Best water purification systems, recharge systems for Preppers?

Emergency Essentials ^ | 10 December 2012 | Sales Literature

[Vigilanteman]

With the downward spiral of society and the economy ensured by Obama's narrow reelection, I am now looking at gear to ensure, or at least greatly improve, my family's survival when TSHTF.

I have 3-4 months supply of food including canned goods, dried goods, MREs and stuff we use regularly. I have ammunition and firearms to protect it and a couple of alternative escape plans just in case. I also have a hand-crank radio and lighting to ensure communication and illumination. Last election season also helped us define which neighbors would be potential allies, most of them military veterans including a guy with a large front yard flagpole and kids who farm and potential looters, those who put out the rare Obama lawn signs in our neighborhood.

Next big worries are alternative fuel (we're looking into propane) and water. Especially water.

You can't store enough water. It is heavy, bulky and must be rotated frequently or you have to buy expensive canned or bottled water especially designed for long term storage. Everyone has some water in their water heater and the back of their toilet tanks which would be safe to use with just a capful or so of chlorine per gallon, but that would provide you with a few days worth of water at best.

We need to get something which could treat readily available unsafe water and turn it into safe water. When TSHTF, the last thing you want to deal with is an even minor intestinal ailment from drinking unsafe water which could develop into something fatal.

[The Duke]

ADDENDUM: With regard to the Berkey water filters, be sure to look for the “Black Berkey” filter elements. I believe they are much better suited to a post-disaster situation.

[Lera]

I have my own well ,we use a Berkey filter

[altsehastiin]

“Problem with chlorine is that cistosporidium spores can live in a chlorine bottle. You must micron filter, not just chlorinate.

Cistosporidium is like gardia on steroids.”

I’m assuming you’re talking about cryptosporidium.

[Vigilanteman]

We were not far from the epicenter for the Kobe earthquake of January 17, 1995. Lost gas service and water service for a fairly long time.

Interesting observations:

1. Japanese were very orderly, took their turns and waited in line patiently for the water buffalos. Only noise and shoving were some elderly people being moved to the front of the line against their insistence that they could wait their turn.

2. Electricity was only off for a matter of hours. Their generating infrastructure is very, very well designed (with certain exceptions as the 2011 Tohoku quake showed). Phone service restoration for international calls was even quicker and for domestic calls only a little longer.

3. Before the emergency services kicked into gear, we boiled water (with canned gas) for meals, then used that water to make tea and wash the dishes, then used what was leftover from dish washing to flush the loo. My wife and kids all got a very quick lesson in how much water could be recycled.

4. What limited looting occurred in the hardest hit areas was quickly ended by vigilante patrols who used plumbing pipes from ruined homes, kitchen knives and whatever they could find to enforce their neighborhood patrols. And being called a vigilante under those circumstances was considered an honor, not an insult.

[Covenantor]

The main problem with these ‘camping solutions’, as I term them, is low volume relatively high effort and reliance on purchased filters that will rapidly disappear from the supply chain in TEOTWAWKI scenario. Keep in mind that water used for hygenic purposes needs to be of potable quality. Brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc. As one poster pointed out the daily volume per person was much higher than he anticipated.

IF you have property larger than a few acre and a source water it is worth researching the various sand filtration systems for a more permanent and stable potable water supply.

Slow sand filtration and purification which are capable of removing particulates and biologicals very effectively when coupled with chlorination or ozone treatment.

I grew up in Washington DC drinking slow sand filtered water from the McMillan Sand Filtration plant and Reservoir. It was the sweetest municipal water I’ve ever tasted. No other city water came close.

Came to learn there’s a biological process working in the top layer of water, schmutzendecke in German, that removes/destroys bacteria including e-coli and others. Rather than confuse with an inadequate synopsis I suggest searching for these terms.

Rapid sand f & p

Bio sand f & p
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioSand_Filter

The bio sand has been very successful in third world countries at providing potable water at household scale

[Maringa]

A combination of filtration & boiling water is fairly fool proof...

[Sergio]

bkmk

[Vendome]

They do require maintenance that a more permanent filtration wouldn’t. But a little scrubbing and your good to go.

Price point and usability are the key drivers.

[rw4site]

I’m planning to use this to boil water for sterilization.

https://picasaweb.google.com/109188381423929573522/MyLargeHomeBuiltRocketStove

I am also going to build a much smaller one closer in size to the one Kartographer made using an ammo box. They are fun to build and they give great results using just a little fuel.

[Ellendra]

Lehman’s used to carry a steam distiller for purifying water, but the last time I checked I couldn’t find it. There might be something similar on Amazon.

The advantage to a distiller is that it gets both microbes and particulate, and there’s no filter to clean. The disadvantage is that there are some chemicals that might get distilled along with the water.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Go to www.internetprepper.com for a ceramic water filter kit that you put together yourself using their filters and two 5 gallon white food grade buckets that you can buy at lowes. Total price including buckets approximately $50.00.

We have assembled and given 4 of these filter systems to our family and friends. This is a good filter for people who cannot afford the $230 Big Berkey. We have a Berkey but are also keeping one of the ceramic water filters as a backup.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Our Lowes carries the food grade buckets, but not the food grade lids. Huh?

We have a company in Lexington, KY that carries all container related products and some more.

http://www.lexingtoncontainercompany.com/index.html

If you live within an hour of Lexington, drive there and check it out. It will be worth it.

[blitz128]

I have thought a lot about this and finally came up with my own system. It is all gravity fed. I made fittings out of PVC and used food grade 5 gallon buckets. My thinking is that you are going to need a lot of clean water to survive. I have several filters which filter the water down in stages.

First I will filter the water through a funnel with cheese cloth to get rid of big particles

Second Stage is a filter that goes from 100 micron to 50

Third Stage is a filter that is 50 to 20 microns

fourth stage is 20-5 microns

I use one filter in stage 2 and 3 and it will filter 5 gal in 1/2 hour, fourth stage I use 2 of the 5 micron filters and it filters 5 gal in 2-3 hours, all of these times would be faster if the buckets were kept full.(which you can do with this system)

At this point this water has been filtered enough for the greatest amount of water usage which is personal washing, cloths washing......, put this water in storage and treat with calcium hypoclorite, I have a 55 gal drum for this, then when you want to make drinking water I have a bucket with 2 ceramic filters to bring it down to >1 micron.

This is stage 5, it takes about 6 hours to filter 5 gals, once again much faster if bucket is kept full.

To make this system I had to modify some PVC fittings and make my own lexan washers and gaskets.

I have made this system for several friends, system contains 10 buckets, 5 modified, 5 modified lids, and 5 catch buckets, 4 ea 50, 20, and 5 micron filters, and 2 ceramic filters.

This system extends the life of the filters, is easy to store and will make a great deal of water.

I am working on another stage which will hold a silver embedded charcoal filter to remove bacteria, chlorine, and lead, kind of expensive, but so is getting sick when there are no doctors.......
I also have found a 12 volt UV system that I might also try out, no need for Calcium hypoclorite, but does require power
Well that is my 2 cents

[Kartographer]

I prefer Berkey Water Filter. It would make bilge water safe to drink and needs NO power.

You can buy the filters and make your own stand:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Berkey-Water-Purifiier/

To save you a few bucks.

As far as my ammo can rocket stove here’s some links:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2914240/posts?page=47

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2850938/posts

[Kartographer]

Preppers’ PING!!

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“It’s an excellent ceramic filter system.”

Filters are not going to eliminate viral or bacterial or protozoal contamination...these are the things that will make you sick. Use iodine, hydrogen peroxide, or as a last resort, chlorine bleach.

And yes, the filters will take out dirt, but the dirt won’t make you sick.

[FreedomPoster]

Nifty site. Will have to stop in when I’m in Lex next.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“I also have found a 12 volt UV system...”

There are whole-house UV systems out there that will make water safe. Should be possible to have one that works on 12 volts using an inverter. Recharge the batteries with solar.

UV works because it generates hydrogen peroxide in the water and this killes the bad things.

We have stored 50% hydrogen peroxide to do this. It takes very little. And when it is not SHTF time, we use the hydrogen peroxide in our swimming pool (also it is a 25,000 gallon storage tank that is replenished by rain water).

[Salvation]

I disagree with you.

Check out amway electronic filter system

[RedStateRocker]

I have a basic still.