Filter Your Water Using Scrap Wood and PVC
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Are you satisfied with the purity of your drinking water? When you see the residue your evaporated drinking water leaves in a pan, it might make you wonder what all you’re drinking. Of course, you can gain peace of mind by having a sample tested at a laboratory. But you may want to filter it anyway.
If you have decided you ought to filter your water but are unsure if it will make any difference, why not make your own trial carbon water filter? It isn’t difficult or expensive, and it will give you the option of seeing what carbon can do to improve your water quality.
Step one is to acquire the needed supplies. You will need a piece of vinyl hose and a drill and bit the size of the outside hose diameter. You will also need a length of 2 1/2 inch PVC pipe, a cap and a can of sealant. Finally, you will need a paper coffee filter.
Drill a hole in the center of the PVC cap. Insert the vinyl hose into the hole, making sure it fits tightly. If it leaks, silicone sealant should be used. Push the cap onto the PVC pipe and, if needed, seal it with PVC sealer. Next, fold the piece of filter paper and push it into the PVC pipe so that it covers the hole in the cap.
Add the carbon to the open end of the PVC and pour water over it until it is full. Point the vinyl hose into a container where the filtered water can collect. You may want to discard the first batch of filtered water since it might have washed out contaminants from the project.
Of course, you don’t want to stand there holding this unit every time you want water. A simple stand can be made with two 4 inch squares of 3/4 inch pine, a wood base and an upright piece of wood, taller than the PVC pipe. Drill a hole in the center of each of the 4 inch square pieces large enough for the PVC to go through. Then fasten these pieces to the upright attached to the base and insert your filter. A setscrew may be used to keep the PVC from sliding.
A rule of thumb is this: the more carbon the water passes over before exiting the unit, the more filtering takes place. Thus, the longer the PVC pipe, the better. Don’t forget to replace the carbon from time to time and to clean out the PVC pipe at the same time. How often this is needed depends on how contaminated your water is and how much water you filter.
Obviously, this unit is small and only sufficient for drinking water. But if you keep the filter full and store the filtered water, you will have enough to keep your thirst quenched.
