Tap water in Thailand safe to drink: PWA

[meatboy]

P.W.A.says tap water if safe to drink yet the DEPT.of health says it has not yet tested their claim.

are these people for real,just let your drinking glasses or cutlery dry after washing,then try and remove the stains.

[NeilSA1]

in hua hin can buy 20 litre bottles for 20 baht each

i caught them filling them up with tap water

Expensive...

In Sakon Nakhon province we pay 5 baht for a 18,9 liter tank .

Tap water cheaper in Sakon Nakhon?

[tifino]

...might be the time to go back to the Distilled Water, as it's the only bottled stuff not adulterated by whatever the 'authorities'choose to put in bottled 'pure/spring/natural etc' water

[NeilSA1]

ask this idiot to contact me , I will give him a glass of water straight from my kitchen sink tap ...if he drinks it i will give him 10,000baht a glass full (just ignore the cloudy colour its perfectly safe IDIOTS)

If you're serious about that, which you obviously aren't, why did you not give your contact details? Worried he may take up your offer?

As you said - terryp is not serious about that - hence he did not give his contact details.

[NeilSA1]

A couple of years ago I read an article saying the same, that the water in Bangkok was clean enough to drink.

I know we all scoff at that claim, but we don't really have reason to other than our own prejudices (well, I'm excluding you people who say that your tap water is coming out brown).

I got a cheap filter at my house, and I have been using that for 3 years with no problem... I just got the filter because everyone, foreigners and Thais alike, say that the tap water is unhealthy, despite the government claims.

Although the tap water might be as clean as the gov claims, I imagine there are lots of problems with the pipes and water seeping in during heavy rains. That is to say that the water may be clean at the processing plant, but lots can happen to it before it reaches my sink.

I find it a bit surprising that poorer Thai people will still opt to buy water rather than drink from the tap, considering the relative cost of water. Perhaps it's because they know the water is bad, or perhaps it's because they hold the same prejudices against their own country that foreigners also hold? Perhaps they think that only the poorest of the poor drink from the tap, and they don't want to be associated with the folks at the bottom of the economic ladder?

OK, I'VE DECIDED TO BE THE GUINEA PIG! I'M GOING TO DRINK THE TAP WATER RIGHT NOW, AND CONTINUE DRINKING IT FOR 3 DAYS. I'll just bypass my home filter. I live in a cheap apartment near Victory Monument on the 5th floor. I'll post my results...

No joking here... I might stat a new thread about this.

Good luck, please drink plenty of antidotal whiskey with the water

[meatboy]

A couple of years ago I read an article saying the same, that the water in Bangkok was clean enough to drink.

I know we all scoff at that claim, but we don't really have reason to other than our own prejudices (well, I'm excluding you people who say that your tap water is coming out brown).

I got a cheap filter at my house, and I have been using that for 3 years with no problem... I just got the filter because everyone, foreigners and Thais alike, say that the tap water is unhealthy, despite the government claims.

Although the tap water might be as clean as the gov claims, I imagine there are lots of problems with the pipes and water seeping in during heavy rains. That is to say that the water may be clean at the processing plant, but lots can happen to it before it reaches my sink.

I find it a bit surprising that poorer Thai people will still opt to buy water rather than drink from the tap, considering the relative cost of water. Perhaps it's because they know the water is bad, or perhaps it's because they hold the same prejudices against their own country that foreigners also hold? Perhaps they think that only the poorest of the poor drink from the tap, and they don't want to be associated with the folks at the bottom of the economic ladder?

OK, I'VE DECIDED TO BE THE GUINEA PIG! I'M GOING TO DRINK THE TAP WATER RIGHT NOW, AND CONTINUE DRINKING IT FOR 3 DAYS. I'll just bypass my home filter. I live in a cheap apartment near Victory Monument on the 5th floor. I'll post my results...

No joking here... I might stat a new thread about this.

Good luck, please drink plenty of antidotal whiskey with the water

police reported it looks like suicide.

[zyphodb]

What a joke, The mains water in our village is pumped straight out of the river about 400 metres away, it then goes to a settlement tank in the grounds of our Wat & then is pumped up to a storage tank on top of a tower to enable gravity feed. It still comes out brown in the rainy season & with no sign of chlorine having ever been in it... I'm sure, as all my Thai neighbours & my wife know already, you would become very ill & die very quickly if you started drinking it... everyone here collects rain water off their roof in those big concrete pots in the rainy season & uses it year round for drinking water. I've been drinking this for 2 years with no ill effects, we're too far out in the sticks to be on a 20l bottled water round...

[lovetotravel]

I've always drunk water from the tap in Chiang Mai, not had any problems (that I know about anyway). In Samui, not a chance and same in Phuket where the government mains water is well dodgy. I'd poured a bucket of water from the tap (in Bangtao) I put the bucket aside and forgot about it, 2 days later there thousands of little red worm-like things swimming around in there! I wouldn't drink tap water in Phuket even after boiling it!

I was on Phi Phi several years ago. Was sick from something, who knows what. Went to throw up and while bending over the toilet, saw these worms swimming around. Wow...not a good time for me.

[goltec]

I have been drinking the tapwater in "our" village, all the time. It looks clean and it taste good.

I´ve been there 2-3 month for many years, All the family drink it and never have problem with that.

Maybe we are just lucky that have good water.

Figure this :

"i smoke a pack of cigarettes every day all ready for 10 years. I never got sick. maybe i am just lucky. or maybe i have just good cigarettes......."

The dangers of smoking are not ones that have a fast onset, cancers and poor lack of health occur over time, with drinking water the diseases and infections happen very quickly, so insofacto, very poor analogy

Right! and wrong!

The effects of drinking contaminated water may show allmost instantly in case of the presence of bacteria etc.

But there is a lot more to water filtration than just removing or killing bacteria.

heavy metals and chemicals built up in your body and show the result many years later. just like it happens with smoking.

1 more time: google: "chlorine causes"

and that is only chlorine.........

[goltec]

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1109

Contaminants not removed from water by RO filters include dissolved gases such as hydrogen sulfide, a common nuisance contaminant with characteristic rotten egg odor, which passes through the RO membrane. Some pesticides, solvents and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are not removed by RO.

to remove those you use manganese zeolite (or greensand) and activated carbon.

[Surasak]

So is he is saying, "All water in each establishment has been passed by the management"

[kerrysum]

I ain't drinking it straight from the tap. We've got a five stage filter and two of the filters (ceramic and carbon) need constant replacement due to being clogged or ineffective. The water coming in is far from pure.

I agree, before the family had a great purification system, now it doesn't work, guess they have something like the Sparklets truck and deliver . Yes and in the 5 gallon jugs... They come by weekly and change out the jugs.... Back in the days long ago, we drank rain water... Go figure.

thanks for the post. Kudos

And they live in Mukdahan,,,,,,

[Greg Nixon]

Tap water in Thailand may be safe as it exits the water plant but many connections that are necessitated by construction introduces unwanted contaminants. I would be crazy to drink the black sludge that has escaped from my taps. That indicates that all the pipes between me and the water plant may be contaminated. Nobody tests water as it exits the tap.

[Cuchulainn]

Bet ya they don't drink it!!

More Perrier please.

[lvr181]

What a joke, The mains water in our village is pumped straight out of the river about 400 metres away, it then goes to a settlement tank in the grounds of our Wat & then is pumped up to a storage tank on top of a tower to enable gravity feed. It still comes out brown in the rainy season & with no sign of chlorine having ever been in it... I'm sure, as all my Thai neighbours & my wife know already, you would become very ill & die very quickly if you started drinking it... everyone here collects rain water off their roof in those big concrete pots in the rainy season & uses it year round for drinking water. I've been drinking this for 2 years with no ill effects, we're too far out in the sticks to be on a 20l bottled water round...

Drinking rain water off the roof could be okay BUT any lead used on roof? Any herbicides or pesticides used in area (spray drift onto roof), any bird droppings (contains bacteria)? Always best to filter if you have enough pressure to run a filter system. Otherwise chlorinate the water as a minimum and leave free standing overnight for chlorine to dissipate before drinking.

[lvr181]

Will the PWA give a "guarantee" as to the safety of the water? Would they pay all medical expenses in the event of illness?

What is their method of treatment of the water? How often is it the treated water tested?

An easy "statement" on the part of the PWA! C'mon, let's get real here! I do not live in "fairy" land.

[DogNo1]

Don't drink distilled water! It lacks electrolytes and your body will suffer as a result. I always buy bottled mineral water and feel better when drinking it than when drinking bottled water without the minerals.

[tifino]

Don't drink distilled water! It lacks electrolytes and your body will suffer as a result. I always buy bottled mineral water and feel better when drinking it than when drinking bottled water without the minerals.

went down the distilled path mainly when doing a detox.

Ideally we want to try the ionised water method for getting the right ph balance too

[Artisi]

if your a foreigner, recommend you purchase bottle water for drinking.

Tap water is ok for washing dishes or cleaning food.

Recommend you boil the tap water first for personnel consumption.

After I boil the village water it's still brown. I ain't drinking that. And I have a three stage filter which I've recently replaced all the filters. There's still color to the water when compared to reverse osmosis water that I get in town. After boiling, I'd drink the filtered water in a pinch. But I generally stick to the bottled water.

Install a good reverse osmosis system with proper pre-filtration to make it easier for your R.O. system.

after that install a mineral cartridge to get the PH up and put the good minerals back into your water.

your water will taste delicious and will be beneficial to your health.

last step before yourwater comes to your tap: a small UV lamp (6watt) and you will be fine and have good quality drinking water at home.

Replace UV lamp 1 time per year. NEVER turn off the UV lamp because every time you turn it off and on it will lose 6 hours of it's "life span"

If you don't turn-off the UV lamp, how do you dump the heat that will build up without any thru' put. Anyway to worry about 6 hrs of life is meaning-less seeing as how the better quality of lamps are rated at 5000 hr life which equates to years of normal service for a lamp used in a domestic situation.

In theory, 5000 hr / 20 minutes per day x 365 / 60 = 40 years - of course this is an unrealistic number but puts into perspective that long life can be expected and certainly more than 1 year. My own unit is now 3 years old, I have changed out the filters (4 ) and now on the 3rd set but original UV lamp.

I am of course talking about the larger multi-cartridge with UV units (some also with RO) available from the bigger hardware / and many of the pump shops.

[Nickymaster]

Good news for my dog.

[LPCustom69]

I won't even use tap water to clean my teeth!

[meatboy]

Good news for my dog.

I wouldn't give next doors dog it,never mind ours,what he drinks is the same as us.

[doctorproc156]

Tap water is probably on safe in newer developments, I mean we all drink a little bit when we brush our teeth anyway, I seriously doubt the hill villages in Chiang Mai have safe tap water

[goltec]

if your a foreigner, recommend you purchase bottle water for drinking.

Tap water is ok for washing dishes or cleaning food.

Recommend you boil the tap water first for personnel consumption.

After I boil the village water it's still brown. I ain't drinking that. And I have a three stage filter which I've recently replaced all the filters. There's still color to the water when compared to reverse osmosis water that I get in town. After boiling, I'd drink the filtered water in a pinch. But I generally stick to the bottled water.

Install a good reverse osmosis system with proper pre-filtration to make it easier for your R.O. system.

after that install a mineral cartridge to get the PH up and put the good minerals back into your water.

your water will taste delicious and will be beneficial to your health.

last step before yourwater comes to your tap: a small UV lamp (6watt) and you will be fine and have good quality drinking water at home.

Replace UV lamp 1 time per year. NEVER turn off the UV lamp because every time you turn it off and on it will lose 6 hours of it's "life span"

If you don't turn-off the UV lamp, how do you dump the heat that will build up without any thru' put. Anyway to worry about 6 hrs of life is meaning-less seeing as how the better quality of lamps are rated at 5000 hr life which equates to years of normal service for a lamp used in a domestic situation.

In theory, 5000 hr / 20 minutes per day x 365 / 60 = 40 years - of course this is an unrealistic number but puts into perspective that long life can be expected and certainly more than 1 year. My own unit is now 3 years old, I have changed out the filters (4 ) and now on the 3rd set but original UV lamp.

I am of course talking about the larger multi-cartridge with UV units (some also with RO) available from the bigger hardware / and many of the pump shops.

Your water gets warm, that is true. But many people fill up some bottles and keep it in the fridge.

The life span of an UV lamp is even longer than 5000 hrs.

9000/10000 hours if turned on constantly. lets say 1 year.

6 hours cut off per time you turn it off and on.

UV lamps are often connected to a drinkingwater system and connected to a pressure switch.

Every time you open your tap the pressure switch turns on your pump of the R.O. system and also the uv lamp.

do this 4 times per day and the uv lamp loses 1 day of life span.

also:

your UV lamp needs at least 30 seconds to reach it's full radiation power.

the first few seconds the water is passing by but allmost nothing is being killed.

[Artisi]

three stage filter which I've recently replaced all the filters. There's still color to the water when compared to reverse osmosis water that I get in town. After boiling, I'd drink the filtered water in a pinch. But I generally stick to the bottled water.

Install a good reverse osmosis system with proper pre-filtration to make it easier for your R.O. system.

after that install a mineral cartridge to get the PH up and put the good minerals back into your water.

your water will taste delicious and will be beneficial to your health.

last step before yourwater comes to your tap: a small UV lamp (6watt) and you will be fine and have good quality drinking water at home.

Replace UV lamp 1 time per year. NEVER turn off the UV lamp because every time you turn it off and on it will lose 6 hours of it's "life span"

If you don't turn-off the UV lamp, how do you dump the heat that will build up without any thru' put. Anyway to worry about 6 hrs of life is meaning-less seeing as how the better quality of lamps are rated at 5000 hr life which equates to years of normal service for a lamp used in a domestic situation.

In theory, 5000 hr / 20 minutes per day x 365 / 60 = 40 years - of course this is an unrealistic number but puts into perspective that long life can be expected and certainly more than 1 year. My own unit is now 3 years old, I have changed out the filters (4 ) and now on the 3rd set but original UV lamp.

I am of course talking about the larger multi-cartridge with UV units (some also with RO) available from the bigger hardware / and many of the pump shops.

Your water gets warm, that is true. But many people fill up some bottles and keep it in the fridge.

The life span of an UV lamp is even longer than 5000 hrs.

9000/10000 hours if turned on constantly. lets say 1 year.

6 hours cut off per time you turn it off and on.

UV lamps are often connected to a drinkingwater system and connected to a pressure switch.

Every time you open your tap the pressure switch turns on your pump of the R.O. system and also the uv lamp.

do this 4 times per day and the uv lamp loses 1 day of life span.

also:

your UV lamp needs at least 30 seconds to reach it's full radiation power.

the first few seconds the water is passing by but allmost nothing is being killed.

As I said, my UV lamp has been in operation now for 3 years, and besides, when I turn on the filter unit I always run it for a short duration to waste prior to filling bottles.

For me a no-brainer and still don't see the point of having the lamp on 24/7 - absolutely no advantage in life expectancy of cost savings.

[lvr181]

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1109

Contaminants not removed from water by RO filters include dissolved gases such as hydrogen sulfide, a common nuisance contaminant with characteristic rotten egg odor, which passes through the RO membrane. Some pesticides, solvents and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are not removed by RO.

to remove those you use manganese zeolite (or greensand) and activated carbon.

The health effects of volatile organic compounds will depend on the nature of the volatile organic compound, the level of exposure, and the length of exposure. What VOCs contained in the water are you referring to?

[goltec]

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=1109

Contaminants not removed from water by RO filters include dissolved gases such as hydrogen sulfide, a common nuisance contaminant with characteristic rotten egg odor, which passes through the RO membrane. Some pesticides, solvents and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are not removed by RO.

to remove those you use manganese zeolite (or greensand) and activated carbon.

The health effects of volatile organic compounds will depend on the nature of the volatile organic compound, the level of exposure, and the length of exposure. What VOCs contained in the water are you referring to?

you are right,

but, since it goes to far and will be to expensive to test for everything seperately that might be in the water , you want to go for sure, and that is take as much out as possible, no matter what it is.

After that you can still put some things back in that may beneficial for your health like certain minerals while you are in control of that.

[hughben]

When in Thailand, I will stick to imported water thanks.

[lvr181]

When in Thailand, I will stick to imported water thanks.

Each to their own but not a silly idea.The retail cost of bottled water bears no relationship to production cost - I would suggest that many bottled water companies use same marketing techniques as cosmetic companies, charge what they think the market can bear. Unfortunately, many consumers equate high price with top quality. And that folks is generally a load of rubbish (I was in the cosmetics industry for years)!

[ginjag]

I won't even use tap water to clean my teeth!

Well leave them in your mouth and use Listermint , and swill out.