Filtering the Village Water Supply

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AussieBill

Guest
We are tired of the sandy content that accompanies our local village water. Apart from getting in our eyes when we shower, it stuffs up the shower heads, water heater and the toilet cistern.

An intelligent lady at IQ (seemingly impossible) advised us that they only have a large water filtration device costing around 20,000 baht.

Is there something simpler that we can incorporate into our pipeline so that the sand stays outside?
 
A very basic and simple way is installing a big watertank and a pump, the water settles in the tank and once a year you have a kid lowered into the tank to have it cleaned out.
You would be amazed how much dirt settles down, about an inch a year.
 
Croc said:
A very basic and simple way is installing a big watertank and a pump, the water settles in the tank and once a year you have a kid lowered into the tank to have it cleaned out.
You would be amazed how much dirt settles down, about an inch a year.
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We had a similar system in Chiangmai. Often in the dry season, water would only flow from the mains for a couple of hours a day, so each house had a large watertank to store it. Sediment sank to the bottom, and was cleaned out regularly (but we didn't use child labour, Croc).

For a while, a little pink fish lived in our watertank! Another time, one of our dogs (the bangkaew) broke through the wire mesh on top, and stayed there for a few hours. I was away at the time (luckily), and Nung went down to get a very dirty and frightened dog out of the mess!
 
If your tank is above ground there is often a drain plug bottom center. We moved house a couple of years ago and I brought the 2100 liter tank (and pump) with us. I unscrewed the central drain plug and the sand came rushing down. Seven years accumulation of sand. Once drained you can flush the remaining muck out through the same hole with a couple of buckets of water thrown in from the top.

We are still on the town's main water supply and by using the large tank as a settling tank works well. The water take-off point to the pump is about 15 centimeters off the bottom and its always clean water to the shower and other outlets. I have never had to clean out a shower head.

We have good water supply over 24 hours but we do not have good water supply for each hour of the day. The holding tank evens out the flow of water from the mains pipe, fills up over night, and ensures that we have a constant supply of water 24 hours per day.
 
AussieBill
It sounds like the lady at IQ is suggesting a system similar to what we have. We get village water piped to our filter, then to the holding tank (1000 L). It's then pumped to the house.

I back-wash the filter about once a month to help keep it clean, but when we bought it about five years ago they said we should change the filter "crystals" in about ten years. These cost about 3500 per container and it takes two containers for the filter.

The cost for the filter then was 12,000 baht, don't know if the price has changed or not. We bought from one of the building material supply places in Prasat, not IQ, and have been very satisfied. Still need to occasionally clean out the faucet screens, etc, but the water is very well filtered.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

Mario299
 

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They say one photo is worth 1,000 words. If I could just ask your dog to move slightly, Mario . . . . . Thanks to all who have replied and I welcome further responses. I'll bet I am not the only Member who is learning something from this thread.
 
It depends if the water is village water from a local res or water from a bore hole .
Local res water is easer to clean and many Filters are on offer .
If the water is from a bore hole you need a better system as there are lot of heavy Minarals in the bore holes around this area .
Normally a filter connected to the top of the submersible pump before it goes into tank then a regular pump is needed to give a good pressure into the house .
There is a good shop in Surin as you pass the back of the fresh market and head towards the railway crossing he on the right , he has big cement mixers opposite his tool and eqipment shop .
ujema3uz.jpg

Here is one they set up for a client .
There is also a pressure tank on top of the bore hole .
I forget the cost maybe Collin can remember .
 
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AussieBill
Unfortunately the dog doesn't mind me well, he minds the lovely
Wife, but I can give you all the pictures from all the angles you need.

AtB is very right about where the water comes from, ours is from the reservoir not a well, so not so much chemical problem in the water.

Mario299
 
I gave up with the towns/village main over 10 years ago. Dirty water, not always available.

I installed a bore and a deep well pump. Cost 14,000Baht. The bore goes down 44 metres, and we have never had a problem since.

Several neighbours have installed the same over the years, and only yesterday a neighbour had a system installed for 15,000Baht

Done by a contractor out near Phanom Rung with a pick up and equipment that must be 30 years old!
 
Okay, moved the dog and also moved everything else several months ago, now in the shade.

Hope this helps

Mario299
 

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Mains water is heavily chlorinated and Well water is full of heavy minerals. I don't know which is better to be honest. Mains water would be cheaper to deal with...
 
farang_bootneck said:
Mains water is heavily chlorinated and Well water is full of heavy minerals. I don't know which is better to be honest. Mains water would be cheaper to deal with...
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No chlorine in our village water, but you are correct about well water and minerals. The reservoir water around us is very decent, and the drinking water here is not store bought either, comes out of local underground ponds and hasn't killed us yet.
 
We use well water, but it goes through an elaborate double filter before we drink it! In fact the well water is probably fit to drink, but it is heavily loaded with limestone (I think), which coats all pipe surfaces.

Another method to get safe drinking water (in the villages at least) is to use rain water, collected in large ong (those very decorative large water containers you see outside village houses, usually off-white, but sometimes pink).
 
isanbirder said:
We use well water, but it goes through an elaborate double filter before we drink it! In fact the well water is probably fit to drink, but it is heavily loaded with limestone (I think), which coats all pipe surfaces.

Another method to get safe drinking water (in the villages at least) is to use rain water, collected in large ong (those very decorative large water containers you see outside village houses, usually off-white, but sometimes pink).
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Filtering well water is great, but drinking it without filtration could seriously damage your Liver, especially if the Iron levels are very high.
 
farang_bootneck said:
Filtering well water is great, but drinking it without filtration could seriously damage your Liver, especially if the Iron levels are very high.
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During the dry season, you will see water tankers (usually two tamks on a basic lorry frame) going round the villages filling up the ong. This is artesian water, in other words well water. This is what everyone in the villages drinks.

In Chiangmai similar artesian water was used to fill up the big carboys of drinking water.
 
Now, with all your useful plumbing advice in my head, just checking the sequence of items. Town water supply to tank to filter to pump - is that the best sequence?
 
AussieBill said:
Now, with all your useful plumbing advice in my head, just checking the sequence of items. Town water supply to tank to filter to pump - is that the best sequence?
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I'm pretty sure we've got town water to filter to tank, then to pump
but I will check with BigBoss and see what she says. All our pipes are buried now, lotsa work to dig 'em up to check for you. BOLOA

Mario299
 
mario299 said:
I'm pretty sure we've got town water to filter to tank, then to pump
but I will check with BigBoss and see what she says. All our pipes are buried now, lotsa work to dig 'em up to check for you. BOLOA

Mario299
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OK. Check with BigBoss. If digging is required, maybe the dog would assist!
 
AussieBill
I had it correct,
Village water to filter, then to holding tank, then pumped to house.
The holding tank will still have a small amount of dirt in it even after passing through the filter, our plan is to empty it and clean about once a year..

As I previously mentioned, the "crystals" in the filter are good for about ten years before they need to be changed, and we back-wash the filter about once a month. This is done with a setting on top of the filter that runs the village water through the filter and then it drains out a pipe.

I put this back-wash water into the clay urns and use it for watering plants, etc.
We didn't need digging much, just chose to hide the PVC piping, but if you want to use Pepper for some digging, he loves water! :smile:

Mario299
 
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