testing drinking water

[jayhawk874]

I just purchased and installed a water filter and purification system for the house. It's a Claret' system from Homepro and is installed under the sink. Since I had a "not so fun" experience with drinking water a few weeks ago, I am just curious now as to whether the water from the system is truly fit to drink. Since I am a doubter when they say 99.9% safe, I am always the one who falls into the .01 area. I would like to find somewhere or someone who can test the water here in HuaHin.

[charlesh]

As someone who used to test potable water years ago I would suggest that you boil it at least for bacteria removal. For heavy metals normally best done by Atomic Absorption (Chem dep't of University). Chances of an equivalent NATA analysis here in HH - very slim!
Where was your water purifier made - hopefully not PRC !!!! Is it reverse osmosis, cationic/anionic/activated charcoal etc ??
Remember to change filters.

[nevets]

In Thailand the lab would only tell you what you would want to here ,that is the water is good , because Thailand number 1 NO bad water here.

[PeteC]

Grade 11 and 12 science students at my daughters school here in Rayong just got back from a field trip testing the water in the Chao Praya at various places for purity, chemicals, industrial pollutants etc. They had portable devices with them. I bet if you go over to your HH University/College (Webster/Stamford?) they would have some students who could do it in their lab. Pete

[nevets]

Pete , could we get a test kit like that here , it would be good to be able to test our own ground water at the borehole .

[Nereus]

Sorry, I do not know where in Hua Hin you could go, maybe the waste water processing plant could do it.

As stated, there are many different tests involved. But the first thing they will ask is: where does your supply come from?
Is it underground water from your own source, developer supplied, government supply, etc.

A "filter" small enough to fit under a sink should only be the last line in a complete system, regardless of the source.
If you are going to drink it then it should have a UV steriliser as the last stage.

[PeteC]

Pete , could we get a test kit like that here , it would be good to be able to test our own ground water at the borehole .

I don't know. I read it in the school newsletter. All of their science equipment comes from the UK though. I did a Google for 'water test kits' and there are many listed. I doubt you can find any here but if someone is making a trip home easy to order on-line and bring over. Pete

[pharvey]

We have exactly the same issues in China, and have in the past used "Watersafe" products. Can't seem to find the company that used to ship the kit to us, but having a quick look on the web, found the following link: -

http://www.discovertesting.com/products ... Test%20Kit

Unfortunately, shipping is x2 the cost of the product with these guys! Maybe if you give it a bit more of a detailed search you can possibly find agents in Thailand (or a more reasonable shipping cost).

We've not had problems with customs in China when it's been shipped in, but of course Thailand may be quite different!

[Nereus]

Do not know anything about this company, but may be worth checking:

http://www.gccthai.com/index.php

[stgrhe]

Khon Kaen University does test water for you and the cost is around 5,000 baht for a proper test. They will provide the sterile bottle for you and with instruction on how to collect the water.

There is a company in Khon Kaen, the iWater, that can handle the process for you. They know their water stuffs and are a very professional company. The owner, and at least one of their engineers, speaks English very well.

http://www.iwater.co.th/index-en.html

A complete test includes something in the order of 15 parameters to be tested.

[nevets]

Thanks everyone .

[poosmate]

When I had a water bore installed the company provided me with a break down of all minerals etc in the water. This was obtained from the water company office in Prachuap.

[jayhawk874]

Thanks for all the information.....the system that I have is a claret' filter that I bought at homepro...a five step filter with the uv also...the three lower cannisters and two tubes on top. I also have a water softener on the outside of the house that takes out a lot of the harsh chemicals. My tank is city water and have had a couple of glasses already and am still alive. But still very skeptical and will probably only use it as a last resort. Although they say its safe to drink with this setup.

[CHIANGMAIFC]

U/V are only good for a set amount of hrs and after which they lose there power. Replace them before there due date you might also want to buy a TDS meter (total disolved solids) as this will let you know if the other filters are doing there jobs. By the way anyone with a salt water pool should also get a TDS meter so you can maintain correct salt levels ie:6ppm

[Khundon1975]

jayhawk874

I had one of those 5 stage under sink filters fitted several years ago, as like you, I have suffered from the "Run to the bog and see who wins" syndrome, from drinking iffy water.

I cannot remember the system name but it came from Home Pro.

We changed the filters every 6 months, inc the UV light and never had any problems with it.

One thing we did learn was, if you are going to leave the system unused for more than a month, then drain the system and the water holding tank, if you have one with your system.

I never had any problems with water from this system and would recommend it to anyone.

I even considered trying to link the filtered water tank, to the chilled water system tank in the fridge, but never got round to it.

For boiling hot water, we have considered sending one of these to Thailand and have it fitted in the kitchen.

http://www.quookershop.co.uk/?gclid=CJj ... 4wod8VLHMg


Bit pricey and not sure about water pressure requirements, as some of them need high pressure feed.

They can be bought with an integrated filter system as well.