# River Water Purification



## CatWoman

Hi, Everyone ...

I live on the Texas Gulf Coast and I've been giving a little more thought lately to sources of water if I were to run out of what I already have stored. I think the main point of this question is "how dirty can water be and still be purified"? I live very close to an area where the Brazos River goes thru. Lots of water! My concern, though, is that when I drive by it (or over it to be more accurate) I can see that it's a dark, dirty brown in color.

I can't afford the really good water filters but I have some relatively inexpensive ones - I think they're the Frontier Pocker Purifiers. On the other hand, we all know about boiling water to rid it of the nasty little germy things in it so we can use it to drink or cook with.

With a water source like I described, would either or both of these work well enough to use and not risk getting sick? I have this image in my mind of scooping up a pot full of this dirty brown river water, boiling it, and still coming out with hot brown water. I hope that makes sense.

I'd sure appreciate some input.

Thanks ... CatWoman


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## md1911

You can set up a sediment filter. This will get ride of the mud in the river you described. Then if your still worried about the possibility of getting sick. Boil the water that has been thru the filter. Theirs also destilling. That would acomplish cleaning the water and removing the mud color. You are correct just boiling will leave you with safe brown water to drink.


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## CatWoman

Thank you, md1911.

I remember reading somewhere about someone making a type of water filtering system using a 55-gal barrel, sand, and some other things. I recall something about "layering" the sand and stuff somehow. Is this what you're referring to?

If so, have you ever done this yourself? Because I have a 55-gal metal drum and a 30-gal blue plastic drum at home. If I knew the process, I'd like to give it a try. I even have a fresh pile of sand that I've been using to fill in areas of the yard that the hogs partied on.  

That's interesting. Thanks again.


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## Possumfam

Great question, catwoman. I have the same thoughts (ick!) and the same questions.


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## md1911

Yes that's what I was refering to and yes I have tried it. I camped by the red river a few years ago. I used a plastic gallon milk jug. I punched 10 holes in the bottom. Put 1/3 full fine sand. Then 1/3 full charcoal from my fire. Last 1/3 full small gravel. I layed a hankercheif over the top and poured river water in. What came out was drinkable. I did not get sick. Although it did taste funny. I have also tried bleach in water. It works but the color dosent change. I have destiled water. Pasturized water in a soda bottel. And of course boiled it. Hope I was help. I belive in trying different things now. That way its not life threatining I can get help. After shtf I know what works.


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## ContinualHarvest

I would build a filter using clean sand and charcoal. It will get a bunch of the nasties out along with the larger particles. Then you add a couple of drops of bleach and filter further or boil.


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## CatWoman

Possumfam said:


> Great question, catwoman. I have the same thoughts (ick!) and the same questions.


Thank you. I had just taken for granted "the river was there - I can boil all the water I need"! Then, I thought more about the color and felt it might be a good idea to check.

... CatWoman


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## CatWoman

md1911 said:


> Yes that's what I was refering to and yes I have tried it. I camped by the red river a few years ago. I used a plastic gallon milk jug. I punched 10 holes in the bottom. Put 1/3 full fine sand. Then 1/3 full charcoal from my fire. Last 1/3 full small gravel. I layed a hankercheif over the top and poured river water in. What came out was drinkable. I did not get sick. Although it did taste funny. I have also tried bleach in water. It works but the color dosent change. I have destiled water. Pasturized water in a soda bottel. And of course boiled it. Hope I was help. I belive in trying different things now. That way its not life threatining I can get help. After shtf I know what works.


I'm going to write down your "recipe" (I hope it's not patented! ) And the milk jug sounds like a way to test it in a smaller version. One last thing ... does it matter if the sand is the regular tannish bown sand or does it need to be a certain kind to work best?.

Thanks again, md1911.


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## CatWoman

ContinualHarvest said:


> I would build a filter using clean sand and charcoal. It will get a bunch of the nasties out along with the larger particles. Then you add a couple of drops of bleach and filter further or boil.


Yes! The nasties must GO! . And I try to keep plenty of bleach around.

What do you think about Poolshock instead of bleach? I've been told a little goes a long way toward cleaning the water.

... Thanks, CH


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## md1911

CatWoman said:


> I'm going to write down your "recipe" (I hope it's not patented! ) And the milk jug sounds like a way to test it in a smaller version. One last thing ... does it matter if the sand is the regular tannish bown sand or does it need to be a certain kind to work best?.
> 
> Thanks again, md1911.


Deffenantly not a patended idea. The color of the sand doesn't really matter. I just used sand off of the ground. I have never tried pool shock to purify water. But I have heard it works and that it dosent take much to do the job. I recomend everyone try the milk jug version. Its small and simple and dosent cost anything. See what results you get. This is called a particulet filter. It will help with the mud color in the river.


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## ContinualHarvest

CatWoman said:


> Yes! The nasties must GO! . And I try to keep plenty of bleach around.
> 
> What do you think about Poolshock instead of bleach? I've been told a little goes a long way toward cleaning the water.
> 
> ... Thanks, CH


Pool Shock/ Bleach very similar. A couple of drops go a long way.


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## emilnon

Why would you put bleach in the water? May work to purify it from bacteria, but will in turn cause major health issues! I mean, I suppose to do it in a pinch now and then would be ok, but long term ingestion of bleach is asking for trouble! IMHO...
My plan is boiling water and also using the sand/gravel/charcoal method, just FYI


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## PrepN4Good

I imagine it's just to be on the safe side. In a SHTF situation, you probably aren't going to be able to run to a dr/hospital if you pick up a critter. And dysentary is going to be a bigger problem than anything bleach would do to you (IMHO).


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## emilnon

Prep- I can understand in a SHTF situation if there's not another option. Just takes a bit to wrap the mind around willingly ingesting a toxic chemical. I hope I never have to resort to it! But if I ever do I'll be sure to follow the amounts to a T. Thanks-


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## PrepN4Good

It wouldn't be my first choice either, emilnon.


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## md1911

Just so everyone knows. A lot of towns and citys in the usa clorenate their water supply. This is the same thing as you using bleach to purify your water. I also prefur more natural means of obtaining clean water. However if you dilute the bleach properly and mix it well their should be no health concerns. Even with long term use. The danger comes when you mix it to strong. If you can smell or taste bleach after mixing and shaking then its too much bleach. And yes I have tried this methode personally.


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## BillS

There are other potential problems too. People upstream from you could start using the river as a sewer as well as a water source. Distilling water is a problem because of how much fuel you need to distill each gallon of water. I'm very fortunate that I have a full sized basement. I have 1500 gallons of water stored already.


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## md1911

BillS said:


> There are other potential problems too. People upstream from you could start using the river as a sewer as well as a water source. Distilling water is a problem because of how much fuel you need to distill each gallon of water. I'm very fortunate that I have a full sized basement. I have 1500 gallons of water stored already.


This is true. However lucky you are in having 1500 gallons stored unless you get your water from a known clean source then you will eventialy have to purify your water. I would prefur to start with well water not river water. But even wells can be contaminated. Water is life and even if you have to destill it the work and fuel used will be the price of survival. You are fortunate in your stored water supply. What are your plans for replacing it when its gone?


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## JoKing

If you are worried about bleach, just let the water set with as much surface area exposed as possible. Bleach evaporates pretty fast. I don't know the details, but I'm pretty sure that an open top 55 gal drum would only take a day or so with occasional aeration. You could experiment with a test kit for planning purposes.
This is just ******* thinking, but you could get a pool filter/pump pretty cheap. You could probably rig up a hand pump(instead of electricity)and transfer from barrel to barrel until it was clear. You still might want to use bleach, but I'm nowhere near being an expert so...


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## DKRinAK

Military issue ChlorFloc does it all in one tab - floccation and treatment.

30 tabs to a unit does 8 galllons.

Price varies by vendor.

http://www.amazon.com/Chlor-Floc-Military-Purification-Powder-Packets/dp/B0002UCSEO

Hope this helps, one less thing to carry or worry about.


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## JoKing

DKRinAK said:


> Military issue ChlorFloc does it all in one tab - floccation and treatment.
> 
> 30 tabs to a unit does 8 galllons.
> 
> Price varies by vendor.
> 
> Video Link: http://www.amazon.com/Chlor-Floc-Military-Purification-Powder-Packets/dp/B0002UCSEO
> 
> Hope this helps, one less thing to carry or worry about.


$10...sheesh.


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## DKRinAK

JoKing said:


> $10...sheesh.


Not bad, a packet of 30 chlorine dioxide tabs is 13+ USD. The ChlorFloc clarifies and treats the water - a double good deal.


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## JoKing

DKRinAK said:


> Not bad, a packet of 30 chlorine dioxide tabs is 13+ USD. The ChlorFloc clarifies and treats the water - a double good deal.


Maybe compared like that, but I would have one In my emergency pack and a dollar bottle of bleach for the river water. I may be ignorant to what bleach won't kill, but we used to chlorinate river water as an approved standard operating procedure on field exercises . It wasn't dirty looking, and I don't recall all of the details(years ago). I do remember the water truck filling up the 400 gallon water bulls, putting bleach in the bulls, towing the bulls around to mix it up, having Medical testing the water after so many minutes and putting a potable water placard on the water bull. I want to say we used only half a cup of bleach, but it doesn't seem right. I do know that a gallon of bleach treated quite a few water bulls. And if we ever over chlorinated(not super chlorinated), we'd have to tow it around with a loose lid for about 30 minutes to bring the level down to specs. I, along with about 20 other parched people chugged super chlorinated water which was mistakenly delivered. Kind of nasty but it didn't cause any ill effects that I'm aware of. We had been waiting a while for water and figured that the water had been over chlorinated because it didn't taste as strong as we imagined super chlorinated would be.


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## DKRinAK

(Shrug) Do as you wish. 

A small bottle of Chlor-Floc takes little space and has a decent shelf life, bleach starts turning back into salt water within 6 months.

If I'm forced to drink 'river water' here, the stuff us usually full of glacial silt - which will ruin a filter quickly.

So a floccant and treatment together just makes sense for me. The silt is so fine, it will not settle out even after 3 days, so flocculation is a must.


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## BillS

md1911 said:


> This is true. However lucky you are in having 1500 gallons stored unless you get your water from a known clean source then you will eventialy have to purify your water. I would prefur to start with well water not river water. But even wells can be contaminated. Water is life and even if you have to destill it the work and fuel used will be the price of survival. You are fortunate in your stored water supply. What are your plans for replacing it when its gone?


I don't expect the collapse to last indefinitely. If we need more water there's an abandoned quarry within a few miles of where I live. I think it'll be a lot safer to go outside a year after the collapse.


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## md1911

BillS said:


> I don't expect the collapse to last indefinitely. If we need more water there's an abandoned quarry within a few miles of where I live. I think it'll be a lot safer to go outside a year after the collapse.


That's probably true no matter what the shtf scenerio is. Enless its contaminated by a outside source a quarry would be a good source. I would like to have that much water storage personely.


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## SlobberToofTigger

If you can afford $22 you can filter the water directly from the river for drinkning.
http://www.monolithic.com/stories/a-practical-life-sustaining-water-filter

Personally I would let the water settle for a day or two because your filter will last longer or even run it through a sand filter first to get rid of sediment. In any case $22 is way to cheap to be trusting your health to stuff that leaves too many nasties in your drinking water. And yes I have a pile of these so I can hand them out to my neighbors so they are not begging at my door for water.


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## testhop

ok here is an idea i have not thought all the way through
take a pressure cooker put filtered water in over a fire 
leave the pressure weight off,
hook up a copper tube to the stem for the pressure wt ' and i THINK you will have a water still


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## md1911

testhop said:


> ok here is an idea i have not thought all the way through
> take a pressure cooker put filtered water in over a fire
> leave the pressure weight off,
> hook up a copper tube to the stem for the pressure wt ' and i THINK you will have a water still


I have one almost identical to what you described. My copper line is messed up and I'm going to get more ill post pics. It works fine


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## Highwater

testhop said:


> ok here is an idea i have not thought all the way through
> take a pressure cooker put filtered water in over a fire
> leave the pressure weight off,
> hook up a copper tube to the stem for the pressure wt ' and i THINK you will have a water still


It's a good idea. It's already been done, though. The LifeSaver Distiller kits are made by Conquest Int but they use stainless steel tubing because cooper can leach. You need a pressure cooker with an external valve that the weight sits on normally. They don't make them that way so much any more. You want to use a stainless steel pressure cooker too. You can find the right kind on ebay. You can see the LifeSaver Portable Distiller kits on my website.

You can easily rig up a DIY kit once you have your coil and pressure cooker. You want to submerge the coil in a 5 gallon bucket of water. Conquest sells just the coil, but they are not cheap. The kits are expensive too.


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## jbillh

*Just Plunk A Hole In It...*

Hi Folks,

I really like the "modify a pressure cooker idea!"

I think if you only want it for distilling water and never more for pressure cooking... you could just drill a hole in the lid to accommodate the tubing.

The pressure relief valve would just sit there and not actuate anyway since the hole would become the pressure relief valve in a sense.

You could also drill a hole in it and install a valve that could open and close or be capped when you want to use it as a cooker. BEWARE... Pressure cookers can be dangerous and modifying them could be hazardous to your health! Maybe even deadly. Just a thought. 

Sounds like a good way to make a distiller out of something you might already have to me.

I like it! Preppers Rule! :2thumb:


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## fred45

the pressure cooker is a good idea, filter the water through some cloth to get out the chunks, put the cooker in a solar oven, see one made out of a car windshield reflector and a 5 gal bucket. copper is fine, and an aluminum cooker is ok too. with a solar cooker the temp will not get as high as a fire, less chance of leaching. I found an ugly mustard yellow one at a thrift store for $5. 
on the solar thng you can make a solar still with a sheet of plastic some small tubing and a pot. near the river there will be lots of water in the soil and a hole dug in the bank with plastic over it will draw clean drinkable water out of the dirt. you can add plants, cactus type is best to get water out of them. I like the Monolithic filter too!
i have a pond and a river near by, think I am going to get 2 of those filters, any idea how many gallons they will clean?


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## jontwork

*Filter bag for purifying dirty water*

I recently ran across filter bags from McMaster-Carr that filter from 200 micron down to 1 micron....That's RIGHT! Down to just ONE micron.
They are cheap too. AND reusable.
I suggest that you get a one micron unit and try it. If it gets dirty, just turn it inside out and shake it off after the sediment dries out.
I purchased one and haven't tried it yet but I am sure it will.
Check the sizes. I bought the 7" x 16 1/2" one. About 15 bucks and that included shipping I think.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-filter-bags/=hnf7fp

When I get to try it out, I will report back. But, for the price and ease of use, I think it will be a good investment.
Regards,


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## SlobberToofTigger

jontwork said:


> I recently ran across filter bags from McMaster-Carr that filter from 200 micron down to 1 micron....That's RIGHT! Down to just ONE micron.
> They are cheap too. AND reusable.
> I suggest that you get a one micron unit and try it. If it gets dirty, just turn it inside out and shake it off after the sediment dries out.
> I purchased one and haven't tried it yet but I am sure it will.
> Check the sizes. I bought the 7" x 16 1/2" one. About 15 bucks and that included shipping I think.
> 
> http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-filter-bags/=hnf7fp
> 
> When I get to try it out, I will report back. But, for the price and ease of use, I think it will be a good investment.
> Regards,


That is a pretty snazy find! The issue with the bags is that they only go down to 1 micron which means they will get some bacteria. To get all the nasties you really want to start at .5 microns and if you really want to be sure you should go down to .2 microns. With that said these are better than most of the ideas posted here so far excepting the real filters like the Berkey (SP) or the Monolithic.


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## md1911

SlobberToofTigger said:


> That is a pretty snazy find! The issue with the bags is that they only go down to 1 micron which means they will get some bacteria. To get all the nasties you really want to start at .5 microns and if you really want to be sure you should go down to .2 microns. With that said these are better than most of the ideas posted here so far excepting the real filters like the Berkey (SP) or the Monolithic.


True that modern day micron filters work well, and catch more, and smaller paartiulate matter than some homemade water filters. By all means I would recomend you to use them. The smaller the micron the better.

However at some point it may be imposable for you to get a modern filter. Then these other means of cleaning water would seam like a better option than drinking the water straight from the river.

I would think that as important as drinking water is. Wverybody would want to know multiple ways of making it safe to drink.

speak softley and carry a big stick


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## SlobberToofTigger

md1911 said:


> True that modern day micron filters work well, and catch more, and smaller paartiulate matter than some homemade water filters. By all means I would recomend you to use them. The smaller the micron the better.
> 
> However at some point it may be imposable for you to get a modern filter. Then these other means of cleaning water would seam like a better option than drinking the water straight from the river.
> 
> I would think that as important as drinking water is. Wverybody would want to know multiple ways of making it safe to drink.


All true. The issue is that people might opt for the less effective method now when they have the ability to get a more effective method. So in ones presentation a comparison must be made so that when people chose a method they can make that choice using facts not supposition.


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## md1911

True. I. Know the methods I posted work. I have tried them myself. But you are correct that some might choose the less effective methode even when a better is availible. I supose the best methode available to us today would be to buy a reverse osmoses forced water millimicron water purifucation system. Lol. They are a little pricey though. I will look and post a link to one.

speak softley and carry a big stick

http://science.howstuffworks.com/reverse-osmosis.htm

Not the best site but it will work for this conversation. They also make small units for home use. You can pick them up a lot of places. (Casco) has one for like $260 or someting like that.


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## SlobberToofTigger

md1911 said:


> True. I. Know the methods I posted work. I have tried them myself.


The problem is unless you had the water tested before you ran it though your purification system and then after, you really do not know to what level your system worked. That is why a certified product that is reasonably priced is the best way to go right now. And then as you suggested a broad base of knowledge of other options as a backup for when no modern methods are available.


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## md1911

SlobberToofTigger said:


> The problem is unless you had the water tested before you ran it though your purification system and then after, you really do not know to what level your system worked. That is why a certified product that is reasonably priced is the best way to go right now. And then as you suggested a broad base of knowledge of other options as a backup for when no modern methods are available.


Very true. I don't use the primitive methods on a daily bases. I drink water that's from a city source. Then I run it thru a water filter I belive its a .5 micron filter. You pour the water in the top then it seaps thru the filter. I keep it in the fridge. I purchased it a wal-mart it wasn't teriabley expensive. I also carry a small filter in my BOB.

The origanal post was on rivers like the red river. My modern filter will work. However it still leaves the water a murkey color. Kinda like a really weak tea.

speak softley and carry a big stick


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## jontwork

*Regarding the Berkey system*

Based on the research that I have done so far, it seems that the Berkey is more hype than fact. Apparently, some states will not even allow them to be sold. 
However, Berkey seems to have a lot of people on their bandwagon promoting them which based on the price of the systems and the resultant profit, I understand.......
I believe I will go elsewhere for equipment to final filter my water.


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## mdprepper

jontwork said:


> Based on the research that I have done so far, it seems that the Berkey is more hype than fact. Apparently, some states will not even allow them to be sold.
> However, Berkey seems to have a lot of people on their bandwagon promoting them which based on the price of the systems and the resultant profit, I understand.......
> I believe I will go elsewhere for equipment to final filter my water.


This link shows you how to make your own version of a Berkey

http://www.preparedsociety.com/foru...iers-heading-significant-price-increase-5831/


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## jbillh

*Not Hype... Just Great Water*



jontwork said:


> Based on the research that I have done so far, it seems that the Berkey is more hype than fact. Apparently, some states will not even allow them to be sold.
> However, Berkey seems to have a lot of people on their bandwagon promoting them which based on the price of the systems and the resultant profit, I understand.......
> I believe I will go elsewhere for equipment to final filter my water.


Nah, it really isn't hype and there are solid independent lab test to back-up the claims.

There is no other system that I would rather have than a Berkey if we had a long-term / sustained "situation." They are they best that I know of after many many hours or research.

That said... you can get a test kit from a local lab or city water department and conduct your own tests. I'd love to see the results you get and the protocols used.

As far as profits on the systems  I consider being a Berkey dealer every bit as much a "calling" as a side-line income stream. In fact, I am always trying to convince people to just buy the Black Berkey Purification Elements, a couple of buckets and a spigot for a homemade "Emergency Only" system if they already have great water.

A container is just a container... the elements are where the "magic" happens.

We trust and use our Berkey's every day. I wouldn't hesitate to drink swamp water out of them if that was the only water source around.

Yeah, I know my comments will be seen as biased by some... that's fine. But I did my due diligence (and then some,) before buying our first system and becoming a dealer and now have 2 1/2 years of increased confidence in the technology and the company.

All the Best,


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## Highwater

jbillh said:


> Nah, it really isn't hype and there are solid independent lab test to back-up the claims.
> 
> There is no other system that I would rather have than a Berkey if we had a long-term / sustained "situation." They are they best that I know of after many many hours or research.
> 
> That said... you can get a test kit from a local lab or city water department and conduct your own tests. I'd love to see the results you get and the protocols used.
> 
> As far as profits on the systems  I consider being a Berkey dealer every bit as much a "calling" as a side-line income stream. In fact, I am always trying to convince people to just buy the Black Berkey Purification Elements, a couple of buckets and a spigot for a homemade "Emergency Only" system if they already have great water.
> 
> A container is just a container... the elements are where the "magic" happens.
> 
> We trust and use our Berkey's every day. I wouldn't hesitate to drink swamp water out of them if that was the only water source around.
> 
> Yeah, I know my comments will be seen as biased by some... that's fine. But I did my due diligence (and then some,) before buying our first system and becoming a dealer and now have 2 1/2 years of increased confidence in the technology and the company.
> 
> All the Best,


re: Berkey being a "calling" and "a side-line income stream." This type of terminology is partly what gives the Berkey their reputation of being sort of cultish. It seems like a mlm scheme and the price reflects this.

The danger is that when problems arise, you tend to try to deny or misinform people about the extent, like the recent problems with the base coming loose from the filter element. This is was a SERIOUS problem, but not a peep about it here.

The problem is that Berkey was elevated to God-like status. Then when it was found to be flawed, there was a holy war instead of simply finding a solution. We never did really discover why this flaw happened and why it was so difficult to fix.

Also, when I asked the New Millennium Concepts people where the Berkey are made, they told me the USA without disclosing that the stainless steel canisters are made in India. All the distributors that I inquired about this answered the same thing. Turns out even some of them didn't know. The sales rep at Lehman's sure didn't.

When I hear someone start preaching about Berkey, I start hearing choir music and I feel the sudden urge to clutch my wallet. haha

Nothing personal Berkey guy. I know you're just trying to maximize your sideline income stream.


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## goshengirl

Highwater, you clearly do not know Bill.


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## jbillh

goshengirl said:


> Highwater, you clearly do not know Bill.


Thanks goshengirl! I appreciate the vote of confidence very much!

I kinda get where Highwater is coming from... I'm a bit of a skeptic and a scientist myself. That's why I suggested they do thier own independent lab tests.

No "choir music" here though  Everyone has to do their own research.

Highwater is right on the Black Berkey Purification Elements. There were; as I understand it, thousands of them that were returned and replaced.

Berkey actually had to redesign the base so it no longer needs any gluing but they now put some glue in it as a backup.

Since the new design I am not aware of any failures (except for one,) and I don't know if that possibly came from the previous design or not. I do know Berkey swiftly replaced it without question.

Also, when in doubt or using extremely suspicious water, I'd recommend Berkey users do the "Red Food Coloring Test" as described here:

http://waterpurificationsystems.co/resources-links/berkey-water-filter-tips/

The bigger idea in all of this for me is... you can boil water - takes too much fuel and time, you can chemically treat water - then you have to ingest chemicals, you can distill water - but you lose certain minerals and may still have contaminated water. There are many other methods that work as well.

The Black Berkey Purification Elements just seem like the best way to go to me. Fast and easy and with solid data behind them.

Yeah, I'm a fan... but not a "fanatic"  Please do your own research and get the best you can find folks. But please do something! It's all about being prepared and helping our neighbors should something really rotten happen.

All the Best,


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## jbillh

Hey Highwater,

You may want to read my reply to goshengirl first... out of respect for her, I wrote it first.

I just want to address a couple of things with you.

My comments about it being more of a "calling" reflect my desire to help people be prepared. I am a prepper / survivalist / whatever you want to call me. I'm also a pretty good Boy Scout. Being prepared is very important to me and I truly enjoy helping people have the peace of mind that comes with preparation.

I do make some money from selling Berkey products and sleep very well at night. Anyone who has become a customer of mine has found that I treat them right... and do things for them I cannot publicly disclose. They matter to me. I now count many of them as my friends. That has been the biggest perk of becoming a Berkey dealer by far!

It would seem you've joined our forum to interact with other preppers and(possibly) to promote your products. I hope they are fantastic products... sincerely.

Please note that we are very respectful to each other on this forum. I have learned a ton from many good folks here and try to give a little back as I am able. Truth is; I'm more of a student than a master.

Take Good Care,


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## Highwater

Bill and goshen girl, I meant no disrespect to Bill. I have researched Berkey and considered becoming a distributor. They fell short of my expectations. 

I understand the love of Berkey. They are a great purification system! I just see too much subjectivity though. When the problems arose, many refused to believe there was a problem.

I am wondering about one thing though. Are you any relationship to Jeff the Berkey Guy? He is active on survivalistboard. It seems odd that you both claim he same name.

Anyway, I am sorry if I offended you. I am not shy about expressing my opinion, especially about water treatment. 

I have paid for a vendor account on this forum, but haven't heard from any moderators. Is this usual?


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## jbillh

Highwater said:


> Bill and goshen girl, I meant no disrespect to Bill. I have researched Berkey and considered becoming a distributor. They fell short of my expectations.
> 
> I understand the love of Berkey. They are a great purification system! I just see too much subjectivity though. When the problems arose, many refused to believe there was a problem.
> 
> I am wondering about one thing though. Are you any relationship to Jeff the Berkey Guy? He is active on survivalistboard. It seems odd that you both claim he same name.
> 
> Anyway, I am sorry if I offended you. I am not shy about expressing my opinion, especially about water treatment.
> 
> I have paid for a vendor account on this forum, but haven't heard from any moderators. Is this usual?


Hi Highwater,

No worries mate... I didn't think you had ill intentions but your comments did sit a bit sideways with me. I tried to address them the best I could. I appreciate your apology mate.

Communication is a tough biz... we spend most of our lives re-speaking until we say what we really mean in a way that is understood just enough to move on. At least that's my theory.

Jeff is WAY bigger than me in the Berkey world. He has a 6+ year head-start on me and is a very reputable guy. In fact, everywhere I look to buy ads, he's almost always already there I'm still trying to find a little corner of the market where I can make my mark. Really not looking to take over the world though... just eat a little slice of the pie while helping folks out. It is a very gratifying biz in many ways.

I think he is "Jeff the Berkey Guy" and many of my customers have referred to me as "The Berkey Guy" or "Bill the Berkey Guy." I think there's plenty of room for more "Berkey Guys" in this world 

Not sure what to tell you on the moderators question. I do think they have day jobs though... not sure. I'm not even sure what you get with a vendor account but I suppose I ought to look into it.

Enjoy your time in this forum HW. This has been a very comfortable place for me to come and learn and interact with folks that are the kind you'd like to have for neighbors.

All the Best,


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## kappydell

CatWoman said:


> Thank you, md1911.
> 
> I remember reading somewhere about someone making a type of water filtering system using a 55-gal barrel, sand, and some other things. I recall something about "layering" the sand and stuff somehow. Is this what you're referring to?
> 
> If so, have you ever done this yourself? Because I have a 55-gal metal drum and a 30-gal blue plastic drum at home. If I knew the process, I'd like to give it a try. I even have a fresh pile of sand that I've been using to fill in areas of the yard that the hogs partied on.
> 
> That's interesting. Thanks again.


Its called a slow sand filter. The Hesperian Society has a free downloadable book called 'protecting community water' which gives details on filtering water, very affordable. the "slow sand filter" is made from the metal drum, and will supply filtered water for an entire household. I tried to cut and paste the page with the diagram on it, but it would not work for me.
the link is: hesperian.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/en.../en_cgeh_2008_6.pdf
which can be found by searching for 'hesperian press free download' then clicking on the booklet. The filter is shown near the end. It looks most promising and best of all - affordable - for filtering out a great many contaminants and cleaning up very dirty water. Of course you would still have to boil it or chlorinate it....but I think this is the filter you were thinking of.


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## BillM

8 to 16 drops of clorine bleach per gallon of water is the recomended amount of bleach to kill the harmful bacteria. Use more than 8 drops if you believe the water is real dirty but never more than 16. Let the Clorine work for at least an hour before drinking. If it has too strong a Clorine taste, let it sit open for a day and the clorine will evaporate out of the water. It has already done it's job.


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## LincTex

BillM said:


> If it has too strong a Clorine taste, let it sit open for a day and the clorine will evaporate out of the water.


Pouring the water back and forth between two clean buckets to "aerate it" will quickly get the chlorine out, too.


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## fred45

I keep the pool shock stuff around to make liquid clorine from, get it from the pool store theirs is 70% clorine and the wally stuff is only 40-50%


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## testhop

+ i was told poolshock is just solid colrine bieach .and it has a much longer shelf 
life .
here is a idea take a pressure cooler and use it to make a still to distelle water.all youneed to change it is to add a copper tube to cool the steam back to water .
one thing to remember is any bad chemicals in the water MAY NOT be removed
with any proess you us.


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## LincTex

testhop said:


> Here is a idea take a pressure cooler and use it to make a still to distill water. All you need to change it is to add a copper tube to cool the steam back to water.


I tried this along time ago... it just isn't worth all the energy input needed (which is a LOT) to make one measly cup, quart, gallon, whatever.

I have built a solar still, they work pretty well.... but I don't need or use much distilled water.


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