Can anyone help translate and understand water vending machines.

[Cheap Backpacker]

So I have been buying water from some of these vending machines but not sure exactly the different buttons do.

First there are 3 buttons, two on the top "green and red" and a green one on the bottom.

Here is a close up of a possible description of what these buttons do.

Is there any difference between the Blue machine and the green machine?

To sum up my questions.

What does the top two buttons do?

What does the bottom single button do?

Is there any difference between the blue machine and the green machine?

Thank you and help is greatly appreciated.

[daveAustin]

Start, stop, inch?

[steve187]

top green button = machine working

top red button = machine not working

machines are the same just older model

instruction s

1 put bottle in

2 put money in

3 press bottom green button

4 close door

[David48]

The second green button is the shower option.

How to do is simple ... it's designed for BackPackers

Strip Naked

Set up your camera on a timer for a selfie.

Push the green button, squeeze into the void, it looks small but you can do it,

then you have approximately 10 seconds till you receive a shower.

The more Baht inserted, the longer the Shower.

Make sure you capture that timeless image and post here.

We can't wait ...

.

[NancyL]

When we were newbies we didn't realize you could start & stop a water machine. We thought that once started, it couldn't be stopped or else you wouldn't get all the water you paid for. So, Hubby and I would go to the water machine together with our collection of empty bottles.

One day a group of Thai guys were sitting outside the store near the water machine, drinking beer, laughing and having a good time while we did our water bottle filling routine. They were regulars at the store and had seen us before. We took off the lids of the bottles, carefully lined them up next to the machine. Inserted the coins. Hubby started the machine and I handed him empty bottles, one after another, which he held in place under the stream of water, without interruption. Needless to say, we both got wet during the bottle switching operation as the water continued to flow.

Finally, one of the guys got up from the table, came over, pushed the stop button and showed us how the machine could be stopped and restarted to fill the bottle. Duh! After that, we realized filling the water bottles was a one person operation and I excused myself from this chore.

[Cheap Backpacker]

That's good to know, I didn't know you could stop it either. I had to fill two 1.5 liter water bottle and quickly moved each one while spilling some.

I assume you just press the same button that you used to start it to stop it?

I love these water dispensers. First they must do some filtering, unlike some people saying that the water comes directly from the tap, because the water doesn't taste like sea water like drinking from the tap.

IT also beats buying 13 baht water from 711, although it doesn't taste as good as the 711 water.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

There is only 1 button, the others are lights.

It stops and starts the water flow while you still have credit.

1bht/l is fairly expensive, look around for the 0.5bht/l machines.

Edited December 15, 2014 by AnotherOneAmerican

[ATF]

Why don't you go to Immigration? You can fill up for free.

[Cheap Backpacker]

It would cost me more in money to replace the calories to go there then to pay 2 baht.

[Neeranam]

Why don't you go to Immigration? You can fill up for free.

Many places you can fill up for free. Food courts used to be my favourite to save 6 baht for a fresh bottle. Do that 8 times and have the money for a bottle of Saeng Som.

[Rancid]

I wonder how often they change the filters?

[steven100]

oh no ..... not more cheap charlies !!

[apetley]

That's good to know, I didn't know you could stop it either. I had to fill two 1.5 liter water bottle and quickly moved each one while spilling some.

I assume you just press the same button that you used to start it to stop it?

I love these water dispensers. First they must do some filtering, unlike some people saying that the water comes directly from the tap, because the water doesn't taste like sea water like drinking from the tap.

IT also beats buying 13 baht water from 711, although it doesn't taste as good as the 711 water.

A friend showed me the filter that came out of one of these machines in the village.....it looked like a giant turd as it hadn't been changed for months.

[tolsti]

There is one next to the mom and pop store at my local market. I was sat there the other day, having a quiet beer, when a chap in a Coca Cola branded uniform came along and opened the machine. He emptied the cash box and took the filter out. He then went to the outside sink of the shop and took out a cleaning kit stashed there. He proceeded to scrub the filter after soaking it in some liquid and after rinsing, replaced it.

It seems like the local Coke dealer has the franchise and they do look after them.

[Cheap Backpacker]

This is all I can tell. Tap water tastes awful, yuck. Hoever water from those machines taste fine, yummy.

They must do something, plus they have UV light to kill living organisms.

[BangkokHank]

I wonder how often they change the filters?

Good point. I lived for years in Thailand without getting diarrhea. Then suddenly I started getting it every week. I saw many doctors at many hospitals to try to find the cause, to no avail. I thought something in my body had changed. After eliminating most foods as the possible cause, I finally decided to stop drinking the water from the water machine in my building. The diarrhea stopped immediately. I then asked the staff at my condo how often they change the filter in the water machine. Their answer: Never. The money that I spent on hospital bills would have paid for the fanciest bottled water. Lesson learned.

[Briggsy]

This mechanism is often referred to as "play-pause" and as AnotherOne "Flag" American has correctly pointed out there is only one button to press.

[Schmackos]

I have used them in the past, never had a problem with them.

Doesn't mean though everyone is ok, maybe I was just lucky?

[Cheap Backpacker]

For those who wondered what is inside those water machines. I saw the water machine that I normally used open and decided to take a picture.

[bina]

hahahah.... when i was with hubby in ayutaya we went to get water from one of those machnes... he is thai, but had never used a machine for water so we both, like idiots did what nancyl did: line up bottles and start to shove htem under the water stream, then we didnt have enough bottles cause we didnt realize we could control amounts.... even took picks of both of us filling bottles during the night, in the dark, with me staving off soi dogs that noticed that im a female farang... hubby got disgusted with dealing with the machine and we just bought bottles water and that was that...