Low cost water filter project

[navarre1095]

Biosand filter slow sand filter picture
Clean Water for All - Construction
The household slow sand filter


This is a good set up
A Practical, Life-Sustaining Water Filter | Monolithic

Longbow, these are home grown systems.

 

[longbow]

Biosand filter slow sand filter picture
Clean Water for All - Construction
The household slow sand filter


This is a good set up
A Practical, Life-Sustaining Water Filter | Monolithic

Longbow, these are home grown systems.

Thanks for pointing out the home grown ideas. Purchased gear is great, but locally made stuff also works...

Just "forcing" people to get brain cells to have a workout..............

 

[Waveraider]

This is a great topic and I have enjoyed reading these posts. I ordered this from Cheaper Than Dirt. Have not used it yet, but a very affordable option that I feel is worthy of adding to this thread.


CAMP-352 - Ceramic Water Filtration System Monolithic Filter Ceramic Filter Filter Sock Spigot 0.5 Micron Efficiency

 

[strongcrow]

I have the same setup in my emergency supplies..

This is a great topic and I have enjoyed reading these posts. I ordered this from Cheaper Than Dirt. Have not used it yet, but a very affordable option that I feel is worthy of adding to this thread.


CAMP-352 - Ceramic Water Filtration System Monolithic Filter Ceramic Filter Filter Sock Spigot 0.5 Micron Efficiency

 

[csaws]

Buy this now and do up to 30 gallons a day

They sell the two filter 404 in the Army Surplus store in Bedford for $289 and they do layaway... I chuckled when the guy told me this the other day...

As for water pure tabs, small pump and a straw they also have both of those there

 

[.45 Dave]

This is a great topic and I have enjoyed reading these posts. I ordered this from Cheaper Than Dirt. Have not used it yet, but a very affordable option that I feel is worthy of adding to this thread.


CAMP-352 - Ceramic Water Filtration System Monolithic Filter Ceramic Filter Filter Sock Spigot 0.5 Micron Efficiency

I've looked at these. Please let us know what you think of it once you've tried it.

I handed out some reps for some great info here! This has been a really helpful thread for me and I plan to try making one of these purifiers in the next month or two just to see how it works. Great thread!

 

[Stschil]

We just got a 1500 gal poly water storage tank off Craigs list today and I am planning on connecting it to the gutters for collection.
For potable water, my plan was to chlorinate then run it through a multigraded particulate filter made from a 55 gal drum. I will install a short inlet manifold and a long outlet manifold (slotted copper pipe, crimped and soldered on one end) and run water through it in reverse once in a while to clean the filter bed. After it runs through that, we have a big Berkey.

I also have plans to make a mongo Berkey with four sets of filters and two 55 gal drums if for some reason I need to produce drinking water at a much higher rate.

 

[.45 Dave]

On the slow sand filter, can you put a lid on it and save it or will that kill the good bacteria? And if so, how long can you save it for?

 

[.45 Dave]

We just got a 1500 gal poly water storage tank off Craigs list today and I am planning on connecting it to the gutters for collection.
For potable water, my plan was to chlorinate then run it through a multigraded particulate filter made from a 55 gal drum. I will install a short inlet manifold and a long outlet manifold (slotted copper pipe, crimped and soldered on one end) and run water through it in reverse once in a while to clean the filter bed. After it runs through that, we have a big Berkey.

I also have plans to make a mongo Berkey with four sets of filters and two 55 gal drums if for some reason I need to produce drinking water at a much higher rate.

Wow! What a system! Are you concerned about bird droppings or other contaminates that might dissolve in the water or will this system take care of that? Also, what about the lead in the solder? Any concerns there?

 

[JFrost]

On the slow sand filter, can you put a lid on it and save it or will that kill the good bacteria? And if so, how long can you save it for?

Good question. Also, how much water do you need to run through the sand before a suitable layer of 'bio-gunk' is built up? If you added charcoal to the project (for better filtering as well as taste) where should it be added? (All the way at the bottom in the middle, or in its own filter container?) This type of filter is perfect. Simple, cheap, idiot proof (for the most part ), and a perfect example of why this site, and those that contribute, are so valuable.

 

[JFrost]

Check this thread out for a comparison. Sawyer Water filter bucket idea? save some money... - INGunOwners

About $50, one million gallons, fits in any pack, removes everything you don't want in your water. Sounds great.

 

[Exodus]

Wow! What a system! Are you concerned about bird droppings or other contaminates that might dissolve in the water or will this system take care of that? Also, what about the lead in the solder? Any concerns there?

In one of Cody Lundin's books he says that a bird got in his and died. He still drank/drinks the water. I'm sure it's nothing but bones now.

 

[stchas]

I saw this on Youtube and have bought the supplies to build a couple of these if the need were to arise. They filter somewhat slowly but multiple filters per system would increase the flow.

2 5 gallon food grade buckets w/ lids
1 (or more if doing more than 1 per filter) Doulton ceramic water filter candle

Take a 1/2" drill bit put a hole in the center of the bottom of one bucket and lid. Screw the filter via. included wingnut thru bottom of bucket and lid. Stack.

Sorry. I couldn't find the video so this was the best I could do, LOL. I think depending on where you get the filters about 45 bucks or so, not sure how low cost that is but another idea.

 

[Bruenor]

This could be useful if you're looking to make large amounts of safe water. My church is installing one of these in a village in Guyana. With some salt, a battery or other source of electricity, containers to hold the treated and non-treated waters, and some other parts, you can have hundreds if not thousands of gallons of water.

This may not be a very low cost way to filter water, but you might be able to do it cheap enough if you had enough spare parts lying around.

New Life International water purifier

 

[Sailor]

Clear plastic bottles. Leave them in full sun for a few days. UV kills nasties.

 

[HICKMAN]

Would the Brita filters do a good enough job on filtering pond or creek water? You would still need to boil it as well, right? If you used Calcium Hypochlorite in addition to filtering the water, would you still need to boil it?

I would say boil or bleach to be safe with the Brita filters. It would at least make for an easy to carry way of getting the majority of the junk out of the water.

I actually use them at home/work for water I keep in the fridge as it makes tap water taste better.

 

[dsol]

I use a pair of the black Berkey "candles" in a five gallon bucket sitting on top of another with a spigot installed in the side. I have another bucket with a pair of the filters we used to use on our airliner's potable water system as a pre-filter. Got several of those for free when we changed sterilization procedures on the planes. They are not purifiers like the Berkey's, but should still clean the water very well so I can use them first and make the Berkey filters last practically forever. I probably have $75 or so in the whole setup.

 

[ilovemyjeep]

We plan to put a "pitcher pump" in the cellar where the water comes in from the well. If there is no electricity, we will still have water.

 

[JeepHammer]

One pound of Calcium Hypochlorite from Walmart for $5 will treat 10,000 gallons of water FYI.

Ditto.
Sand/fabric filter then treat, and it's ready for consumption (potable).
Aeration removes excess chlorine, simply pour from one CLEANED container to another.

If you want to go completely retro, then rock, sand, fine sand, non-toxic hardwood charcoal.
You still need to boil to remove viruses before consumption, but you will have a fire burning to cook & make charcoal.

If it's a dangerous situation you might not want a fire burning to give away your location, so particle filter & chemical treatment would be the way I would go...

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Solar stills make clean water out of the most dirty, but they are SLOW and require much more/bulky equipment.
A pound of calcium hypochlorite and coffee filters or spare socks or 'T' shirt folded a few times do the same job much faster.

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Medical grade water for IVs you will need to filter all solids first, then use a closed hot boiler/distiller & condensing coil.
A pressure canner will work for this purpose, along with sterilization of surgical equipment.

 

[mlockhart]

I like the way that you are approaching this. Mostly you get the "I have the megapure 5000. Any else is a waste of money." Or, "all I have to do is boil the water for X minutes."

Bio sand filters are the shizznit. What's great about them is the bio film that forms on the sand EATS the critters in the water. Yes, they will freeze and no they don't have any charcoal. You don't necessarily need charcoal to get DRINKABLE water. the rest of the world gets by on far "dirtier" water than we are used to.
Typical slow sand filter performance.

Turbidity <1.0 NTU
Coliforms 1-3 log units
Enteric Viruses 2-4 log units
Giardia Cysts 2-4+log units
Cryptosporidium Oocysts >4 log units
Dissolved Organic Carbon <15-25%
Biodegradable
Dissolved Organic Carbon <50%
Trihalomethane Precursors <20-30%
Heavy Metals
Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb >95-99%
Fe, Mn >67%
As <47%

Source
http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/dw/publications/ontap/2009_tb/slow_sand_filtration_DWFSOM40.pdf

I think I need Navarre 1095 to read this test for me. (Just kidding) never heard of the bio film but it kinda makes since.
I have heard and seen sand filters work and that the charcoal makes it taste better, My Sawyer works but it still tastes like the source water aka pond water.