# DIY Water Filtration



## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

About 70% of our body is made up of fluid, or let's say water.
If we lose 10% water we are dehydrated.
And dehydration leads to... well, death.

I'm not sure if this video/thread's been posted before, but I just wanted to share it.


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## ARDon (Feb 27, 2015)

nice, IMO water purification system should be the best of the best what you can afford. As the saying goes, you can survive 3 weeks w/o food only 3 days w/o water. Best portable & best system for your BOL. I went with the "The Outback Plus" emergency water purification system.Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Water Purification System

Only thing that conserns me with the DIY water filtration system is how much of the bacteria, environmental contaminants can it remove and still have safe drinking water. Has someone tested or had it tested for safe removal of contaminants?


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

You'll get rid of the large particle contaminants - maybe even some parasites. But you are not going to get rid of viruses, for sure, and most likely not a lot of the bacteria, either. A large biosand filter (5-30 gallon size) that has been set up and running for at least 2 weeks will develop a bio-layer of organisms that will break down harmful bacteria and most contaminants. I would still not use it for fresh water drinking until bottling in glass bottles and allowing exposure to a full days worth of sunlight, preferably against a backdrop of corrugated metal that will concentrate the UV rays. (Drink within 24 hours.) Of course, it would be safe to cook with or use for hot drinks without UV exposure.

Biosand filters, followed by UV exposure is a simple, safe technology that is used around the world to provide safe drinking water in communities. I plan on using a system for my own family. HOWEVER, while the filter is building its bio-layer, I will use an alternate filtration system and then gradually introduce the biosand filtered water. I think there will still be an adjustment period for our systems to get used to it, and diarhhea is not something to be dealing with when there is already enough S hitting TF.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

Does anyone happen to know about the UV light transmission characteristics of plastic bottles? I know glass would work, but while I love glass at permanent locations I'm not a fan of carrying it around.

Also, from what I read re-using activated charcoal or making more at home is not feasible, but fine ground regular charcoal, while far less efficient, would also work. Which to me, means change the charcoal more frequently. Anyone have more wisdom to add there?

While I wouldn't trust this method alone (RNPrepper makes convincing points), I do plan to set one up to pre-filter our pond water. I could run through a Lot of high quality filters trying to run pond muck through it straight up.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Clear water does not equal clean water


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Spice said:


> Does anyone happen to know about the UV light transmission characteristics of plastic bottles? I know glass would work, but while I love glass at permanent locations I'm not a fan of carrying it around.
> 
> Also, from what I read re-using activated charcoal or making more at home is not feasible, but fine ground regular charcoal, while far less efficient, would also work. Which to me, means change the charcoal more frequently. Anyone have more wisdom to add there?
> 
> While I wouldn't trust this method alone (RNPrepper makes convincing points), I do plan to set one up to pre-filter our pond water. I could run through a Lot of high quality filters trying to run pond muck through it straight up.


I would not use plastic bottles for UV exposure. I have saved up some large pickle jars and glass ice bottles for this purpose at home. Charcoal can make water taste better, but I still would not trust it to do anything against viruses. It's not going to kill them.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

I'm thinking of the activated charcoal to remove nasty smells/tastes/colors. I've no illusions about it removing the viruses, or the E. coli or Giardia that are our pond's biggest threats.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Here is my DIY water filter. Credits to HuntingHawk. 2 food grade buckets and a British Berkefeld filter candle. Cheap and effective.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

For a process that is probably better than most water treatment plants............once filtered, just bleach the filtered water for washing, and boil it for consumption. The only thing you wouldn't be protected from is chemical or toxic contents.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

One problem that seems to be coming to light about UV purification of water is that the UV light does not KILL the microorganisms. It inactivates the microorganism's ability to reproduce by breaking and damaging their DNA. Since a person in reasonable health can fight off microorganisms as long as they can't reproduce the UV light system works if the water is extremely clear. Turbidity prevents full UV exposure. BUT as they say, it is now coming to light that when used in our type of situations, the microorganisms in the water treated properly with UV exposure are apparently able to rebuild their broken DNA and can therefore begin to reproduce in about 24-48 hours. While I know I would eventually have to rely on UV to make water pure, I wouldn't count on having it sit around for to long before consumption.

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/9241546301_chap5.pdf 5.2.3.3 and this refers to UV bulb purification.


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## Oddcaliber (Feb 17, 2014)

I've got a Katadine filter and when my refund money arrives a Berkey is next.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

A biosand filter would be a very useful system to use prior to running the water through a ceramic filter. It will make the ceramic filter last a lot longer. 
As Spice said, the charcoal is mainly for taste, although it might remove some toxins if changed frequently. 
I also suggest having some KoolAid or Crystal Lite on hand to give the water a little bit of flavor. When we had to drink boiled swamp water in a jungle situation (high heat + high humidity = high risk of dehydration), a little flavor went a long way to keeping my kids hydrated. Just that little taste of lemon can help bad tasting water go down a lot easier.


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## Sarahwalker (Mar 3, 2015)

I'm sure there are so many ways to improve the system I've posted, my purpose of posting the basic one is that atleast we'll have everything we need to have access to at least a filtered water when SHTF and we have nothing else but a cloth, bottle, charcoal, soil, and pebbles.

Boiling following the filtration may help eradicate some bacteria too.


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## ARDon (Feb 27, 2015)

IMO & for "me" water purification shouldnt be skimped on. 3 days w/o drinkable water and your dead. I feel safe know a reputable companies like esp water products Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Water Purification System Berkey http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/berkey-water-filters.html has done all the testing against all variable matters that can cause serious illness & death from non potable water. I done 6 months of research & talked with several companies and settle on the one I have. I wont take a chance on D I Y water filtering system JMHO. I went with the esp water purification system because of the how many different agencies use their product, including our U.S. Government.


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## warrior4 (Oct 16, 2013)

The reason I keep a lot of fire building preps in my BOB as well as a metal pot is so I can melt/boil my water. Choose idealy a flowing water source, strain it through a cotton t-shirt to get rid of a lot of the big particulate matter, repeat as desired, and boil for 5 minutes. Pour into a clean container and you've just got potable water. Quick easy, and carrying around a bag of dryer lint and matches is a lot lighter than some of the filters I've seen. I also carry iodine tablets in case I get real paranoid.


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