Does anyone in CM drink tap water?

[midzo]

I beloeve the water piped to my village is clean and safe to drink. Then it is stored in open concrete tanks.

I've seen the tanks. They contain leaves, bugs, and dirt.

I drink bottled water.

[duanebigsby]

My theory is that if the locals don't drink their own water, then us foreigners shouldn't be doing it either. I don't think it will kill you but who knows what's in it. If you boil it though, it's fine.

My school has outdoor taps and the kids drink the water all the time.

 

I would argue against bottled water consumption in the developed world, but in underdeveloped nations such as Thailand it's perfectly understandable.

 

I try to reduce my ecological footprint by buying the big jugs of water and filling smaller bottles from them.

[Stjohnm]

I never buy bottled water, & the tap water never gave me Grung Thep Gut, that is the privilege of the Som Tum from a street vendor.

[umbanda]

Bottled water is the biggest scam ever, and it is more profitable for Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, etc, etc that its traditional products....I grow up in Buenos Aires and lived there until 1970 drinking tap water from the city system. That water was extracted from the Rio de la Plata, the only water supply available, and treated with chemicals before going into the city pipes.The pumps towers, on the river, 20 meter away from " La Costanera", the riverside road, were sorrounded by feces and "debris" from the city sewers. Water tasted very bad, but used directly from the faucet. No problems at all. Until the late 80's that was normal to me and people from most South American countries.....until I moved to the US and I has to accept the corporate "brain wash" . Some people now are even afraid to drink rain and underground water. The problem is that we were also "body washed", after so many years drinking bottled "clean" water..Tap water may contains common bacterias that our bodies now will need to fight and absorv again.

Who will take the risk? I will...but I am an "alien"...

[Strangebrew]

Do you drink water from swimming pool? Only drink bottled or water I personal filtered and boiled first.

[paulyd2k]

I wouldn't drink the tap water here for sure, if you pour some in a container or something similar see how quick it goes green, I have seen in my new washing machine when I test run it empty a few days ago the water looked murky,and grimy, well just terrible, wouldn't put it near my mouth, I use the machine for tea and cooking and bottled for drink

 

[KED]

I bought a condo in Bangkok and wanted to test the tap water before filteration and after just to know what level - but I could never find a place to do this.

 

The problem with bottle water and machine filtered outlets - is there is no regulation or testing - how do you know the contents of these???  We all want drinking water to be safe and are willing to pay for healthy, safe water - but how can you know what is safe?

[umbanda]

I'm the OP.  Thanks for all of the interesting feedback.  Regarding the comment that your skin is the largest organ in your body, and that it can somehow absorb "bad" water when taking a shower, I'm not sure of the science behind this.

 

For work reasons in 2003 I had to move to Mexico City for eight months.  Let me tell you, if you did not keep your mouth clamped shut while taking a shower, you would suffer the consequences.  But if you kept your mouth clamped shut, no problem.  Thus I am suspect that your skin is somehow absorbing water similar to drinking a glass of water.

 

In CM I don't have to worry clamping my mouth shut while showering.  While I do drink bottled water, I always rinse with normal tap water after brushing my teeth.

 

That's true Roger. I only got sick with tap water in Mexico, even if was using it just to make coffee in my hotel room..Very sick. . I will like to know why. ,,,,

At least in Mexico it is a good replacement   Tequila!!!
 

[DaamNaam]

Bottled water is the biggest scam ever, and it is more profitable for Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, etc, etc that its traditional products....I grow up in Buenos Aires and lived there until 1970 drinking tap water from the city system. That water was extracted from the Rio de la Plata, the only water supply available, and treated with chemicals before going into the city pipes.The pumps towers, on the river, 20 meter away from " La Costanera", the riverside road, were sorrounded by feces and "debris" from the city sewers. Water tasted very bad, but used directly from the faucet. No problems at all. Until the late 80's that was normal to me and people from most South American countries.....until I moved to the US and I has to accept the corporate "brain wash" . Some people now are even afraid to drink rain and underground water. The problem is that we were also "body washed", after so many years drinking bottled "clean" water..Tap water may contains common bacterias that our bodies now will need to fight and absorv again.

Who will take the risk? I will...but I am an "alien"...

Absolute rubbish.

Bottled mineral water the safest bet, Minere or Aqua brands are best as they still have minerals left, Nestle , Singha and others have all that "boiled out".

Just use common sense and don't leave the bottles in the sun, recycle, etc.

 

It's not rocket science.

 

But saying tap water is safe to drink here is bordering on madness.

[kaptainrob]

~

 

But saying tap water is safe to drink here is bordering on madness.

 

 

"here" as in Chiang Mai?  Can you back that with facts please?

 

NB: When in Isaan we drink rainwater or bottled water as local dam or bore water is not treated and very dirty.  It's lovely and soft for hair and clothes washing though :)

 

Chiang Mai water comes from clean mountainous catchment areas of predominantly National Park.  Water naturally contains calcium leached from limestone.  The former is what leaves white deposits on kettles and clogs up steam irons.  Magnesium and calcium may be removed by an ionising/softening [resin filter] process for washing, not ideal for drinking.

 

One can have tap water tested at the Water Board on Super Highway, adjacent Tesco/Kamthieng Market.

 

By the way, good drinking water should grow a little 'green' stuff if left unused and exposed to sunlight. Ideally, ones water tank should not, hence a quality tank and sediment pre- filter is recommended.  ~3 x 100 baht filters to change out every 3 to 6 months.  I'd put my filtered tap water up against bottled water any day.  We drink many litres of it daily and have done so for ~3 years now.

[connda]

No way.  Even if the water was certified pure at the treatment plant, by the time it passes through to old infrastructure of pipes and collection tanks, there is no way I'd trust it.  If I had a reverse osmosis treatment system installed, then I'd consider drinking it.

[connda]

 

 

No. The traditional wisdom is that the water might be safe, but the pipes that it runs through are not. I don't know anyone who drinks tap water. 

 

We've been drinking it for years and no bad effects.....aside from entire family now growing two heads each.

 

All jokes aside, we have excellent filtration at our house and my wife also invested in an Alkaline Ionizer which makes it very drinkable.

 

 

All jokes aside, I only get proper stools when I have looked after my own food. I don't trust anyone, any tool or any platter. It is generally washed in the dark by someone in their '60's+ who's idea of germinology is perhaps a Western thing. Advise as such: imagine you touch a chicken covered with paint - now avoid contact with paint hereafter.

 

Best of luck.

 

My gut has swollen from 30" to 34" - I do not eat more, I have not had a non-medically induced solid stool in the last eight months. I know my gut is infected, by what I don't know. Carry on...

 

 

Try probiotics (kefir and yogurt that have active 'good' bacteria).  Check the TV probiotic forum or the Chiang Mai Probiotic group on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/362045903876086/
Over time it worked for me.

 

[connda]

There seems to be a problem in Thailand with legionella, cases in bangkok !
Then you don't have to worry about your drinking water only !

 

Yeah, a number of cafes use water atomizers to spray water mist around there shops to cool the air.  I stay away from them personally, just for that reason. 
 

[elektrified]

 

 

 

No. The traditional wisdom is that the water might be safe, but the pipes that it runs through are not. I don't know anyone who drinks tap water. 

 

We've been drinking it for years and no bad effects.....aside from entire family now growing two heads each.

 

All jokes aside, we have excellent filtration at our house and my wife also invested in an Alkaline Ionizer which makes it very drinkable.

 

 

All jokes aside, I only get proper stools when I have looked after my own food. I don't trust anyone, any tool or any platter. It is generally washed in the dark by someone in their '60's+ who's idea of germinology is perhaps a Western thing. Advise as such: imagine you touch a chicken covered with paint - now avoid contact with paint hereafter.

 

Best of luck.

 

My gut has swollen from 30" to 34" - I do not eat more, I have not had a non-medically induced solid stool in the last eight months. I know my gut is infected, by what I don't know. Carry on...

 

 

if your comment about an infected gut is a serious one get a check for Giardia, it's quite a common little parasite, water carried, and can even live in ice.  10 to 14 days on the tablets but you can't touch the booze in any way when you're on the medication.

 

I've had Giardia twice since I've lived here and my g/f has had it 3 or 4 times in the last few years. We never drink tap water or swim in places like Huay Tung Tao. So, yes it is possible one can get it from the ice here. If you get Giardia then you will need lab tests and will need to take Metronidazole (Flagyl) for a couple of weeks.

 

[Biikqth]

I can't help but wonder if those worrying about plastic containers and taking great care with the water they drink at home, particularly when it looks OK and tastes OK, also worry about the food they eat, the air they breathe and the surfaces and people they touch.

 

We need to keep perspective on these sorts of things.  There are bugs and chemicals in everything we eat, drink, breathe and touch and our bodies can deal with most of it.  If your tap water is bad either use a filter, boil it or buy drinking water, and get on with life.

 

In relation to the water in CM, in our condo it is good - its clear, no smell and tastes fine. Have no concerns brushing teeth & washing mouth out, washing salads with it and dishes and glasses.  However, we do boil our drinking water just to be on the safe side because we drink so much of it.  But I do wonder if it is a waste of time when I do drink iced water and coffee from all sorts of food places and coffee shops, and eat from street vendors.

[kaptainrob]

 

There seems to be a problem in Thailand with legionella, cases in bangkok !
Then you don't have to worry about your drinking water only !

 

Yeah, a number of cafes use water atomizers to spray water mist around there shops to cool the air.  I stay away from them personally, just for that reason. 
 

 

That is just plain stupid scare mongering.  Water fogging is as harmless as a garden sprinkler!  

[Strangebrew]

Water shop's here filter tap water and put it in bottles what happen's when they don't change filter to cut costs?

[BernieOnTour]

IMHO if you survived Indian tap water, you will easily deal with Thai tap water. .. From 10 business travelers to India, at least 5 got Montezuma's revenge. Edited August 15, 2014 by BernieOnTour

[Thorgal]

~
 
But saying tap water is safe to drink here is bordering on madness.
 

 
"here" as in Chiang Mai?  Can you back that with facts please?
 
NB: When in Isaan we drink rainwater or bottled water as local dam or bore water is not treated and very dirty.  It's lovely and soft for hair and clothes washing though :)
 
Chiang Mai water comes from clean mountainous catchment areas of predominantly National Park.  Water naturally contains calcium leached from limestone.  The former is what leaves white deposits on kettles and clogs up steam irons.  Magnesium and calcium may be removed by an ionising/softening [resin filter] process for washing, not ideal for drinking.
 
One can have tap water tested at the Water Board on Super Highway, adjacent Tesco/Kamthieng Market.
 
By the way, good drinking water should grow a little 'green' stuff if left unused and exposed to sunlight. Ideally, ones water tank should not, hence a quality tank and sediment pre- filter is recommended.  ~3 x 100 baht filters to change out every 3 to 6 months.  I'd put my filtered tap water up against bottled water any day.  We drink many litres of it daily and have done so for ~3 years now.

Rob,

As in my case a lot of moo baan in CM use their own wells and water towers and they only use mechanical water tray filters to reduce sediments in the system.

A lot of old concrete sewage pipes are damaged due to the tree roots inside the gardens.
Even so, reverse pipe slopes and broken concrete pits till the main sewage line of the moo baan makes that the water never leaves the house area. And of course, the main sewage line dived in street blocks is not always waterproof for the same reasons and others during construction.

This huge common spill will be mixed with rainwater and there's a probability that it comes back into the well water.

[sante]

I use tap water for cooking and for beverages such as coffee, tea, and homemade limeade but I boil the water first. Have been doing it for almost three years with no apparent bad effects. Bottled water seems like a scam to me. I suspect that most of the water in ice cubes, soups and used for cooking rice sold here in CM comes from the tap. Maybe spending my first nineteen years in New York City and drinking tap water there boosted my immunity.

Edited August 15, 2014 by sante

[elektrified]

I use tap water for cooking and for beverages such as coffee, tea, and homemade limeade but I boil the water first. Have been doing it for almost three years with no apparent bad effects. Bottled water seems like a scam to me. I suspect that most of the water in ice cubes, soups and used for cooking rice sold here in CM comes from the tap. Maybe spending my first nineteen years in New York City and drinking tap water there boosted my immunity.

 

I can't vouch for ice cubes as I have never seen the manufacturing process but I have noticed that in even the tiniest of restaurants in any part of the country, I always see them using bottled water to prepare rice, soup, etc. Thais are scared to death of drinking tap water, they wouldn't use it to prepare rice and soup.

 

Putting aside the health concerns for the moment I'm surprised so many members use tap water to make coffee. The chlorinated taste would ruin the coffee for me.
 

[kaptainrob]

 

Rob,

As in my case a lot of moo baan in CM use their own wells and water towers and they only use mechanical water tray filters to reduce sediments in the system.

A lot of old concrete sewage pipes are damaged due to the tree roots inside the gardens.
Even so, reverse pipe slopes and broken concrete pits till the main sewage line of the moo baan makes that the water never leaves the house area. And of course, the main sewage line dived in street blocks is not always waterproof for the same reasons and others during construction.

This huge common spill will be mixed with rainwater and there's a probability that it comes back into the well water.

 

I wouldn't be drinking your mooban's water either.  The OP asked about 'tap water' which I take to mean town water as opposed to well or bore water. Our mooban has an annual pipe cleaning program although many do not.  It is prudent to establish from where and how ones water is delivered before investing in even simple filtration systems.

[bristolgeoff]

I drink tap water and bottled water too.never a problem for me

[elephant45]

tastes fine at my condo..drank it for a year then decided to put in a simple 3 stage filter, only some light brown residue after a year. Water is my last health concern living in CM.

[elephant45]

also was back in states for a while in a high class town,  and the tap water was so horrible i wouldn't even take a shower in it, chlorine madness. The water here is far superior.