but nothing works."

Therefore I'm actively looking for a new place and with luck will have it this week. And included in looking is the question, "Does the house have a water tank and pump?" And when I visit the house, it will be inspected. FYI, when I looked at this house I didn't ask the question, but did notice when I was there in the afternoon there was sufficient water pressure, which was soon found to be minimal. The small water pipe, perhaps 1/2" to 3/4" first runs through another house and if they are using the water, the pressure drops -- as was discovered when showering and the water died and I couldn't rinse the soap off.

At any rate, thanks all for your input as it was important to know if this is CM universal which apparently it is.

Guess I should look for a house that also has a well or ground water hose with pressure. One of my neighbors relies 100% on ground water and has no difficulty. My landlord, who lives next door waters the landscape with ground water with tremendous pressure with a large hose, but won't let me use it to even wash my car as "it would use too much water" from the ground. Yet I've seen him washing his car and he doesn't even have a nozzle that shuts off so he just left it running for half of the day

[iainiain101]

We have a 1250Ltr tank and pump and never really know about water shortages / pressure drops

A must if you live in CM

Not big enough if you have a garden to water. I have a 2000 litre tank that needs to be refilling during the day or it runs out. Last months water bill was for 79,400 litres. We don't have a leak, as the metre stops when everything is turned off.

[silverhawk_usa]

This is one of the potential 'building boom' problems that concern me. New shopping malls, condos, moo baans, and more, are being built everywhere. We complain constantly about the vehicular traffic increase, What about the supporting infrastructure and utilities? The drain on existing utilities is going to be monumental. Are the malls going to produce their own electricity? Surely the moobaans and condos are not. How much can Chiang Mai support?

[clokwise]

When I lived in my house off Kampangdin Rd we had two large tanks and a pump between the tanks and the house, however we lived at the end of a soi and there was often very little water left on the city pipes after all he neighbors got to it, and it would literally go drip by drip into our tank. Completely useless.

We ended up having to buy a second pump, this one was between our tanks and the city water supply, and this pump basically sucked all the water out of that pipe at full speed and filled our tanks. I was told this is actually illegal and we had to place it somewhat out of the way inside the compound so it wouldn't be discovered. I'm not recommending anyone else do this, however it worked like a charm.

[tango]

#1 Re: '...I've given notice of "uninhabitable and notice to immediately vacate" '

Hi MC, was this clause part of your lease; is so, where did you obtain the lease?

Very insightful on your part.

[HAL9000]

A pump is useless if waiting for a tank to refill at city water pressure. I got a high powered Hitachi pump that pulls the water through and we have good high pressure water in the house just like back home. We have two water bottlers in the neighborhood, so the pressure is frequently low without the pump.

[coralia]

Does this situation affect the condo buildings as well, or only the housing estates?.... (I apologize if this is a silly question... I have been thinking of buying a condo in CM for some time, but if there is such a shortage of water, maybe that's a bad idea...)

[trainman34014]

FYI; it's going on all over the Province and some of the problem is draught. Just spent three days in the Ban Nong Tong area 20 klicks South of City and the water is being turned off from 10am until 5pm and 10pm until 6am every day. On Monday they turned the water on at 5pm and the system stopped through lack of supply just one hour later, returning to a low pressure supply at 7pm. Many other villages around the area have the same problems.

Your own tank and pump is the way forward as you ain't seen nothin' yet according to water officials. It's gonna get a lot worse before it gets any better.

[MilesCh]

#1 Re: '...I've given notice of "uninhabitable and notice to immediately vacate" '

Hi MC, was this clause part of your lease; is so, where did you obtain the lease?

Very insightful on your part.

This was not part of the lease; however I'm certain in most countries it would stand up in a court of law. The lease does read: "The landlord warrants and guarantees (to) maintain the premises in a structurally and livable condition."

A liveable condition by all means includes running water to flush the toilet, wash dishes, shower, etc., which were available when the tenant moved in. It would also include electricity shut off by the electric company for an abnormal length of time. Believe it would also include a roof should it be blown off in a typhoon. If a tree is blown down into the building, I should think that the damaged area could be closed off for a short period of time while repairs are made, probably deducting the rental of the unusable area.

[circusman]

Im sorry, I thought this was about water pistols.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Im sorry, I thought this was about water pistols.

CPS-1000 !!!

[Dante99]

#1 Re: '...I've given notice of "uninhabitable and notice to immediately vacate" '

Hi MC, was this clause part of your lease; is so, where did you obtain the lease?

Very insightful on your part.

This was not part of the lease; however I'm certain in most countries it would stand up in a court of law. The lease does read: "The landlord warrants and guarantees (to) maintain the premises in a structurally and livable condition."

A liveable condition by all means includes running water to flush the toilet, wash dishes, shower, etc., which were available when the tenant moved in. It would also include electricity shut off by the electric company for an abnormal length of time. Believe it would also include a roof should it be blown off in a typhoon. If a tree is blown down into the building, I should think that the damaged area could be closed off for a short period of time while repairs are made, probably deducting the rental of the unusable area.

Does not matter what would happen in most countries and it all depends on the kindness of your landlord's heart. It is not his fault that the city water is insufficient, it has been that way for decades in the hot season in many areas.

Could be hard to claim uninhabitable if neighbors continue to habituate on city water.

[nokia]

dear CM folks,

During this songkran, is there anywhere that I can buy non-potable water?

Besides the ubiquitous 50 satang/litre water dispensers or scooping directly from River Ping/city moat?

Cheers!

[heybruce]

Does this situation affect the condo buildings as well, or only the housing estates?.... (I apologize if this is a silly question... I have been thinking of buying a condo in CM for some time, but if there is such a shortage of water, maybe that's a bad idea...)

Two days ago the water pressure in Hillside 3 on Nimmanhamin dropped a lot and has stayed down. There are occasional short periods with no water at all. I don't know why, I've been in Hillside 3 for over four years and four Songkrans and this has never happened before. I haven't complained yet because I figured they'd just blame the problem on Songkran, but if the problem persists I will talk to the management tomorrow. If the problem is not with the condo but with the city water supply and there is no end in sight, it will be time to move (one of the advantages of renting).

[realthaideal]

I appreciate the effort MilesCh, but the big giant overreaching factor to keep in mind is called TIT - This Is Thailand. Despite what we think or how we package ideas of what's right n wrong or is reasonable to be expected, it doesn't.... ummm.... how should I say..... hold water over here.

My house has the same problem. Most Thais keep an earthen jar or a new plastic trash can in their bathroom as a reserve for just these occasions, be they a once-a-month thing or a daily occurrence even. You can buy the scoop with the good handle at most any major store as well as roadside stores that sell an array of household supplies. You'll be happy if you outfit yourself with one of these.

You may ask your landlord to buy upgrade equipment like a pump, but the chances of any Thai landlord anywhere providing that for you is like .001%. It's just how it is. Guess why ? TIT is why.

If you imagine that the advancement of plumbing and major urban infrastructure is relatively new to many around here - imagine like in the last 50-60 years, say, then even having ANY water service at all is impressive. It already comes to your house, kind of. What more could you ask for ? TIT.

There is a reason most home owners buy their own tanks n pumps. And there's a reason almost no rental houses do unless you're up in the 15+k/mo range.

Sadly. Like it or not. You just have to get used to it. TIT.

I would put your moving out and expecting a full refund of deposit as more wishful thinking. Be careful with your new place expectations that you aren't going out of the pan and into the fire.

Personally, I hope the water troubles don't get worse than they currently are, as they affect me too. But given the new projects in my quiet neighborhood, and the coming 200+ more ppl due to live here in a year, I expect less water and crappier internet service. I might start to get upset, but... I'll try to keep calm. After all, TIT.

Edited April 15, 2013 by realthaideal

[elektrified]

I appreciate the effort MilesCh, but the big giant overreaching factor to keep in mind is called TIT - This Is Thailand. Despite what we think or how we package ideas of what's right n wrong or is reasonable to be expected, it doesn't.... ummm.... how should I say..... hold water over here.

My house has the same problem. Most Thais keep an earthen jar or a new plastic trash can in their bathroom as a reserve for just these occasions, be they a once-a-month thing or a daily occurrence even. You can buy the scoop with the good handle at most any major store as well as roadside stores that sell an array of household supplies. You'll be happy if you outfit yourself with one of these.

You may ask your landlord to buy upgrade equipment like a pump, but the chances of any Thai landlord anywhere providing that for you is like .001%. It's just how it is. Guess why ? TIT is why.

If you imagine that the advancement of plumbing and major urban infrastructure is relatively new to many around here - imagine like in the last 50-60 years, say, then even having ANY water service at all is impressive. It already comes to your house, kind of. What more could you ask for ? TIT.

There is a reason most home owners buy their own tanks n pumps. And there's a reason almost no rental houses do unless you're up in the 15+k/mo range.

Sadly. Like it or not. You just have to get used to it. TIT.

I would put your moving out and expecting a full refund of deposit as more wishful thinking. Be careful with your new place expectations that you aren't going out of the pan and into the fire.

Personally, I hope the water troubles don't get worse than they currently are, as they affect me too. But given the new projects in my quiet neighborhood, and the coming 200+ more ppl due to live here in a year, I expect less water and crappier internet service. I might start to get upset, but... I'll try to keep calm. After all, TIT.

Couldn't have said it better myself. This is exactly the way it is. We have a 50 gallon plastic tank in the upstairs bathroom and a 50 gallon tank downstairs to get us through the times of little or no water. They were on sale at Makro for about 500-600 Baht each. Almost every Thai home I have been in anywhere in Thailand has at least that if not a huge tank and a pump. Things will only be getting worse around here. Better get used to it and plan for it yourself. People who are talking about complaining to the managers or landlords of their rental units will not get too far. The Thais just deal with it. As RTD said TiT.

I too, expect the Internet to be getting slower and slower soon. There really is little forward planning in Thailand. Everything is taken day by day.

[MilesCh]

Thank you for all of the informative replies. FYI, although the landlord said he would not add tanks/pumps, one day they appeared, 1500 liter type, and water is fine. He added one for himself, and one each for 4 other houses. My lease has expired and I've moved from the dump where nothing works to a smaller house (for 1/3 the price) out by Mee Chok. The air is clean -- perhaps partially due to rain --, it is quiet day and night, reaching town is not as convenient, there is a water pump/tank, internet speed is fine using DTAC. Only problem is it's too small so will be looking for a larger place a bit closer in. I had extensively searched the area where I was and the difficulties were insurmountable such as flooding, noise, air quality, etc., so am comfortable without the ability to walk to Central.