| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Letter Re: The Water Filter Quest
Dear Jim;
I can contribute to the water filter research. I have been a student of the subject for about 45 years depending on where I start counting. I could tell a lot of great tales about things I have seen out in the world of water but most the people would question my truthfulness making these tales go better around the firepit.
Many people misunderstand Charcoal filters and their usefulness. In practical terms, they are useful for water that is contaminated with pesticides, complex nasty chemicals, or maybe a tiny bit of Hydrocarbon (Oil, Gasoline) pollution. If you can taste anything like that, start looking for a better water supply. Other nonchemical bad things can be removed by some well cared for sand filters and if you have possible human or animal waste contamination you need clorox, iodine, of even permanganate to finish your filtered water. If you can taste chlorine let it set a minute in open air and try it again. IF you can still taste chlorine strongly, you are using too much or heaven forbid you need that carbon filter before the chlorine and maybe an hour after it sits in the open. Better start looking for new supplies. I have been reading all the good reference sites from Survival Blog for making charcoal just in case I ever need to use it when making a filter.
My view is that for short events like the well pump or city water being down a few days or weeks for localized disasters most of the commercial filters will work fine. They should be cleaned and maintained regularly and instructions that come with each filter usually give a good practice regimen. The most important thing to remember when using a filter is not to contaminate your clean water or parts of your filter mechanism. At home don’t let the children the water filter care job. And if you just got back from the pig pen or chicken house you don’t do it either. Water treatment should be handled cleanly and carefully.
Ceramic filters allow faster filtration but do not replace charcoal or finishing with chlorine. If you have a really clean surface water supply you can simply use sand filters and forget the chlorine and the charcoal. Yes people will disagree but if you have a long term or grid down supply problem you will be learning to build the old rain barrel filter used commonly a hundred years ago and described here recently. Then advance your learning to build a better sand filter treatment system in some plastic drums with two or three filters in a row.
For your backpack filters in the wilderness do not use glaciated water for your supply, it will jam your filter in a few draws of water. Watch for nasty precipitates on the rocks before you choose your supply. White or red is not good. Look for better and yes rainwater puddles. If running water tastes alkali, move on. If in doubt, flip some rocks and see if anything can live in the stream or water puddle. If it is dead, pick another supply. I have been forced from the main stream to the puddles before and the 2 micron filter did fine.
Source:
