How to Make a Water Filter With Available Items (Enhanced Microbial Removal) - DIY

[@CityPrepping]

Download the Start Preparing! Survival Guide here: cityprepping.tv/38C5Ftt - start your preparedness journey: cityprepping.tv/3lbc0P9

[@Americaisarefugeecamp]

YOU'RE AN ARIZONA BOY? HMMM KOOL your almost right when it comes to indigineous water sourcing.. You can dig for water in the dessert if you know where to dig .

[@Dave-zo7ks]

As a desert dweller, sourcing clean water in an extended emergency has always been my biggest prepping concern. This is great info! I wish I could give it two likes.

[@LierinEdana]

This works far better with a three bucket system having a nozzle on the bottom bucket. Adding one medium to each allows you to rinse both the gravel and sand, and only replace the charcoal as necessary. Placing all of it into a single bucket means you need to replace all of it on average once a month (more often depending on how much water you are filtering). Once a month works for a family of four filtering water for cooking, drinking, and rinsing dishes. If you are filtering for bathing as well you will need to change that charcoal more often. Also, adding the plant matter in a three bucket system you should add the plant material on top of the gravel where it is easy to replace. Fill each bucket (we use 5 gallon buckets) at least 3/4 full, place cloth at the bottom of each, and fix a tap nozzle two inches from the base of your charcoal bucket. It's worth it to buy the stainless steel version made for Berkey filters.

[@Troys-reviews]

He only used a small amount of pebbles on top to weigh the greens down

[@LierinEdana]

@@Troys-reviews I know. The typical system is actually a three bucket system with (from top to bottom) gravel, sand, and charcoal in each bucket. A faucet/drain is placed on the charcoal bucket so you can drain the clear water into containers. I've tested (and had tested) the water from this setup and it is safe. I use activated charcoal in ours. We store the charcoal and extra sand as well as home test kits. I'm not knocking the setup shown, just pointing out that for long term use an actual three bucket system is better provided you store extra charcoal and sand. Making your own is absolutely acceptable as far as charcoal goes, and sterilizing both your sand and gravel is advised. Adding the two extra buckets and separating the medium layers makes it much easier to rinse/re-sterilize both the sand and gravel for any long term issue.

[@Troys-reviews]

@@LierinEdana I totally agree with the 3 bucket design it makes more sense to me especially with a large group

[@LierinEdana]

@@Troys-reviews I know it would be my preferred option as long as I had the supplies. Some people may not, and others may have to either leave theirs or make do until they get home if they are away for any reason. It's always good to have options so knowing how to put any sort of water purification system together is a plus. Like you said, for a large group/family, or if you have pets/livestock, a permanent three bucket system is better.

[@kenkozak6428]

Wonderfully done! Im making a couple extras for....well, you know, there are going to be more people that need them!

[@melissacrawley2854]

I've never seen a filter made with plants but antimicrobial definitely makes sense . Always learning something new on this channel! Some of those plants serve multiple purposes too so great to have on hand, grow, or have near by.

[@black_dragon-carpentry]

Just 2 side notes. Aloe vera is a very easy plant to grow in most human habitable areas. It requires very low light and water usage. It is very very antimicrobial and healthy for you as well. Secondly. If you have a pressure canner you can convert it into a still for water. The process for use is to heat the water up to around 14 ( or as just under your canners max psi safe operating pressure ) for about 30 to 40 minutes ( sterilization times ) then vent as you would a pressure cooking recipie . After pressure hits 0 wait until it cools off enough for no steam coming out of vent. Reheat until a steady whispy stream of steam comes out. Then attach your copper coil to vent .... Use as much copper tube as you can use a bucket or two or three to cool the coils with. You can let it drip into copper pipe or pot or any other collection pot bucket. ( Raw copper preferred due to health benefits) And that's it. Pure h20

[@M33f3r]

This is SO good. I’m hoping to compile things like this for use in a disaster scenario.

[@nicolawatkins3049]

Was looking for a filtration system that I could handle making myself as i’m fairly new to SHTF prepping ….and WOW I’m quite blown away by the importance of knowing this information and teaching the skill. What a life saver ..! Thank you ❤

[@LisaTurner-d1b]

Right now My water filtration pack have the following : drops to treat the water, a life straw, a Sawyer filtration, of course boiling and presently I'm working on a small filter system of activated charcoal, ground up terra cotta pot, sand and pebbles. To avoid letter I have a large sponge that will soak up the water which I can squeeze out into the filter thus avoiding that first level of organic trash that has to be filtered. Also keep in mind if there is a thriving population of frogs in the water you are drawing water from you can assume it is pretty clean. It will still harbor microorganisms but pollution will be almost absent.

[@glennelhardt6884]

If the water is too cloudy some aluminum sulphate. (alum) can be added. This will cause the small particles to clump together and precipitate to the bottom. This is known as flocculation and is a process all municipal treatment uses. This is harmless if used in the proper amount and is often used when making pickles. Also investigate the process of charcoal activation with calcium chloride to make activated charcoal which is much more effective than plain charcoal.

[@Rabbit-v4b]

Shouldn't the sequence be ( top to bottom) 1. Plant material, 2. Pebbles, 3 sand and lastly 4. Charcoal. You want the water to filter through the plants first, then pebbles, then the remaining small particles in the sand and finally chemicals in the remaining water (which implies the order i suggested)?

[@paulc7783]

That was my first thought too. Pebbles at the top for first stage filtering. Charcoal at the bottom for last stage fine/impurity/chemical filtering

[@Junzar56]

You would want the plant material on top because you can change it easier before it decays

[@jamescecchini9355]

You can put the plant material in a filter bag . It would be easier to remove and clean.

[@rickdougherty1371]

My thoughts as well, as with fuels, the larger media filters first, finer in the end. Please explain why not use 1-plant, 2-gravel, 3-sand, 4-charcoal as this makes the most sense.

[@crawkn]

Very odd error considering he has explained the purpose of the pebbles as being to pre-filter and prevent clogging of finer filtering media.

[@glennelhardt6884]

I'll give you another easy option here to purify water. A clay flower pot can be easily adapted. This has been done for centuries in parts of the world. There are several videos on you tube showing this

[@theimperfectpantry5936]

Best diy water filter video I’ve seen. Thank you.

[@deedieducati2272]

I agree, and explained very well too! Thanks Kris

[@oneperson5760]

I used to have a 5 gallon bucket size filter, but found it too small for the amount of water I wanted to filter. I made a rubbermade trash can sized filter and put a spigot in the bottom. Works great! I plan to solarize the water after filtration as well, to save on having to boil it, because firewood is valuable and smoke makes a signal for people to see. So cool that you did a PH strip test! Great video! Now I gotta go watch the one on making charcoal.

[@mrx2817]

Tuning in from Nova Scotia, Canada! Always enjoy the great tips for DIY Chris! Thanks again, and stay safe!

[@marymorgan285]

Hello Nova Scotia Canada from your Southern neighbor. Stay safe and take care!😄

[@petenelson8136]

Very informative, and easily built and put away so that it's ready if you ever need it. I would also suggest putting the instructions on how it was built in side the lid. That way if/when you need it you understand how long its good for, the type of water to use (rain water if possible), and how to build another one if that time elapses and you need to build another one. I'd recommend the same procedure = putting instruction under the lid, of a can of charcoal so you know how to make your own if/when you need it.

[@TheLMC323]

Thank you friend. God bless all of you out there, in the world. Stay strong

[@margaret2222]

Thank you so much for this type of great information. I appreciate that you put things in plain words and explain & show how to do things. I have heard about these types of filters but always felt I would mess it up and get sick. Now I know I can do this with your instructions. Thank you again.

[@lspthrattan]

Good tutorial on this. I think I'd rinse, boil, and sun-dry the sand and rocks (separately of course) to make sure they start out super clean. I've often wondered why other tutorials didn't use cloth between the layers; glad to see you using it. Was wondering if I was missing something 😂 Also, the additional plant materials are ingenious but let's all sharpen our plant identification skills first. Thanks for the really useful information.

[@PreparednessPro]

Preparedness Pro says NICELY DONE! Bravo! I'm sharing this to my group!

[@zenyeti3076]

Thanks Kris- love the way you broke the steps down, Best video on this kind of filtering I’ve seen! ☮️

[@SimpleLivingForever]

Hi Kris, I’ve been waiting for this type of video for a long time and thank you for it. I’ll heading to the Home Depot in the morning for the materials like gravel and 5 gallons buckets. I still have sands and firewoods at the house. This is time to do it, no more put it a side. Thank you again sir! Dino from Anaheim

[@tufelhunden5795]

One other thing I’d suggest is an ounce of silver or two in the bottom bucket to further aid with disinfection. Great video. Thanks.

[@robertgibbs4401]

Great content, great presentation. This is an achievable goal in a time when we have very little control of what is happening around us. Thanks to you and your team.

[@YouTubeProfileName]

Thank you so much for this video. I would love to see a supplemental video demonstrating its use from start to finish. Maybe test the water for microbes and what not before or show us the water under a microscope and after just to see the results as well as PH strips. Maybe show results issuing different water sources and test the water before and after sun exposure and what not. Would be fascinating and super informative. Thanks for all you do!

[@nevertolatetoprepare2802]

I greatly appreciated the information on adding the conifers. Great information.

[@kenhollandjr1251]

Your video is the best one yet, as it is straightforward, and it seems to be fairly simple to put together. I think you would have to be fairly ignorant to not know how to do what you have just shown. Thank you for your time.

[@debbiecurtis4021]

It would be good to try this out before SHTF

[@miamivice1149]

Great video on my weakest link. Collecting water is my MOST difficult. I did purchase 2 Water Drop filters and 2 food grade 5 Gal buckets but this extra step is a great backup.

[@Iamhome365]

Something that I definitely want to try and learn how to do!

[@bjoburn7821]

Thanks for Best Survival Info

[@earlshaner4441]

Good afternoon from Syracuse NY brother thank you for sharing this information

[@bethwhite2857]

Like the idea of pre making this filter and just add plant layer when you need to use it 👍🤠

[@cherylwatkins5760]

Thank you, this is really great! Would love to see printable instructions for when we no longer have access to the internet.

[@bc2259]

I found out that many young soldiers in the Vietnam War died early from drinking "sanitized" water by adding bleach tablets to their canteens. Apparently the high levels of chlorine scarred their arteries and thus plaque build up. Even today we shower, bathe, and drink municipal water with chlorine and the deadly fluoride and also consume artery scarring Homogenized dairy products. H202 would be my first choice to treat water.

[@honeysmokedham]

Very interesting information!

[@mouthboehm]

Awesome video! I love this kind of content.

[@fasttrack9395]

I'm constructing a water collection and treatment system. I set up a mixed sand and pea gravel test column where I mixed both together in various ratios instead of layering them so that the filtration rate is not determined by the slowest sand layer alone. I'm timing the flow through rate of different ratios to find an optimum mix.

[@robharrop8929]

Awesome video. Be careful with bleach dosage. We put about 1 1/4 cups of bleach per 1000 gallons of water (on the ships up in the Arctic), then put water through activated charcoal (powdered charcoal will do) to make potable water. Rule of thumb dosage is about 2 drops per quart of water. Buy some pool shock to have a shelf-stable source of chlorine- bleach has a short shelf life. Iodine drops are effective as well (same chemical family). Any higher dosage and you get explosive diarrhea- then you will become a member of a club of certain world leaders. And that is a nasty club to belong to. The SHART club (acronym of two four-letter words, the first starting with "SH" and the second with an "F"). 🤣🤣

[@arnoldreiter435]

this is a great skill to have. dont wait till it is your only option as there is a steep learning curve in building such a device. learn how to do this now when you can afford to make mistakes......

[@heatherebel2955]

Thank you for this information very helpful and i grow holy basil and rosemary in my medicinal garden

[@RazorM97]

Chloramine (mostly found in pools), Tetraethyl lead, lead (found in oceans, tap water) , dissolved inorganic compounds filters are quite necessary in today's day and age. An activated carbon/activated charcoal filter will filter chloramine using a special catalytic carbon coating. But it won't be enough to filter lead. A reverse osmosis filter would be very hard to procure and a ceramic filter won't filter some of these chemicals either. It won't be enough to filter radiation contaminated water. Another downside to using a charcoal filter would be the contamination of the filter with biofilm. The usage of activated charcoal is straightforward like in the video. Filtering is done through adsorption to the porous surface of the coal. Making process (additional read) : An activated carbon filter needs to be treated with phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide, heated at low probably using steam (450-900 C°) and then activated at (700-1200 C°)

[@stan4d1969]

Really nice video - high production quality!

[@vitofish961]

Good information. I won't any fresh or dry plant materials because in the wet and dry periods between use mold will form and jam up the filter elements.

[@stevestancil2885]

I’ve got mine going through denim, sand, charcoal, then a Sawyer Tap on the bottom bucket spigot. If it’s real bad water, I’ll do the pool shock bleach trick to treat it either before or after the filtering.

[@mattthie9993]

Why are the pebbles (which filter the largest debris) on the bottom, followed by the sand (which filters smaller debris), followed by the charcoal (which filters the smallest debris)? Won't the charcoal filter out all the debris before it reaches the sand and pebbles, thus rendering them kind of pointless and causing the charcoal to need to be replaced sooner?

[@nevertolatetoprepare2802]

If you ever break a sun tea jar, be sure and keep the spigot for making a water filter.

[@maxmeister747]

You should do a video on wood gas. It allows you to run petrol powered engines without much modification and is a by-product of making charcoal.

[@americusgill403]

That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing this information

[@d2w173]

Thanks for simplifying the process.

[@stevesuter3201]

really appreciate this video of instruction! great way to set up filtration for safe drinking water!

[@FamilyofSeedsCee]

I'm going to try this! Thanks, Chris.

[@drjonbear7517]

Shouldn't the bucket be large medium on top down to the charcoal? Not the other way round as you built it?

[@kriptotj6702]

Love it ❤ and thank you…. Question: will filter the radiation from a fall out? There’s some studies on zero water filters about this similar principle thanks

[@jdlflagstone6980]

Charcoal does not clean the water.. the charcoal needs to be activated, which you can do at home. The reason activated charcoal is effective is because each particle has a lot of surface area due to rhe shape/structure of the molecules

[@terrym5786]

So important. Thank you.

[@typolive8663]

Outstanding instructional video. Thank you!

[@jacquelinejohnson7541]

Fabulous kris thank u for step by step what to do amazing 👍🤗🇬🇧

[@lorriewatson7423]

Awesome good information! Thank you!

[@rosannacline4781]

Thank you kris this information was very important and something I need to know ..stay safe

[@TerranceSTL]

Great video Kris I think I'm make one this weekend

[@BenRivered]

I love your videos. Thanks for all the useful information. 👍

[@olmcmonnie7445]

Thank you for this!

[@femiadebola5276]

Thanks for the video can I use this to filter waste soapy water for irrigating my garden

[@karensmith1832]

Question Do you Solica Sand or is play sand ok to use??? What kind of sand do you recommend? 🤔

[@cathyd.williamssaltlight5373]

Thank you, amazing video!❤

[@ssiiggyy1980]

Great "at home" filter with instructions.

[@ChrisWV1969]

Great information! Very important information!

[@Yorumcu63]

Great video

[@aliciaschultz309]

I have a ceramic dome filter thing, but I never used it. This sounds safer and more reliable, considering I have all the stuff. Ceramic..lol guess I need to look that sucker up. God bless and keep safe.

[@36janders]

How do you keep the water in your rain barrel from getting algae? I’m struggling with that. I will be building this filtration system as added back up.

[@liznyp6209]

Piece of copper pipe. I use it in chicken waterers. Might have to use a large piece depending on how large your rain barrel is.

[@jamesharmon3827]

Use dark barrels, keep the sun away.

[@ferebeefamily]

Thank you Kris for the video.

[@kathy3715]

In a pinch could you use clear marbles or small colored glass that has smooth edges (ornamental) for the pebbles. Trying to see what I have without using more money.

[@Barry-S]

P&G sells packets, at a loss, to developing countries that appear to be not much more than Ferric Chloride, Poly Aluminum Chloride, some bentonite clay, and some pool shock to produce clean water. It flocs out everything so you could conceivably drink it out of a clean bucket. Ferric Chloride, PAC, bentonite clay are common products used in water treatment. I'd buy some, but I don't need a few tons, which seems to be a typical min. I would imagine a mason jar of the coagulants would last multiple life times. Pair with some pool shock that you replace every few years, and you have pretreated your water to eliminate most things that would cause turbidity and provide a slight residual chlorine boost to the end product. Put that through your filter..

[@dlighted8861]

I wonder if charcoal used for aquarium filters would work.🤔 Tnx I like the similar system using ceramic filters but the filters are very expensive.

[@cecilieluse5289]

I made this same set up. And I u watched how to make my own charcoal

[@rebeccasanford8607]

Fabulous video! Thank you so much

[@Stkrrook]

Thank you for this! Shared it! 😀

[@BrokenBeliever_3.16]

Thank you. Great video. 👍

[@zanneizzo8113]

What about play sand that you can buy for a sandbox? Would that work?

[@christopherleubner6633]

If you want to make this filter grab radioactive contamination after a fallout event add a layer of crushed dolomite limestone mixed with gypsum and weathered gramite. Fine sand is the right consistency. It will remove all of the 90Sr and most of the 137Cs from the water ❤

[@MichaelR58]

Good informational video, thanks for sharing, God bless !

[@ravenlorans]

I have had Filters that say they can Filter 1,000 Gallons or More and Get Plugged Up after Less than 100 just from Clear Rain Water... Usually a layer of Green Fungi grows over the filter. And these are Filters MEANT for Filtering Clear Rain Water.... All Water in NON-See-Threw Buckets.

[@ramanb]

Great video! Thanks so much!

[@sneakysquirrel1990]

one thing ive always wondered is how long are these filters good for before they can't filter the contaminates any more? and also is it possible to clean or sanitize these types of filters to prolong their use or must another filter be made again. edit* thanks for clarifying at the end this method is good for about a month

[@peggyjones7254]

Kris, I understand this type of filter has a limited life expectancy, but would also like to know if the sand and rock layers can be cleaned for reuse, perhaps with bleach and sun exposure. The plant layer may not be available to replace year-round, so what do you do? Is the charcoal still beneficial in the garden soil after using it in a water filter? Can the water be stored for later use (like off-season) once it is filtered? How and for how long?

[@SgtSkrog]

I have a 16x30 foot above-ground pool I am going to try this with. I only use safe chemicals in it in case I have to drink it.

[@patriciatinkey2677]

Thanks, Kris! I saved it .

[@thebandplayedon..6145]

What are you doing @7:25 ? Mixing something greenish paste looking stuff in a bowl but never used it to make the filter.

[@LisaSeer]

You could even put a silver coin or silver bar in the clean water bucket.

[@larrymessier2196]

Thank you ,,, I really like this,,, 👍

[@esthersdaughterlong8149]

Thank you Kris. Best water filtration system I've ever seen. Can we use plain bleach to sanitize the water?

[@keithrobicheux4749]

I live by a river, so I'm going to build a pre-filter bucket to run water through before my regular filters. I hope that'll clean it up, and that i don't get sniped pulling a cart full of water

[@kdingo6596]

Would Kingsford Edge Grill charcoal work? Or sand bought in a bag for play sand?

[@Marcus_TAZ_Davis]

Great info to have just in case

[@anchorageprepper9008]

Nice job 👍

[@mitmont4251]

What about the use of a silver coin for purification?

[@weirdalpaca2511]

Definitely gonna write this down, do you have to boil the rocks before doing this or is that just if you have a lot of water available?

[@Its_like_the_T-Rex]

I finally invested in a table top water filter lol. But anything consumable needs to be replaced.

[@robertblaser9899]

Any tips on where to buy "ready to go", good quality charcoal in bulk (like 5 gallons worth)? I know I can make my own...but would prefer to just buy some while I can. I'll save making my own for when I have no other choice 😂

[@FractalNinja]

Searching activated charcoal online would probably get you best results. There is methods of making it yourself but it requires hitting it with a propane torch in a non oxygenated environment, though it could be pricey. But activated charcoal has micro holes in it that helps it capture more. Hope this helps!

[@carauch1970]

Thank you for this awesome video. I have been thinking about about how to pre-filter waterMy thought is use the system you made to pre-filter and them run the water through my Berkey.

[@glencampbell5422]

Thanks

[@jautele49]

Great info!