Water Filter Query

Boiling the water is a real big drag specially in summer. First you boil it, then you cool it to room temperature and then you put it in the fridge.

That 0.5 micron filter will remove all suspended particles but won't destroy the bacterias. UV or RO technology is required.

Aishah, I hope I'm not hijacking your thread, but this filter you're talking about, where exactly is it installed?
The pic shows what we get here - twice a week if we're lucky. When we do get, I keep what we're given in the bath until the next lot arrives. Sometimes it's relatively clean and other times it's disgusting. Does the filter actually remove mud and any other foreign bodies? We've been told to put a few drops of bleach in our drinking water but I'm afraid I'm not into ingesting chemicals of that description. Any suggestions?

As the capt pointed out, the candles that used to exist in filters was a kind of pumice. Water used to filter itself. When Aquaguard came- it broke several myths, including the candle, activated charcoal and UV. We now bought some ugly contraption at home that does a reverse osmosis. This funda is pretty useful (esp in chennai where the water is very salty) and runs it through some 7 processes before it filters.
The problem with this and Any RO plant is that the amount of waste water generated is close to the ratio of 3:1 (for every 3 liters of regular water, you get 1 liter of drinkable water and 2 liters of rejected water).

There are two kinds of filters. 1 that you put on the tap to just block regular dirt. the 2nd is the kind that you can drink through.
@ Priya- you need some industrial strenght filters to clean those tubs.
Suggest you do two things. 1. take some surgical gauze and warp it around the mouth of the tap, this will help filter off some particulate matter. 2, fill water in buckets. LEave it for a while. once the dirt settles, transfer the water to the tub Carefully.


If after letting it settle, its still brown, then the water is getting contaminated, either get your well checked, or the metro water tank cleaned.

That's why I was asking about filters

Thanks madan80 - the surgical gauze seems to be a good suggestion. I wonder how many I'll be needing?

Priya, i think even an old sock would improve your water .

You must have a rhino's immune system!

I wish!!!

Surgical gauze and an ol' sock..........

(Hey, just a thought........an ol' sock with some charcoal in the toe - that should work???)

Just on a week today since water was last given. Desperate measures called for.

Correct....for that you need a .2 micron filter!

http://aquapurefilters.com/contamina.../bacteria.html

or/ and UV, etc.

wow! As nick said - your immune system must be incredible! If the water is muddy then basically what you need is a back washing filter.

http://www.suekelly.co.nz/sediment-reduction.html

These things are not your normal cartridge type filter. Basically its a tank filled with sand, gravel, etc - that traps the dirt, etc - but doesn't remove the finer particles, bacteria, stuff like that. When you want to wash it you then flip a valve on the tank that back washes the filter and gets rid of the mud, ready for the next load of muddy water. Then you use normal filters, UV to get rid of bacteria, etc.

Don't know if these are available in India - and if they are then they wont be cheap. Failing that, a normal sediment jumbo filter attached to the plumbing would get rid of most of the dirt - but you would have to was it often if there is a lot of dirt.

Re the bleach - yes you can use this in tank water in very small amount but like you I'm not a big fan of adding chemicals to water.

My goodness Priya, I got a shock when I saw your drinking water.
As you say, first you have to collect it in the bath. Well that sort of dirty water would be hugely contaminating the small filter I fit onto the tap - you'd be all the time cleaning the filter pads. There are nylon gauze sort of things they tie onto taps here - that might help a bit.Then you wait for stuff to settle. Then for drinking, I guess you use some sort of mesh filter over a smaller bucket? And I'd be adding iodine drops to kill the nasties once it looked reasonably clear.. Wouldn't bother with bleach, although they say this evaporates after a while (chlorine).The old sock and charcoal routine might do the trick for you! btw bb, I think Priya is in some backward, (probably historically rich in culture in days gone by)/obscure European/Russian country? Am I right Priya? Absolutely not denigrating your country but to indicate why the water is coming in this disgusting and scarce fashion.
Madan80 interested to read your posts and how so much water is wasted using some of those modern filters. I'm beginning to think I will just stay with what we do now.
Priya - what this filter is, is like a smallish plastic container with a rubberised fitting which fits onto a standard tape. You turn on the water and it flows through the chamber which holds iodized resin. There is also a filter pad at the top which you need to wash regularly. But as I mentioned if collecting water rapidly is your first objective, then this would not be suitable.

The Auquagaurd type filters [there are many competing brands] use a fine pore pre-filter, activated charcoal, and then let the water through an ultra-violet chamber to deactivate virus and bacteria. these filters are the best in my opinion.
they do require plumbing [unlike the old candle filter setups] and electricity.
the Aquagaurd is the best, and most expensive. the unit has safe gaurds against low current and dirt buildup.
the cheaper ones are smaller [in case you have a small kitchen] and can be much cheaper. they have exactly the same working parts, but you have to make sure that your line voltage is at least 200V or so, and you have to check for dirt buildup inside the UV area. I drilled a little hole in the outer casing of mine so I can always see that the light is working in there.
I even have one in my Indian camper, and consider it essential equipment.
perhaps I'll write a little article about them.
regards, Mark

I'd be interested in an article Mark - is there water wastage with your filter.
Actually, Priya, the sort of filter I mentioned in first Post would be suitable for you because you just fill it up in the top chamber. Do they have water filtering contraptions where you are? This one is lightweight and could be taken back, but the parts breaking down would be a concern.

Oh gosh - did I have a laugh at your description Aishah!!! Actually, I'm in Africa. It's not that water is short, it's that we don't have the chemicals for water purification so we're rationed to whenever the authorities feel like giving. We don't have the luxury of filters either (well, not that I'm aware of) - that's why I was asking how your filter system worked or if there were any other ways I could 'clean' the water so it looks like 'water'? I'm just after something basic and unsophisticated that would serve the purpose - e.g. the ol' sock and charchoal???

We have filters here that look like big tea-strainers, but with a double layer of fine mesh, like a stocking fabric, but tougher. They are good for taking the visible crud out of water, and are sometimes used by women filling their pots at the street pumps here

I was rather off the mark - I'd picked up from a post Nick once wrote that you were not in an 'easy' country to live in! Are you drinking this bathwater? The other way of purifying water I saw on a BBC Earthwatch programme where plastic bottles of water were exposed to sun's UV rays for a minimum of 6 hours - it was a routine introduced into villages in South America to help stop diarrhea (don't know how to spell this!) in children.
Cross-posted with Nick! yes, they are like a plastic sieve, very cheap and would be handy for you Priya, i think. Very lightweight too.

Aishah is talking about Sodis water, I think

http://www.sodis.ch/index.htm

(don't know if that is the 'official' website, google for more, I remember another site awhile ago)


PS I also remember it was approved by the WHO. Whether it would work with very muddy water is what you need to see.