How to Make a Homemade Water Filter
In a SHTF situation, clean drinking water is a must. Why spend hundreds on a filter when you can make a quality one at home for a fraction of the price?
If things were to go south and clean drinking water became unavailable, your Brita filter is not going to cut it.
Having a quality filtration system that can turn contaminated water into life-saving drinkable water is an absolute must for every preparedness-minded person. Despite knowing this, many preppers will hold off on buying one because of the price.
Why wait? Instead of dishing out your hard-earned money on a $300 filtration system, you can make your own for well under a $100.
What you’ll need
- Two 5-gallon food-grade buckets and lids – You should not need to pay for these. Most bakeries, grocery stores (the bakery section), and restaurants will give these away for free.
- One or more quality filter elements – These can be any of the Berkey style candle filters or thicker ceramic filters (which I use in this post). You’ll want to find one that has a filtration efficiency of at least 0.2 micron and exceeds the NSF (National Safety Foundation) standards.
- A spigot
InternetPrepper.com sells a great filter and spigot kit (which I use in this demonstration) for only $30. All you need to do is supply the buckets. If you’re interested, you can get it here.
How to make a homemade water filter
Making your own homemade water filter is a very simple process:
Step 1: Drill a 1/2″ hole in the bottom of your top bucket for each filter element (if more than one): |
Step 2: Place the top bucket onto the lid of the bottom bucket and using the hole(s) you just drilled, trace a circle onto the bottom-bucket lid with a marker: |
Step 3: Using the circle mark(s) as a guide, drill another 1/2″ hole in the lid of the bottom bucket for each circle you have drawn: |
Step 4: Install the filter element(s) in the hole(s) you made in the top bucket (If your filter comes with a pre-filter “sock”, you’ll want to set that up before installing): |
Step 5: Drill a 3/4″ hole on the side and near the bottom of the bottom bucket: |
Step 6: Install the spigot: |
Step 7: Place the top bucket onto the lid of the bottom bucket ensuring that you align the filter element nipple(s) wth the hole(s) of the lid from the bottom bucket: |
Step 8: Fill the top bucket with water and in an hour you will have bacteria free water to drink in the bottom bucket: |
Step 9: Enjoy the clean, clear, filtered water: |
Testing out the filter
In addition to showing you how to make a homemade water filter, I also wanted to use this opportunity to test out the filter element that I got from InternetPrepper.com.
I already tried this test with the Berkey filter elements that I have (which passed without issue), but I figured given the huge price difference between the generic filter from InternetPrepper.com and the British Berkefield ones, I wanted to see if I could drink the same stagnant water without any ill effects.
The water I used in this experiment is from a nearby small pool of water that resembles a small swamp. I’m pretty certain it’s loaded with giardia and other biological nasties.
Since this could potentially be one of the sources of water that my family would use in a SHTF situation, I want to be sure we don’t get sick from it. So now’s the time to test it.
My results
Clarity
 |
 |
As you can see from the two pictures, their is a stark difference in clarity. Keep in mind that clarity is only the first step which means it’s good at sediment removal but it does not mean it necessarily tastes good or is free of biological contaminants.
Taste
After taking a taste, it was ok. There was a slight flat taste to it which is likely due to it not being very oxygenated since it’s a stagnant pool of water (similar to boiled water). I’m sure if it was river water or some other running source of water with a lot of oxygen it would have been better.
To ensure that I’m making a fair comparison, I did run the filter first through a couple gallons of tap water which tastes pretty good in our town.
For those that like more of an oxygenated taste, you can pour the water back and forth from one container to the other which will oxygenate it and improve the taste.
Purity
This is difficult to really test unless you have the right equipment. Since I don’t have the equipment, the best I can do is drink a few glasses and wait a week or two. As of this writing, it’s been a little over a week since I drank the water. So far so good. I have not had any ill effects like diarhea or stomach pains.
Conclusion
Despite it being a lot cheaper in comparison to the higher-end filter elements, all in all I found this filter to be pretty effective and would trust drinking any water sources nearby my house filtered with this element. Would I choose the Berkey elements over this one if I was in a Katrina-type situation where all I had to drink was flood water? You betcha. I think both have their place.
If you must have the name brand (Berkey does sell great filters), keep in mind that you only need to purchase the filter elements themselves. With those you can make the water-filtration system using the directions I detailed above. This alone will still save you over $100 dollars. You can purchase these filters at one of my sponsors, “Directive21.com” at the following link: Directive21.com
Otherwise, given their price, I would recommend purchasing a few of the filter kits for you and your loved ones (or for future barter). Again, you can get the kits at the following link: InternetPrepper.com.
|
Like what you read?
If so, please join over 14,000 people who receive exclusive weekly prepper tips, and get a FREE COPY of my eBook, "The 5 Most Critical Components of any Serious Survival Plan"! Just enter your first name and email below (if you're an existing subscriber and still want the ebook, please use the form at the top right of the page):
|
|
- Posted in The Basics, Urban Survival
Download the free ebook, The 5 Most Crucial Components of any Serious Survival Plan and subscribe to our newsletter by leaving your name and email below:
The problem with your setup allows someone pouring dirty water in the top bucket to contaminate the outer surfaces of the bottom bucket. Everyone spills water pouring and if they say the don’t they are lying. When that happens handling the bottom bucket will always contaminate it and the contents,
I’d suggest separating the two buckets, placing them on a upper and lower shelf using a clear piece of tubing to connect them. Don’t place one over the other but offset them. It will minimize chance of serious contamination.
Another suggestion; consider staging the process with a prefilter of 10 microns or even 30 microns. Run raw water thru a 30 mic filter, then a 10 micron and finally a 2 micron. Will take extra buckets of course but your filter life of the 2 micron unit should be 4 or 5 times longer and 3 or 4 times longer for the 30 and 10 micron units.
Best
Bob
Bob,
Some great suggestions. I particularly love the tube idea and will have to implement that for this setup.
thanks again!
- Erich
Besides potable drinking and cooking water, each of us will need some amount of safe water for washing and sanitation. In order to preserve your filters for water going into your body, there are alternative ways to store water for other needs. Preventing spread of disease will be of great importance if hospitals, etc. are unavailable. Use empty plastic laundry soap or bleach bottles (don’t rinse, just fill with water) to store water for body or clothing washing. Just fill them up as you empty them during normal use, and stockpile in your garage or shed. Don’t store them with your food, in case they start to leak. Don’t use plastic milk jugs as they will definitey leak. If you are bugging out, this obviously would not be an option, but if you are bugging in, this option will extend the clean water you have stored for drinking and food prep.
Carol,
I love your suggestions about reusing the soap/bleach bottles. Never thought of that. Keep the awesome comments coming!
- Erich
Great idea. Was just wondering how long these filters will last and was there a way to clean them periodically?
Hi Ralph,
The manufacturer says that it will last around 12 months of continuous use (14 to 17 gallons a day) and the ceramic element can be cleaned 100 or more times with a soft brush or damp cloth (cleaning is only required when the element’s filtration rate slows down).
I am pretty sure the orange Homer buckets that Home Depot sells are food grade. I used them to store food (lined with milar bags). They can be bought for about $3 and a lid about $1.
I thought this article was going to show us how to make a filter out of sand and/or charcoal. Do we have an article like that, for when our Big Berkey dies?
Hey Pup,
I am planning to do an article on that soon so stay tuned brother.
If I were to truly have to use swamp/lake/river water with a whole lot of organic contaminants floating around in it, I’d first want to do a pre-filter through even a cloth sheet or something to filter-out at least some of the contaminate organic material and debris. Otherwise, your filter is going to get clogged and even with cleaning, will eventually loose a lot of its effectiveness and useful-life.
You’re right on Brucifer. This particular filter comes with a pre-filter “sock” around it that will perform that duty for you. If you own filter does not come with something like that, than just filtering it through a t-shirt will do the trick.
Comment to Pups comment I have used buckets for hydroponics and non food grade buckets will leach into the nutrient solution and affect taste.if it is not labeld HDPE or PP they are not food grade but with a mylar bag one should be safe. try and stick with white buckets as they are food grade.
3%er,
Color is not always indicative of food grade. For example, the green bucket I used above is food grade (it originally had pickles in it).
You are right on about the mylar though. If Pup used mylar in his Home Depot buckets, they will be fine.
I have several of these and the only complaint i have is they are slow BUT they are as advertised
Dear ti ,i am new to the prep scene ,i find this site very informitve please keep it up thanks
what is the total life time gallon capacity of the filter you are featuring that comes in the kit?
I have been getting green pickle buckets (food grade obviously) from White Castle for a pretty decent price. Fill buckets with clean water, drop in 1 cup of clorine bleach, put the top on and leave in the sun for a couple of days, rinse, pickle funk is gone. Still a good idea to use mylar bags for long term storage.
Have you ever used a slow sand filtration setup? They work pretty good, and for a long time before needing service. Dirt cheap too. Using cheesecloth on top will extend useful life before having to service the unit.
Since these units weigh about a ton, it is best used for bugging in.
real world war story: after the Haitian earthquakes, i was boots on the ground in 6 days.
the clinic’s water supply was contaminated with e coli and chloroform. I used iodine pills, for 2 1/2 weeks, (supplemented wit 5 star Haitian rum). When MSF – French Doctors without Borders arrived they used the Berkey 2 bucket system for the patients. We treated about 400 per day. Y’all, it WORKS!!!
Nice article, very useful for those on a budget but still wanna live! That filtering setup is also available on Amazon. We’ve used the ceramic Berkey for a very long time, just use a toothbrush on the filters every so often, it just keeps going
Pre clean your buckets with dish soap & water. Then use 1 cup of baking soda per 5 gallons of hot water, and leave in the sun for a few days. Then you can move to cleaning your buckets with bleach, BUT, use a good quality name brand bleach. Stay away from the Clorox “Splashless” and generic/store brands. They tend to have less sodium hypoclorite than a “good” straight bleach. My pickle buckets still carried a slight smell of pickles after using both the inferior products, but not after using the good stuff.
Regards,
Kevin
That’s good to know. I will visit the sites you listed in your article. I have sent this site address to some friends and they really like it. One guy mentioned grinding his own grain and I showed him your article on the grain mills. He came back later and was able to discuss a lot of other articles you wrote.
You never thought of that??
WoW!!
Just saying…every prepper knows to use juice jugs, purex jugs, any strong jug, etc. to store water.
I use juice and old soda jugs all the time for drinking water, just never thought to use old cleaning jugs for grey water storage…learn something new every day
If you want to speed things up a bit, my lids were very tight so we drilled a very tiny hole
near the top of the buckets to eqalize the air pressure and installed a 6-8 inch long drip tube to get the water to come out faster……worked great too. Remember the first time you use your filter it takes a while for the dry filter to saturate with water and you may also get a bit of charcoal sediment the first run through. After that , it’s perfect !!!!! KEEP PREPPIN’
Great suggestion. Thanks
I just have to say it, to the guy that says “you’d be lying if you say you don’t spill water.” . . I don’t spill water. There are ways to be careful. It’s a very good setup, and you’ve proven, yet again, why I keep checking up on your site, by testing your own setup to make sure you’re not leading your faithful followers astray. Thank you.
Great article! I do have one question. We were told years ago that an empty bleach gallon bottle, not rinsed, was good for storing drinking water for an indefinite period of time. One of your readers has implied that it is only good for washing & sanitation. Is this true or can the bleach bottle be used for potable water? The small amount of bleach is to preserve the water like chorline is used for water going into homes. It sounded good at the time but I would not want my wife or I to get sick from an old wise tale. We are small time preppers. We would like to be big time if the money allowed, but I’m sure that a lot of you out there are in the same situation. Thanks for any information!
As long as it’s not scented bleach (no additives) and you’ve drained out the bleach bottle as best as possible, yes that will work. Even if the bleach smell of the resulting water is strong, you can leave it in a open container for a couple of days which will dissipate the bleach.
Food Grade buckets can be had for free for nearly any grocery store that has a bake shop that bakes cakes. Because of sanitation/health laws they cannot reuse them and so they end up in the dumpster. Go to the bakery department and ask the manager to save for you and the be good enough to pick them up on whatever schedule the manager agrees to.
Thanks for the great write up. There are mini-versions of this filter available for backpacks like Camelbak and others too.
Also, http://www.InternetPrepper.com sells the mini-filters that come with a water bottle for your GO bag.
We have also experimented with putting a schrader valve (like what’s on a bike inner tube) on the top bucket and pressurizing it with a hand pump. Make sure you have a good lid (like a Gamma lid) on the top. It will increase water flow by about 5x’s!
Another trick is to add a 5/8th hose to the drip nipple (about 2 1/2 feet long) and that increases the flow (2x) as well by creating a siphoning effect.
Some great ideas Chad. I’ll need to try out the schrader valve idea for sure.
I had seen the bucket/Berkey filter method for a while and debated between the cost of that version and the standard Berkey set up. In the end I went with the standard Berkey, namely because of the aesthetics and but I also wanted to add the fluoride filters. Preppers at times can get the ‘crazy’ look so having a couple of buckets (w or w/o hoses) and then explaining what it does can get exhausting. For my application it was no biggie for my friends and family to see a water filtration system since I drink so much anyway. I can then- at my discretion introduce the concept and importance of clean water and what it could mean in a disaster.
I would however be totally ok with the bucket version in a BOL. If I have to head there because the SHTF, I am in survival mode and buckets are A-OK.
Love TI- excellent info past and present!
Thanks for the support Tammy!
the homer buckets are HDPE … walmart is also selling blue buckets 5 gallon 2.48 each also HDPE
I know I’m late to the party here, but everyone is missing the important point about all this. Eric really took one for the team here – he did a bioassay on himself, to test his filter. By the posts above, he was still hale and hearty as of April 26th, and I assume he still is, but let’s stipulate that that was a gutsy move – no pun intended. That could have resulted in a miserable week of worship at the porcelain altar for him, or worse. Just saying.
As for future filter projects, I’d love to see a large-scale sand and charcoal filter built in one of those readily available IBC containers. Most have a huge cap on the top, perfect for shoveling material in, and a nice spigot with a good ball valve at the base. I could see a setup like that being perfect for a BOL meant to support a squad-sized complement’s water needs, You might even be able to run such a filter in a continuous mode if you had a source of running water.
Before Katrina hit, my wife and I lived on a Louisiana bayou a little over 8 miles from the nearest road. We filtered and purified bayou water as well as collecting rain water. We filtered using a barrel of sand, then a canister filter from Home Depot for drinking water. Our cistern was treated with swimming pool chemicals. We were self sufficient for years in this way.Nobody ever got sick from drinking this water. At the time, I was writing for modernsurvival magazine. The articles and photos are still available.
John St.Romain
For those of you that have Firehouse Sub shops around, you can get food grade buckets with lids for two bucks each. The money the get from bucket sales reportedly go to local EMS to buy rescue gear.
These buckets previously contained garlic pickles and do require a good quality bleach to squelch the ordor. I use them to make Global Buckets and they are great.
I have seen kits for this set up, but its nice to see the before and after of the water.
One of my favorite books on the subject, “Camping and Woodcraft” by Horace Kephart , has a section describing him and his hiking partner coming across a fetid pool with a dead dear nearby. They had no other potable water with them, so they boiled it in a large pot which they also filled with charcoal from the fire. (Think, a highball on the rocks.) It came out safe to drink, and the charcoal removed all the smell and bad taste.
I bet you could add a charcoal element to this setup to improve the taste as well. Either just add chunks of charcoal to the top bucket, or to reduce particulates that may clog the filter, you could maybe stuff some cheesecloth sacks with the charcoal.
By the way, that is a really great book. Written in 1917, so its interesting to read about how they did things and the materials they used back then. It is written in a narrative style, but it is still full of very useful information.
http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Woodcraft-Handbook-Travelers-Wilderness/dp/0870495569
Keep it up!
J. James,
Thanks for the great resource! I’ll definitely take a look at that book.
the life of a ceramic filter can be extended by periodically scraping over outside with a normal vegetable peeler, works perfectly
all new filters, including ceramic are supposed to be pre-soaked for 1 hr before use, it says this on the packets
I also have read about using UV rays of the sun to purify water. What you need is PET bottles. After filtering sediments, fill about 3/4 with the filtrate and shake bottle to add oxygen(as said in this article). Then let it be under sun for a few hours. For gloomy days, maybe double the exposure time.
The intensity of UV is low, probably because of our ozone, so a few hours will be needed. Say, 3 or 4?
Re: Danez
You’re describing a process called SOTIS. However, you need to get your time correct. In full sun-light you need to leave it out for six hours. If it’s overcast, it needs to be out for 2 full days!! Safety first!
OK, now you have drinkable water, but it’s HOT water, and you want a cold drink and you have no refridgeration! Now what?
In Africa the people use a simple system that works well. Place a porous (!) plant pot inside a larger one, fill the space between the two with sand, Moisten the sand and KEEP it moist.
Place your bottle inside the smaller one. Cover the top with a towel. the natural evaporation cools everything. In a few hour you have cold, safe drinking water.
For us newbies, please explain BOL in parentheses after the abbreviation and the IBC container. I am really and truly a newbie and am trying to learn all I can. Thanks
Esther,
BOL is “bug-out location” and IBC is an “intermediate bulk container” used for water and other liquid transportation.
What are your jugs made of? I’ve heard that most plastic bottles one can buy drinking water in can leach into the water. I’ve also read not to reuse plastic bottles because bacteria can get into the plastic and into whatever you put in them to drink. I think some plastics are safe, others not. Anyway, just wondering.
I’m new to this site (like you couldn’t tell!). Looking forward to learning more. Thanks for putting this up.
I too was wanting a homemade charcol filter. I’m living in Trinidad, N.L. Mexico, and am making charcol from mesquite for cooking. I’m working with some other filters now, but would like to start learning to make my own. I once saw where just by running water thru the char left from, a campfire could be an emergency filter. This sounds alfully simple. Can I fill a 5 gal. bucket with my char and put a hole in the bottom?? May-be you know of other sites that could get me going with such a filter??? Thanks for the work you are doing. Donbur
How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood
We have been using a Big Berkey filter for six years. The filters are still good…they filter everything, including bad taste out. I clean them with a soft vegetable brush occasionally.
hahahahaha. These survivalists crack me up with their stories about water purification systems. The fact is that making distilled water is even safer without putting yourself as a guinea pig and wait for two weeks to see if you have any problems.
Well Carlitos, if you’re without a heat source but still need water not sure how well your distillation methods will work…
A wood Chuck wood chuck as much wood as a wood chuch could if a wood chuck could chuck wood.
My biggest concern is the sanitary quality of the containers over time….wouldn’t it be best to buy some type of large container (i’m thinking of a cast iron Dutch oven) that u can put right on the fire in order to boil your water before running through your filtration setup so as to avoid contaminating the filter containers …or is that not a problem with food grade buckets and berkey filtration systems ? (I can’t see how that wouldn’t be a problem, as bacteria is microscopic) If u, meaning anyone that would read my post, say that’s not a problem, what is your proof? I need solid facts, not “I did it this way for x amount of time, and never got sick….” You may have just gotten lucky with your water source not being contaminated with a certain bacteria or virus that would kill or make u very ill. If the safety of my loved ones and the safety of the community I live in depends on this info…as I educate them based info. I learn from this site…I want some cold, hard facts based on scientific research so I’m not putting their lives or health at risk. If I have to do some scientific research myself, that’s fine, but here’s a chance for anyone to back up their argument with some scientific fact.
If u, again meaning anyone reading my post, admit the sanitary conditions of the filtration system could be a probem, what would be the best way to sanitize each…both the berkey filtration system (meaning the big berkey containers u can buy online) and the food grade containers? Just store up a few bottles of bleach and rinse the containers daily with fresh rain water or some gray water you’ve stored in empty bleach bottles along with a bit of bleach?
Thanks ahead of time or any helpful responses
Luke,
Yes, bleach would be ideal to use but you won’t be able to store it up for too long. Bleach only has a shelf life of around 6 months. After that, bleach will lose 20% of it’s strength at around the year mark and then 20% each year after that.
The best thing to store up is Calcium Hypochlorite and make your own bleach solution. See this article for more details: http://www.tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-chlorine.htm
All the best.
- Erich
Thanks! I didn’t know any of the info. u just gave me…that’s why this site is amazing!! Do u know anything about storing charcoal…like are there any problems with it like with bleach? Also, is there a specific type of charcoal that’s best? I’m guessing the kind used for grilling some barbecue wouldn’t be useful because of the added chemicals… I’m thinking having a bunch of charcoal that u could put in water when u boil it like Horace Kephart used to do would be a good idea, in case some selfish person were to steal the filtration system…such people are usually ignorant and probably wouldn’t understand the possibility of using good ol’ charcoal to purify water.
Thanks again and keep up the fantastic work!
cool