Water filter system

[vincemunday]

I’m going to use my well water which seems pretty clean around the house. I’m going to pump the water into a settling tank first before pumping it into the house, that should enable me to release the sediment occasionally and then I’m hoping as part of the process to install an undersink water purifier. I’ve done some research and I’ve decided to use a system with RO but I’m having a few problems finding out some info.

The first and most important question is will it truly make my well water potable?

Do all the various systems use the same kind of filters, i.e. are they all the same dimensions or does each system use it’s own design?

I’ve toyed with the idea of buying one of the machines you fill bottles up with, they’re huge but might it still be the best solution?

[Khun Paul]

I too toyed with this idea, having a well that feeds my garden tanks, its water is clear . I did some research on the tanks as well and went for the stainl;ess stell ones as they have a space below the outlet that allows for sediment to be co0llected , which can be cleaned once a year, not much sediment but it helps. So I now have three sources of water and the setting up costs are high with filters and you have to keep changing them ( that needs to be factored ion a 5 year plan to accurately ascertain costs etc.
It is cheaper to use the well water to water the garden ( can be used if other supplies fail for washing etc.) Have village water ofr washing and cleaning etc, had it tested also clean buit NOT for drinking .
Then I purchase the 10 litre bottles initial outlay 1000 baht now refills not exceeding Thb 100 , used for drinking and or cooking . Over a five year period considerably cheaper than installing a system . A friend of mine has just changed is system after 15 years, cost in excess of 45000 baht with cost approximately 1000 per year for filters etc. over 5 years 50000 baht .
Justifiable of use is high, like 3 children plus yourselves etc, but if three or less apart from ease of use4 expensive.


Note if using well water and allowing for sediment to settle you need at least THREE 2000 litre tanks to give each tank time to settle . I currently have 8000 litres of water in tanks for washing, and 7000 in other tanks from the well. water is clear and clean when it comes out .

[vincemunday]

Yes we have three too, we also collect rain water from our roofs, the tanks fill up quickly but not so in the dry seasons. The cost isn’t a factor Paul, it’s also about self sufficiency, we use the big bottles that we refill too but it’s inconvenient having to refill them and after I’ve had my operation it might be a while before I can lift them again and the wife isn’t supposed to lift anything heavy anyway and the convenience of an on demand tap suits us.

If anyone can answer my queries it would be a great help.

[Alchai]

Hi
We use our well water (30 meter deep) for the house and garden. The pumped water passes through a sediment filter before going in a holding tank. From there I have 2 circulation pumps, one for the house and one for the garden. Has worked well for many years now. The sediment filter must be changed/cleaned every month or so.

[vincemunday]

Thanks again guys but I’m looking for answers to my specific questions, it’s great to hear about your set ups but I need to know -

Will the filter make my water truly potable?
Do all systems use the same filters?
Is a stand alone water machine like you use to fill bottles up in the street a better option?

Thanks.

[Doodoo]

Here are two articles to describe Potable Water and NO by just filtering water does not make it Potable

https://www.thespruce.com/tap-water-safety-1907904

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_water

[parrot]

Why not take your water to Non Sung and have it tested first. You can get your results in English. I haven't been there in a few years, but the past two times we had our water tested, I discussed the results with the lab head.

[Barney]

That’s a good idea from parrot.
We additionally have a TDS-3 ( Total Disolved Solids) water test meter to do quick checks.
I just tested the water before and after the reverse osmosis filter. This advises if the reverse osmosis is in need of filter changes.
Reading today was
264 from town water tank water after outside charcoal filtration. This is reading is sufficient for all household use, washing, showering etc except our drinking water. But I’ll do a backwash of the outside filters to check if they need cleaning.
Reading of TDS after the reverse osmosis is 14. This water is for filling our drinking water bottles and steam iron etc.





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[eagle]

That’s a good idea from parrot.
We additionally have a TDS-3 ( Total Disolved Solids) water test meter to do quick checks.
I just tested the water before and after the reverse osmosis filter. This advises if the reverse osmosis is in need of filter changes.
Reading today was
264 from town water tank water after outside charcoal filtration. This is reading is sufficient for all household use, washing, showering etc except our drinking water. But I’ll do a backwash of the outside filters to check if they need cleaning.
Reading of TDS after the reverse osmosis is 14. This water is for filling our drinking water bottles and steam iron etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did check yesterday, because there is need to make some service:

Tessabaan water from meter 96
After active carbon 91
After RO 12
BUT water tank 115, meaning that it is the 1st one to maintain=wash.

After carbon filter is has been 80-82, but now tank is do dirty. Anyway we use that only for shower and washing machines plus kitchen sinks. Tessabaan water has been 80, but now there is lack of water and so quality drops.

[joepai]

The problem with RO water is that it takes all the goodness (minerals) out of the water

[Khun Paul]

The problem with RO water is that it takes all the goodness (minerals) out of the water

Yes I found that and after testing all my water sources, funnily enough the well water was better than water from the local supply.
I also tested Singha bottled water which was a higher reading than the well water. Singha informed me that after treating the water (RO) they added trace elements to make it drinkable .

So there you have it RO is OKAY but then you need to add .

[AlexO]

So there you have it RO is OKAY but then you need to add .
Agree, most if not all the beer brewers in the region (including Beer Lao) use river water as their main source of H2O. The Coca Cola plant in Vientiane also use river water. They all use large RO systems to produce pure water that is basically equivalent to distilled water. In answer to Vince's initial question the home filtration systems (charcoal) should provide water suitable for cooking, coffee tea etc and just keep a few 1.5 or 2 liter bottles around for drinking. The RO systems in my view are way too expensive to purchase and maintain.

[vincemunday]

Guinness are quite proud that they use the water from the river Liffey, this isn’t a new concept, the Liffey stinks by the way. Still need to know, are all the filters the same dimensions or does each system have it’s own sizes and shapes?

[Bonanza]

Thirty years ago when working in central Africa, for potable water we had to boil the water for twenty minutes and then purify through ceramic filters (Berkfeldt). Took about 2hrs to get 20 litres. Here, I have 20litre containers of drinking water delivered at 10baht each.

[AlexO]

Guinness are quite proud that they use the water from the river Liffey, this isn’t a new concept, the Liffey stinks by the way. Still need to know, are all the filters the same dimensions or does each system have it’s own sizes and shapes?

Vince, might as well ask how long is a piece of string. Of course each system has its own sizes, shapes etc. You need to work out how much water you will require to be filtered, to what quality the filtered water has to be, space available for the filter system. Work that out and then go and look at what is available in the market. There is no 'one size fits all' for this unfortunately.

[eagle]

The RO systems in my view are way too expensive to purchase and maintain.

One year set of 5 filters 660 thb plus two extra pp filters 99 thb. Full set to start 8 500 thb. 12 ppm water from those not so expensive filters. Of course need to buy meter to follow. We have 6 person to use that water. Smaller family and less need would decrease costs.

[AlexO]

The RO systems in my view are way too expensive to purchase and maintain.

One year set of 5 filters 660 thb plus two extra pp filters 99 thb. Full set to start 8 500 thb. 12 ppm water from those not so expensive filters. Of course need to buy meter to follow. We have 6 person to use that water. Smaller family and less need would decrease costs.

How much drinking water can you buy for that amount??

[vincemunday]

Ok, next step, who is happy with their water filtering system and what brand are they using? I’ve decided to go RO so I would appreciate feedback on those systems.

[glalt]

This year has been the driest in the past 10 years. We had been using rainwater for drinking and cooking for a number of years. I had a 1,500 liter fiberglass tank collecting the rainwater. From that tank it went through a very large activated charcoal filter and then a final ceramic filter. After the rain water tank went dry we started buying the large plastic bottles of RO water. I installed a separate water system for my garage using village water and used the fiberglass rain water tank for that system. Buying the drinking water suits my wife. Just simpler to buy it.

[eagle]

Ok, next step, who is happy with their water filtering system and what brand are they using? I’ve decided to go RO so I would appreciate feedback on those systems.

For drinking water Mazuma RO-Purelife Auto. Price varies between 8600-18900 thb for the same set.
For kitchen sinks and shower upstair Mazuma B27-112-50LC
For tank Mazuma FH-5000 (now without filter inside)

Membrane filter between 200-3400 thb
Post carbon filter 100-1300 thb
Carbon 60-1900 thb
Resin 80-800 thb
PP 20-300 thb

So yearly maintenance can be 200+100+120+160+80= 660 thb or 3400+1300+3800+1600+1200= 11 300 thb. Some difference.

So buy a system and maintain one year can cost 9260 thb or 30200 thb. I do understand, why some tell that it is expensive.

Same with changing activated carbon to big Mazuma 50LC (50 kg). Can cost 2500-6000 thb. They have some places selling even cheaper (1100 thb), but more difficult to order. Next time I will take also changing, because need to wash tank.

I have used my Mazuma years and started with original filters. Expensive and does not let to change more often than recommended. They have both carbon and resin filters, where one can buy new carbon/resin and change only that. Goes much cheaper, but not good in long time. Buying those filters from other brands and following water quality is one way to keep filtering working. Maybe not last as original, but can be changed every 3 weeks if compared to high prices ones changing once a year.

RO-tank is 3.2 gallon/12 liter. It is ok, but does not let to fill many big bottles or tanks fast. Capacity is 50 gallons per day. They have 100 GPD membrane filters, but changing only that is not wise, because that means water flowing more fast and filtering might be not so good. Easiest way to compare filtering is just let water to flow and filter, which lets water to flow very slowly is good. We have two families using same set and for us that has been ok.

Two problems faced. One was a leaking hose connection. Repaired and timing was good to change filters same time. Local service gave discount from filters. Other one was mice/rat eating wires and making short break. System itself has been working well.

I live in area, where water quality is ok to drink. Of course some bacteria, but one gets used to those. From the water purifying site water leaves good to drink for everyone. Problem is that we all have old water pipes etc and so water gets dirty when coming to our houses. So it is good to have extra filtering at home.

Price for filters per year is 660 thb. With that I can get 120 pcs 1.5 l bottles from Makro. Not much for 6 persons.