To drink or not to drink.....

[Kommiekat]

I'm located in Arisara Place, across The Sunday Spa in Bophut.

My juristic manager says "Don't drink the tap water. Not even the locals drink it. Too much Iron in the water."

Then, I got to asking shoppers in Big C and Tesco who looked like long time Vets living here for their opinion.

Most say no problem. Water from Tap is OK. It's merely a matter of taste.

Was thinking of getting a 5000 bt water filter from Home Depot at the Chewang Tesco.

Again, asked Vets same question.

Most said, if you go for a filter, you'll need to pay a lot more than 5000 bt.

Besides, if you're tired of going to Makro for the 6 pack 1L bottles of water for 45 bt, Why not just get the one from the dispenser that comes in the ?10L? jug. They deliver to you.

Any opinions?

[khman]

I use big bottles mostly. No big deal, easy, cheap...

I always wondered how many liters in it?

Sometimes I buy some mineral waters, mostly from 7-11 when I am thirsty outside...

[Kommiekat]

^^^

So that means you DON'T drink the tap water?

Do you use if for cooking as in making soups?

[khman]

No I never use tap water for cooking. Only for shower!

I thought all people including Thais only drink from those big bottle, nobody from tap...! Isn't it?!

[Kommiekat]

I thought all people including Thais only drink from those big bottle, nobody from tap...! Isn't it?!

That's exactly the point I'm trying to find out as well.

I see people buying the big bottles (you mean the ones that you turn upside down and put on top of the dispenser, yes?)

But think about it. Just because everybody is doing it, does not mean it has to be done, for folks living out here.

I can understand the case of being a tourist...........

I DO drink from a glass with ice at the local mom and pop's noodle/fried rice shop.

I usually order coke or sprite and I do notice locals drinking the water there.

[pokerspiv]

Get one of the water coolers and stick the 10 baht big bottles on top of it.

Fresh, cold water whenever you want it, and many models also boil water which is good for coffee or cooking.

I DO drink from a glass with ice at the local mom and pop's noodle/fried rice shop.

I usually order coke or sprite and I do notice locals drinking the water there.

Well that's certainly not tap water then. If it was, you'd know. Tap water here tastes like old sneakers.

Edited August 28, 2013 by pokerspiv

[Tropicalevo]

You need to establish if the water is from a well or from the government (reservoir). Even so , when the government water runs out (most places, most years), you will be drinking water from the trucks - which is from a well.

The well water here is potable (safe to drink). I have had it tested a number of times over the years. It does not taste great and it smells. Heavy in iron - yes.

I have lived here for 13 years - with only a well water supply. I cook and clean teeth with tap water. No problem - no tummy upsets. For drinking water - I use a water dispenser - 20 litre bottle - 15 baht. (I have heard of problems with some of the 10 baht suppliers). I also use this water for tea/coffee - just for the taste. Not for safety. I will usually rinse my mug with the tap water and then pour my coffee stright into the mug. No problem.

When I lived in Bangkok - everyone drank the government water AFTER they had boiled it. I would do the same here. If in doubt - get your tap water tested. The life that you save may be your own.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Tropicalevo

[Kommiekat]

Very very nice advice. Thank you.

Would, perchance, have a name of the 15 bt water supplier?

I assume I buy the dispenser or rent it?

And 15bt for 20 liters? That's much better than 6 liters at 50 bt from Makro or any of the other big stores.

[Tropicalevo]

Very very nice advice. Thank you.

Would, perchance, have a name of the 15 bt water supplier?

I assume I buy the dispenser or rent it?

And 15bt for 20 liters? That's much better than 6 liters at 50 bt from Makro or any of the other big stores.

I buy my water from 'Bank Water'.

I pay 100 baht deposit for each bottle and after that I just exchange empty ones for full ones. If you are buying just one bottle you may not need to pay the deposit. (I carry a supply of 20 bottles.)

Bank Water are just off the ring road. I do not know the name of the soi - sorry. Coming from Chaweng towards Lamai - after the PTT station south of Tesco Lotus (quite a way) take the first concrete road to the left. It is just before some shop-houses.

Or - if you are not in this area - just buy a 20 litre bottle from your local shop. There are lots of suppliers.

For the water cooler -you will have to buy one. You can also buy a 'cradle' for the bottles. Easy to pour, but not chilled.

I think that a chilled water cooler is 5,000 to 8,000 baht. A cradle is approx 1,000 baht from memory.

[pokerspiv]

I think that a chilled water cooler is 5,000 to 8,000 baht. A cradle is approx 1,000 baht from memory.

There are a few on sale in lamai tesco for 3k-5k baht (brand new, and they also function as a hot water dispenser), so not as expensive as you might think. Not sure how much electric they use.

[Richie23]

Tap water for the kettle is alright isn't it? Once boiled and all that. I've always used it for a cuppa and not had a problem. Should I use bottled water?

[glegolo]

I live in isaan. Up here, maybe not same as in the tourist-district you guys live in. But here thai´s drink rainwater, NEVER EVER this shitty tapwater. the tapwater is NOT clean.... I shower in it and we make our dishes in it. I stopped after 1,5 years of diareea to brush my teeth the shitty tapwater .

We in the family here buy 5 of these 20l white plastic jugs costs 12 baht a piece and drink that and have no more problem with stomach.

But stay away from the tapwater.. Thai use chemicals like there is no tomorrow everybody knows that...

Glegolo

[pokerspiv]

Tap water for the kettle is alright isn't it? Once boiled and all that. I've always used it for a cuppa and not had a problem. Should I use bottled water?

It's safe to drink once boiled, but from my experience even using it with instant coffee makes the coffee taste awful. I use bottled water in my kettle and it tastes a lot better.

Edited August 29, 2013 by pokerspiv

[Tropicalevo]

Tap water for the kettle is alright isn't it? Once boiled and all that. I've always used it for a cuppa and not had a problem. Should I use bottled water?

It's all down to where the 'tap' water comes from.

Mine comes from a well in my garden. I can drink it - no problem. As I said earlier, I prefer not to because of taste.

You need to establish where the water in your tap comes from and trace it back to source. Not "A big tank in the garden!".

If you are really worried - take a bottleful to one of the water tech companies and ask them to test it for potability.

Or - just drink the brown water

[Tropicalevo]

Tap water for the kettle is alright isn't it? Once boiled and all that. I've always used it for a cuppa and not had a problem. Should I use bottled water?

It's safe to drink once boiled, but from my experience even using it with instant coffee makes the coffee taste awful. I use bottled water in my kettle and it tastes a lot better.

+ 1

[Tropicalevo]

I live in isaan. Up here, maybe not same as in the tourist-district you guys live in. But here thai´s drink rainwater, NEVER EVER this shitty tapwater. the tapwater is NOT clean.... I shower in it and we make our dishes in it. I stopped after 1,5 years of diareea to brush my teeth the shitty tapwater .

We in the family here buy 5 of these 20l white plastic jugs costs 12 baht a piece and drink that and have no more problem with stomach.

But stay away from the tapwater.. Thai use chemicals like there is no tomorrow everybody knows that...

Glegolo

Here on Samui a lot of water in peoples houses comes from wells - many of them very deep. (Mine is > 100 metres deep). There is no government water supply in the area where I live. I think that this is true once you move away from the larger towns. Anyway - the government water runs out most years in the summer.

In 13 years I have never had a sloppy botty from the water from my tap. From a ferocious laab maybe - but not the water.

[samuibeachcomber]

If newly arrived in thailand i would stay away from any tap water.You can buy clean water from reverse osmosis machines for 1 baht a litre.Once acclimatised brushing teeth from tap water is ok,as is washing friut and vegies,but shake off excess water first before eating.Boiling tap water is ok as long as you boil the water for several minutes first, but the taste is lousy.

[Gatorade]

All of my water comes from Tankers (well water) and stored rain water and goes into the main tank.

I take all of our drinking water from these two sources having run it through a Clarte 4 filter water purification set up.

The Clarte cost around 6000 baht incuding plumbing from Home pro and was installed around 4 years ago.

We use water containers to decant at least 8 litres a day from the Clarte and keep them in the fridge.

The drinking water after filtration tastes just fine and no one including many visitors have experienced any problems at all either with taste or stomach problems. We do use unfiltered water for teeth cleaning etc but as Samuibeachcomber said it's best to become acclimatised before doing this.

I do ensure that the change of filters schedule is adhered to which works to be around 1000 Baht P.A.

I worked out that the system easliy paid for itself within a 2 year period, it also avoids the hassle of lugging large water bottles around.

I did think about putting in a well but the costs work out to be around 12 years of water deliveries and the ever present risk that the well could dry up,

particularly as so many are now being installed.

In the area where I live in Plai lam we have had 3 old wells dry up and a recently installed one now only delivers a trickle.

So for me the home water purification system works perfectly well.

[Kommiekat]

^^^

Nice post. Unfortunately, I live in a Condo, so I may go for the 6000bt filter you mentioned.

Does HomePro offer free installation or do they charge?

[Gatorade]

^^^

Nice post. Unfortunately, I live in a Condo, so I may go for the 6000bt filter you mentioned.

Does HomePro offer free installation or do they charge?

I used a local plumber. Not sure if Home Pro will install free but I would think that for a small charge they would get it fitted.

PM me if you get stuck.

[batty123]

I have a well and I had the water tested by the Dubai government testing labs. The result is that our water has excessive amounts of minerals which will probably not affect your health but it also contains bacteria of a sort that will not cause any health problems but may exacerbate existing health conditions. In view of this I use tap water for washing etc but have fitted a simple tap mounted filter which has silver nitrate as the effective ingredient to neutralise the bacteria. The filter also catches the mineral particles to produce fairly clean water for drinking. Having said that we do buy bottled water for drinking mainly because it has become a habit after 35 years living in the Middle East.

[ShadowDweller]

I use tap water for washing clothes, showering, and brusing teeth and have not had any problems. I do run a set of filters, one for sediment (Lots of sediment in the water where I am) and and a carbon filter to remove any taste. For drinking, bottled water only.

[SamuiRes]

We have government water and every 4-5 months I have to take the tap apart and soak in a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to remove the brown crud that builds up in there which restricts the flow. Yes I brush my teeth and shower in it but nothing more. Always use the big white bottles delivered to the house and the office.

[samuibruno]

hi

ive no problem drinking tap water [unless its brown or smells]

ive found most well water is fine

after boiling most/all water is drinkable

supot electric has a good range of water filters

because if you buy one make sure you can buy replacement [filters]

dont fall into the trap of buying one then cant get parts

that really gets your blood boiling

cheers

[Birdman]

we buy the Tesco/Big C water bottles for drinking and the white 20 l bottles for making tea and the water from the well for brushing teeth, shower, wash the dishes etc etc since the post Tesco era. In the pre Tesco era same but the 20l bottles also for drinking.....

[Kommiekat]

Just found out the Condo I live at sells the 20 Liters at 15 bt.

Gee, thanks Mr. Juristic manager for informing me about this NOW.

Anyways, I'm a happy camper for now. Will look into the filters later.

Thanks for everybody's input!

[Samui Coconut]

Just found out the Condo I live at sells the 20 Liters at 15 bt.

Gee, thanks Mr. Juristic manager for informing me about this NOW.

Anyways, I'm a happy camper for now. Will look into the filters later.

Thanks for everybody's input!

I hope you dont drink any alcohol, coz you might go bankrupt with todays price increases.....

[Kommiekat]

Just found out the Condo I live at sells the 20 Liters at 15 bt.

Gee, thanks Mr. Juristic manager for informing me about this NOW.

Anyways, I'm a happy camper for now. Will look into the filters later.

Thanks for everybody's input!

I hope you dont drink any alcohol, coz you might go bankrupt with todays price increases.....

Funny you should mention that.

The 7/11 bar has the short boys at 36bt whereas the tall boys are at 42 bt.

I just pay the extra 6 bt.