How do I make a water filter for my crock?
May 24, 2012 12:28 PM Subscribe
How to make my own water filter?
I want to make my own water filter. I've got a ceramic water dispenser, thought I'd make some kind of filter like this - or maybe a gravity filter of sorts using the ceramic crock as a base, since I like using a tap.
Are there any instructables out there on how to hack a water crock to make a filter? Alternately, can you buy a reusable Brita filter? If so where?
Thanks
I want to make my own water filter. I've got a ceramic water dispenser, thought I'd make some kind of filter like this - or maybe a gravity filter of sorts using the ceramic crock as a base, since I like using a tap.
Are there any instructables out there on how to hack a water crock to make a filter? Alternately, can you buy a reusable Brita filter? If so where?
Thanks
Some people bake a silver lining into their ceramics. I believe silver is anti-bacterial.
posted by aniola at 1:32 PM on May 24, 2012
posted by aniola at 1:32 PM on May 24, 2012
I wouldn't necessarily recommend silver. Silver ions are the bacteriocidal variety, while metallic (or colloidal) silver is pretty ineffective. The whole process isn't terribly well understood.
What are you using the water filter for? What type of water are you filtering? What are you worried about in the water?
These are all very important questions for water filter design. I can probably help more with those answered.
posted by Paper rabies at 3:14 PM on May 24, 2012 [2 favorites]
What are you using the water filter for? What type of water are you filtering? What are you worried about in the water?
These are all very important questions for water filter design. I can probably help more with those answered.
posted by Paper rabies at 3:14 PM on May 24, 2012 [2 favorites]
What are you wanting to remove? That's the real question. If you're trying to sterile filter the water (remove bacteria) you need a 0.22 µm filter. If you want to remove chlorine, activated charcoal will work, though if you wait a while it will go away by itself.
Activated charcoal filters aren't exactly like classic mechanical filtration, but more like a nonspecific affinity chromatography. It should be possible to wash the charcoal with something like a pH 3 solution of Hydrochloric acid (all sorts of safety warnings apply here, mostly regarding preparing your working solution from a more concentrated stock and the purity of that stock material) and then divert 10 or so bed volumes worth of flow through to the drain so that your water won't have a sour taste to it.
If you want to experiment with this, you should be able to check a charcoal filter's performance with food coloring.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 6:19 PM on May 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
Activated charcoal filters aren't exactly like classic mechanical filtration, but more like a nonspecific affinity chromatography. It should be possible to wash the charcoal with something like a pH 3 solution of Hydrochloric acid (all sorts of safety warnings apply here, mostly regarding preparing your working solution from a more concentrated stock and the purity of that stock material) and then divert 10 or so bed volumes worth of flow through to the drain so that your water won't have a sour taste to it.
If you want to experiment with this, you should be able to check a charcoal filter's performance with food coloring.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 6:19 PM on May 24, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've heard of people using sand to filter water. Have you considered that?
posted by cda at 8:26 PM on May 24, 2012
posted by cda at 8:26 PM on May 24, 2012
Response by poster: Basically, to remove heavy metals, flouride,chlorine, pesticides and anything else that's lurking in the water supply.
posted by watercarrier at 12:10 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by watercarrier at 12:10 AM on May 25, 2012
Look into ultralight camping/hiking forums. People mostly buy commercial filters, because of the risk of giardia (the spores are so incredibly tiny it's hard to DIY a filter that is effective), but many are happy building filters.
Their scale is way off of yours - 2 liters/day - but you still might pick up some ideas.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:14 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Their scale is way off of yours - 2 liters/day - but you still might pick up some ideas.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:14 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by jquinby at 12:46 PM on May 24, 2012