Making a water filter?

[Socalman]

We keep enough stored water to get us through about 3 weeks. Longer than that, we will be having to find a source. I have been thinking about how to make a homemade filter that we could employ to filter about 10 gallons a day for an extended period of time. There is a small river about 1/2 mile from home but the water is not clean; Giardia and Cryptosporidium abound and I assume that there is probably a good deal of e coli present. I would easily get to the river and bring back up to 40 gallons of water at a time.

The following is my general idea:

I would have a 5 gallon bucket filled with sand atop another 5 gallon bucket filled with crushed charcoal. It would NOT be charcoal that was the "match Light" kind. At the very top would be a small screen to filter out larger items like bugs, leaves, etc. A small tap at the bottom.

After water went through this filter it would be treated with chlorine bleach.

Your thoughts on this contraption?

[Sniper-T]

KISS.

I'm sure you know what that means...

Start with a simple rag/t-shirt, filter all your water through that before you even fill your 'clean' jugs, in fact use that to go pail to pail... that will rid all the 'chunkies'. next get some fine mesh cheese cloth, and pre filter again. Nothing is worse for a charcoal filter than chunkies.

your filter design sounds good, but if you have a brew doctor near you, go in and ask about filters... why re-invent the cart?

next... what about buying an actual water filter? Even a britta jug, with cartridges, would be a good next step...
then through one of these:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QmoEgdHG6JE/Tq1vsSLaH3I/AAAAAAAAAKk/g-ErDfmOPVE/s1600/outdoor-water-purifiers.jpg

and you're good to drink!

The pre-filtering isn't necessary, but will make it last exponentially longer. A half dozen filters for that will easily last you a year, even with the nastiest of nasty water!

Imo

[bacpacker]

A pack of coffee filters make good pre filters and go a long way.

[Sniper-T]

^n true that! buy a billion pack at Costco, and you're stylin'!!

[Domeguy]

I like the way you are starting...but I've gotta ask, if it's bad enough you have to go get water, how are you going to get 40 gal per trip home. I may be pre-judging you living in CA...I was born there by the way, but how are you going to get the gasoline, and then keep your water...won't there be others just waiting to take it? I just think it would all go bad...real bad, real fast once it comes to a point you have to get water. I don't mean to rain on your parade, because we all have to think about this...even me!

[ElevenBravo]

5 gallon bucket, small holes in the bottom with a t-shirt for a bottom filter... bottom layer has activated charcoal (get it at a pet store for fish filters), Id say about 2 or 3 inches. Fill the bucket to half way with play sand. Tie a t-shirt to the top and allow it to droop into the bucket.
http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/04/74/31/90/0004743190239_500X500.jpg
http://www.walmart.com/ip/AquaTech-Carbon-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/10313138
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Play-Sand-111351/100318476


Top t-shirt is the first layer of filtration, sand is the next, charcoal is the last.


The above filter is for particulates and aroma, it does not stop bacteria or virus.




Once the water is filtered, boil it for five minutes. This kills bacteria and virus.
http://theworddetective.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/6870341-boiling-water-in-old-sooty-kettle-on-the-hiking-campfire.jpg



End part 1, nonsense picture limit

[ElevenBravo]

Start part 2

Once the water cools, add bleach to the amount of water you just processed for long term storage,
or... immediate consumption. Let set for 1 hour before consuming. Colder temps (freezing or so...), wait 2 hours.
http://pgward.org/ep/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/bleach-table.png
http://tgm123.com/wp-content/themes/shopperpress/thumbs/Clorox-Bleach-Liquid-Splash-less-Regular-Concentrated-855fo.jpg



For storage, put in a light proof container and store in the darkest, coolest location possible.
http://www.everydaysurvival.us/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/c/sceptertanwater-mwc.jpg
https://www.relianceproducts.com/images/resize/640x640/Aqua-Tainer-with-BPA.jpg
(The two pictured above are my only two personal options)


Anything short of this, and your gambling.

HTH,
EB

[Sniper-T]

^ Well done EB!

[bacpacker]

IMO, if you have filtered and boiled, the bleach is really not needed. Anything the charcoal don't get will be killed by boiling. At least from my expereince. If you use good filters, that should take care of it.

[Socalman]

Boiling is always a great way to kill the bad stuff in the water. However it uses a fuel source that in this area may be rather scarce. Therefor I would add bleach.

Getting to/from the river water may not be difficult, no bridges or underpasses with which to deal in case of earthquake. Dealing with others might be a problem, but if I am simply hauling "dirty water" they may not have that big of an interest in taking it. I do have a fair amount of gasoline stored that would fuel my vehicles, at least for a short time period.

ElevenBravo, the Reliance aquatainers are what I have, though the design is a bit different than your picture. I rotate my water out of them every 4 to 6 months and try to add one every few months too.

[Illini Warrior]

just don't follow the various U Tubes on the subject .... just about everyone has the same incorrect issue .... you need food grade buckets ... you can't be using paint buckets from Home Depot .... trying to decontaminate water by using contaminated buckets ....

[Gunfixr]

Oh, but the paint buckets add so much character !!!

You know, CTD has these little ceramic filters that will mount in a bucket. Just drill a hole in the bottom big enough, and attach the filter, put a second bucket underneath with a tap, you're done.

If that's not fast enough, put in 3 or 4, I think that's about all the room there will be.

They have a kit, filter, tap, and buckets, but you can order the filters separate. I got two of them, about $20 - $25 each IIRC.

ETA: Ok, they've gone up a bit in the last few years. It's $29.99 for the filter, pre-filter, and tap. Goes down to .02 microns. Says it does 12-15 gallons a day, two in the bottom of a bucket would be even faster. Ceramic with carbon based media.
All you need is buckets, the white ones in the paint dept. at Chinamart are food grade, for about $2.50 each, lids with no gaskets for another $1.25. If you don't believe me on the food grade, the company name and 1-800 number are on the bottom, call them.
Buy two buckets, one lid. Cut big hole in lid, leave an inch or so all around, snap lid on bucket, drill hole at bottom, mount tap on same bucket. Drill hole and mount filter(s) in bottom of other bucket. Set other bucket in lip of lid on bottom bucket.
Add water, wait.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/CAMP-352

I have this setup at home. I have yet to use it, but it is the plan, so I cannot say if it's as fast as advertised, but I got two filters.

[ElevenBravo]

$25 buys a lot of bleach... playing devil's advocate is all.

[Sniper-T]

personally I would rather drink filtered water than bleach...

IMO

[bacpacker]

The filter GF described is very similar to the Big Berky I have. It has two filters and will do several gallons per day. And yes it taste MUCH better than bleached.

[Socalman]

What Gunfixxer describes is what I saw this morning on a YouTube video, except it made no sense to me that the guy in the video was using Homer buckets from Home Depot. Those are NOT food grade and I would certainly think thrice about using them to purify water. I intend to get a couple of those ceramic filters. I will stay keep a bit of bleach on hand!

[Gunfixr]

It basically is a poor man's Berkey. You can buy Berkey filters by themselves, but they are over $100 for a set.
As long as you use food grade buckets, this is good to go. Chinamart has blue buckets right next to the white ones, they are not food grade. Someone over at survival blog posted that they had called the number on the bottom of the bucket. The company told them that the white and natural ones were food grade, all the other colors they made were not.
I do have bleach, sodium hypochlorite, actually, but it is a backup. Keeping liquid bleach long term I think is no longer viable. They no longer come with the peel off seal under the cap, only cap tightness keeps it sealed. It is a known fact that once opened, the chlorine slowly gasses off, until there is none. So, new bleach with no seal is likely to have lost some, or could loses very easily since all that would be required is for the cap to lose some tightness. I have noticed using bleach for laundry, it is used slowly. Near the end, it's smell is not near as strong. Also, the cap degrades, with the threads breaking down and chipping out. I think that the bleach that gets on the bottle threads pouring it eats the threads in the cap slowly.
Or, the cap is just that cheap.

[Sniper-T]

Buy small bottles instead of the gallon jugs. sealed unopen, and less waste.

I noticed the same thing with the laundry, so started buying the 1/2 liter bottles instead.

[ElevenBravo]

I dont have a Berkey, and am currently examining the poor man's berkey with food grade buckets and Berkey filters.

My point is, if your not buying a Berkey, you cannot honestly tell how efficient the filter is... Cheap chinese knock offs can be had for any given product.

At any rate, even if I were to run a poor man's berkey system, I would *STILL* filter it through play sand at the very least, thus giving my actual filters a fighting chance to do an efficient job with minimum silt.

No matter what I did, Id still keep bleach on stand by.

EB

[bacpacker]

I agree keeping multiple layers is the best bet. Two is one after all.

Having a sand type filter to remove any particulate is a must in my mind. Even with my backpacking filters I always prefiltered (after one distinct trip) to prolong the life of my filters, on long trips in particular. A bandana, tshirt, or some type of cloth is better than nothing. Again coffee filters are cheap and effective as pre filters.

Bleach is effective and pretty cheap, think pool shock in the correct mix. I just can't tolerate the taste. If it came to that, things are bad, but it would keep you alive.

[ElevenBravo]

From my personal experience, if you can smell the bleach strong, or you can taste it in the water, chances are the ratio is off a bit. What ratio were you using that gave offending taste??

EB

[bacpacker]

It's been years ago. I wouldn't begin to guess. I don't recall smelling it that much, but couldn't handle the taste. Course if I was thirsty, all bets are off.

[Sniper-T]

Same for me... too long ago, but when I treat my rainbarrels, which I use to water my gardens, the 'taste' that I acquire while filling/pouring, nauseates me, but my gardens thrive!

[ElevenBravo]

I see, just to be clear, you cannot remember the ratio... but dislike bleach taste. Making self mental note.

[Sniper-T]

yeah... yeah... I know! :p

And yeah, I got a bunch of bleach... and if/when SHTF, I'll drink what I have to.

[bacpacker]

Same here.

[jamesneuen]

8 drops per gallon if I remember correctly is what I always used while camping. put it in a five gallon bucket, mix in some Alum and then add the drops. scoop the water gently off the top and I never had any issues at all. boiling water just never seemed practical.

[ladyhk13]

There are bleach tablets out now in the laundry dept. don't know if they last longer than liquid but I imagine they would. Easier to store as well.
I think the layering in a 55 gal barrel using rainwater is the best scenario but if you don't have access to prepare for it in advance I guess bleach would do as a last resort. Very last for us, we have some kind of filtration system and a very big creek on this property and lots of natural springs on the other property.