Posted on 04/29/2014 6:48:38 PM PDT by Former Fetus
Once again I need advice, and once again I come to FR knowing that I will have my questions answered. TIA.
A couple of months ago our family moved to an apartment near a lake, in upstate SC. I love the area, but the water has a certain taste to it, kind of like moldy (I imagine it must be algae). After a couple of months of buying gallon jugs of water, I am sick and tired of hauling drinking water. And we always seem to run out of it at night! LOL I have been looking at water purifying systems, but I have several problems:
1. The descriptions tell what chemicals are removed by the filters. I just want to get rid of the algae taste, but there doesn't seem to be a filter just for that.
2. We are renting the apartment. That eliminates the possibility of getting any under-the-sink filtration systems because we are not allowed to modify the plumbing.
3. The kitchen faucet is really fancy, it looks more like an expensive shower head. I have been researching and there is no way to attach a faucet-mounted filter.
4. We are a family of 4 and the carafe-type filters are recommended for 1 or 2 people.
So, there it is, I don't know what to do. Any advice, FReepers? Thanks
Aqua Rain makes some really excellent filters,removes everything down to about .2 micron.Not cheap but built to last.
You can get a Brita or PUR water filter pitcher that you keep in the fridge. Or you can get a Berkey countertop filter.
/johnny
We use a Britta filter that fits on top of a water pitcher we keep in the fridge. I don’t like the filters that attach to sinks so it’s a good alternative.
Try a Berkey system. Great water filtration, the filters last almost a lifetime, and it’s also great for survival preps.
They make urn style systems that have spigots. It can sit on your counter.
“We are a family of 4 and the carafe-type filters are recommended for 1 or 2 people.”
Buy 2 carafes? Cheap, work great, and take em with you when you pack up.
We bought a Brita carafe at Costco. It certainly removes tastes. As long as the filter isn’t too old it operates fairly quickly. You just have to train all the house occupants to refill as soon as they use and don’t wait until it is empty.
Brita and PUR also make countertop dispensers.
Zerowater as in zero impurities. Get two if you think you’ll run short frequently.
Too bad. I think a Reverse Osmosis system is what you need.
If you are on a county or municipal water system, just put an in-line carbon filter under the sink. (Brand is Culligan, very inexpensive from Amazon) I did this and ran it to a drinking water faucet mounted in the kitchen sink surround. Taste is excellent.
If you are getting your water from a well or cistern, you might like to do the purifying routine, and then finish with a carbon filter.
Just re-read and saw you are renting. Go with a Brita pitcher. They have large sizes available.
I second the idea of looking at a Berkey counter top filter housing unit for drinking water with one exception. DO NOT use anything other than original Doulton super sterysil filters in the unit. If you’re reasonably handy you can use deep stainless steel pots like the cheapos sold for deep frying turkeys and make your own housing. Just drill it for the filters and the spigot.
The Doulton filters mentioned above include an activated carbon charcoal center to remove organics and are impregnated with silver as a biocide. The ceramic outer filters out the small stuff and can be cleaned.
On-the-faucet filters are not a good idea.
Visit any survivalist site or pick up a copy of the many, many survivalist magazines and/or books at your local bookstore.
Every body and his brother has written one and the subject of water filtration is usually a large part therein.
What I have done:
Make some charcoal from choice hardwood. Don't use commercial briquets, they have binders and chemicals in them. See the aforementioned web sites on how to make charcoal.
Find some good clean sand. Lowes and Home Depot sell it as swimming pool filter sand.
Using three plastic buckets, allow water to drip through the sand in one, into the next containing charcoal, into the bottom one, from which you will drink your now nice tasty water.
Strain through a sock before drinking if small pieces of sand and charcoal are present.
It ain't rocket science.
Carbon filters work for that. I believe the Brita has a carbon filter. You can get that for not too much money to see if it works.
Lots of great suggestions but I can tell you from experience that most plain simple filters will not get rid of that algae taste. You might well end up with a real RO system. FWIW I would try one of these(very good filter) and see if it does the job before investing a lot of money in a bigger unit:
I can highly recommend one of these if you can’t get satisfaction any other way:
Oh and I hate GE but their RO works very wel.
http://www.filterwater.com/p-47-6-stage-countertop-water-filter-white.aspx
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