Drinking water and Ice in restaurants (in drinks)

[timmyp]

Tap water is fine, but you will never get tap water in a restaurant, so you don't have to worry about it. They will only serve you bottled water in restaurants anyway. Even if you eat on the street an ask for water, the water that they bring you is not tap water, it is filtered water (probably from a large plastic tank/bottle that they purchased).

This gets asked all the time. Search on this website for "tap water" and "drinking tap water" in quotes.

[NoshowJones]

Hello Viewers!

As much as i love to rip into some of our Thai Visa viewers ( especially the ones that take the forum so incredibly seriously....)

I do have to mention again that after 4 years of drinking water from water machines ( in the soi ) and from various large containers of " buying water on the cheap " in the end i paid the price.It made me very ill and have a problem with my Liver because of drinking this water.I am currently in the UK ( what a dreadful place it is may i add....) but my Doctor ( a bloody nice bloke ) did say that if i had continued to drink from water as pure as the Mekong River then i would be " Brown Bread " ( dead ) by now.

My advice would be to ONLY drink purified drinking water from the bottles and don't risk anything else at all.

I shall eventually be returning back to Thailand sometime in the future.

Canary Sun x

Remember and bring some money with you the next time you come Canarysun.

Edited August 14, 2015 by possum1931

[smotherb]

All,

Thank you for the info.

Kids will have to have cold bottled drinks then.

I take it water from bottles is ok to drink (not like they used to have in Saudi where they would reseal bottles after putting tap water in them)

Dave

Boy did you get the wrong resealed water bottles in Saudi, the ones I got were full of Sid.

[craigt3365]

Tap water is fine, but you will never get tap water in a restaurant, so you don't have to worry about it. They will only serve you bottled water in restaurants anyway. Even if you eat on the street an ask for water, the water that they bring you is not tap water, it is filtered water (probably from a large plastic tank/bottle that they purchased).

This gets asked all the time. Search on this website for "tap water" and "drinking tap water" in quotes.

Tap water is not fine. About 600 near our house will contest to that:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761682-sattahip-investigates-water-supply-quality-after-610-fall-ill/

I get brown water all the time coming out of our faucets. One reason I put in a whole house filter. It only deals with sediments, but nobody drinks it. Not even the locals who come to our house. They all drink bottled water. 100% all of them.

And after what happened in HK, I just won't trust the water here:

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1845256/after-tap-water-scare-hong-kong-must-revamp-qualification

[overherebc]

Belt and braces, we even use bottled water to boil for tea and coffee now since I got sick. 'Giardia' it knocked me down for a long time. Or, stick to wine gin and vodka.☺

[timmyp]

I think you've gotten the answers you need, but I can't resist the temptation to toss in my opinion. I live up-country, in Nakhon Sawan, but I lived in Bangkok for more than twenty years. The tap water is as safe to drink as the tap water in your home country. Same with the ice. Forty years ago Bangkok was safe, but the rest of the country was risky. Bottled water is often less safe than the tap water. I never drink it except when my niece is around to notice. Used to have to worry about my wife, but she passed away. I've lived in places in Thailand where the water was definitely not safe, but I've been here a long time and I think my immune system has become stronger for it. Your mileage may vary.

You are totally right, Aajaan Acharn, and I'm glad you posted this.

Are you sure Bangkok water was safe 40 years ago? I tried drinking it back in 1990 and 1991, and I got sick, although I can't for sure if that was from the water.

There is a list here of when cities because safe to drink, but Bangkok isn't on there (that is, it's not listed because BKK was already safe prior to the new water-cleaning project being implemented, so no need to list it)

http://www.pwa.co.th/contents/service/save

Edited August 14, 2015 by timmyp

[Tony125]

Since you are visiting for first time I would recomend drink bottled water and do not take ice in drinks unless upper type restaurant. Even in USA they did a study that showed ice storage bins were seldom washed and carried a lot of bacteria. What the TV posters don't seem to realise is that after living here for awhile we get accustomed to the local bacteria in water and won't get sick, as a newcomer you will.

Also in small shops you may see them store soda bottles in same ice bin that they serve ice for drinks thats bare hands going in and out of the ice to get the bottles, how clean do you think that ice is?

I saw on tv the other day that if you drink coconut juice once or twice a day (plenty of places selling right on the street--not in cans) the coconut water has high antibacterial properties and can prevent you from coming down with touist diarrhea sometimes called Montezuma's Revenge from visitors to Mexico.

[bheard]

Ice cubes or with holes through it is fine.

May I ask why? What is the difference?

I've always understood that ice with "holes" is hygienely produced whereas "mushy" ice or whole blocks are not.

But it now seems it's a myth!

I don't know about ice with holes, but I have seen, in a side street near Wat Pho in BKK, employees of an ice distributing company (a hole in the wall type operation) smash blocks of ice on the street, then bag it in plastic bags (what else) and load it into a truck.

Crushed ice - this can be how it happens!

Not saying this is the norm, but I don't eat it now!

[digbeth]

Tap water from the water works is fine, it depends where you live that the infrastructure in getting the water to your tap is where contamination occur, like when the pipe breaks or there are leaks, especially in Pattaya where some days the water don't run and the pipes are empty.

And in buildings like hotels, the water is kept in concrete tank, maybe in less than ideal hygienic practice, and on the days that the water don't run, these places would buy in water on trucks, some water trucks go to the water works and get clean water, some just pump untreated water from the reservoir full of sediments

In restaurants with ice machine, once I saw employee put food in the ice receptacle where the machine put out the ice because the fridge is full sometime.

[timmyp]

Tap water is not fine. About 600 near our house will contest to that:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/761682-sattahip-investigates-water-supply-quality-after-610-fall-ill/

I get brown water all the time coming out of our faucets. One reason I put in a whole house filter. It only deals with sediments, but nobody drinks it. Not even the locals who come to our house. They all drink bottled water. 100% all of them.

And after what happened in HK, I just won't trust the water here:

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1845256/after-tap-water-scare-hong-kong-must-revamp-qualification

That is an eye-opening link about Suttahip after me just claiming that it's fine!

That is an exception, I think, but I don't doubt that there may be many exceptions.

I continue to drink the water in Bangkok, and I am fine.

To agree with you, though, 100% of the people I know drink bottled or filtered water only. I have never seen a Thai person drink from the tap. Back to Sattahip, it makes me wonder if the folks who got sick thought they were drinking filtered or bottled water, but it was really tap water, or if it was through food preparation, cuz like you said, Thais don't drink the tap water.

[curtklay]

You would have to be out of your mind to drink tap water in Thailand, or almost anywhere in the world.

Even if the water source is pristine, the pipes and plumbing that it travels through to get to your tap are generally ancient and filthy.

[mankondang]

Hi, If this is your first visit to Thailand, and as you are a beer drinker, then may I let you know that many beer drinkers here (both the tourists and the Thais) put ice cubes in their glass of beer, just one would do with spirits. This is because many places only serve bottled beer, that tends to get warm and distasteful quickly. This is I initially found strange and amusing, but soon found myself doing. Of course this drinking metho is optional, and you can opt to drink your beer "straight"... It up to you. Many places charge you for the ice, which may come in small buckets. This ice is the very same as your children will be adding to their soft drinks. As a humours footnote, if you do add the ice to your beer and you end up drinking many bottles the night before, then have hangover the day after, it's OK, just simply blame the ice.

[TheKnave]

Ice cubes or with holes through it is fine.

May I ask why? What is the difference?

In the old days, ice with holes proved that it was machine made, with a good chance the water was filtered, as opposed to being chipped off a block thst had been dragged from the truck over the sidewalk (used to see this all the time).

These days, even the dingiest street vendor gets ice from a bag made at an ice company. However, NEVER accept crushed ice from a cooler, because more than likely, food, including meat, has been sitting on it.

Meat juice snowcones, yum!

Ice cubes are usually fine, kept in separate bags.

[craigt3365]

What I've noticed, is there are NO drinking fountains here in any hospital. Nor any mall, airport or any other public facility. If the tap water was safe to drink, how come no public drinking fountains?

I mentioned drinking tap water to our maid just now. She laughed and asked if I was serious. Even she doesn't drink tap water. Nor does anybody she knows. Trust the locals....

[Lunghans]

All the ice cubes here in Korat are produced by 2 or 3 big ice producing factories, see their cars driving around all day, this is safe ice to use.

Tap water here I only use to shower and brush my teeth, sometimes I open the tap and smell rotten eggs, this water is pumped up from the earth, naam badaan.

I buy my drinking water in large bottles that sit on top of a water cooler.

For two months ago I bought the big white non transparent bottles at the local store they are cheap 19 ltr. for 19 baht.

But now I only buy the more expensive transparent bottles, 30 baht. The reason for this is two months ago I tripped, dropped the bottle and it broke.

Now I was able to look inside the bottle, algae inside all over. don't know what the algae can do to you, but it clearly shows they do not clean the bottles inside before refilling.

[wibblewobbleboy]

All,

Thank you for the info.

Kids will have to have cold bottled drinks then.

I take it water from bottles is ok to drink (not like they used to have in Saudi where they would reseal bottles after putting tap water in them)

Dave

Boy did you get the wrong resealed water bottles in Saudi, the ones I got were full of Sid.

Used to get my Sid in bottles like that as well.

The Philippino souk used to sell bottle of water that some times leaked and that is how we knew they had refilled old bottles. Never worked out where they got the new lids from.

[johninbkk71]

Since i got sick from Ice-cubes in a drink, i avoid ice.

I'm just curious as to how you know for sure it was the ice that made you ill unless all you had was the ice that day ?

Thats a legitimate question. I went to a KFC branch with my girlfriend. She had a meal and i drunk only a coke, with ice in it. She drunk also a coke or a fanta. About 1 or 1 1/2 hours later we begun both to feel bad which leads in diarrhea and vomit. My last meal was about 12 hours before. So i'm pretty sure it was the ice. I told this to a friend of mine. He explained me, most likely KFC would use their own ice machines in the branch. If they not get cleaned regularly, it can cause such issues. It sound plausible to me.

It probably wasn't the ice. The lines are cleaned with chemicals same as in a pub for cleaning beer lines. If there not cleaned properly you'll sh%%.

On the topic tap water in Bangkok taste terrible not sure if it would make you sick. Ice in drinks well so far never made me sick.

[tajtom]

Are you crazy

No the water is not drinkable

All Thailand water goes thru purifier machines on streets or water is delivered in cafes and in Ice form all cafes are generally safe

[sammygood]

you like your beer with ice ?

[HooHaa]

8 years coming here, living 6 months a year, always brush my teeth with tap water and always use the Ice in drinks, Never been sick,also never had an vaccine or injection except tetanus shot

18 years brushing my teeth and using ice. never had a problem.

i wouldn't worry about it at all.

[smotherb]

I think you nay-sayers must never eat at Thai restaurants where the ever present pitcher of water is regularly consumed free of charge with meals. Do you think they all get that water from bottles? Many Thais and farangs drink tap water in Thailand, of course they may rarely have a solid stool.

[Thunderbirds20]

restaurants serve bottled water and the ice is fine. I brush my teeth with tap water but do not drink it

[duanebigsby]

I believe I have gotten sick from ice cubes on occasion. I try to avoid ice in most Thai restaurants, unless they are highly successful. Ice cubes may be made from

bottled water or tap water in Thailand. The chain restaurants such as Sizzler, Black Canyon, Coffe Club, S & P Coffee, I can trust. Beware the low budget Thai restaurants, especially the ones along the sides of the road, that have a more temporary set up.

Virtually every Thai restaurant, even the roadside shacks, buy ice from the reverse osmosis places and are safe.

The bigger concern is the washing of dishes.

If you have any concern and cannot take a risk , refrain from buying or eating any food product in Thailand.

[KittenKong]

I believe I have gotten sick from ice cubes on occasion. I try to avoid ice in most Thai restaurants, unless they are highly successful. Ice cubes may be made from

bottled water or tap water in Thailand. The chain restaurants such as Sizzler, Black Canyon, Coffe Club, S & P Coffee, I can trust. Beware the low budget Thai restaurants, especially the ones along the sides of the road, that have a more temporary set up.

Virtually every Thai restaurant, even the roadside shacks, buy ice from the reverse osmosis places and are safe.

The bigger concern is the washing of dishes.

If you have any concern and cannot take a risk , refrain from buying or eating any food product in Thailand.

It's true that most restaurants in Pattaya buy big bottles of water, or use the vending machines. Nothing wrong with either as far as I can see. Nothing wrong with the ice either.

I've been drinking water in street restaurants for decades, and using their crockery, and never had any problems. Food poisoning from farang restaurants is a very different matter, and I've had that a few times.

[stoneyboy]

I believe I have gotten sick from ice cubes on occasion. I try to avoid ice in most Thai restaurants, unless they are highly successful. Ice cubes may be made from

bottled water or tap water in Thailand. The chain restaurants such as Sizzler, Black Canyon, Coffe Club, S & P Coffee, I can trust. Beware the low budget Thai restaurants, especially the ones along the sides of the road, that have a more temporary set up.

Virtually every Thai restaurant, even the roadside shacks, buy ice from the reverse osmosis places and are safe.

The bigger concern is the washing of dishes.

If you have any concern and cannot take a risk , refrain from buying or eating any food product in Thailand.

And subsequently die of starvation.

[xjbond]

It is impossible to avoid water whether it be from drinking, ice cubes, food preparation, teeth brushing etc.

While I am always very careful when travelling, I always make sure my stomach is treated with DUKORAL before travelling.

A vacation in the "john" is not my idea of a vacation.

DUKORAL is available over the counter at a pharmacy.

[Kondiao]

Ice is fine. Tap water is probably ok to, but avoiding it is so easy that you may as well not take the risk.

\

This is nonsense. Ice that is frozen water that is contamininated with formaldehyde, E.Coli, and sewage that leaks into the leaky water mains, from leaky sewage drains and canals is still poisonous and it does make people sick. Freezing contaminated water does not render the chemicals and microbes inert.

Bars and restaurants that filter their water on site and freeze it have ice that is - filtered. Establishments that buy ice commercially get their supplies from providers who take water from the tap and freeze and then allow it to be contaminated further in the containers that are used and at the hands and gloves of the workers and drivers that transport it to the place where you are enjoying ice with your beverage.

Water in bottles has less chance of contamination, since the source of the water may be purified or pristine.

The world being a place of living organisms, there are microbiotics living things most everywhere, on every surface, in the linings of your mucous membrains, in your intestines, on the dust particles in the air.... on every piece of fruit that you don't peal or piece of meat that you have not cooked thoroughly... parasites living on the insides of the bugs that Isaan girls eat. Some of these organisms are harmful to humans and some cause irritations in your body that force you to expel them - in one way or another.

You can take the trouble to filter, or boil, or cook, or bleach out these things, to nullify the effect of most ordinary toxin orgainisms or chemicals - or you can trust to the hygienic claims of bar keeps and waitresses - who may wash glasses in water that may be dirty and the glasses may become reasonably germ-free in time - as some organisms survive outside of their preferred environemnt for hours or months, depending on the species - by the time you drink out of them.

Tough guys like SoiBiker can go without simple precautions for health, but they are not doing other people a favor by claiming there is no issue of water contamination. If that were so then there would not be people getting sick every day from bad water and epidemics breaking out occasionally.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

So in summary, after reading all the responses, better avoid the ice if you want to insure your children don't get water borne parasites. And use straws to drink canned soft drinks. You are their father and protector so don't take a risk if you are getting mixed opinions of the water quality. I have been going around in Thailand since before 2006 and have seen restaurants use collected rain water to make ice, water from rivers, and tap water to make ice to save money. Hygiene and food cleanliness is another problem here especially with street vendors. Remember... Hot foods should be kept hot and cold foods should be kept cold. How many posters have seen a barbecue vendor with food grilling while walking in traffic? Just think if this is the vendor you happen to buy from. Nothing like a dose of street pollution and dirt. Huh?

[xjbond]

Ice is fine. Tap water is probably ok to, but avoiding it is so easy that you may as well not take the risk.

\

This is nonsense. Ice that is frozen water that is contamininated with formaldehyde, E.Coli, and sewage that leaks into the leaky water mains, from leaky sewage drains and canals is still poisonous and it does make people sick. Freezing contaminated water does not render the chemicals and microbes inert.

Bars and restaurants that filter their water on site and freeze it have ice that is - filtered. Establishments that buy ice commercially get their supplies from providers who take water from the tap and freeze and then allow it to be contaminated further in the containers that are used and at the hands and gloves of the workers and drivers that transport it to the place where you are enjoying ice with your beverage.

Water in bottles has less chance of contamination, since the source of the water may be purified or pristine.

The world being a place of living organisms, there are microbiotics living things most everywhere, on every surface, in the linings of your mucous membrains, in your intestines, on the dust particles in the air.... on every piece of fruit that you don't peal or piece of meat that you have not cooked thoroughly... parasites living on the insides of the bugs that Isaan girls eat. Some of these organisms are harmful to humans and some cause irritations in your body that force you to expel them - in one way or another.

You can take the trouble to filter, or boil, or cook, or bleach out these things, to nullify the effect of most ordinary toxin orgainisms or chemicals - or you can trust to the hygienic claims of bar keeps and waitresses - who may wash glasses in water that may be dirty and the glasses may become reasonably germ-free in time - as some organisms survive outside of their preferred environemnt for hours or months, depending on the species - by the time you drink out of them.

Tough guys like SoiBiker can go without simple precautions for health, but they are not doing other people a favor by claiming there is no issue of water contamination. If that were so then there would not be people getting sick every day from bad water and epidemics breaking out occasionally.

Well said WHY "AMI .....". This tells it like it is. I said it earlier. I take DUKEROL when travelling. But I still avoid water.

[NickJ]

Those water machines are iffy. Many clean the filters once a month or not even that. By my gf's house There is a store that has one and the owner is always cleaning the filters. He uses the water for his family.

I order water and it comes in glass. the case cost is 65b for 24 bottels 500ml each.

Singha brand.

Plastic botteles if left in the sun have a known link to breast cancer.

Its a 5b deposit for each bottle and 300b deposit for the plastic case.

Also......since you dont throw the bottels away it is easy to moniror your daily water intake.

My routine is to drink a bottle and set it on the counter and count the number thru the day.....It shocks me how little water people drink in this hot country.