Thread: Why do Thai people think rain water is dirty....

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I'd be very reluctant to collect rain water from the roof as the material is is made from could be of concern, not to mention the bird crap. However, if you can create a catchment via non plastic material such as SS, then rain water would be fine. I would still filter it though.

You do not know a lot about collecting rain water do you.
First, there are water tanks made of a special plastic for drinking water !
Second, yes one is able to install rainwater filters quite easily. Back in Queensland i did it for 30 years and the set up is still in use. Why all the rain water is run into the ground here and lost, beats me ! Despite the amount of rain water that comes down here on Samui, it will not be long before everyone is crying " we won't have enough water left soon" it happens every year.

Originally Posted by Happy Dave

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I'd be very reluctant to collect rain water from the roof as the material is is made from could be of concern, not to mention the bird crap. However, if you can create a catchment via non plastic material such as SS, then rain water would be fine. I would still filter it though.

You do not know a lot about collecting rain water do you.

Most Farang don't.
Yet, will continue to proclaim that they're the experts [on everything].

my mrs is an expert on the wind, she says that when it blows it means somebody is going to die, and they do! Amazing how wise Thais can be

Originally Posted by Dragonfly94

my mrs is an expert on the wind, she says that when it blows it means somebody is going to die, and they do! Amazing how wise Thais can be

Secrets of the ancients.

Why do you think Thai Think ?!?

I've been collecting and drinking the rain water in our Village from our roof for over 10 years now and it hasn't done me any harm

Originally Posted by boloa

I've been collecting and drinking the rain water in our Village from our roof for over 10 years now and it hasn't done me any harm

Are those blackhead scars, A?

Originally Posted by Happy Dave

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I'd be very reluctant to collect rain water from the roof as the material is is made from could be of concern, not to mention the bird crap. However, if you can create a catchment via non plastic material such as SS, then rain water would be fine. I would still filter it though.

You do not know a lot about collecting rain water do you.
First, there are water tanks made of a special plastic for drinking water !
Second, yes one is able to install rainwater filters quite easily. Back in Queensland i did it for 30 years and the set up is still in use. Why all the rain water is run into the ground here and lost, beats me ! Despite the amount of rain water that comes down here on Samui, it will not be long before everyone is crying " we won't have enough water left soon" it happens every year.

Glad to read there are no ill effects from drinking rain water

Amazing how the sick notes start at the first sign of rain or cool weather here. Queuing around the block from the local quack's surgery.

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Originally Posted by Happy Dave

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I'd be very reluctant to collect rain water from the roof as the material is is made from could be of concern, not to mention the bird crap. However, if you can create a catchment via non plastic material such as SS, then rain water would be fine. I would still filter it though.

You do not know a lot about collecting rain water do you.

Most Farang don't.
Yet, will continue to proclaim that they're the experts [on everything].

Is that what you tell yourself while you're meditating under a tree, eating chicken feet, or wiping your arse with your hand?

Methinks perhaps collected rainwater is safer and mostly less polluted than groundwater.

We drink and the wife washes her undies and hair in rainwater from roof runoff collected in buckets and bowls;also fill water bottle for our water cooler..filter out lumps with rag coffee filter. In dry season we drink our unfiltered well water..water shed is on our land on mountain side.

Think more likely to get infected with nasties from traveling on public transport.

Oh and mum always said 'don't get your feet wet ..you'll catch your death'.

^^^^
Should add perhaps that during dry season the well water gets a bit cloudy so I chuck a handful of crushed alum into the holding tank to clarify...said to be an antibiotic also.

Many believe you get viruses from rain drops, go figure.

Thai is akin to what happens at the Thai Farm ...

Originally Posted by hallelujah

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Originally Posted by Happy Dave

Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

I'd be very reluctant to collect rain water from the roof as the material is is made from could be of concern, not to mention the bird crap. However, if you can create a catchment via non plastic material such as SS, then rain water would be fine. I would still filter it though.

You do not know a lot about collecting rain water do you.

Most Farang don't.
Yet, will continue to proclaim that they're the experts [on everything].

Is that what you tell yourself while you're meditating under a tree, eating chicken feet, or wiping your arse with your hand?

Pretty sure he must use his keyboard.

We have 30,000 litre rainwater tank, 2m in ground, costing 30,000b and we love it. Water is always cool and just feels right. We have a first flush divert system but this year we failed to activate it before the first rains of the season and ended up with a smokey smell in the water. Fires in the North result in massive smoke pollution for over a month and local burns make it worse. Dumping a full tank of water and cleaning it out thoroughly did the job and we are back to water I happily drink from the tap. As a bush Aussie we know that rainwater is always going to be ok as long as it is not exposed to light it. People worry about bird excreta - frankly that is nothing. Bird bugs dont hurt humans and anything exposed to the 35'C plus temps we have here will dry and be just dust in a day or 2.

Almost every household septic has is an uncontained set of concrete rings. yep ... it just seepsout at the bottom, yes there are black plastic tanks but they are no better - they never use an absorption trench in thailand. Bacteria laden sewerage must find its way into the shallow bores that most people use. Trusting bottled water is faith indeed. We also have a 10,000 baht 3 stage purifier for drinking / cooking water.

We have 30,000 litre rainwater tank, 2m in ground, costing 30,000b and we love it. Water is always cool and just feels right. We have a first flush divert system but this year we failed to activate it before the first rains of the season and ended up with a smokey smell in the water. Fires in the North result in massive smoke pollution for over a month and local burns make it worse. Dumping a full tank of water and cleaning it out thoroughly did the job and we are back to water I happily drink from the tap. As a bush Aussie we know that rainwater is always going to be ok as long as it is not exposed to light it. People worry about bird excreta - frankly that is nothing. Bird bugs dont hurt humans and anything exposed to the 35'C plus temps we have here will dry and be just dust in a day or 2.

Almost every household septic has is an uncontained set of concrete rings. yep ... it just seepsout at the bottom, yes there are black plastic tanks but they are no better - they never use an absorption trench in thailand. Bacteria laden sewerage must find its way into the shallow bores that most people use. Trusting bottled water is faith indeed. We also have a 10,000 baht 3 stage purifier for drinking / cooking water.

I was wandering back to the house after going for a smoke at the end of the soi. It started sprinkling and I didn't care. A neighbour, very concerned, asked why I am not afraid of getting sick when the rain falls on my head. I asked him, if the rain falls in a bucket, will you use that water to bath with?
The confusion on his face was comical.

every raindrop has an impurity in it. The clouds condense because of small particles.
This is why cloud seeding works.

Originally Posted by Gaazzaazz

We have 30,000 litre rainwater tank, 2m in ground, costing 30,000b and we love it. Water is always cool and just feels right. We have a first flush divert system but this year we failed to activate it before the first rains of the season and ended up with a smokey smell in the water. Fires in the North result in massive smoke pollution for over a month and local burns make it worse. Dumping a full tank of water and cleaning it out thoroughly did the job and we are back to water I happily drink from the tap. As a bush Aussie we know that rainwater is always going to be ok as long as it is not exposed to light it. People worry about bird excreta - frankly that is nothing. Bird bugs dont hurt humans and anything exposed to the 35'C plus temps we have here will dry and be just dust in a day or 2.

Almost every household septic has is an uncontained set of concrete rings. yep ... it just seepsout at the bottom, yes there are black plastic tanks but they are no better - they never use an absorption trench in thailand. Bacteria laden sewerage must find its way into the shallow bores that most people use. Trusting bottled water is faith indeed. We also have a 10,000 baht 3 stage purifier for drinking / cooking water.

I designed a first-flush system that works automatically. There are a few around I since found out when I thought to patent it.
Essentially they are a ball cock that diverts the good water once the grey water has filled a vessel to a pre-determined level. The vessel then needs to drain.
Mine was a sponge, that once heavy with water, activated a lever. The nice thing about the sponge idea is that while it keeps raining, the heavy sponge maintains the good water flow to your tank, yet takes a while to dry out again. By the time it does dry out (closing water to your tank because it has now been counter-balanced as it is light weight once more) it's time for a first-flush again.

Cool.

Forgetting to divert the first water off the roof has been an ongoing issue for us.

When younger, I had a 500 gallon concrete tank for rainwater and it supplied all our drinking and washing needs (except during drought when we'd use a well for washing and save the tank just for drinking.
One day I had a look into the tank. Crystal clear as you'd expect, and there at the bottom was a drowned rat. Obviously fell in and couldn't get out. I rigged up a scoop on a long stick to get it out, but the moment I touched it, it disintegrated into a cloud of silt. Had been in there a long time! Must have pissed and shat a bit while swimming around, too. Couldn't do anything about it. So, we'd been drinking rat corpse water for months without knowing or having any ill effects.

Ever wonder how those heavy water jars are moved?

Get family, friends and relatives to help.