Is it okay to boil tap water here?

Pravda · July 16, 2020

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

You list location as Bangkok

Bangkok tap water has been treated to international drinking water standards .

This has been discussed adnauseam. Bangkok water if drank at source is safe. Not so once it passes through the pipes. Once that happens its only good for cleaning.... Pipes /:

lopburi3 · July 16, 2020

41 minutes ago, Pravda said:

This has been discussed adnauseam. Bangkok water if drank at source is safe. Not so once it passes through the pipes. Once that happens its only good for cleaning.... Pipes /:

And you are wrong - as stated it is tested at many locations in real time and the information is on internet for anyone to see - what other countries do that?

balo · July 16, 2020

The water in Bangkok is not too bad, but be aware of old pipes. I use tap water to boil pasta/ veggies etc. I prefer bottled water for drinking.

Neeranam · July 16, 2020

8 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Ok so as I thought the answer is no. I won't be buying any filters or the like, or going off to labs for checks lol. I just wanted a simple yes or no which I now have.

The answer is yes, perfectly safe to drink, even if not boiled.

Snackbar · July 16, 2020

Hahhah

Water filters are for refined ladies, not big tough men.

If you must 20 litre bottled water is B12.00 and reusable.

Tap water is safe for cooking, making tea etc, unless it looks or smells unclean.

Grow a pair.

Colabamumbai · July 16, 2020

There are drops you can put in the water, popular in Mexico, forget the name, have not seen here, 10 years in.

tonray · July 16, 2020

40 baht per 6 liter bottle from retailers, or as low as 22 baht per 6 liters if you buy the 18.9 liter water service Jugs. Why bother taking any chances ?

Mulambana · July 17, 2020

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Both my tummy and my pen say it's good to go.

Anywhere would probably be good after boiling.

How about about your tongue? I find tap water tastes awful, not only in Thailand but in the US also. In the US, I have a refrigerator with water dispenser. Water from the dispenser tastes OK. In Thailand I have tried boiling water and chilled it but it still tastes awful.

cucme · July 17, 2020

here you go

https://iamkohchang.com/blog/tap-water-in-thailand.html

I would not use any tap water even boiled. If you know where it comes from and the taste is OK, yes after filtering.

Edited July 17, 2020 by cucme
add 1 more

scorecard · July 17, 2020

17 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

If the cost of bottled water is an impediment, surely a filter would be out of the question.

I think if he boils tap water for at least one minute he'll be OK. The taste might not be to his liking.

Plenty of filters on the market from home-pro, Global and more and from simple to sophisticated models. Some need electric power, many don't.

Replacement filters used to be expensive but prices have come way down. And nowadays easy to change, less than 1 minute.

Many of the different water filter models, even sophisticated ones are very easy to install. Big range of prices, no need to go expensive.

Ours was fitted by a handyman in 20 minutes, but after completed my son realized he could have easily done it himself. We have a small spout with tap fitted in one corner of the SS sink in the kitchen, deliberately located so it doesn't get in the way of working at the sink and easily accessible by the kids, with a small tray of plastic cups / drinking vessels 10cm away from the spout.

Six yo granddaughter responsible to ensure there's always cups etc., on the tray.

Ten yo granddaughter responsible to put drinking glasses around the meal table and filled with fresh water, before every meal.

Kerryd · July 17, 2020

I thought the OP was "taking the p1ss" when he asked if "is it OK to boil tap water".

Like, why wouldn't it be OK ? There's nothing special about the water here that makes it unsafe to boil.

But it seems what he really meant was "is it safe to drink the tap water if it's boiled".

From the (American) EPA site: (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/emergency-disinfection-drinking-water#:~:text=Boil water%2C if you do,for at least one minute.)
"Boil water, if you do not have bottled water. Boiling is sufficient to kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa (WHO, 2015).

If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paperboiling water towel, or coffee filter.
Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute. At altitudes above 5,000 feet (1,000 meters), boil water for three minutes.
Let water cool naturally and store it in clean containers with covers.

To improve the flat taste of boiled water, add one pinch of salt to each quart or liter of water, or pour the water from one clean container to another several times."

The big problem with tap water in most 3rd world countries isn't the water (or the source) - but the transport. Low standards of workmanship and poor quality of materials can result in the water coming out your tap being somewhat "less than pure".
Don't forget, we are in a tropical country. Algae and bacteria grow like wildfire here. Stagnant water in old tanks and pipes make nice breeding grounds.

I have a couple of "white" (not quite clear) 45 gal garbage cans that I use to store water for the times the supply is cut off. One in the bathroom and one in the kitchen.
The water is clear coming out of the taps. Looks fine when I fill the cans. I put the lids on them and cinch them down with the handles.

A couple weeks later, the water has all manner of things floating in it and clumps of dark matter collecting on the bottom. Nothing is getting in from the outside, so it's stuff that was in the water when I filled the cans. Some of it might be sediment, some might be dead organic material.

Filtering would get rid of most of that of course and what little remained would probably have little to no effect on the average person.

Before the water restrictions from the drought, we used to have outages all the time. Mostly it seems from someone doing some construction work and breaking a water line, which seems to happen at least once a month (or feels like it).
Of course, when the water comes back on, it's filthy from all the c.rap that got into the pipes. You often don't notice it when you are washing dishes or filling a glass, but try filling a pitcher of water or the laundry machine and suddenly it looks like a mud bath.
I seriously doubt the idea of "sanitizing" the pipes after they've been contaminated has ever crossed anyone's mind here.

People have this misconception that all their water is "purified" before being pumped into their homes.
It's not.

At best it's filtered and "treated". The filtering is to remove the "big stuff" (plant and animal matter) from the water and the "treatment" (if any) may be the addition of something like Aluminum Sulphate (which makes wee small particles "clump" together so they can be filtered out) and/or Fluoride.

That's assuming there's any "treatment" at all. The water isn't run through "RO" or any other purification system. It is generally assumed that the source water is clean to begin with, whether it be from a dam or other reservoir and therefore doesn't require "purification".

So, generally speaking, the water coming out of your taps is pretty much the same water as you'd get if you dipped a cup into a reservoir. (Not a river or duck pond.)

And the blog linked in the post above ? The blogger even admits he only uses tap water (in Bangkok and elsewhere) to brush his teeth with. He never actually says he drinks tap water in Bangkok (only that he never drinks tap water outside of Bangkok). (It's because he's "gotten used to" drinking bottled water apparently.)
The blog also notes that apparently only about 10% of the Thais in Bangkok drink the tap water (and you can imagine where those people sit on the economic scale).

No worries though, according to the blog, testing done in 2018 shows 98.4% of the water tested (in Bangkok) meets the WHO guidelines.

Personally, I use the tap water for everything except cooking food that is eaten directly from the water (i.e. spaghetti/vegetables) though I will use it to boil eggs in.

My drinking/cooking water comes from the 18 litre jugs (40 baht each in Pattaya) that sit on my water dispenser. I have 4 of them and go through roughly 1 per week. That means each one sits for a good 3 weeks before being used and I always check them when I'm swapping jugs to see if there's any sign of sediment or other "matter" in them.
So far so good.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Kerryd

heybuz · July 17, 2020

IN BKK that's all i do just boil it never had a problem in 10 years.

Asquith Production · July 17, 2020

17 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Most areas have good quality filtered and reverse osmosis bottled water, in 20 liter bottles for 20 baht, delivered. Why even take the risk or engage in the hassle?

Used them and found out the company were just putting tap water into the 20 litre bottles.

rwill · July 17, 2020

Water quality can vary greatly depending on where you live.

robertson468 · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Ok so as I thought the answer is no. I won't be buying any filters or the like, or going off to labs for checks lol. I just wanted a simple yes or no which I now have.

We buy in 20 liters of drinking water from a local supplier and have been doing so for nearly 15 years and have no problems.

NCC1701A · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

So as the title suggests is totally safe to boil water straight from the taps here?

no.

sencelebi · July 17, 2020

You can boil any kind of water to get rid of the bacteria and viruses. Is it going to be the same taste with the bottelled water ? Most likely no but safe to drink.

Mbaki · July 17, 2020

18 hours ago, Andy from Kent said:

If the cost of bottled water is an impediment, surely a filter would be out of the question.

I think if he boils tap water for at least one minute he'll be OK. The taste might not be to his liking.

I boil tap water for my coffee in the morning and use the tap water also for my instant noodles done in the microwave, mind you the water passes through an active charcoal filter to the tank before it comes into the house.

Estrada · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Ok so as I thought the answer is no. I won't be buying any filters or the like, or going off to labs for checks lol. I just wanted a simple yes or no which I now have.

You can drink the tap water here in Bangkok. A complete water quality analysis is published daily online by the MWA. There used to be problems with mains water pipe breaks so I have been boiling the tap water here for the last 26 years for hot drinks. I advised some people to allow it to cool down for drinking water or install an Ultrafiltration wall mounted filtration unit for drinking water. Allthough I manufactured large scale R.O. plants for many years, I advise you that R.O. water is not good for health as it has all the impurities removed. Some bottled drinking water manufacturers here have already dropped R.O. water in favour of Ultrafiltration.

Jaxxper · July 17, 2020

I think the problem here is the inconsistent quality of the tap water. For the Thb 80 a week it costs us for the delivery of large containers I’d rather stick with that. That’s for a family of 3.

Cake Monster · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

I have no idea at all what that is. I'm talking about putting tap water into a normal old kettle and boiling, that's it.

FYI

By boiling the Water you will kill the Bacteria ETc, so in theory its good to go.

However, as stated in a previous post the Water contains a large amount of heavy metals.

The poster states it is bad enough to rust his Stainless Sink.

This could be down to the poor quality of the Stainless Steel ( and it is poor ) I machined many Tons of this stuff in my Business back in the UK, so I can make that statement based on knowledge and experience.

Bad Stainless VS Toxins, I really dont know , so be safe and stick to the bottled stuff

The 19 Litre White tanks tanks from the Ma and Pa shops are only 15 Baht, and good to drink even not boiled.

ravip · July 17, 2020

Drinking water can contain many types of pollutants, obviously. Particles, chemicals, etc. Example >>>

Out of all these, what could be more dangerous to health?

A TDS meter indicates the total dissolved solids (TDS) of a solution. What about the chemicals?

Any idea about the purity test of drinking water?

Henryford · July 17, 2020

I get my water from the Reverse Osmosis machines. 1 baht a litre. It would cost more to boil it.

Edited July 17, 2020 by Henryford

Speedo1968 · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, DaftToPutRealName said:

If you're sticking around for a while then buy a reverse osmosis filter kit (one of those 4-5 filter doodacks) which you can fit into your kitchen.

Depending on where you are, tap water isn't bad because of the bacterial amounts, but because of the huge number of heavy metals and other toxic things around.

In my kitchen, it's bad enough to rust my stainless steel basin and any utensils left in it.

Same here, also can be sandy especially at the start of the rainy season when the ground gives way leading to a fracture in the water pipe.
Water can be soft one day and hard the next, often difficult to remove soap from body after a shower so dread to think what chemicals are in the water.
Have found nematodes in the shower head in my house on a number of occasions ( also in hotels locally and in Bangkok ). If your water comes from a storage tank either daily or when mains supply is off nematodes can be a problem.
Depends where you live and the kind of place you live in, if you can easily buy 5 litre bottles complete with box and have your own bottles refilled it may be prudent to go for that, I pay 1 baht a litre empty bottles collected and refilled delivered. Have a Seagull table top 5 litre water dispenser and drink 3 litre per day + for cooking. I live in a small house so keep a stock of 36 bottles.
I never use tap water for cooking but do use for washing dishes and laundry.

I have only ever had food poisoning from outside food especially curried dishes.

Good luck finding a solution and just be aware of water quality.

whaleboneman · July 17, 2020

19 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

So that's cleared that up then. I need an asprin now ????

Have that aspirin with a little boiled water.

Mick501 · July 17, 2020

20 hours ago, ravip said:

TDS meter is a small hand-held device used to indicate the Total Dissolved Solids in a solution, usually water. Since dissolved ionized solids, such as salts and minerals, increase the conductivity of a solution, a TDS meter measures the conductivity of the solution and estimates the TDS from that reading.

Ah, so it doesn't actually measure Trump Derangement Syndrome. Good thing too, as every time you logged on to Thai Visa, your house would be filled with flashing lights and screaming alarm sirens.

Keyser Soze666 · July 17, 2020

Well, this has brought all the techie nerds out..4 pages about water?? I only wanted a yes or no, not the fifth amendment.