Water filtering

[Christy]

Been searching the internet, Lofty's Survival book, the T J Elpel book and nothing.Done a search here too but couldn't find any either.
I have a MSR filter but am looking for a three tier layered filter with natural materials. Think is was three pieces of cloth, above eachother. In the first one rough gravel, second finer gravel and the lower one fine white sand. Water poured on top and filtered its way down.
Does anyone have proper information?

 

[Mantic]

Not sure if it helps but I have a homemade water filter. I made an open based cone out of an old canoeing cag (it's waterproof) and in the bottom (the point)have a simple bung made from half a dozen layers of cloth (the bung is tight so the cloth type is pretty irrelevant).

It's slow but I have used it with success over the last year or so. When I tested it, I took a handful of peat and mixed it with a litre of water. It took over an hour to filter but the water was crystal clear after filtering.

Obviously the filter can be cleaned quite easily.

Oh, and I still boil the water

 

[leon-1]

Been searching the internet, Lofty's Survival book, the T J Elpel book and nothing.Done a search here too but couldn't find any either.
I have a MSR filter but am looking for a three tier layered filter with natural materials. Think is was three pieces of cloth, above eachother. In the first one rough gravel, second finer gravel and the lower one fine white sand. Water poured on top and filtered its way down.
Does anyone have proper information?

Christy I'll check through some of the stuf that I have here, from what I can recall you pretty much have it, but the final tier (lowest) was a layer of charcoal bottomed out by something like cotton wool before the lowest layer of cloth.

 

[PC2K]

somebody made one of those filters during a dutch meet-up. The guy works for a tap-water company and was able to let the water be tested in a lab. Water from the 3 layer filter they build contained more bacteria than non-filtered water, when tested in the lab.


here is a atricle about a variation of the 3 layer filter. http://www.therangerdigest.com/Tips...ing_Water/body_filter_and_purifying_water.htm

 

[hilltop]

i use a milbank bag then puritabs, never had any probs only trouble is the water can have a slight taste/ smell from the tabs, but nothing major,

 

[Christy]

somebody made one of those filters during a dutch meet-up. The guy works for a tap-water company and was able to let the water be tested in a lab. Water from the 3 layer filter they build contained more bacteria than non-filtered water, when tested in the lab.
]

That's rather worrying! I was thinking to filter this way to get most of the lumps and chunks out, then boil it anyway. But this doesn't sound too great.
Will check out the link.

The puritabs area last resort option to me. The MSR is ok in filtering and the tabs give me unpleasant side-effects. Have drunk water in the bush heavily loaded with chlorine, there was no choice. It cleared all the good bacteria too and that was not nice.

 

[Mantic]

Some people can't stand the after-taste from chemical purifying but hey, lace it with lemon powder or somesuch (not so good with coffee, mind). Personally I boil it but that's really down to taste

Millbank bags are great (it's what I was making as described earlier in the thread) - pretty much bombproof. I could have bought one but since I had the materials......

The problem with natural (in-situ) filters, is that the water will always be contaminated by the last filtration stage (whatever it might be). So you really need to be able to clean each filtration layer properly before use (which can be difficult with natural materials).

Consequently, it doesn't surprise me that a natural filter can increase the bacteria content of the filtered water. However, remember that it is extremely difficult to filter out bacteria (and almost impossible to filter viruses). That's why water treatment should always be a two stage affair - filtration followed by purification (either chemical or through boiling). Don't mix the stages up and if boiling, allow the water to boil hard for a couple of minutes.

Here endeth the lesson

 

[hilltop]

mantic, try my good friends at jay jays surplus in sheffield, they sell unissued milbank bags for £2.99 not as cheap as making your own, but they are the real deal, the one i was looking at was dated 1978, still in its original packaging, lol

 

[Mantic]

Cheers Hilltop - the cheapest I had found was 20 quid, which (though it sounds really miserly of me) is too much for what amounts to a cloth bag. I'll seek one out from your mate (good to have a spare). :notworthy

 

[leon-1]

That's rather worrying! I was thinking to filter this way to get most of the lumps and chunks out, then boil it anyway. But this doesn't sound too great.
Will check out the link.

The puritabs area last resort option to me. The MSR is ok in filtering and the tabs give me unpleasant side-effects. Have drunk water in the bush heavily loaded with chlorine, there was no choice. It cleared all the good bacteria too and that was not nice.

Christy the clue is in the name, it is a filter not a purifier, the whole point of it is to remove particles or matter from water. Bacteria and the like can then either be treated by using chemical (iodine, chlorine or silver based) products or by boiling. Leave the water boiling for a while (a rolling boil) to allow time to kill off any biological nasties.

 

[sam_acw]

The area where I'm looking to do most of my activities (southern Poland) is in general pretty nice but there are problems with heavy metal in the water. Having been informed by a medical doctor friend that the main problem with these is accumulation not short term it's not a great survival issue. However I'd still like to know how to get rid of the nasty stuff and know if there are any chemical purifiers not to use because of reactivity issues.
Domestically the tap water is just as bad - i used a Britta type filter for a while but mostly bottled water.
Thanks for the help and don't be afraid of giving me the technical explanation!

 

[Mantic]

Removing heavy metals from water is notoriously difficult - I'd invest in a ceramic filter or minimise how much water you drink from suspect sources (whether filtering or not).

 

[leon-1]

Sam, I am no expert, so I have just been doing some research.

The university of Oxford have been looking into removing heavy metals from drinking water. They have come up with a form of activated carbon, by the sound of it, that is effective in removing Cadmium, Lead, Arsenic and Zinc from water.

MSR filters have a carbon section in them (they say that it reduces the taste of chlorine) and First Need filters (which state they are capable of removing some chemicals) are non chemical and ecologically sound may be filters for you to look into.

I haven't yet seen a pocket filter that advertises that it will remove heavy metals from drinking water, but I am only one person.

I wish you luck in finding a filter that will work.

 

[Christy]

unissued milbank bags for £2.99

Ok I give in. What's a Milbank bag? Searched and Googled but nothing. Sorry, English is not my mothertongue

 

[wingstoo]

Ok I give in. What's a Milbank bag? Searched and Googled but nothing. Sorry, English is not my mothertongue

Hi Christy,

Will bring mine along to the meet in July so you can have a look at one...Thanks to British Red for the gift...

Will also hopefully have a go at making some water filters from sand, charcoal and a 2ltr pop (soda) bottle...

LS

 

[galew]

I have not tried it, but I read that you can remove the iodine taste with a vitiman C tablet or powder, 1000 mg for a liter
Has anyone tried this?

 

[crazydave]

yep it does but not sure how. I've got an ex issued camelbak and I cant get the iodine taste out of it. either that or its repurifying everything thats put in it

 

[leon-1]

yep it does but not sure how. I've got an ex issued camelbak and I cant get the iodine taste out of it. either that or its repurifying everything thats put in it

Try lime juice in their Dave.

 

[Wayland]

I use a Milbank bag regularly to filter the main muck out.

And then just boil the water to kill any nasties.

Works for me, but then again I still glow in the dark from being out on the hills for the fortnight Chernobyl went up. I didn't know anything about it till I got back home.

 

[maggieforrest]

Hi Christy,

Will bring mine along to the meet in July so you can have a look at one...Thanks to British Red for the gift...

Will also hopefully have a go at making some water filters from sand, charcoal and a 2ltr pop (soda) bottle...

LS

I have already tried the 3 pop bottles each has a layer of moss at the bottom to stop my filter media disappearing.

This was to prove filtering can be done with things you find in a survival situation. As is was for a survival challenge scout badge award. Obviously boiled afterwards also.

Bottom Bottle has sand - should be silca sand (but I used builders sand - very well washed) - with a layer of moss at the bottom.

Middle Bottle has barbeque briquette or lump wood or chard wood from your fire - with a layer of moss at the bottom.

Top Bottle had just moss - completely filled.

Each bottle was taped together with gaffer tape.

This was tested using really dirty river water.
The water started cloudy and grey, what came out was clear but green from the moss.
I then boiled the water for roughly 3 - 5 minutes on a rolling boil.
And drank some of it - it tasted a little peaty, but apart from that it was OK and no I didn't get stomach ache or the runs, etc.

I have been doing this method with the scouts for a few years now as this is the similar technique as used to filter water at water treatment centres, they also add further chemicals and the filter media is slightly different, but you get the idea.

The scouts have to use this technique with a sock believe it or not. Some of the time, if the sock is lined with leaves it works if you use moss at the bottom, then ash, then chard wood, then moss.

Margaret