Are you satisfied with the purity of your drinking water? When you see the residue your evaporated drinking water leaves in a pan, it might make you wonder what all you’re drinking. Of course, you can gain peace of mind by having a sample tested at a laboratory. But you may want to filter it anyway.
Why spend a lot on a filter unit when you can make one yourself? Below is an inexpensive plan for making a carbon water filter that will guarantee to make most drinking water safer.
To begin this project, obtain these items: a twelve inch length of 2 1/2 inch PVC pipe, a 2 1/2 inch cap, a quantity of activated carbon, a piece of vinyl hose, and a paper coffee filter. You will also need a drill and bit the size of the outside diameter of the vinyl hose.
Drill a hole in the center of the PVC cap. Insert the vinyl hose into the hole, making sure it fits tightly. If it leaks, silicone sealant should be used. Push the cap onto the PVC pipe and, if needed, seal it with PVC sealer. Next, fold the piece of filter paper and push it into the PVC pipe so that it covers the hole in the cap.
Now you are ready for the construction. First, drill a hole in the cap and insert the piece of vinyl tubing. Seal it as necessary so that water will not leak around it. Then insert the cap onto one end of the PVC pipe and seal this as needed. Finally, fold the paper coffee filter so that it fits into the PVC pipe and push it down so that it covers the hole where the vinyl tubing is inserted.
A stand can be made with two 4 inch squares of wood, a wooden base and attached upright. Drill a hole in each 4 inch square large enough for the PVC. Then screw the wood blocks to the upright piece and insert your filter. A setscrew can be used in one of the square supports so the PVC does not slide down.
Your unit is ready to use. Remember, the more carbon you have in your PVC pipe, the more filtering takes place. Thus, the longer it is, the better. Also, be sure to replace the carbon periodically and to clean out the inside of the PVC while it is empty. The frequency will depend on how much water you filter through the unit.
Obviously, this unit is small and only sufficient for drinking water. But if you keep the filter full and store the filtered water, you will have enough to keep your thirst quenched.
If this sounds like too much work, consider the Berkey Water Filters line. The Black Berkey purification elements that ship with the Big Berkey Water Filters are so powerful, they can remove food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. And since they are gravity fed, no electricity is needed. Virtually no other filtration element can duplicate this performance.