Survival UK Forums

I was cleaning my fish out yesterday and i thought to myself, here is a filter with a sponge core and a container of activated charcoal which the water passes through too. Would this be a safe form of purification for drinking i wonder ? It would certainly produce alot of purified water quickly if it safe. (Oh yes it is 240v but i have a 12-240 in the car)

Nice idea, but it's not going to be purifying the water enough to drink.

Fish generally don't live in pure clean water. The filter is designed to filter the water to a liveable level for the fish. Problem is, they can survive in water we can't drink. Check out the local ponds and rivers, then think where they'd come from in the wild and how their bodies have adapted to surviving in that water.

In general, a charcoal filter would be ideal, but in fish filters, it's usually chunks of charcoal, and not one sold block (in my experience).

I guess, if the same water was filtered enough times, it might work, but I'm not willing to risk it.

you can buy the under sink water purifying cartridges from ebay that fit on your cold water inlet, a bit of diy magic with these and these would be ok as this is what there for.

Youd need a bucket with a sand/gravel pre filter system for the collected water to filter through first to remove the bulk of the detritus them gravity feed it into another recepticle.

---

(23 June 2013, 09:05)Preppergirl Wrote: [ -> ]I was cleaning my fish out yesterday and i thought to myself, here is a filter with a sponge core and a container of activated charcoal which the water passes through too. Would this be a safe form of purification for drinking i wonder ? It would certainly produce alot of purified water quickly if it safe. (Oh yes it is 240v but i have a 12-240 in the car)

Technically you can adapt an Aquarium filter into a potable water filters using activated charcoal, zeolite, filter matting and if possible topped off with a UV tube light steriliser, HOWEVER you must remember to frequently change the Zeolite and Carbon before it becomes saturated and dumps the removed crap back into the water.

---

(23 June 2013, 09:36)Prepper1 Wrote: [ -> ]you can buy the under sink water purifying cartridges from ebay that fit on your cold water inlet, a bit of diy magic with these and these would be ok as this is what there for.

Youd need a bucket with a sand/gravel pre filter system for the collected water to filter through first to remove the bulk of the detritus them gravity feed it into another recepticle.

---

Can I just point out that those inline cartridges are NOT water purification filters, they are simply TASTE improvers and they do NOT remove toxins, they are no better or different to the useless Brita filters. It says as much in red writing on the labels in the photos !!!

WELL THATS FUNNY, BECAUSE THE SITE QUOTES THIS INFORMATION...

Superior Granular Activated Carbon Filter x2 (1yr Supply)

Compatable with any external in-line water dispensing fridge EG Hotpoint . LG Samsung . Daewoo/water cooler/ice maker.These filters are effective in removing odour/chlorine/pesticides/organic contaminates

---

GENUINE WHIRLPOOL WATER FILTER + Anti Bacterial Filter

---

MEARLY POINTING OUT A CHEAPER WAY OF GETTING A FAIRLY CLEAN WATER SUPPLY POST SHTF,

WHILST NOT PERFECT, NOT ALL OF US CAN AFFORD THESE FANCY WATER FILTRATION STRAWS ETC... SOME OF US ARE ON A LIMITED BUDGET AND HAVE TO SUPPLY UPWARD OF 7 PEOPLE ON A VERY SMALL BUDGET....

---

3M E2 water filter cartridge, high performance 0.2 micron anti bacterial, cysts

I'm only pointing out what it says on the labels in your pics mate, I'm not having a go, far from it I'm always interested in easy ways to purify water for consumption.

---

I had to make my own filter originally out of two plastic buckets, two lids, a plastic tap from a brewers supply shop and two Berkfield filter candles I bought for £20 from Avon soft, I think most of us are on damn tight budgets like you and me.

depends what you want it for, large quantities or smaller. you can buy a LifeStraw personal filter bottle for £18.14 on ebay, that will filter up to 1000 litres, or I have seen videos on youtube of making them out of an old coke bottle, some charcoal and stones. for prolonged use you probably need a Berkeley or a LifeSaver filter bottle..which is what I've got, whatever you get it isn't going to last forever, it'll need replacing at some time.

Why does Western,industrial society foul its watercourses with sewage effluent.Just look at ANY lowland river and see the brown,sewage foam.How can they boast that the discharge from treatment plants is potable?

I think that the aquarium filter idea is a good one,.. with adaption, first of all it would be easy to crush any charcoal that needed to be crushed, although when I kept fish it was already like a powder in a bag,.... you could then add more that one filter, they are quiet cheap or used to be, you could also have one that was filled with sand,... and you would only need the first one to be powered.

Personally I am going to use a bucket with sand and charcoal layers, and filter rainwater, before boiling

I'm planning to buid a sand filter on the side of my house for filtering water. There are plans on the main site.