Home-made water filter

[Violet]

I've been looking for a manual to do this and the following clip shows by far the easiest model I've encountered so far. Thought I'd share it with you:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPENqD-V-TQ

The only remarks I have are:

1) not sure whether mold formation is fully excluded here as some water does seem to remain in the sponge for a while
2) not sure how thorough filtration is

[Ammit]

So, Where do we get nano carbon.

I Made one similar a while ago using ( in reverse order ) filter sponge, activated charcoal, cotton wool, fine sand and filter sponge. Filter sponge was at the top because of mould growth and was easy to clean as it often got choked with debris.

Is nano the same stuff fish tanks use??

[Ammit]

Ok folks found this which answers my question and hopefully yours too.

HERE (http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/fluval-nano-carbon-cartridge-2-pack-p-5384.html)

It is indeed fish tank carbon.

[Cjay]

The only remarks I have are:

1) not sure whether mold formation is fully excluded here as some water does seem to remain in the sponge for a while
2) not sure how thorough filtration is

By mold, I think you mean algae. Keep it away from light and that shouldn't be a problem.
This would be a very effective filter.

The wads of cotton wool at the top and bottom of the bottle are to stop the carbon washing out of the bottle.
It would be much healthier to use glass or stainless steel rather than a plastic PET bottle for long-term use but in an emergency, the plastic bottle is better than nothing.

It is possible to run these types of filter under moderate pressure for much faster throughput.

Activated carbon filters have been used with excellent results for a very long time.

A simple way to make your own "activated carbon" (as an almost free alternative to "nano-carbon") is as follows:

Build a wood fire (DO NOT USE ANY FUEL, CHEMICALS OR TREATED WOOD).
When the wood is half burned, douse the fire with water (UNCONTAMINATED/CLEAN WATER if possible).
The carbon is now "activated" by putting out the fire with water.
Collect the black charcoal, remove any unburned wood and rinse off any ash.
Crush and grind the charcoal into a powder.
Add the carbon powder to your filter bottle.
If you don't have cotton wool, you can use an old (clean) COTTON T-shirt.

[Violet]

But the cotton (cloth) doesn't get the time to dry if it's being used regularly, so how then is mold/algae formation prevented, I wonder.

@Ammit, yes I too think it's activated charcoal. I got it from the pet store, fish department.

[Ivanhoe]

Thank you for this info Violet, I'll add it to my bug out bag (when I make it!).
Simple and effective. We need more info like this.

[Krullenjongen]

The big question for me is "what does this nano carbon do?"
The main thing with filtering water is that it should filter out or kill any bacteria and viruses.
These little critters make you sick, but i do not know if they are destroyed or filtered out with this device.
Anyone know what the effect of nano carbon has on the tiny critters?

[RMorgan]

The big question for me is "what does this nano carbon do?"
The main thing with filtering water is that it should filter out or kill any bacteria and viruses.
These little critters make you sick, but i do not know if they are destroyed or filtered out with this device.
Anyone know what the effect of nano carbon has on the tiny critters?

They are not destroyed with this kind of filtering. The best way to kill viruses and bacteria is either by boiling, exposing water to UV radiation or by adding some drops of hydrogen peroxide.

[Connecting with Sauce]

The filters for my water distiller are carbon and are £30 for 4 filters... I've just bought some carbon filters for £1 to 2 which do the same thing as my water distiller filters... Not sure if mine were nano carbon though.

[GlassSteagallfan]

6 PACK FLUVAL SPEC NANO FILTER CARBON AQUARIUM

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-PACK-FLUVAL-SPEC-NANO-FILTER-CARBON-AQUARIUM-/230575958612?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35af65ea54

[Ernie Nemeth]

Thanks, Violet, good info. Simple and effective.

So, the best way to clean a dirty puddle of water for drinking is:

Boil water first. Construct carbon activated filter. Filter boiled water. Or, I guess if you had the resources you could make two filters and filter the dirty water before boiling with one of the filters.

That would prolly work quite well. Off the top of my head, I believe nano carbon can filter anything down to like half a micron (old info, could be well off). To filter down to 100 angstrom range reverse osmosis, using a semi-permeable membrane, would be required (don't know where that came from).

I always wanted to be prepared to clean my own water, on my list of things to do. Method filed away, Thanks.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Water Pasteurization

Many people believe that you have to boil water to make it safe to drink. In fact, if you heat water to 65° C (149° F), all of the germs that can cause disease in humans are killed. It takes much more fuel to boil water than to heat it to 65° C. To learn more about this, see Water Pasteurization Frequently-Asked Questions (http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Water_pasteurization). A simple solar water pasteurizer can be made from a soda bottle (http://solarcooking.org/soda-bottle-pasteurizer.htm). A Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKsVcB_07iI&eurl=http://solarcooking.org/pasteurization/default.htm&feature=player_embedded)) can be used to measure water temperature to determine when the water is sufficiently hot for pasteurization and safe to drink. Read more (http://solarcooking.org/pasteurization/metcalf.htm#wapi) about recent advances in water pasteurization.

Since water pasteurizes at temperatures well below the boiling point of water, WAPI (http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Water_Pasteurization_Indicator)s save time when solar pasteurizing, and save fuel when using traditional fuels. Or use a solar cooker (solar oven) to pasturize water.

The AquaPak (http://www.solarsolutions.info/aquapak/aquapak.html) is another water pasteurizer that has the potential to save thousands of lives and significantly reduce illness among rural populations in nations where access to safe drinking water is scarce.

[Cjay]

The big question for me is "what does this nano carbon do?"
The main thing with filtering water is that it should filter out or kill any bacteria and viruses.
These little critters make you sick, but i do not know if they are destroyed or filtered out with this device.
Anyone know what the effect of nano carbon has on the tiny critters?

They are not destroyed with this kind of filtering. The best way to kill viruses and bacteria is either by boiling, exposing water to UV radiation or by adding some drops of hydrogen peroxide.

Chlorine, Iodine and Bromine can all be used for killing pathogens in water. Iodine is also an excellent and safe antiseptic.