My Off Grid Water Filtration System
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Introduction
Having access to clean water is absolutely necessary in daily life and it’s imperative in any type of survival situation. If you’re interested in an off-grid, low-tech way to filter out contaminants so you can have clean water then keep on reading. In this article, I will show you a way to make a low-cost, do-it-yourself gravity filtration system that’s capable of providing clean drinking water.
Why make your own?
There are many different types of water filtration devices on the market. There's everything from whole house systems to filter straws and everything in between. The typical household in the first or second world likely already has some sort of water filtration already in place. Most people enjoy the convenience of permanent filtration installed in their homes and once finished, they forget it is even there.
What if however, there’s a power grid failure or some other problem like a water main failure? What if a natural disaster takes out your city’s ability to provide water? Water mains break all the time, interrupting the supply of water until repairs can be completed. The power grid has yet to go down, but power grid infrastructure could be attacked by any number of bad actors. The increased number of cyber attacks and cyber threats pose an issue to the municipal supply of water to households. It’s possible that the delivery of municipal water could be halted during a ransomware attack or cyber event. Natural disasters have been known to cause problems with obtaining clean water. If you’re a prepper like I am, then this is something you have considered and for which you have prepared.
Then there are places like Flint, Michigan where the drinking water was contaminated and it had nothing to do with the causes I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This well-documented case made national headlines. It demonstrated the failure of the city to provide clean water to residents. Residents of Flint had to sue the city and state over the matter, which outlines how little government officials cared. If you’d like a comprehensive history of the water contamination in Flint, use this link.
For many, getting clean water under normal daily operating conditions can be tricky depending on location. In a survival situation, it could be even harder. Having the right equipment for the job is half the battle. The other half is finding a water source and then transporting it to a location so it can be filtered. I hope to offer a solution to the first half of the battle by writing this article. I will show you a filter system I built for myself using a kit I purchased from a website. If you decide to go this route, then you will have the ability to filter water without having to rely on something or someone else. Now that’s powerful.
Berkey
First, let me briefly mention a popular brand of water filters. Berkey. This company makes a particular system that uses stainless steel containers with cylindrical filters. Water is added through the top chamber and gravity forces the water down through the filters into the lower chamber. Berkey manufactures proprietary filters, claiming their filters are the gold standard in the industry. I believe there are various models of the system that differ in volume and capacity. My intent is not to review their filters or systems nor to write about their quality. I do not own a Berkey Filter system so I cannot speak to how good they are. What I can state is that the people I know who own them, like them. Their design is simple and it works. However, something happened to the company that forced them to stop selling them until the issue is resolved.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a Stop Sale Order to Berkey Filters, the manufacturer of a popular brand of water filters and filtration devices, classifying them as pesticides. In a letter to the EPA, Congressman Matt Gaetz states that the EPA issued the order without any administrative process, classifying the filters as pesticides because of the silver that is impregnated in the filters. Essentially, the EPA has forced Berkey to stop selling its main product to the public, leaving would-be buyers to search for alternatives and creating a void in the market for a product that is comparable. Basically, the EPA doesn’t like impregnated silver in filters. I can’t get into the minds of the people over at the EPA, but impregnated silver is supposed to be a good thing because it is supposed to kill any bacteria that grows in the filter when it sits in the water. Here’s the link to the letter from Congressman Gaetz: Gaetz Press Release.
The removal of Berkey filters from the market has left a void. When I heard about Berkey and their trouble with the EPA, I immediately thought about the system I built with the kit I bought. It’s just like the Berkey and it wasn’t until recently that it dawned on me to write about it. With the growing number of people starting to prepare, I figure someone might want to put together their own.
My DIY Filter
Here, I will present you with a viable filter system. This requires just a little work, a few materials, and a tool or two, but it isn’t too complicated. I prefer simplicity. The design is very similar to Berkey, as it also utilizes gravity to move the water through the filters from one chamber to another. It is simple but effective and perfect for off-grid use. The system doesn’t require electricity and that’s always a plus.
Before I built my system, I looked for filters online that had silver in them because I had heard about the benefits of having this kind of filter. I wanted something that came in a kit, was easy to assemble, and worked without electricity. I found a website that offered what I wanted. Shtfandgo.com sells a filter kit that comes with a ceramic dome filter (with silver), a filter sock or prefilter, a spigot, and instructions for installation. After some research, I purchased their kit.
This website also sells what appear to be authentic replacement Berkey candle filters. Best of all, either filter style could be used to make your system.
According to shtfandgo.com, the main filter is a .2-micron Activated Carbon Dome Ceramic Filter. The prefilter filters down to 10 microns and simply fits over the ceramic dome. I think my kit came with a sock that filters large debris. This would be used to filter water with larger debris as it is being poured into the system. I would use this with water with undissolved solids, obtained from a dirty source.
Below is a picture of the dome filter and sock from their product listing.
In order to make this system, a few materials are needed.
They are as follows:
Two Food Grade Buckets with lids.
Water Filter(s)
Spigot
The spigot and filter come with the kit. The buckets do not. They must be purchased separately and they must be food-grade.
Installation
To install this filter, a drill, a 1/2 and 3/4 inch hole saw, a marker and a ruler will be needed. Take one of the two buckets and drill a 1/2-inch hole in the center of the bottom of the bucket. Then, drill a 1/2-inch hole in the center of one of the lids. Next, drill a 3/4 inch hole in the sidewall of the other bucket. Just to clarify, there’s one hole per bucket. If you need to first mark with a marker where to drill, then do it.
The next step is to install the filter. The filter will hold together the lid and bucket with the centered holes. Install the filter through these two holes.
The next step is to install the spigot. The spigot will go into the 3/4 inch hole in the sidewall of the other bucket. You may need to play around with the tension on the nut. When I first installed mine, it leaked until I got the correct amount of tension.
Once the spigot and filter are installed, simply place the bucket and lid with the filter on top of the other. The second lid will go on top of the top bucket to keep out contaminants. The system is now ready for water to be added. Note, that the first five to ten gallons will need to be discarded, as they will clean out any dust accumulated in the filter during manufacturing. When conducting the initial flush of the filter, it will help prime the filter for use. Production of clean water will initially be slow but will increase in pace over time and use.
Discussion/Final Thoughts
After I assembled my filter I flushed it and tested it. It leaked. It was slow. The prefilter didn't stay on. I didn’t like it. I tightened the nut on the threading on the back of the spigot. It still leaked. I played with the washer and tightness until it stopped leaking. Since I was adding water already filtered with charcoal from my refrigerator, I removed the prefilter. I couldn't get it to stay on well and when it finally stayed on, it slowed water production. I haven’t used it since. The ceramic filter works faster without it. I will use it if I add water from dirtier sources. I supposed priming the filter helps. I should have properly primed the filter before adding the prefilter. Live and learn.
After moving into my new place out in the desert, I got the filter back out of storage and placed it on my countertop. It is remarkable how much it resembles the Berkey. It’s a plastic copy of the stainless steel design. I’ve used it continuously for 10 months. I use the water for cooking and for drinking. I’ve processed about 1200 gallons of water through it and it's still going. The seller of the filters says that they need to be cleaned periodically when orange spots appear on the surface. This can be done with the scrubbing pad included in the kit. The scrubbing pad roughs up and resurfaces the filter. After performing this maintenance it will need to be flushed and primed again. I have performed this process once so far.
One final point I would like to make is that if someone preferred to use the candle filters, they could drill holes for those filters and use them instead. This alteration to the design would bring it closer to that of the Berkey. This would also increase the rate of filtration. I have a spare lid, bucket, and extra candle filters for this purpose. I am a prepped after all.
I will continue to use and test this system well into the year 2024. Having the ability to treat and produce clean water is important to me. Now, you can too. You’ll simply need to find a supply of water. I’ll leave that part to you.