Need to set up the dishwasher and washing machine with the right water type, soft, hard grade of soft, hard. We live in Tha Salaa does anyone know this or how I can find out. I assume the water authorities will know but not sure my thai is good enough to ask them!

 

Any help would be most appreciated.

 

If nobody can answer perhaps order one of these for 111 baht?  Great for such testing and to confirm operation of RO water filters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stick-Meter-Tester-TDS-Fashion-TDS3-Digital-LCD-Temp-Water-Purity-Filter-Pen-PPM/262702864652?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D86aa3929b63d44648a6642be98679217%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262672129191

Fantastic, even better than someone telling me as I can test water elsewhere too. Any idea where I can buy one in CM Lopburi3?

 

and as well as advising the water temperature it will give me a reading in the water hardness/softness right?

Can be done by SGS (private company)

http://www.sgs.co.th/en/Agriculture-Food/Seed-and-Crop/Soil-Leaf-and-Water-Services/Water-Testing.aspx

Can also be done -faster- at Chiang Mai university. A previous thread covered your issue with more details :

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/888534-water-testing/


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Believe only local source for the TDS-3 meters are high markup sellers on Lazada, which is also same import wait as Ebay.

1 minute ago, lopburi3 said:

Believe only local source for the TDS-3 meters are high markup sellers on Lazada, which is also same import wait as Ebay.

So order from EBay today then . Thanks

3 minutes ago, Thorgal said:

Can be done by SGS (private company)

http://www.sgs.co.th/en/Agriculture-Food/Seed-and-Crop/Soil-Leaf-and-Water-Services/Water-Testing.aspx

Can also be done -faster- at Chiang Mai university. A previous thread covered your issue with more details :

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/888534-water-testing/


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Useful if I am growing and having the soil tested but I only want to know about the tap water. I think a call to the water company would be the cheap option and buying the device Lopburi3 recommended but thanks for helpful advice.

TDS meter doesn't give you feedback of pH, chemical composition, hardness etc...

It only tells you only 'total dissolved solids'.

Your tap water and your bottled water can for instance have the same TDS values...


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TDS (total dissolved solids) includes soft solids as well as hard but in general will be a good indication of hardness for what is intended here.   One grain of hardness equals approximately 17.1 ppm (mg/L) in TDS.

 

As for bottled water being the same as tap - unless it is special process or mineral water it should not be - most normal bottled water is tap water than has been RO filtered and TDS should be much, much less.

26 minutes ago, Thorgal said:

Can be done by SGS (private company)

http://www.sgs.co.th/en/Agriculture-Food/Seed-and-Crop/Soil-Leaf-and-Water-Services/Water-Testing.aspx

Can also be done -faster- at Chiang Mai university. A previous thread covered your issue with more details :

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/888534-water-testing/


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We have used a laboratory in Bangkok for water testing - HiAdvance  They are expat managed and we found them to operate to a high level of quality and service.

 

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't put much stock in any government, utilities officials and their

information, I found out throughout the years and a lot of experience

that most of them just wing it and give you an answer just to get rid of your

pesky questions, Thai people in general don't ask such questions, so just like

the smiles on Thai people faces that mean nothing, so is most of their information....

18 minutes ago, bubba said:

 

 

We have used a laboratory in Bangkok for water testing - HiAdvance  They are expat managed and we found them to operate to a high level of quality and service.

 

 

 

 

Just for your washing machine settings like I want it for?

4 minutes ago, stament said:

Just for your washing machine settings like I want it for?

 

 

No, that was for an environmental site assessment. If you are just testing water for your washing machine, a simple hardness test is probably all you need. Any swimming pool maintenance company would do that for you quickly and cheaply.

Thanks bubba that sounds a better and cheaper alternative!

11 minutes ago, stament said:

Just for your washing machine settings like I want it for?

Since your washing machine seems to have only 3 settings it would be fairly easy to test all 3 washing a load with each and see which is best, wouldn't it?

If you are setting up for a dishwater and you use water supplied the provincial water company i.e. city water then you should set the setting to soft.If however the water comes from your local municipality then maybe get a check done as well water differs enormously from area to area.

 

Results of a water sample from PWA  water in the Maya area done about 8 months ago

UNFILTERED WATER

 

PPM

TOTAL ALKILINITY 68 ppm

68

 

TOTAL HARDNESS

40 ppm

 

CALCIUM HARDNESS

22 ppm

 

pH

7.55

 

PHOSPATES

0.12 ppm

 

CHLORIDES

Below 1 ppm

 

NITRATES

0.8 ppm

 

COPPER

Less than .01ppm

 

IRON

LESS THAN.03 ppm

 

MANGANESE

.02 ppm

 

CHLORINE

.45 ppm

 

The PWA standards can be found here https://en.pwa.co.th/download/pwastandard50-1.pdf

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

If nobody can answer perhaps order one of these for 111 baht?  Great for such testing and to confirm operation of RO water filters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stick-Meter-Tester-TDS-Fashion-TDS3-Digital-LCD-Temp-Water-Purity-Filter-Pen-PPM/262702864652?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D86aa3929b63d44648a6642be98679217%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262672129191

Perhaps ok for indicative purposes, remember whatever reading you get on the meter is pretty meaningless unless you are able to break down the components of that figure i.e. sulphates sulphides nitrates  etc etc.

TDS meters are really only an indicator of water quality and make up (NOT INCLUDING PATHOGENS) at that price I would suspect it is not much good, as for calibrating with a salt solution???? how do you determine the tds of the calibrating solution.?There is a pool company on the Doi Saket Bo Sang road who I believe are agents for Hanna instruments who make first class TDS meters and calibration solutions.

The company that supplies our water is called Garnprapa, head office near Tesco Lotus, Chang Peuk on the superhighway if that means anything 

If it is just for your washing machine setting then just take a shower and note how easily your soap lathers up. A quick thick lather means soft water and a slow thin lather means hard water.


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What's better hard or soft water?

2 minutes ago, stament said:

What's better hard or soft water?

Soft water in this case.    ps city mains water in Sanameng district Sansai was 60ppm  TDS

 

3 hours ago, stament said:

 

These TDS meters can be bought at World Chemical on Mahidol road. They don't sell cheap and need to carefully read the box, different brands, looks the same but have different capabilities.

4 hours ago, sappersrest said:

If you are setting up for a dishwater and you use water supplied the provincial water company i.e. city water then you should set the setting to soft.If however the water comes from your local municipality then maybe get a check done as well water differs enormously from area to area.

 

Results of a water sample from PWA  water in the Maya area done about 8 months ago

UNFILTERED WATER

 

PPM

TOTAL ALKILINITY 68 ppm

68

 

TOTAL HARDNESS

40 ppm

 

CALCIUM HARDNESS

22 ppm

 

pH

7.55

 

PHOSPATES

0.12 ppm

 

CHLORIDES

Below 1 ppm

 

NITRATES

0.8 ppm

 

COPPER

Less than .01ppm

 

IRON

LESS THAN.03 ppm

 

MANGANESE

.02 ppm

 

CHLORINE

.45 ppm

 

The PWA standards can be found here https://en.pwa.co.th/download/pwastandard50-1.pdf

This water is corrosive, as is any R.O. water also. The water in Chaingmai would be soft water since it originates from rain water that is stored. Water that is pumped from below ground is hard water.