Water Filtration Systems

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brookline
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Water Filtration Systems

Post by brookline »

I'd like to get a water filtration system for our house. Can anyone recommend a system that removes mono-chloramine?

Background: According to our water utility, "There are generally two methods for removing chloramines: 1. Adding specific agents that remove chloramines and ammonia. 2. Using a high-grade granular activated carbon filter." "Boiling water or allowing water to sit at room temperature doesn't remove chloramines from water. Reverse osmosis filters don't remove chloramines from water."

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Sclass
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Sclass »

I’m not sure if this removes it, but I neutralize water for my fish using a pinch of vitamin c crystals. Ascorbic acid.

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

The Berkey filter (high-grade activated carbon) removes it. We (2 adults, 1 dog) have the Big Berkey with two filters installed. It's officially 2.25gals, but I think that counts both the top reservoir (it splits in the center) where the filters sit and the bottom where the filtered water drops down. We refill it about twice a day.

The system is really simply and technically you could just buy the filters and make your own. (We didn't) There are probably some youtube videos.

Note: You can also buy special filters that remove flouride. They would install in the bottom half. We like our teeth, so we didn't add those.

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Ego
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Ego »

@jacob, is there a reason you switched to a Berkey from the Brita filters? Is there a difference between the pet store activated charcoal and the type used by Berkey?

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

Price per gallon!

It's [much] more expensive upfront, but it lasts a lot longer. Activated carbon is activated carbon. I don't know the shape/form that is found in pet stores, but the black berkeys are big cylinders of compressed activated carbon, so there's some mechanical action + high surface level effect going on. The standard test is to add Red40 food coloring to the input water. The output comes out clean.

I have not tried making my own like https://m.wikihow.com/Make-Activated-Charcoal because I don't know how to test them here (beyond the dye test).

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Ego
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Ego »

I was thinking of making a gravity fed system similar to this with pet store charcoal...

https://youtu.be/MJX7ZFYspeU

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

Aha! So all I need for engineering is one of these: https://www.amazon.com/APEC-Water-TDSME ... B00LU239QE ?

The thing I imagine I'd build would somehow integrate into my water bricks to put them in regular rotation. Shouldn't be too hard, but it's yet to make it to the top of my todo-list.

brookline
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by brookline »

Hi Jacob,
How hard is a Berkey system to install under a kitchen sink situated in a cabinet for a non-plumber?

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

It does not install on the water/faucet line. It sits on the countertop. Check out some youtube videos.

RealPerson
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by RealPerson »

Jacob, I am curious why you feel you need a filter?

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

Because our tap water tastes like @#$@#$@ ... at least comparatively. Also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Milw ... s_outbreak and the ability to refiltrate our water storage.

intellectualpersuit
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by intellectualpersuit »

I have a gravity fed stainless steel Doulton filter with ceramic candles impregnated with silver. It is one of my most prized possessions up there with my cast iron pans. I recommend ceramic to charcoal, once a year I scrub the outside of them and they are practically new again. Ive had it for over three years.

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by johnbroker »

The tap water where I live is of excellent quality and taste. I don't intend to start filtering the water, but I do want to have a reliable filtering/purifying system around just in case something happens and water starts to be a problem.

I have had it in the back of my mind for years but have only started to look into it now. I am finding it quite difficult to get a good overview and definite idea of what I need. There are too many options and prices for things that are described and look the same wildly differ.

From what I have read around here, the berkey systems are ubiquous among the forum members and the general idea is to chlorate the water and then filter it in a berkey or berkey-like system. As far as I understand, the off-the-shelf berkey 'only' has activated carbon filters.

Is this a good general-pourpose configuration or am I missing something and I need something else?

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

@johnbroker - If you plan to get your emergency water from a pond or similar, I'd run it through a fine sand filter first to remove the particulates and not clog up the carbon filters in the Berkey. Thus for such situations, you'd want a prefiltration system. Nothing fancy/commercial. A bucket of sand. Or a big sock or a pillow case.

Since the filters are "naked" anything big ends up sitting on the surface of the filter. However, on advantage of being "naked" is that they can be scrubbed clean once the filtration rate starts going down.

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

If you need to remove something like silt before filtering you can just let the water sit until it settles out.

Do filtration systems remove the PFAS that has been in the news lately?

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

Not really an expert on the chemistry, but according to the internets, the black Berkey's reduce PF** by >99.9%

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Ego
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Ego »

If you are not planning to use it daily does a Berkey make sense? They are not portable. There are other filters out there that do the same but you can take it with you in a small package.

We have the MSR Guardian. We used to have a Katadyn Pocket. They have the advantage of allowing you to take the filter to the water source rather than carrying dirty water back to the filter, requiring fewer water containers.

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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by jacob »

@Ego - The smallest is the Go Berkey which is the size of two [bike-sized] water bottles which is a bit overkill for hiking or traveling with a carry-on. However, unlike most filters, like the Katadyn, the Berkey filters are also good enough to act as purifiers so they also take out viruses (much smaller) and heavy metals, chlorine, and the likes.

So it depends on what you want to use it for if you're not going to use it regularly. (Keep in mind that the filters last a LONG time.) At home water emergencies such as borked utility water, yes. Travel, probably overkill, except for those who like to bring the kitchen sink as well. Put it another way, if I only owned "100 things", I would include it.

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Sclass
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Sclass »

I think you can buy good activated carbon more cheaply than fish tank carbon if you go to the hydroponics community. Refillable carbon air filters are a consumable for taking the odor of cannabis out of the air. You buy it in large amounts. Coconut I believe.

Sounds like a fun project to make a good water purification system for cheap. Whole house paper filters are very cheap and are easier to clean than a sand filter. I used these to filter biofuel and they are around $1 each in quantity 3. Good to ten micron.

Combine that with reverse osmosis and a final charcoal filter and LED UV and you have a great system that will fit in a carryon bag. Might be fun to build one into a Pelican case (or an old milk crate) with a garden hose fitting one one side. Then fill a 55 gallon barrel slowly in the garage.

I usually buy my water at a filtering shop where you bring your own five gallon jugs. Tastes great. For some reason these shops are very popular with immigrants from all continents. Is this the norm in the rest of the world?

One I went to specialized in distilling. They also sold a line of distillers. I worked the electrical consumption out for vaporizing gallon of water and found it was exactly the same price as buying a gallon of water from them. The machine required cleaning and heating element swaps as well as a regular charcoal filter replacement. The filter was a finishing step. Looked nice because it was small. Many of these sold online now.

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Ego
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Re: Water Filtration Systems

Post by Ego »

jacob wrote:
Fri Mar 06, 2020 8:55 am
However, unlike most filters, like the Katadyn, the Berkey filters are also good enough to act as purifiers so they also take out viruses (much smaller) and heavy metals, chlorine, and the likes.
The MSR Guardian is also a purifier. It filters out viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and particulates. The filter element lasts for 10,000 liters, a little more than a Berkey element. It pumps 2.5 lpm. It is portable but the downside is that you've got to pump it. It is expensive but can be found on ebay every so often.

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