Water Refill Stations - What's the source?

[belg]

the problem is the maintenance of the filters, and for maximum profits, they are changed as least as possible if it is run by private person

[advancebooking]

I use that water when I give a daily drink to the soi dogs at the bus station. I wouldnt consider drinking it for myself

[fakename]

I had a little mini mart, and the owner of the property had one of these machines installed. In the year that it was installed, I never seen anyone come and service the machine. Yes, the locals used it a lot, but that doesnt mean that the water is good. Someone that drives on the wrong side of the road, without a helmet and has all their children on the bike, cannot be the sharpest knife in the box!

I use the big bottles of water, it taste good, but of course I have no idea if it is really safe to drink. Probably depends on how well the bottles are cleaned after each use. The same can be said for household filtering systems, if they are not changed, then they dont do much.

[Brian Robson]

The water is supposedly of drinkable quality when it leaves the treatment plant, but can get contaminated along the way.

Irrespective of this water quality reaching the water dispensers, the issue is if the reverse osmosis filters are changed as prescribed, and as already mentioned, the UV lamp is operational. Both iffy in Thailand!

Personally I boil all my own water from the tap.

[lujanit]

If you are using a system that incorporates UV make sure you change the light once a year. UV lights degrade over time and consequently loose the ability to kill bacteria. It's all to do with the light spectrum/wavelength that UV emits at. The same goes for physical filters, change them once a year. Particulate filters get blocked, ion exchange and activated filters get saturated and become useless.

We use a 3 stage filter system here (Bangkok water) and have never had a problem.

[cooked]

I hear stories of Thais changing the oil in their car but not the filter, so assuming that bought water is clean may be a mistake. We are fortunate enough to have rain water as a source and actually take adequate supplies with us when we go on holiday as well as our own rice cooker and rice!

Having said that I have never had problems that I can trace back to unclean water.

[joshstiles]

But you say it is filtered? Do you happen to know what the filtration system is?

sand

[JacChang]

I used to buy the water where the local pick up truck would send huge white bottles to my house for probably 5-7 baht per container. Then I saw how they operated. The bottle container are shared with everyone in the area, they can spit in it for all that matters. Next they refill the water from god knows where, I just saw those huge pottery tanks. The brown ones you see sold in the province side streets, where you can jump in and take a shower inside lol. Not for me, shared dirty containers+ unreliable source of water = Crossed out.

Next I went to the water dispensing like you have. Do some shopping around, some places they have a paper certification where the technician has to sign for each maintenance. Once I saw in the fuel station, a maintenance technician just went there and just signed the paper off without doing anything. Plus I went to check that water station, it got all green slime around the outlet. From then on, I was strict on where I get my water. Not all water stations are the same. I found a filtration company that sold water filters and all the sorts, and just in front of their entrance, voila! They have a water dispensing station, so I get the water from there, as I know it has a reputable filtration source and an actual company standing behind it.

Long story short, after all these fuss. Finally I found "Sprinkle Water". The best water I ever had and drank and I will be a lifetime customer. The website provides you with detailed information on how the water is made, and how the container is washed and so on. I have them deliver 3 bottles per week, about 20 liters or more each I think. Highly recommended. They deliver to your door with no charges, except for the water itself. Delivers every week automatically, if your still okay, you can call them to skip this week and so on. Very clean, and the water is actually delicious. No chlorine smell, slightly sweet, ph balanced water. Google it if you want to order.

[joshstiles]

I use that water when I give a daily drink to the soi dogs at the bus station. I wouldnt consider drinking it for myself

this might be considered animal abuse.....i wouldn't admit to this on tv....

[PAWNEESE]

There was a Pattaya newspaper report about a year ago .. from memory the local town hall surveyed a percentage of them there machines and a some dispensed unhealthy water. Apparently the problem was insufficient maintenance .. cleaning filters etc. I have noted our condo complexes dispenser seems to be regularly service ... date of last service certificate type form always attached. I have convinced myself the condo has a good maintainance contract and all is well.

I guess the ones by the side of the street outside shops may be not so well cared for. Perhaps googling would bring the report up. Probably it was the Pattaya Mail.

Most people here get their water from it no one died yet. If you put a white cloth over mains water tap as some do here as design means water splashes out of sink otherwise .. the cloth goes brown extrenely quick.

I would not drink the tap water .. it is visibly not nice.

[speedtripler]

I used to buy the water where the local pick up truck would send huge white bottles to my house for probably 5-7 baht per container. Then I saw how they operated. The bottle container are shared with everyone in the area, they can spit in it for all that matters. Next they refill the water from god knows where, I just saw those huge pottery tanks. The brown ones you see sold in the province side streets, where you can jump in and take a shower inside lol. Not for me, shared dirty containers+ unreliable source of water = Crossed out.

Next I went to the water dispensing like you have. Do some shopping around, some places they have a paper certification where the technician has to sign for each maintenance. Once I saw in the fuel station, a maintenance technician just went there and just signed the paper off without doing anything. Plus I went to check that water station, it got all green slime around the outlet. From then on, I was strict on where I get my water. Not all water stations are the same. I found a filtration company that sold water filters and all the sorts, and just in front of their entrance, voila! They have a water dispensing station, so I get the water from there, as I know it has a reputable filtration source and an actual company standing behind it.

Long story short, after all these fuss. Finally I found "Sprinkle Water". The best water I ever had and drank and I will be a lifetime customer. The website provides you with detailed information on how the water is made, and how the container is washed and so on. I have them deliver 3 bottles per week, about 20 liters or more each I think. Highly recommended. They deliver to your door with no charges, except for the water itself. Delivers every week automatically, if your still okay, you can call them to skip this week and so on. Very clean, and the water is actually delicious. No chlorine smell, slightly sweet, ph balanced water. Google it if you want to order.

if your water tastes "sweet " something is wrong with it

are you sure its not 7up ?

[nputman]

But you say it is filtered? Do you happen to know what the filtration system is?

UV,/ozone that's all there is inside of them.

My step bro in BKK owned many of these units and I wouldn't use water out of them in a toilet.

In my opinion

[AyG]

Long story short, after all these fuss. Finally I found "Sprinkle Water". The best water I ever had and drank and I will be a lifetime customer. The website provides you with detailed information on how the water is made, and how the container is washed and so on. I have them deliver 3 bottles per week, about 20 liters or more each I think. Highly recommended. They deliver to your door with no charges, except for the water itself. Delivers every week automatically, if your still okay, you can call them to skip this week and so on. Very clean, and the water is actually delicious. No chlorine smell, slightly sweet, ph balanced water. Google it if you want to order.

if your water tastes "sweet " something is wrong with it

If your "water" tastes sweet you probably have diabetes.

If Sprinkle's water tastes sweet it's because there are very few minerals left in (or re-added) to it. Distilled water similarly tastes sweet.

The Sprinkle carboys are actually 18.9 litres.

As for "delivers every week automatically", that hasn't been my experience. Long period of non-delivery during the flooding. Period of a couple of weeks without delivery after Songkran this year. Never sure which day or what time of day they'll deliver. Still, probably the best of a dodgy bunch.

[sabaii69]

I use this machine water for cooking and sometimes for coffee. Never for drinking. I worked at the worlds largest desal plant and would never drink that water. Of course, you probably don't want to see the inside of a Thai water/ice plant. Oh, by the way, years ago you wouldn't dare eat the lettuce served with food. Haven't gotten sick for awhile Does anyone know what the hand written thai notes on the water machines say? See a lot of these notes

[speedtripler]

I use this machine water for cooking and sometimes for coffee. Never for drinking. I worked at the worlds largest desal plant and would never drink that water. Of course, you probably don't want to see the inside of a Thai water/ice plant. Oh, by the way, years ago you wouldn't dare eat the lettuce served with food. Haven't gotten sick for awhile Does anyone know what the hand written thai notes on the water machines say? See a lot of these notes

if you seen the filth in most restaurant kitchens and food prep areas in supermarkets you wouldnt want to eat there either

but it gets to the stage where you just have to eat it and not think too much about it or you will become anorexic because

pretty much everything is contaminated with something and hygiene practices are non existant

this happens in the west too although to a much lesser degree,but esp in fast food joints etc

and those free pee-nuts at the bar usually have a selection of at leat 5 differt mens urine on them if checked under a microscope

your server probably took a shit ,cleaned their ass with a bucket of filthy water and a cup and barely washed their hand if your lucky ,maybe stopped to pop a few zits in the mirror on the way out of the toilet to make your food

anyone still hungry ?

[jerry1989]

to be safe, if you prefer the refill to at least save some penny, like i do, purchase a portable pH meter test

[brubakertx]

I would feel better if Thai people would stop trashing their country, and polluting the waterways!

They throw trash everywhere, even in their own yards, dump motorcycle and car oil down the drain or river.,,etc., etc., etc.

[kjhbigv]

I used to fill bottles from the machines but always concerned me whether or not the filters were EVER serviced, filters cleaned etc.

Now I stick to bottled water.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[speedtripler]

does anyone even know anyone whos gotten sick from a machine ? i dont and i see thais using ancient machines daily

ad ive used em myself as well sometimes

cant imagine the thais would still drink it if it made them sick more than once or twice but everyone in my soi seems to think its

fine ,maybe were lucky and have a well serviced machine ?

[kannot]

I suppose I could call the number on the side Folded handkerchief? I don't think so. I doubt their integrity would be that low, especially when the locals are also filling up there. They would know, or they would be using their taps instead.

Good news after years of drinking that water - continual good health check ups and no diahorrea or nasty diseases.

deluded eh?

[monkey4u]

Seriously? Is this the real answer or an assumption? I live in Chiang Mai and have been paying 1 baht for a liter at the machine on my soi for years, and you're saying that I might as well be using my tap? I'm having a hard time accepting this.

Its tap water that is filtered no problem in that

The important question is,

How often do they change the filter, if it like the oil change they do for cars and bikes

NEVER

[Emilp]

buy drink or filter water.

[cooked]

buy drink or filter water.

Really great response.

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[ableguy]

Government tested loads a few month back and every one of them was contaminated and unfit to drink, ok for locals who are hardened to it but not farangs.

[Durianwriter]

I've never gotten sick from the machines, but makes sense to me that they might be less clean than tap.

Anybody know what the situation is for tap water outside of Bangkok?