2016 drought season has started

[billd766]

The 2016 drought season started about 10 days ago here in rural Khampaeng Phet next to the Mae Wong national park where the government water supply for our villages comes from.

Or rather where it CAME from.

My supply today came from the fire truck where they filled 6 of my ongs with about 7,500 litres. It is free but I gave the 3 guys 50 baht each and they filled another one for me.

[Kan Win]

Sorry to hear about that.

In Kan, we have two rivers and two res. so all is OK here for the time being.

Win

[Sparkles]

AM predicting this will be a dry season of epic proportions. I am not sure if Thais ,apart from farmers ,are aware how serious this could be.

Most have no idea of water conservation and if you ask then where their water comes from they will tell you out of a tap.

And then Songkran where traditionally there is no rain until well after.

The Gov needs to get pro cative and start educating

[elgordo38]

AM predicting this will be a dry season of epic proportions. I am not sure if Thais ,apart from farmers ,are aware how serious this could be.

Most have no idea of water conservation and if you ask then where their water comes from they will tell you out of a tap.

And then Songkran where traditionally there is no rain until well after.

The Gov needs to get pro cative and start educating

You deserve a couple likes but sorry I can only give one. I believe the tap part. Songkran is a money maker and will happen come hell or high water I suspect the former and not the latter. This is a tourist country and the show must go on for the sake of baht income and prestige. Its all about the money honey forget the rest. Things will only get done when you turn the tap on and it gurgles and nothing comes out. The same with electricity. Everything operates on a wing and a prayer here a band aid here and there at best. They keep upping the tourist ante but tourism comes at a price. Once the infrastructure starts to crumble all holy H will break out. They just keep thinking the party will go on forever but old mother nature has a way on raining on their parade.

[billd766]

AM predicting this will be a dry season of epic proportions. I am not sure if Thais ,apart from farmers ,are aware how serious this could be.

Most have no idea of water conservation and if you ask then where their water comes from they will tell you out of a tap.

And then Songkran where traditionally there is no rain until well after.

The Gov needs to get pro cative and start educating

You deserve a couple likes but sorry I can only give one. I believe the tap part. Songkran is a money maker and will happen come hell or high water I suspect the former and not the latter. This is a tourist country and the show must go on for the sake of baht income and prestige. Its all about the money honey forget the rest. Things will only get done when you turn the tap on and it gurgles and nothing comes out. The same with electricity. Everything operates on a wing and a prayer here a band aid here and there at best. They keep upping the tourist ante but tourism comes at a price. Once the infrastructure starts to crumble all holy H will break out. They just keep thinking the party will go on forever but old mother nature has a way on raining on their parade.

I can believe that of the city people but out here in rural Khampaeng Phet and I suspect as in many rural areas of Thailand the local people know that there will be a water shortage probably 8 years out of ten and learn to live with it.

We have lived up here for nearly 13 years and I have never seen it this bad. Part of the problem is there are more houses and people plus 3 resorts inside a 2 km stretch. The other part is that the infrastructure for the water supply is just the same as it was 13 years ago. We rely on the rain falling onto the Mae Wong national park to feed a very small reservoir which in turn feeds the system. Most years it works with only a few weeks shortages, rarely does it stay up all year and in El Nino years it gets worse.

The big village at Klong Lan Pattana 6 km away always has water and it also feeds small moo bans 4 km towards us then it stops. My wife tells me that the favourite rumour now is that the government will build a water tower in our moo ban and extend the pipes 2 km more and then hook up into the existing pipes. Personally I hope that they run a new pipe system all the way.

[chiang mai]

The nearby klong is running at full speed, even if it shouldn't be - the local farmers have scattered seed for their new rice crop rather than using seedlings so they're hedging their bets it seems.

[mikebell]

Meanwhile, here in Bang Saray, two major leaks are bubbling away because East Water can't get their arse in gear. Thousands of litres a day are draining away & despite reporting it nothing has been done for a month & counting.....

[Kwasaki]

Any Wells in your area Bill ? On our small bit of farmland we got fed up with gov water only coming to us now and again or not at all most of time throughout the year, not just in the dry season.

So our Well serves us well so to speak, never runs dry and will pay for itself eventually.

[billd766]

Any Wells in your area Bill ? On our small bit of farmland we got fed up with gov water only coming to us now and again or not at all most of time throughout the year, not just in the dry season.

So our Well serves us well so to speak, never runs dry and will pay for itself eventually.

Where we live is on a granite slope and there is roughly 1 to 2 metres of soil and then granite, We did ask many years ago how much ut would cost to drill a borehole but the guy wouldn't commit to a price other that very very expensive.

Across the road is the klong some 8 metres lower than the house. I have been thinking of asking my wife to find a well driller just to see if there is an off chance of finding water for a well. If he can find a spot for a weel and can give us a fair price, then we can talk to the land owner to see if she will rent or sell us a small plot to dig a well.

If that happens, and the price is right, and we get the land, and the well dug I will have to run a 2 inch pipe under the road which already has a 1 metre drain under it, across or under my neighbours drive, up the side of our land and across the land to near the storage ongs. That will be about 350 metres of 2 inch pipe plus the same of electrical conduit to power the pump. I would probably run a T piece our to my neighbours side so that they can get some water and also to my neighbour on the other side ad they have been friends of ours for some 22 years.

1 x 4 metres of 2 inch pipe is about 40 baht or 80 baht and I will need 90 sections plus 90 in-line connectors, plus pipe cement, plus 90 x 1/2 inch yellow electrical conduit, plus 4 x 100 metres of 2 or 2.5 mm twin core cable, junction boxes every 100 metres, plus a good quality well pump as it will be perhaps a total of 15 metres of vertical lift and 350 metres or horizontal run.

Even before it pumps into my storage ongs there will be a fair weight of water in the pipe so I will need a fairly powerful pump to get any decent pressure to fill just 1 ong.

[Kwasaki]

A bit hard to picture your situation but I guess from what you say and from what I know we have a Well type pump to pump water to a tank and then another pump to supply to our need.

Bear in mind there are limitations to what Well pumps can do.

There maybe other ways of carrying out what you need, maybe a good idea Bill to post in DIY forum

Initially the Well diggers told us if they cannot find water there's no charge.

Our Well is 20 metres deep and water level stays around 5 metres from ground level.

[chiang mai]

Bill: you may have problems pulling water for 350 metres from 15 metres down at 2 inches, as Kwasaki says, there are limits to pump technology capabilities at a sensible price. A 1 inch pipe will easily do the job that you need done is my guess.

And our well is also only about 15 metres deep but the water level remains at around seven metres.

We found a 1 inch pump for our well at Global and it easily handles fourteen metres but I'm told it's at the edge of its capability, the cost was around 4,000 baht. If using a 2 inch pipe at that depth you may need a jet pump.

[billd766]

A bit hard to picture your situation but I guess from what you say and from what I know we have a Well type pump to pump water to a tank and then another pump to supply to our need.

Bear in mind there are limitations to what Well pumps can do.

There maybe other ways of carrying out what you need, maybe a good idea Bill to post in DIY forum

Initially the Well diggers told us if they cannot find water there's no charge.

Our Well is 20 metres deep and water level stays around 5 metres from ground level.

I wouldn't want to use a well pump similar to the Mitsubishi or Hitachi as they would not be powerful enough. Assuming that water is 5 metres down and I pump from 10 metres. The external lift from the well to where I need the water is about another 5 metres so I would need a total vertical lift of 15 metres and a horizontal run of about 350 metres and AFAIK the standard well pumps simply wouldn't be powerful enough.

A few years ago I did something similar using the klong water and I had a Honda 5.5hp motor and a waterpump attachment with a 2 inch nozzle. I reduced it to 1 1/2 inches and used a combination of solid hard blue water pipe and a 1 1/2 flexible canvas/ plastic hose pipe which did the job but I had to refuel the pump every couple of hours.

If I can get it up and running I am not sure if I would be better off using ordinary blue pipe glued together with pipe glue or to fit a male/female connector on each end of the pipe so that in times of plentiful water supply (hollow laughter was heard) I can dismantle it and store it away. I would use glued sections under the road and under my neighbours drive and leave those parts in situ.

[billd766]

Bill: you may have problems pulling water for 350 metres from 15 metres down at 2 inches, as Kwasaki says, there are limits to pump technology capabilities at a sensible price. A 1 inch pipe will easily do the job that you need done is my guess.

And our well is also only about 15 metres deep but the water level remains at around seven metres.

We found a 1 inch pump for our well at Global and it easily handles fourteen metres but I'm told it's at the edge of its capability, the cost was around 4,000 baht. If using a 2 inch pipe at that depth you may need a jet pump.

A silly question.

What is a jet pump?

[chiang mai]

Bill: you may have problems pulling water for 350 metres from 15 metres down at 2 inches, as Kwasaki says, there are limits to pump technology capabilities at a sensible price. A 1 inch pipe will easily do the job that you need done is my guess.

And our well is also only about 15 metres deep but the water level remains at around seven metres.

We found a 1 inch pump for our well at Global and it easily handles fourteen metres but I'm told it's at the edge of its capability, the cost was around 4,000 baht. If using a 2 inch pipe at that depth you may need a jet pump.

A silly question.

What is a jet pump?

It's a different type of technology from an ordinary pump, designed to draw water from lower depths, they can be expensive:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injector

A submersible pump may also be an answer.

[chiang mai]

Also, you'll need top paint your blue pipe to prevent it from becoming brittle in sunlight, unless you can bury it, I might be inclined to go with a higher quality of pipe to avoid problems over that distance. Male/female threaded runs are problematic with pumps, you'll have to tape every joint with plumbers tape if you use sections, one leak any where and it wont work.

[billd766]

Bill: you may have problems pulling water for 350 metres from 15 metres down at 2 inches, as Kwasaki says, there are limits to pump technology capabilities at a sensible price. A 1 inch pipe will easily do the job that you need done is my guess.

And our well is also only about 15 metres deep but the water level remains at around seven metres.

We found a 1 inch pump for our well at Global and it easily handles fourteen metres but I'm told it's at the edge of its capability, the cost was around 4,000 baht. If using a 2 inch pipe at that depth you may need a jet pump.

A silly question.

What is a jet pump?

It's a different type of technology from an ordinary pump, designed to draw water from lower depths, they can be expensive:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injector

A submersible pump may also be an answer.

I think so too and hopefully I will be going up to the big city (Khampaeng Phet) this week so I will pop into Global house.

[billd766]

Also, you'll need top paint your blue pipe to prevent it from becoming brittle in sunlight, unless you can bury it, I might be inclined to go with a higher quality of pipe to avoid problems over that distance. Male/female threaded runs are problematic with pumps, you'll have to tape every joint with plumbers tape if you use sections, one leak any where and it wont work.

I have some old blue water pipe that has been in the open for a few years and it is now due replacement. All in good time.

The only reason that I considered m/f joints was the ease of dismantling it when it is not in use but thinking about it I am 71 now and I will need to get Thais to lay it in the first place and again every time I want it up or down. I will just have to supervise every glue joint they make. That should make me very popular.

[chiang mai]

Also, you'll need top paint your blue pipe to prevent it from becoming brittle in sunlight, unless you can bury it, I might be inclined to go with a higher quality of pipe to avoid problems over that distance. Male/female threaded runs are problematic with pumps, you'll have to tape every joint with plumbers tape if you use sections, one leak any where and it wont work.

I have some old blue water pipe that has been in the open for a few years and it is now due replacement. All in good time.

The only reason that I considered m/f joints was the ease of dismantling it when it is not in use but thinking about it I am 71 now and I will need to get Thais to lay it in the first place and again every time I want it up or down. I will just have to supervise every glue joint they make. That should make me very popular.

Maybe a combination of permanent in-ground pipe and some lengths that are removable?

Shout if you need help to do that, don't hire locals for blue pipe joints, I've laid more metres of it than I care to think about and will be pleased to help, it's actually good fun.

[billd766]

Also, you'll need top paint your blue pipe to prevent it from becoming brittle in sunlight, unless you can bury it, I might be inclined to go with a higher quality of pipe to avoid problems over that distance. Male/female threaded runs are problematic with pumps, you'll have to tape every joint with plumbers tape if you use sections, one leak any where and it wont work.

I have some old blue water pipe that has been in the open for a few years and it is now due replacement. All in good time.

The only reason that I considered m/f joints was the ease of dismantling it when it is not in use but thinking about it I am 71 now and I will need to get Thais to lay it in the first place and again every time I want it up or down. I will just have to supervise every glue joint they make. That should make me very popular.

Maybe a combination of permanent in-ground pipe and some lengths that are removable?

Shout if you need help to do that, don't hire locals for blue pipe joints, I've laid more metres of it than I care to think about and will be pleased to help, it's actually good fun.

I am only in the planning stages yet.

1 I need to find someone who can actually find water somewhere around where I would like the well to be.

2 I then need my wife to talk to the lady who owns the land and see if we can buy or rent a part of it and if it is OK to lay pipes across the rest of her land if need be.

3 I then need to get my wife to talk to the next door neighbour to see if he minds us digging up part of his drive (which is actually on government land) and dropping a 6 inch drainpipe for the pipe runs to get to the drain under the road and then concreting over the part we dig up.

4 If all that lot comes together I need to actually get all the gear together, paint perhaps 180 pieces of pipe both the water pipe and the electrical conduit and then I should be ready to do something.

I will try to work out what I need in the way of materials and cost it out but I can look at that in the next few days. I will cost out 1, 1 1/2 and 2 inch pipe straight, plus 45 and 90 degree connectors and the same for the 1/2 inch electrical conduit.

I will also try to find a proper submersible well pump which I think would be a better pump than the Mitsubishi or Hitachi well pumps.

[chiang mai]

Two things:

Global House has submersible pumps;

Avoid all 90 degree bends in your pipe, it reduces pressure, use 45 degree at worst.

[billd766]

Two things:

Global House has submersible pumps;

Avoid all 90 degree bends in your pipe, it reduces pressure, use 45 degree at worst.

I had not thought about the difference between 45 and 90 degree bends.

Thinking about it now it does make sense.

My best guess is that there will be around 10 bends to negotiate which comes up with 10 by 90 or 20 by 45 degree bends.

Thanks for the tip.

[fredob43]

Also, you'll need top paint your blue pipe to prevent it from becoming brittle in sunlight, unless you can bury it, I might be inclined to go with a higher quality of pipe to avoid problems over that distance. Male/female threaded runs are problematic with pumps, you'll have to tape every joint with plumbers tape if you use sections, one leak any where and it wont work.

I have some old blue water pipe that has been in the open for a few years and it is now due replacement. All in good time.

The only reason that I considered m/f joints was the ease of dismantling it when it is not in use but thinking about it I am 71 now and I will need to get Thais to lay it in the first place and again every time I want it up or down. I will just have to supervise every glue joint they make. That should make me very popular.

Maybe a combination of permanent in-ground pipe and some lengths that are removable?

Shout if you need help to do that, don't hire locals for blue pipe joints, I've laid more metres of it than I care to think about and will be pleased to help, it's actually good fun.

I am only in the planning stages yet.

1 I need to find someone who can actually find water somewhere around where I would like the well to be.

2 I then need my wife to talk to the lady who owns the land and see if we can buy or rent a part of it and if it is OK to lay pipes across the rest of her land if need be.

3 I then need to get my wife to talk to the next door neighbour to see if he minds us digging up part of his drive (which is actually on government land) and dropping a 6 inch drainpipe for the pipe runs to get to the drain under the road and then concreting over the part we dig up.

4 If all that lot comes together I need to actually get all the gear together, paint perhaps 180 pieces of pipe both the water pipe and the electrical conduit and then I should be ready to do something.

I will try to work out what I need in the way of materials and cost it out but I can look at that in the next few days. I will cost out 1, 1 1/2 and 2 inch pipe straight, plus 45 and 90 degree connectors and the same for the 1/2 inch electrical conduit.

I will also try to find a proper submersible well pump which I think would be a better pump than the Mitsubishi or Hitachi well pumps.

Tip Bill if your going to put wire through pipe use water pipe much better water proofing. Have used that on the pond/lake at my place without any problems.

It hasn't improved the wife coffee though.

[billd766]

Maybe a combination of permanent in-ground pipe and some lengths that are removable?

Shout if you need help to do that, don't hire locals for blue pipe joints, I've laid more metres of it than I care to think about and will be pleased to help, it's actually good fun.

I am only in the planning stages yet.

1 I need to find someone who can actually find water somewhere around where I would like the well to be.

2 I then need my wife to talk to the lady who owns the land and see if we can buy or rent a part of it and if it is OK to lay pipes across the rest of her land if need be.

3 I then need to get my wife to talk to the next door neighbour to see if he minds us digging up part of his drive (which is actually on government land) and dropping a 6 inch drainpipe for the pipe runs to get to the drain under the road and then concreting over the part we dig up.

4 If all that lot comes together I need to actually get all the gear together, paint perhaps 180 pieces of pipe both the water pipe and the electrical conduit and then I should be ready to do something.

I will try to work out what I need in the way of materials and cost it out but I can look at that in the next few days. I will cost out 1, 1 1/2 and 2 inch pipe straight, plus 45 and 90 degree connectors and the same for the 1/2 inch electrical conduit.

I will also try to find a proper submersible well pump which I think would be a better pump than the Mitsubishi or Hitachi well pumps.

Tip Bill if your going to put wire through pipe use water pipe much better water proofing. Have used that on the pond/lake at my place without any problems.

It hasn't improved the wife coffee though.

Nothing much could improve your wife's coffee apart from trading her in for a newer and younger model.

I have tried trading mine in but I have had no offers yet. She is talking about selling my body to the pork sellers but they can't find a fork lift truck big enough to shift me.

Are you accepting visitors next week as I may be up in the big city on Monday or Tuesday?

[fredob43]

Maybe a combination of permanent in-ground pipe and some lengths that are removable?

Shout if you need help to do that, don't hire locals for blue pipe joints, I've laid more metres of it than I care to think about and will be pleased to help, it's actually good fun.

I am only in the planning stages yet.

1 I need to find someone who can actually find water somewhere around where I would like the well to be.

2 I then need my wife to talk to the lady who owns the land and see if we can buy or rent a part of it and if it is OK to lay pipes across the rest of her land if need be.

3 I then need to get my wife to talk to the next door neighbour to see if he minds us digging up part of his drive (which is actually on government land) and dropping a 6 inch drainpipe for the pipe runs to get to the drain under the road and then concreting over the part we dig up.

4 If all that lot comes together I need to actually get all the gear together, paint perhaps 180 pieces of pipe both the water pipe and the electrical conduit and then I should be ready to do something.

I will try to work out what I need in the way of materials and cost it out but I can look at that in the next few days. I will cost out 1, 1 1/2 and 2 inch pipe straight, plus 45 and 90 degree connectors and the same for the 1/2 inch electrical conduit.

I will also try to find a proper submersible well pump which I think would be a better pump than the Mitsubishi or Hitachi well pumps.

Tip Bill if your going to put wire through pipe use water pipe much better water proofing. Have used that on the pond/lake at my place without any problems.

It hasn't improved the wife coffee though.

Nothing much could improve your wife's coffee apart from trading her in for a newer and younger model.

I have tried trading mine in but I have had no offers yet. She is talking about selling my body to the pork sellers but they can't find a fork lift truck big enough to shift me.

Are you accepting visitors next week as I may be up in the big city on Monday or Tuesday?

Your always welcome. Will be in most days only going out for the BKK Post.

Bill the younger is back as I'm sure you know already, he's orf Skiing in Japan mid Jan. But at present he's in Chang M/R.

May I take the opportunity of wishing everyone a merry festive season.

And a great new year.

H/M.

Fred.

[callaway]

Bill, using a faucet socket and valve socket is an expensive way to go. Just use your normal couplings and when you want to seperate just cut at one side of the coupling. You then smear the pvc solvent on the inside of the cut pipe thats in the coupling/joiner. Then get a lighter and set that on fire. It will soften the pvc inside the coupling where you can put a screwdriver between the pipe and fitting and lever out. I find it best to try and fold the cut pipe into the midlle as then you are not damaging the fitting. Your fitting can then be used again and again.

[Sutty]

I have installed two water butt's of 3000 ltrs each which is a good thing as the water has been of here in village for 4 days not due to drought but due to a cars which decided to take out the main water pipe I say cars as they fixed it in two days then another one decided it would crash in the exact same place and take it out again now they have decided to shift it 500 meters which could take another 4 days but hey.

[topt]

OP I am just curious how come the water delivery was free?

Presumably the normal govt. supply is via a meter which you then pay for or is that not the case?

[billd766]

Bill, using a faucet socket and valve socket is an expensive way to go. Just use your normal couplings and when you want to seperate just cut at one side of the coupling. You then smear the pvc solvent on the inside of the cut pipe thats in the coupling/joiner. Then get a lighter and set that on fire. It will soften the pvc inside the coupling where you can put a screwdriver between the pipe and fitting and lever out. I find it best to try and fold the cut pipe into the midlle as then you are not damaging the fitting. Your fitting can then be used again and again.

Thank you for the information. I didn't know that.

It was just a thought for easier dismantling in the wet season. If I use straight connectors then i have to cut them off and replace them and eventually I will need more pipe.

I have binned that idea now.

[billd766]

OP I am just curious how come the water delivery was free?

Presumably the normal govt. supply is via a meter which you then pay for or is that not the case?

We normally pay for the government supply at 2 baht per 1,000 litres but for some reason if the water comes via the fire truck and they are usually out all day 5 days a week it is free. It comes via the tessaban in the big village.

The other tanker charges 400 baht per 4,000 litre delivery, 25 times the normal price.

[topt]

OP I am just curious how come the water delivery was free?

Presumably the normal govt. supply is via a meter which you then pay for or is that not the case?

We normally pay for the government supply at 2 baht per 1,000 litres but for some reason if the water comes via the fire truck and they are usually out all day 5 days a week it is free. It comes via the tessaban in the big village.

The other tanker charges 400 baht per 4,000 litre delivery, 25 times the normal price.

Thanks - seems very generous

Your tanker price seems a bit cheaper than we last paid here in Pattaya but it has been a couple of years since we needed to do that - touch wood