Water Filter Pics

[Carrot Cruncher]

Just in case anyone is looking at getting a water filter I thought I would post some pics of the parts that make up a British Berkefeld SS2 Filter. The Filter requires no energy other than gravity to work.

I chose the SS2 model with 2 Candles (filter elements), the 2 candles will give me 30 ltrs of fresh water in a 24hr period. The SS2 model has fittings for 4 candles meaning you can produce 60 ltrs / day if required (if you have 4 candles).

First pic is basically how it arrives, the parts all sit inside each other making it fairly portable.



2nd one shows the various components



3rd is of the candles, I chose the ATC Candles as they filter more polutants but at a cost of a shorter lifespan (approx 1500Ltrs / candle). I will be ordering 4 of the basic candles as well which will filter 10,000ltrs / candle.



Next is the Filter assembled and ready for use. Just pour the water in the top container and wait for it to filter through the candles and into the bottom container



Total price including delivery was £92. A relatively cheap price for a vital piece of kit. Berkefeld do quite a few different models, bigger and smaller, so there should be one to fit most peoples needs. Water filtration may not be as sexy as some other areas of prepping but clean and safe water is a vital part of any preps and imo one of the most important.

CC

[Huorn]

Does this setup cater for 'scoop up a puddle and drink what comes out' type filtering, or is it more for cleaning rain water collected in water butts or your fish pond if that becomes necessary. What's the score basically?

H

[scoobie]

Thanks for that CC... I have the same model on my list for the new year, great bits of kit

[Carrot Cruncher]

Here is a link to the PDF showing what each type of candle filters http://www.faireyceramics.com/images/st ... e_2010.pdf I think the 3 on the left are for use in gravity filters

The more solids you place into the container to be filtered the more often you will need to clean the candles. It doesn't affect the purity of the water but does slow the flow rate of the filtered water. Cleaning the candles is simply a case of giving them a quick scrub with a brush (no detergent) and putting them back in the case

[Huorn]

Does this setup cater for 'scoop up a puddle and drink what comes out' type filtering, or is it more for cleaning rain water collected in water butts or your fish pond if that becomes necessary. What's the score basically?

H

it will treat most water types but obviously its designed for domestic use not cleaning sewage up, so you would need to prefilter ant solids out of the water first through a pair of tights or coffee filter.

Thanks NR!

I currently have five 205 litre barrels which collect rain water in the garden. I have an MSR Pocket Filter which gets used for some camping trips which will clean this nicely, but the replacement filters are very expensive compared to the system above. This water in these barrels is currently used for watering plants, but is an obvious water source if the mains went off.

Does your comment about sewage include collected rainwater, as I understand that rainwater collected from a roof is classed as sewage because of likely contamination from birds etc, or were you meaning filtering effluent? I'm considering building a largish pond with a storage tank beneath and setting up a system to circulate the water from one to the other in a continuous loop to keep it sweeter and as part of the water feature. This is also intended to be a replacement for the blue barrels which look rather unsightly in the garden. Would this or the water butt water require pre-filtering?

H

[Huorn]

Here is a link to the PDF showing what each type of candle filters http://www.faireyceramics.com/images/st ... e_2010.pdf I think the 3 on the left are for use in gravity filters

The more solids you place into the container to be filtered the more often you will need to clean the candles. It doesn't affect the purity of the water but does slow the flow rate of the filtered water. Cleaning the candles is simply a case of giving them a quick scrub with a brush (no detergent) and putting them back in the case

Ah, thanks CC. Our posts crossed. The water I'd be filtering is essentially clear, so this looks to be the sort of thing I need to complete our water provision should we require it!

H

[Huorn]

Thanks for the rain water and pond info BR, much appreciated.

I've not really considered keeping Koi, the little I know suggests it's rather involved and time consuming. Having fish does offer another food source though when things become rather extreme.

Cheers,

H

[preservefreak]

Thanks CC for the pics and everyone for the helpful info. I am looking at getting a decent water filter after christmas, and have been the Berkefeld as the major contender (the amount people talk about it on this forum I'd be a fool not too ). I have a little camping filter but it's really not up to a major situation and I love the way this needs no pumping.

I like the idea of tipping rain water into a pan at night and having clean safe water when I wake up. The only thing I wonder about that I can't find an answer for is whether you have to keep the filters wet and if you have to 'charge' them before use. If anyone who's used one of these could give me an answer for this it'd be a great help.

[itsybitsy]

That's great - and would look fab in my kitchen! I assume that you can buy smaller models as I wouldn't need 30 litres of water in one go.

[Carrot Cruncher]

That's great - and would look fab in my kitchen! I assume that you can buy smaller models as I wouldn't need 30 litres of water in one go.

They make loads of different models/sizes ranging from a Sports bottle type, another one similar to the SS2 that fits your backpack, up to ones a lot bigger. If you are googling for them, also search for "Berkey" which i believe is the US version of them (i think they have a larger range of models).

One other thing to think about is how much water you actually use. When we got the camper van and had to carry our own water around I was amazed how much water we got through. Better to have a little too much than not enough