18.9 L bottles at home and in the office: pump, cooler and real usage

In short: a family of three in Phuket usually gets through 2 to 4 of the 18.9 L bottles a month, while offices plan on roughly 1.5 to 2 L per person per working day. A hand pump costs next to nothing and needs no power socket; a cooler gives you cold and hot water, but it takes up space and runs on electricity.

How many 18.9 L bottles do you need a month?

Count from people: persons x 2 L a day x 30 days, then divide by 18.9. For a family of three that is 180 L a month, so 9 to 10 bottles if every drop comes from the bottle, including tea and cooking. In practice it usually works out at 2 to 4 bottles, because part of the water is drunk out of the house or bought in small bottles. In an office, plan on 1.5 to 2 L per person per working day plus a reserve for guests and coffee. In the hot season add about a quarter.

• At home: people x 2 L a day x 30, that gives the litres, then divide by 18.9
• Office: 1.5 to 2 L per person per working day plus a reserve for guests and coffee
• In the hot season usage grows by about a quarter, so budget one extra bottle
• Count water for tea and coffee separately if you take it from the bottle

Pump or cooler?

A pump is cheaper and needs no socket: a manual one costs very little, while an electric one runs on a battery and charges over USB. A cooler gives you cold and hot water instantly, but it occupies a spot by the wall and draws power around the clock. If you or your office brew tea and coffee for several people, a cooler pays for itself in convenience. A bottom-loading model saves you from lifting a bottle of about 19 kg, which you notice when you change it every week.

• Manual pump: cheap, no socket needed, easy to move anywhere
• Electric pump: more convenient, runs on a battery, charges over USB
• Cooler: cold and hot water on tap, but it needs a socket and a spot by the wall
• A bottom-loading cooler saves you from lifting a 15 kg bottle

Hygiene and upkeep

In the tropics, deposits and odour appear faster than in a temperate climate, so rinse the pump and the tap once a week. Wash and disinfect the inside of a cooler every 3 to 6 months, either yourself following the manual or through a service company. An opened bottle is best finished within 3 to 4 weeks, as the taste changes noticeably after that. And keep your stock out of the sun: on a balcony, water in clear plastic heats up within a couple of hours.

• Rinse the pump and the tap once a week, otherwise deposits build up fast in the tropics
• Wash and disinfect the inside of the cooler every 3 to 6 months
• An opened bottle is best finished within 3 to 4 weeks
• Keep bottles out of the sun, as water on a balcony heats up very quickly

Logistics in Phuket

The 18.9 L bottles are returnable: the empty one is collected when the full one arrives, so it is handy to keep one in use and one in reserve. For a condo, check in advance whether bottles are carried up to your floor and whether the service lift is working, because that is behind half of all delivery trouble. If your villa sits in a gated project, tell us whose name the pass should be in. Ordering a week ahead saves you from running out of water on a Sunday evening.

• Returnable containers: the empty bottle is collected on the next delivery
• It is handy to keep one bottle in use and one in reserve
• For a condo, check whether bottles are carried up to your floor and whether there is a lift