# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  Home Made Water Filter

## Pict

I made up a short video that describes the simple home made water filter I've been using for the past eight years in Brazil with very good results.

The filter costs about $3 to make.  It must be used with a chemical method or boiling to make the water safe.  This filter will remove a great deal of suspended material, small organisms, and make the water clearer but it DOES NOT IN ITSELF MAKE THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK.  It does greatly increase the effectiveness of either iodine or chlorine and it makes water of questionable quality much better tasting.

*Home Made Water Filter*

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Mac

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## nell67

Awesome video Pict,as always great information!!!!!!!!Thanks.

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## crashdive123

As always, another great video.  Thanks.

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## Runs With Beer

Great post as allways, Keep up the great work.

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## welderguy

Great Info Thany you.

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## RunsWithDeer

Very well put together, and the real life use backs it up.  Great post.

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## nell67

Pict,how often do you have to replace the fiber and the carbon pellets?

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## last one standing

wow great video i liked the bird trap also on you tube

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## Pict

> Pict,how often do you have to replace the fiber and the carbon pellets?


That all depends on how dirty the water is that I've been running through it.  The wad at the top gets pretty dirty fairly quick if you have alot of suspended, visible material in the water.  You can take it out and wash it in clean water if it gets too bad but I normally carry some extra wadding and just replace it.

The charcoal pellets last a long time I replace them once or twice a year.  I have tried it with crushed coals from my fire and it works well.  Make sure the coals are fully burned and don't have any white ash on them.  The pellets are more uniform and have been greater surface area available in their carbon matrix.

The activated charcoal does a good job of filtering out cloudy clay and dirt when streams are swollen from rain.  How long it lasts depends on how much of that stuff you drained through.  If I end up using really bad water I'll change it when I get home.

I wouldn't try to filter mud through this thing.  If your water is that bad then strain it through a bandanna or something before running it through the filter.
Mac

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## nell67

Thanks for the info Pict!

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## Riverrat

Very nice...great stuff as usual...and I had a question, but I see Nell has already asked it...

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## hoosierarcher

You should thread the top so that you could screw on a 2 liter soda pop bottle as a resevoir on top for your yet to be filtered water. Rig it to hang from a branch over your billy can or pot that you will boil it in. Just a thought.

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## Pict

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Here's a shot of the larger filter I use with groups.  We normally hang a five liter bag in the middle of camp and keep the filter jammed on a stick.  This way the guys can just filter as needed.  The bags we use have a neck which fit inside the top of the filter so all they have to do is lift up on the bottom of the bag until it starts draining.

Each pair of guys takes turns keeping the camp water-bag filled.  Mac

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## primeelite

Great video, watched a few others a couple days ago as well. All have some good information without all the hoopla you find on some of the TV shows on now.

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## Gray Wolf

As usual, very informative Mac.

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## primeelite

Pict, you should make your own website and host you own videos on it so you retain all the advertising and can gain viewers that you could send out mass emails to every time you post a video and not have to put up with all of Youtube's stuff.

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## Pict

The thought has crossed my mind.  I actually have a project in the works.  No idea when I'll be finished...  Mac

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## dixgomez

> I made up a short video that describes the simple home made water filter I've been using for the past eight years in Brazil with very good results.
> 
> The filter costs about $3 to make.  It must be used with a chemical method or boiling to make the water safe.  This filter will remove a great deal of suspended material, small organisms, and make the water clearer but it DOES NOT IN ITSELF MAKE THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK.  It does greatly increase the effectiveness of either iodine or chlorine and it makes water of questionable quality much better tasting.
> 
> *Home Made Water Filter*
> 
> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
> 
> Mac


That is a great idea on making a home made water filter man.... for just a $3 and got one....


******************

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## crashdive123

Dixgomez - you cannot include a link to your site in the body of your post.  How about filtering on over to the Introduction section and tell us about yourself.  Thanks.

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## bulrush

Thanks for being specific Pict on what this does and does not do. Since I got giardia one year I'm a bit picky about my water purification methods.

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## UnknownWarrior

> I made up a short video that describes the simple home made water filter I've been using for the past eight years in Brazil with very good results.
> 
> The filter costs about $3 to make.  It must be used with a chemical method or boiling to make the water safe.  This filter will remove a great deal of suspended material, small organisms, and make the water clearer but it DOES NOT IN ITSELF MAKE THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK.  It does greatly increase the effectiveness of either iodine or chlorine and it makes water of questionable quality much better tasting.
> 
> Mac


Being a non-native English speaker, I was not able to clearly understand your speech. So, if possible, can you please post here or on your blog, step by step instructions on how to make this filter?

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## Rick

Did you pick the fiber material up at the pet store as well? I'm with UnknownWarrior. He has trouble with the language. I have trouble with my ears. (shrug).

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## 2dumb2kwit

> Did you pick the fiber material up at the pet store as well? I'm with UnknownWarrior. He has trouble with the language. I have trouble with my ears. (shrug).


 Yes. (That's what he said in the video.)

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## Pict

The activated charcoal pellets and synthetic fiber wad can be found in pet stores.  Don't use cotton for the wad as it will compress and slow the filter down.

*MATERIALS NEEDED*

2 sections of 20 mm pipe about 10 cm long
1 20 mm pipe joint
1 20 mm pipe reducer
Activated Charcoal Pellets
Synthetic filter floss (wadding)
2 perforated plastic discs that fit inside the pipe joint.

There's really no secret to assembly other than sanding the pipes to fit snug in the joint and reducer but not so tight you can't take it apart for repacking.
Mac

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## UnknownWarrior

Thank a lot Pict!

Can this filter be used in place of a Berkeyfeld filters like here?:

http://www.alpharubicon.com/kids/hom...erkeydaire.htm

That will reduce the high cost of Berkeyfeld filters (which aren't available in India it seems) for us poor people.

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## Pict

The small filter I use is intended to filter raw water for personal use in the bush.  It will easily keep you in filtered water as long as you only need a few liters a day.  The problem is that it is an active system that requires you to actually filter the water personally.

The filter in the link is a passive system intended to filter large volumes of water for a family sized group.  All of South America has similar filters in their homes.  The cost of those filter elements is truly astronomical.  In Brazil we use ceramic and carbon filter elements that cost a few dollars each.

I have tried to adapt the ceramic filter elements for use in the bush by installing one in a hanging bag with a hose for collection but found it very slow and kind of awkward to use.  It did keep us in filtered water but water from the bush contains too much suspended matter and clogs the ceramic very quickly.  Mac

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## Rick

Mac, 

I think you said somewhere you capture rain water as well? I would think the need to filter rain water would be directly dependent upon what was used to collect it and how it was stored (mosquitoes and other buggies). 

I also remember you saying the water was off for a period of time so I assume there is a water network in Brazil, where you live. Is the quality suspect and/or the availability unreliable? Do you get water from river/pond/well, too? 

I'm just curious how water is acquired in Brazil.

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## UnknownWarrior

Sorry but I'm trying to make the filter as super low cost as possible for the poor people to use. Can sawdust replace the charcoal pellets?

I read here about sawdust as well as neem activated neem leaves:

http://discovery.bits-pilani.ac.in/~...CWRDM_2008.pdf

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## Pict

> Sorry but I'm trying to make the filter as super low cost as possible for the poor people to use. Can sawdust replace the charcoal pellets?
> 
> I read here about sawdust as well as neem activated neem leaves:
> 
> http://discovery.bits-pilani.ac.in/~...CWRDM_2008.pdf


Do google searches for...

 "UNICEF Upflow Filter"

"SODIS"

"Sand charcoal filtration"

Ordinary natural charcoal can be substituted for activated charcoal pellets but *sawdust cannot*, depending on the wood it could actually be lethal.  Sawdust has the potential to create a giant in-line teabag.  *TOXIC WOODS*

I do have some experience with sand/charcoal filtration. We had very bad water at our camp taken from two shallow wells, pumped up to a series of water boxes at the top of the property.  From there they would drain down through the system.  The water was filled with fine, orange clay/silt and smelled bad.

Here's a photo of the filter we installed.

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This filter worked but it was installed incorrectly.  We started this project on a Friday and resolved to build it on a Saturday.  That Sunday morning I had to drive downtown to speak at my church and on the way home I did some research online to make sure we had everything we needed.  Knowing what we had proposed we overlooked a serious detail.  The water intake has to be at the bottom and the outlet at the top or the system traps air.  I rushed out to camp (1.5 hours) and as soon as I stepped out of the car I heard the story.  "Pastor Mac!  You should have SEEN that filter blow it's top!"

Here's the result of our simple filter.

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It made a huge difference.

Mac

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## Rick

If I read your document correctly, it appears that sawdust is nearly half as efficient at adsorbing the chemical chromium, which is all the study looks at. Activated charcoal adsorbs carbon based or organic chemicals as well as a few other chemicals such a chromium, arsenic and mercury. It is also effective against PCBs, THMs and TAHs all industrial pollutants or byproducts. I have read some evidence to suggest radon gas is adsorbed as well. 

You would have to perform a cost/benefit analysis in order to determine if any other adsorbent is as good as activated carbon. For example, if sawdust removes only chromium then, while it is both plentiful and cheap, the benefit is negligible in comparison to activated charcoal. 

I don't know any specifics for sawdust, neem leaves or fly ash other than what is outlined in your link. So I can't compare or contrast the other items with charcoal.

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## Pict

> Mac, 
> 
> I think you said somewhere you capture rain water as well? I would think the need to filter rain water would be directly dependent upon what was used to collect it and how it was stored (mosquitoes and other buggies). 
> 
> I also remember you saying the water was off for a period of time so I assume there is a water network in Brazil, where you live. Is the quality suspect and/or the availability unreliable? Do you get water from river/pond/well, too? 
> 
> I'm just curious how water is acquired in Brazil.


Rick,

I live in a city of 5.3 million people.  Belo Horizonte has a larger population than the nations of Ireland or Uruguay.  Finland has a population of 5.3 million.  So, yes, we have a modern water distribution system.

It is a little different in that the city water is pumped up to a reservoir on the roof and from there it is gravity fed down through the house. We spent five years in an apartment on a hill and then moved to our house, also on a hill, the highest one around.  Sometimes if there is a problem in the city system there isn't enough water pressure to get the water all the way up to our box and we run out.  Sometimes the entire neighborhood drains and somethings we only have pressure at street level.  For that I have an electric pump that I use to fill the box, but that depends on having water at the street.

The water that comes off the city system is chlorinated and safe to drink.  Once it sits in the water box it could go bad so we filter it with an in-line filter and ozone machine. We also have two ceramic drip filters we use for drinking water upstairs.

We have had to collect rain water at both the apartment and the house.  If the water goes off during rainy season it is no big deal.  A hassle but there is no shortage of rain water.  When it happens in the dry season I have to drive to the bottom of the neighborhood and get water in 20 liter jugs from  the city system.  That is a daily hassle.  Mac

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## Rick

Oh, gosh. I had no idea you were in a city that large. Thanks. I appreciate the explanation.

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## Pict

> Oh, gosh. I had no idea you were in a city that large. Thanks. I appreciate the explanation.


The cool thing is that Belo is surrounded with world class wilderness and our state is a mecca for ecotourism.  Belo is Brazil's third largest city, we live in the suburbs about 12 km from downtown.  Mac

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## Jonesy

Thanks for the water filter ideas and examples. The videos are great though I haven't watched all of them yet. 

The side by side comparison of clear vs orange water was pretty convincing.

Honestly I could sit and read/listen to you tell about life in Brazil all day.

Thanks!!  :Smile:

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## Rick

By the way, the Toxic Woods link is excellent. A lot to learn on that one page!! If ya'll notice, Sassafras is listed three time as toxic while Hemlock is listed once. Might pay to head that kind of advice.

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## Ken

> Honestly I could sit and read/listen to you tell about life in Brazil all day.


And I could do it too, even if you were speaking Portuguese.

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## Jonesy

Rick, Mac, all

Does the carbon filter nuetralize the pollutents or hold them in concentration in the carbon? Also is this in such small amounts that disposal and cleaning of the filter system is not a big issue?

Water is not hard to find here in Kansas but it is mostly run off from farmland and a few cattle ranches. Would you guys feel comfortable using this filter system with the potential for high concentration levels of pesticides and such in the water?

Thanks

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## UnknownWarrior

> I do have some experience with sand/charcoal filtration. We had very bad water at our camp taken from two shallow wells, pumped up to a series of water boxes at the top of the property.  From there they would drain down through the system.  The water was filled with fine, orange clay/silt and smelled bad.
> 
> ...
> 
> It made a huge difference.
> 
> Mac


Really lovely system. I'd like more details please, while I google for the others.

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## UnknownWarrior

> The activated charcoal pellets and synthetic fiber wad can be found in pet stores.  Don't use cotton for the wad as it will compress and slow the filter down.
> 
> *MATERIALS NEEDED*
> ...
> Activated Charcoal Pellets
> Synthetic filter floss (wadding)
> 2 perforated plastic discs that fit inside the pipe joint.
> 
> Mac


Talking about activated charcoal, how long does it work once put into the pipe and start filtering on a daily bases? Do you keep changing the pellets often? or how often?

Activated charcoal isn't hazardous but does cause some side effects in case of tablet / powder consumption etc. Since you say that you're using the filter since 7 - 8 years, I guess this doesn't do any such side effect?

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## Pict

> Really lovely system. I'd like more details please, while I google for the others.


That's what I'm trying to get out of writing!  There is alot of information out there on charcoal/sand filtration.  In a nutshell it works like this

*Sand/charcoal*

Sand layer - Water passes through this first.  The sand becomes colonized by micro-organisms that feed on all living material that passes through the sand killing them.  

Charcoal layer - The biological waste of the killer organisms exits the other side of the sand layer to become trapped in the carbon matrix of the charcoal and only clean water flows out the other end of the filter.

*SODIS* - Short for Solar Disinfection.  Water in clear bottles is exposed to UV radiation from sunlight killing everything inside.  The water supply is kept in a series of bottles that are left out and exposed during the day.

The Small PVC filter I made is for cleaning up raw water in the bush prior to chemical treatment with iodine or chlorine.  The pellets will last longer if you put cleaner water through it. Of course if you pack it full of mud it won't last at all.  I use this filter often and I've only repacked it a few times.  Not because I noticed a change but because I figured it was time.  I have used it with charcoal from normal camp fires and I have repacked it in the bush just to test how well it works.  It worked fine.  Mac

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## panch0

This is some really good info! Thanks Pict.

Does the charcoal take the bad tast from some water supplies. I have boiled some water which looked clean but it had a slight oder and a stagnant savor to it.

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## UnknownWarrior

> That's what I'm trying to get out of writing!  There is alot of information out there on charcoal/sand filtration.  In a nutshell it works like this
> 
> *Sand/charcoal*
> 
> Sand layer - Water passes through this first.  The sand becomes colonized by micro-organisms that feed on all living material that passes through the sand killing them.  
> 
> Charcoal layer - The biological waste of the killer organisms exits the other side of the sand layer to become trapped in the carbon matrix of the charcoal and only clean water flows out the other end of the filter.
> 
> *SODIS* - Short for Solar Disinfection.  Water in clear bottles is exposed to UV radiation from sunlight killing everything inside.  The water supply is kept in a series of bottles that are left out and exposed during the day.
> ...


Thanks for clarifying. I'm reading the WHO docs.
I'm sorry I made you think and work so hard! What I meant was that I wanted construction details of your camp filter which made that orange muddy water crystal clear.

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## UnknownWarrior

> This is some really good info! Thanks Pict.
> 
> Does the charcoal take the bad tast from some water supplies. I have boiled some water which looked clean but it had a slight oder and a stagnant savor to it.


After the water cools down, according to WHO:
"The taste can be improved by vigorously stirring the water, or shaking the water in a sealed container after it has cooled."

The other day I saw video of nano carbon addition to water making it blue and good to taste but it must be too expensive.

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## Ken

> "The taste can be improved by vigorously stirring the water, or shaking the water in a sealed container after it has cooled."


The same goes for highly chlorinated water as well.  Shaking/stirring the water causes the chlorine to be released, thus reducing the chlorine taste.

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## Pict

Our Camp filter.

Drum was filled about 1/3 with crushed natural charcoal.  I crushed it by driving the car over the bags a few times.

This was rinsed to remove the dust.

A layer of plastic screen was laid on top of the leveled charcoal.  Washed sand was then filled in for 1/3 of the drum.

Washed gravel was layered over the sand to prevent the water inflow from digging a hole in it.  I'm not sure if this was even necessary.

Our design was wrong in that we should have had the water coming in the bottom and flowing up through the sand then charcoal and out the top.  An upflow filter forces any air in the filter out the same outlet as the water.  Packed as a downflow filter we had to leave the lid unsealed to allow air pressure to escape.  We probably could have cut some kind of vent in the lid. Up or down the filter action is the same though.  I think the results speak for themselves.  Mac

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## Rick

@ Jonesy - The organic impurities are adsorbed (with a D). That is they bond with the activated charcoal at the molecular level. The cool thing about activated charcoal is it has such a large surface area. The term "activated" is the critical piece. Activating it means it is processed to become porous thereby increasing the surface area. Once the surface area has bonded with the impurities then the carbon has to be replaced because it can no longer attract anything (make sense?). It's sort of "full". 

As for the shaking, that's just oxygenating the water. When you oxygenate it you improve the taste.

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## Jonesy

Thank You!

Yes you made it clear!


Mac,
So the sand and gravel filter is similar to a pool sand filter system?

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## Pict

> Thank You!
> 
> Yes you made it clear!
> 
> 
> Mac,
> So the sand and gravel filter is similar to a pool sand filter system?


I can't really say.  The principle is probably the same.

We didn't head out to the camp to build that filter, we had 120 people there for four days and the water was especially bad that year due to a lack of rain.  We just put our heads together and decided to make a sand charcoal filter to fix the immediate problem.  We all knew how it should work in principle and we had the materials on hand.  In that 120 people we had a plumber, a bricklayer, and an internet junkie survival guy.

The research I did on it was after the fact but confirmed we had it right.  If I had to do it again I would make it an upflow design.  Mac

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## UnknownWarrior

> The research I did on it was after the fact but confirmed we had it right.  If I had to do it again I would make it an upflow design.  Mac


Since it worked anyhow, what difference would it make if it's an upflow or downflow?
I'd like to make this for an asylum where many people live and there's scarcity of clean water at times.




> A layer of plastic screen was laid on top of the leveled charcoal. Washed sand was then filled in for 1/3 of the drum.
> 
> Washed gravel was layered over the sand to prevent the water inflow from digging a hole in it. I'm not sure if this was even necessary.


What kind of plastic screens are these? Something like transparancies? Are these perforated? How does the water pass from the sand into charcoal?

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## Pict

> Since it worked anyhow, what difference would it make if it's an upflow or downflow?
> I'd like to make this for an asylum where many people live and there's scarcity of clean water at times.
> 
> 
> 
> What kind of plastic screens are these? Something like transparancies? Are these perforated? How does the water pass from the sand into charcoal?


I think the upflow design works slower.  The water only moves upward as it is forced to whereas the downflow is pulled through with gravity.  It also makes sense to have gravity pulling down on the suspended matter away from the water outlet.  The upflow design would do a better job of keeping sand from filtering down into the charcoal.

The plastic screens were similar to window screen they were not plastic sheets, they had plenty of holes.  Mac

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## Rick

Mac,

Wouldn't a simple check valve in the top of the filter fix the pressure problem with the down flow design? As pressure from the air raises it would lift the ball from its seat and release the pressure, which would re-seat the ball. You could use something like a 3/4 inch piece of PVC with a reducer supporting a marble. The marble won't rust, rot, or allow bugs and insects in the water.

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## UnknownWarrior

I've made the filter except for the activated charcoal. I couldn't find a nice plastic reducer (no narrow mouth) so might get the copper one used with water pipes. That should be okay I guess?

I went to a fish tank store and enquired aboutativated charcoal. They had it.

Is activated carbon used in the fish tank filters the same as usual activated charcoal you used in the filter? Can I use this? I don't know if it's in powder form or pellets that they sell. It's only available in 250g packs.

The storekeeper told me that it would be good to replace the carbon in the filter once in about 3 months to be on the safe side, tho 6 months is okay.

When the activated carbon/charcoal filters the water, does it get mixed with water to any degree or just purifies it?




> 2 perforated plastic discs that fit inside the pipe joint.


I got stuck on this one. How/where do you get these? Or can these be made at home? Pls give some ideas if possible? My brain is frozen.

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## UnknownWarrior

Mac -
Also, about your camp filter, does it make any difference if I use black sand (used for construction) or white sand (from a beach)? It will be difficult, not impossible to get beach sand for me.

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## Pict

For the plastic disks I used the lid of a plastic ice cream container and cut two rounds to fit the pipe and then perforated them with a very small hole punch.

Activated carbon is the same no matter what form it's in.  There is some dust in it that runs out with the first use or two but other than that it stays in place.  Charcoal is given to people who have ingested poison, it is inert, non-toxic and does not add anything to the water.  It is just a carbon matrix with a huge internal surface area.  Mac

ETA - The black sand, I have no idea about. We used washed sand, which seemed like a good idea.

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## Rick

Unknown warrior - You might use masonry sand. It's also known as builders sand, bricklayer's sand, play sand, it goes by a lot of names. It's the same stuff you see on golf courses. It's very fine stuff so it should work just fine. Lowe's carries all kinds of sand. You can talk to them. They should be able to come up with whatever you want.

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## UnknownWarrior

> Unknown warrior - You might use masonry sand. It's also known as builders sand, bricklayer's sand, play sand, it goes by a lot of names. It's the same stuff you see on golf courses. It's very fine stuff so it should work just fine. Lowe's carries all kinds of sand. You can talk to them. They should be able to come up with whatever you want.


Well, the aquarium guy told me that the sand in the tanks is washable, and would be good to use for a filter. So I ordered one sackful. Is this sand like the masonary sand and would it be good to use?

The beach sand I had thought to get, wonn't be washable I guess. I'll also be using this sand for the 'ultra low cost solar water heater' (http://www.sharingsustainablesolutio...er-pre-heated/)
after spray-painting it black. As well as the camp filter described by Mac.

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## UnknownWarrior

To Mac:
About the homemade charcoal filter -

Will the small filter work better if sand is added on top of the activated charcoal?

I got the charcoal in small granular form. So putting it in a tiny cloth bag and stitching / sewing the bag and then putting it inside the pipe is better? Similarly another tiny bag filled with sand?

I had somehow missed reading the sodis water purification from the links you gave previously. I hit upon sodis.ch thru google yesterday and was delighted after reading that I can also use the above 'ultra low-cost solar water pre-heater' to purify the water AT THE SAME TIME! And same bottles will be used.

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## UnknownWarrior

I found a cheap alternative to this:
http://www.alpharubicon.com/kids/hom...erkeydaire.htm

The cheaper alternative is here:
http://shop.monolithic.com/products/...ic-drip-filter

Mac -
I still feel that I can use your homemade filter with little modification to fit the buckets. I'll be trying that too.

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## Nativedude

I've taken a 5 gal. bucket with a hole cut in the bottom, lined the bottom with a piece of all natural silk, filled it with beach sand (from my beach) and have used it to filter dirty water. It works! Sand is a natural filter.

Once the water comes out the bottom it is clear and clean and drinkable.

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## UnknownWarrior

> I've taken a 5 gal. bucket with a hole cut in the bottom, lined the bottom with a piece of all natural silk, filled it with beach sand (from my beach) and have used it to filter dirty water. It works! Sand is a natural filter.
> 
> Once the water comes out the bottom it is clear and clean and drinkable.


Can you pls explain natural silk and how to get it? What's the costing like?

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## Nativedude

> UnknownWarrior wrote: *"Can you pls explain natural silk and how to get it? What's the costing like?*


100% natural silk (no dyes) can be found at any fabric store. I bought 3 yards of it. I got it for around $7.00 per yd. (on sale).

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## Rick

Well, in theory, wouldn't that hold true for cotton cloth or just about any cloth that is dye free? I know the silk is probably a tighter weave than, say, cotton but isn't the cloth really just holding the sand in place and keeping it from working it's way into the clean water?

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## Nativedude

> Rick wrote: *"Well, in theory, wouldn't that hold true for cotton cloth or just about any cloth that is dye free? I know the silk is probably a tighter weave than, say, cotton but isn't the cloth really just holding the sand in place and keeping it from working it's way into the clean water?*


1.) Silk doesn't give the water any residual taste like cotton does.

2.) Silk keeps out many of the small bacteria, unlike cotton. (Because of its tight weave.)

3.) Silk last much, much longer. Cotton starts to deteriorate quite quickly (I was surprised) from constantly being soaked. The silk piece I am using now has been in the bucket for 2 years.

I change the sand every 3 months and the silk keeps on going strong!

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## Rick

I never thought about cotton deteriorating. That's probably very true. Silk is just tough stuff. 

You could probably add camp fire charcoal in between the silk and sand that would improve the taste. I would think it would anyway.

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## UnknownWarrior

> 1.) Silk doesn't give the water any residual taste like cotton does.
> 
> 2.) Silk keeps out many of the small bacteria, unlike cotton. (Because of its tight weave.)
> 
> 3.) Silk last much, much longer. Cotton starts to deteriorate quite quickly (I was surprised) from constantly being soaked. The silk piece I am using now has been in the bucket for 2 years.
> 
> I change the sand every 3 months and the silk keeps on going strong!


Thanks for the wonderful info. I wanted to know what cloth doesn't give a residual taste to water. I use an 8 fold cotton hanky and still it cant filter nicely. I'll get some natural silk now.

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## UnknownWarrior

> I never thought about cotton deteriorating. That's probably very true. Silk is just tough stuff. 
> 
> You could probably add camp fire charcoal in between the silk and sand that would improve the taste. I would think it would anyway.


What's camp fire charcoal and how is it different from other charcoals? I went to a charcoal seller the other day but didn't like the charcoal there the wood burnt one) tp use in the filter similar to the camp shown by Mac. What kind of charcoal should I get since activated charcoal in such large quantities won't be feasible?

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## crashdive123

UnknownWarrior - are you trying to make something for personal use or something to market commercially?

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## UnknownWarrior

> UnknownWarrior - are you trying to make something for personal use or something to market commercially?


The homemade filter like Mac's for personal use on the go, another one for home use (which is not exactly decided yet but the one like Daire's idea using Berkey like filter elements is something I'd try), the camp filter that Mac showed a pic of using the drum - sand - charcoal, for an asylum, of course for free. I'd wonder what is it that made you think I am tryng to market something comercially.

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## Rick

UW - My reference to campfire charcoal was just to NativeDude. 

Charcoal is pretty much charcoal unless it is activated charcoal. Charcoal is simply wood that has been very hot but removed from oxygen so it doesn't burn. It just cabonizes or changes to carbon. About 80-85%. You can get that from a campfire. It's the black wood that has not burned. It will still purify water. It's not as good as activated charcoal but it is still charcoal so it will remove the bad taste that water may have.

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## crashdive123

> I'd wonder what is it that made you think I am tryng to market something comercially.


It was just a question.  Nothing more.  If you said that you were going to market them, I would have suggested getting an independent laboratory to test them so as to minimize your lliability exposure, and of course the safety of possible clients.

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## UnknownWarrior

> Charcoal is pretty much charcoal unless it is activated charcoal. Charcoal is simply wood that has been very hot but removed from oxygen so it doesn't burn. It just cabonizes or changes to carbon. About 80-85%. You can get that from a campfire. It's the black wood that has not burned. It will still purify water. It's not as good as activated charcoal but it is still charcoal so it will remove the bad taste that water may have.


The charcoal seller's charcoal smelt ashy so I didn't like to buy it, tho very cheap.

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## UnknownWarrior

Is there a fast way to make turbid water settlement fast, other than using alum which makes the water taste sour?

I tried googling and only found a few really good links.

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## Rick

You have a number of answers on the other thread.

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## Mischief

> The thought has crossed my mind.  I actually have a project in the works.  No idea when I'll be finished...  Mac


I'm in, hopefully as a charter member. 
Keep us posted on your progress. :clap:  :clap: 


Mischief

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## UnknownWarrior

> You have a number of answers on the other thread.


LOL sorry I was searching that other thread but when couldn't find, I though I was dreaming that I had posted this question before.

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## hunter63

Yo, Mac, just catching up on some of the sticky's, and thought I would check this thread out.

Thanks for the info, this does seem to be a good portable, at least pre-filter.
Price is right also.
Gonna try it out.
Also watch several of the videos on the bucket style filters

We used a version of the sand filter for gray water. Sinks and shower.
2 in PVC drains into buckets, w/ panty hose for lint and food particles.

2- 5 gal buckets inserted into each other, holes on the bottom of top one, fitting for 2 in PVC on bottom.
Down flow, pea gravel on a screen, on the bottom, with sand (Play sand), in the middle, and more gravel on the top.
Worked O.K. used it for watering, but decided it was not worth the trouble.
Bet with activated charcoal, and maybe silk it would still work like the ones in the videos.
Have to check if the buckets are still around.

Also, have a water collection system, still operable, used for shower, but seems to work well enough, I would drink it after treating with chemicals.

Metal roof, gutter leading to a down spout w/first flush.
To 50 gal plastic drum, for collection.
Second drum mounted next to it, water pump thru paper pool pump to second drum.
Both given chlorine treatment from time to time.

12 volt w/ pressure switch style sprayer pump, to 2-1/2 gal electric water heater to shower head.
Eletric water heater replace a batch style solar collector, didn't get warm enough fast enough.

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## hunter63

Bump.......
Just an example of Dave's contribution in the past.

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