Where to get water tested

[canopy]

I am in Phetchabun province. I would like to formally test water from several sources: village tap water from pond source, rainwater catchment, 20L white jugs commonly used for drinking, and well water. Can anyone recommend how to go about testing?

[PattayaClub]

Every province has a provincial health office that tests water. I do not know where it is in Petchabun, but you can find it if you ask around. Some universities will do it. Also, water filter specialty shops often offer water testing.

Be aware though that the test may be nearly worthless for many things in the water. A water sample is NOT static; it's dynamic, constantly changing. Things like calcium are fairly static. but iron, manganese and bacteria are not. I the West, you can get a water sample tested within fr hours of submission to the lab. Here, in my experience, it's two to four weeks. A lot can happen to a sample that sits on a shelf in a warm room.

Take my well. It is loaded with iron. If I pull a sample at the well head it is crystal clear. But as it comes from the pipe the water is oxidized. I can put the sample on a table in from of me and watch it turn orange right before my eyes. It is iron oxide (rust) precipitating out. Eventually it begins to settle to the bottom. Bottom line is that the iron content test done at the moment the sample was pulled will be substantially different from one done a week after the sample was taken. Ditto for manganese, except manganese is a much slower reaction.

I do not know as much about bacteria, but it seems intuitive that bacteria can multiply in warm water over time, giving a false reading, or it could die, also giving a false reading.

Despite the foregoing problems, I had to rely on a lab for the bacteria testing. They also tested for iron. I have a iron/manganse colorimeter. My tests showed much higher iron count than theirs, which took three weeks. I also did a series of tests on the same samples ovr time that show a decline in iron/manganese content as it precipitates out.

Thailand has a lot of water "experts" but trying to find one that understands anything at all about water chemistry would be like trying to find a blue elephant.

This problem has caused me not end of frustration over many months. I finally bought and imported tester which cost an arm and a leg. I hope you have better luck.