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moneypitfeeder
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2018 20:27
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I currently have a setup, similar to the 5-gallon plastic bucket drip filter that you can find tons of plans for online. I used 2 stainless steel stock pots (lid as a divider between the 2) and use a ceramic dome filter for our cabin's drinking water. First filter I bought seemed to work great, but the top chipped (less than 1-yr) and you aren't supposed to use them if they have broken. Second filter I bought off Amazon, the water just ran through and it was really discolored, like it didn't filter at all. I went back to the chipped one for the meantime, but does anyone have a recommendation for a good, reliable, ceramic dome filter, for an off-grid set up that isn't horribly expensive?
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ILFE
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2018 21:29
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Quoting: moneypitfeeder but does anyone have a recommendation for a good, reliable, ceramic dome filter, for an off-grid set up that isn't horribly expensive?
Not to sound discouraging here. But, "good" and "reliable" don't usually go along with "inexpensive", concerning most products.
I would suggest biting the bullet and buying a quality filter the first time, thus not having to replace it after only a short time of use.
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ICC
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2018 22:01 - Edited by: ICC
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I agree, the terms "good", "reliable" are not usually found alongside "inexpensive". No matter what the product is. FWIW, I believe in RO (reverse osmosis) filtration plus a UV light chamber are best for purification.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2018 22:16 - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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I have the 2.25 gallon Big Berkey.
I have four filters inside. When i purchased it quite a few years ago it cost $258. Now it's $358 with four filters. You could get by with the two filters it comes with. It will just take longer to filter the water. With good planning and a few spare containers to put the filtered water into you would be okay with the two filters.
The only problem I've ever had with it was leakage at the spigot. Reason being the rubber washer needed replacing.
So it's expensive. But it is well made and has saved us a lot of money and we never got sick at camp from contaminated drinking water.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2018 22:44
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I also have bought big Berkey but regret not just buying the filters and building a DIY pail system- which is what I ended up making anyway. I don’t know what your water source is but I suggest you make sure you check the specs of any filter to make sure sure it meets the threat. There can be some nasty stuff in the water and many filters only do a so so job of removing them, especially virus and spores. I use lake water into a barrel that is chlorinated and used for washing. From here drinking water is then put through a quad set of black filters which removes any pathogens, chlorine smell (even food coloring). The berkey black filters have superb filtering specs.
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kittysmitty
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 07:41
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This might be a good place to ask my question. I'm catching rainwater, if I boil it, does that make it safe for drinking. Does boiling kill all the bad stuff?
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moneypitfeeder
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 09:56
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We catch spring water that feeds a small stream full of brook trout, so the water quality is excellent; but it can contain some sediment especially after heavy rains. I probably will go with Berkey filters, I have a Berk at home (our house city water has more garbage in it than at the cabin!) and it is basically the same setup as the 2-pot system I built, with 2-chambers/hole through that the filter installs to. I really just filter it for peace of mind, my in-laws owned the property before us and they never filtered the spring water, and we didn't for many years either. However, one little nasty bug can make for a very bad vacation!
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moneypitfeeder
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 10:08
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Kittysmitty, maybe someone else will chime in, but you can boil water to kill any bacteria/etc., but I would want to filter it as well, since rain can pick up particulates. Army survival guides show that boiling water for 1 minute at sea level, and add 1 more minute to that time for every 300 meters above sea level that you are at (or 10 min. no matter where in the world you are) will make it safe for consumption.
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kittysmitty
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 11:01
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Thanks Moneypitfeeder. When you say particulates in rain water, can you be more specific? And in regards to a filter, would a 5 micron sediment filter do the job?
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moneypitfeeder
Member
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 17:29
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Hi Kitty, here is a good article that talks about using rainwater, mainly the concerns are what it picks up from your roof (or collector), if light can get in and make algae, how tightly it is sealed against mosquitoes/leaf & beg debris. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-water-collected-rain-barrel-purified-drink-78356.ht ml
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razmichael
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2018 18:49
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Here are some photos to add to my post above. First shows the inside of the top bucket with the 4 filters. The extensions of the filters go through both the bottom of the pail and the top of the second pail secured with the bolts and with silicone (food safe stuff). Second photo is the setup. Hose from the main water system distribution includes a valve that is normally off. Filling the drinking pail involves opening the valve and turning on the main tap just enough to start the pump but not enough to allow water through the main tap so it fills up the top part of the pail. Pin hole near the top lets the air out and lets me know when it is full. Don't think I have ever actually timed it but doesn't take too long for the bottom pail to start to fill up. Bottom pail is connected through a foot pump to a separate faucet.
I test the system a few times each season with red food coloring (the suggested method). Filters remove anything nasty that made it through the chlorination in the barrel as well as removing the chlorine smell/taste. I have had the water itself tested a couple of times as well as the red coloring test.
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justins7
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# Posted: 18 Sep 2018 12:00
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razmichael, are those Berkey filters?
It looks like a pretty elaborate system.
I use a Big Berkey both at home in the city and at my cabin. They may seem expensive at first, but it's worth it when you consider what it saves in terms of buying drinking water and your health.
I have two filters in each unit. They work really well. I get water from my pond or stream and then add a few drops of bleach into the top. So far so good. I also bring my filters back to the city when I'll be gone for more than two weeks, and in the winter so they don't freeze. For two people, two filters are just fine.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 19 Sep 2018 07:05
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Justins7 - Yes they are. A few years back the Berkey filters did not have really good specs (especially for spores and viruses) so I used a sawyer system for a while but mostly just brought up drinking water. Then Berkey upped their game with their black filters. For my use case, the mistake I made was buying the complete system originally rather than just the filters and going the DIY route - the cost of the stainless steel Berkey "pails" is high. The DIY system better suits my needs built in to the water system. Like you I bring the filter pail home in winter.
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Atlincabin
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# Posted: 20 Sep 2018 19:14
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I run two filters in-line at our cabin, even though the water comes from a nice clean spring. First is a standard 10-inch-tall sediment filter. I end up changing it annually every spring is all. Downstream from that is a Doulton ceramic filter. Same size (diameter, height) as a standard sediment filter and fits in a standard filter holder. Doulton needs cleaned maybe every couple months as the sediment filter doesn't get all of the extremely fine particulates. They are supposed to be good for many years and 100 or more cleanings. Our water pressure is about 12 psi coming into these filters, and slowly fills a 30-gallon food-grade plastic barrel. Takes about 2-3 hours to fill the barrel, so maybe 10-15 gph is the throughput. We then use a shurflo pump to pressurize the cabin system. We've never run out of water from the barrel, so 25-30 gallons seems plenty of reserve for two of us (including showers, sinks, toilet and drinking water) and occasionally a couple more people when we have visitors.
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SCSJeff
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2018 11:59
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Atlincabin,
That's good to know about the 30 gallons being good for 2 of you. I'm heading up this weekend to re-do our setup with a 60 gallon holding tank. Also going to be hooking up shurflo to pressurize the cabin.
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rockies
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2018 20:54
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Kittysmitty: No, boiling does not kill all pathogens. Some form a protective "coating" that allows them to survive boiling. You should consider adding a portable UV light filter (which is the most effective in clear water) so be sure your rainwater is sediment free.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_purification
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5024-196/Adventurer-Opti-Water-Purifier
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Liam
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# Posted: 17 May 2019 04:12
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The old water filter that I used has become unusable. I bought from my friend, but his shop went bankrupt, it's sad. I was searching for a new filter, I found this site in search URL. Tell me, have you tried the filters that they show? They are good?
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