Water Purifiers

[JohnnyLoco]

Lifestraw is great for hiking and when you are on the move and want to drink directly from a stream or water supply, but it is unsuitable for supplying many gallons of water for multiple persons per day due to the effort required in having to "suck" the water out, it gets tiresome over time, great tool for emergencies and convinient quick drinking but not for home or camp use. The Sawyer products are just as light and portable and last 1 million gallons not just 10,000 like the LS. They use Sawyer point ones in Africa and other third world countries.

The Sawyer all-in-one is the Sawyer mini with faucet attachment for home use (natural disasters), 5 gallon bucket adapter (for camp) and can be attached to most plastic water bottles or squeeze bags sawyer makes where the squeezing of the bag creates the required force to push the water through the filter, great for hiking, they make a squeeze bottle for it. They sell them at Walmart which is a plus. The go for around 20-50 bucks based on what you get.

Sawyers are great bugout camp options when you want a highly light and portable option. Most backpackers would probably go with a quality hand pump backpacking filter for around 100 bucks.

For home and family uses you cant beat the Big Berkey, just conviniently filters gallons of water quickly. Independent tests have shown it is the best, better than propur.

Zero Water is not a bad option either for refular drinking water, not for removing pathogens though.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I've had a Big Berkey for years, never opened the box yet.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

If it is for emergencies, remember you have to prime the filters which takes some time.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

Ok, thanks...

 

[rushthezeppelin]

If it is for emergencies, remember you have to prime the filters which takes some time.

This. Also if I'm not mistaken it's best to keep the filter wet once it's primed which means you should start using it for your daily drinking water. The filters last long enough to where you usually only a pay a couple of pennies a gallon if that. Better for you anyway to have ultraclean water. Gravities make way better water than bottled and you don't have it stored in a plastic bottle for who knows how long (most single use bottles are still made with BPA). Also don't forget to dump the first two or three batches while the filter primes, they taste a bit funny as it's getting the last of particulates from manufacturing out of the filter (it ain't bad for you, just tastes odd).

 

[Davetex]

Where is the best deal on a Big Berkey? I've heard about them for years.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

I think their website should be the best.

 

[TheDan]

How does the Big Berkey fare against hard water? Our water has so much crap in it, it turns filters into rocks in short order.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

[h=4]I did a TDS reading on the purified water and was surprised to find that the reading was about the same with the purified water as it was with the unpurified water. Is my system working properly?[/h]Yes, a TDS meter measures only Total Dissolved Solids or minerals; dissolved solids are simply dissolved minerals in an ionic form. A TDS meter does not measure the amount of biological and chemical contaminates. Black Berkey elements are designed to leave in your water the healthful and beneficial minerals and to extract only the unwanted heavy metals such as lead and mercury as well as sedimentary minerals such as iron oxide and aluminum. Therefore, your TDS reading will not change much unless you have a significant amount of heavy metals or sedimentary minerals in your water

http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/helpful-resources/faq/

Unless you are on a well that has insanely high levels of dissolved solids, like over 1000, and high levels of heavy metals and contaminates that the Berkey filters out, I think it should be fine.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

I also have to say that reverse osmosis sucks. Tastes like crap, takes away the beneficial minerals, and eats up filters.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

I also have to say that reverse osmosis sucks. Tastes like crap, takes away the beneficial minerals, and eats up filters.

It also allows the water to go acidic as it is neutral coming out of the reverse osmosis system. It combines with the carbon dioxide in the air creating carbonic acid.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Davetex]

I think their website should be the best.

Cool, thanks!!

 

[shortround]

Have we forgotten how to purify water without charcoal filters, chemicals, and other gimmicks?

Find a body of water and put the uppermost layer into a container.

Strain that water through a filter (paper, nylon or cotton sock) into another container.

Boil for 20 minutes.

Done. Good water.

Don't drink the sediment at the bottom of the boiling vessel.

Be well.

 

[JohnnyLoco]

Have we forgotten how to purify water without charcoal filters, chemicals, and other gimmicks?

Find a body of water and put the uppermost layer into a container.

Strain that water through a filter (paper, nylon or cotton sock) into another container.

Boil for 20 minutes.

Done. Good water.

Don't drink the sediment at the bottom of the boiling vessel.

Be well.

I agree, but filters cut down on time significantly and they give you an opportunity to move from the basics of survival to other work around the house/property or camp. One Sawyer filter can filter a million gallons of water and last one decade before needing to be replaced (https://sawyer.com/products/type/water-filtration/). That's a lot of water, and it has proven to work for whole villages.

I don't see why everyone doesn't have at least five of these things, they're cheap.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I ordered the LifeStraw 1.0 family water purifier on Monday from Amazon. It was $69.99. Lol, today the price has dropped to $57.98.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FM9OBQS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

I ordered the LifeStraw 1.0 family water purifier on Monday from Amazon. It was $69.99. Lol, today the price has dropped to $57.98.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FM9OBQS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

They'll match it.

 

[shortround]

I agree, but filters cut down on time significantly and they give you an opportunity to move from the basics of survival to other work around the house/property or camp. One Sawyer filter can filter a million gallons of water and last one decade before needing to be replaced (https://sawyer.com/products/type/water-filtration/). That's a lot of water, and it has proven to work for whole villages.

I don't see why everyone doesn't have at least five of these things, they're cheap.

Your link does not say how many gallons or liters of water those filters will treat.

Just like any other filter, be it air, oil or fuel, they WILL clog up over time. What then, if you don't have another filter at hand?

Some pathogens are so small they will pass through any filter.

The only way to render them harmless is to boil the water for 20 minutes.

I rely on filters to remove the grit and grime, but I will only drink or cook with water that has been boiled.

Louis Pasteur killed microbes by boiling or steaming.

Be well.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Louis Pasteur killed microbes by boiling or steaming.

Be well.

He also had this to say near the end of his life "It’s the terrain, not the germ." I personally think we over-sterilize our world a bit too much (hell we know it's wrecking our gut flora). Also you got any sources on even the highly specialized ceramics like the Berky and the ProPur letting some pathogens through, just curious which ones can get through. Also the ProPurs I know are impregnated with silver. It might be a bit debatable what silver can and can't do in vitro but there's no debate about it's effectiveness in vivo, that's been studied very well.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I added the Sawyer All in One water filter to my emergency supplies. I like that I can attach it directly to the kitchen faucet, or install it in a 5 gallon "Homer" bucket for the bulk water I have stored.

 

[JayeMechanico]

Does anybody have any experience with MSR brand filters? Ive got some backpacking gear from them and it's pretty nice quality. I see they've offered pump style filters for a long time, just wondering if anybody can give a review or recommendation on one of them?