A DIY whole house water filter system is a great way to improve your home’s water quality and well-being. It involves selecting the right filter components and materials, such as a water filtration system, water softener, pressure regulator, and water heater. The three-phase whole house water system design ensures safe water at every dispensing point in the home.
The most popular method for building a DIY filtration system is using activated carbon, sand, and gravel. This type of filter consists of separate layers that work together to trap different contaminants. To build your own filtration system, you will need a filter cartridge and cut your water bottle in half across its width.
A membrane with a 1:1 ratio is the most efficient option for filtration systems. If you are unsure about which water filtration products to use, consider the following steps:
- Test your water.
- Find the necessary tools and equipment.
- Think about the system components you want to include.
- Check the quality.
For a DIY water filter system, it is recommended to use natural materials like sand and gravel or small rocks. This will help ensure that the water is clean and safe for daily activities and overall well-being. By following these steps, you can save money on a whole house water filtration system.
📹 DIY $50 EMERGENCY WATER FILTER
Many of our videos are comedic & satirical & not intended to cultivate antisocial or unlawful behavior. Thank you for supporting our …
How do I choose a whole house filtration system?
The top 5 tips for choosing the best whole house water filters for your home include:
Decide on the type of whole house filter: This is crucial as it affects the quality and amount of water that can flow in your house. It’s important to consult a professional to determine which contaminants you need to remove from the water flowing into your home.
Know the flow rate of your dispensers and appliances: This is essential for ensuring that water is filtered from the main supply. Point-of-entry filters, installed in kitchens, laundry, bathtubs, showers, and toilets, allow water to flow with great taste and purification.
Consider the size of the filter: The size of the filter you want for your home is essential for ensuring that only completely filtered water flows in your dispensers.
Ask about the life of your whole house well water filter system: This is an important factor to consider when choosing a filter. It’s essential to consider the credibility and reputation of the company or vendor that delivers the filters.
In conclusion, choosing the right whole house water filter is essential for ensuring that your water is treated and filtered.
What limitations would a homemade water filter have?
DIY water filtration systems can effectively remove certain contaminants but may not remove microbes like viruses and bacteria. Commercially available systems are tested and certified to remove various impurities from tap water. DIY systems require regular maintenance to ensure their effectiveness, as clogged or contaminated materials may affect their filtering ability. Commercially available systems come with instructions for filter maintenance and replacement, making it easier for users to maintain the system. Additionally, if well taken care of, water filtration systems can last for decades, making them an investment rather than a mere expense.
How much should a whole house water filtration system cost?
The cost of a home water filtration system varies significantly, with the national average being $2, 050 and a range of $1, 044 to $3, 266. A whole home system can cost up to $5, 400 on average. The cost of a water filtration system is determined by the type of system, which can serve a single fixture or purify the water supply for the entire home. Factors such as size, type of system, and installation type can impact the total cost.
What is the best water filtration method for home?
Reverse osmosis (RO) water filters are popular due to their ability to remove a significant amount of toxins, including fluoride, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, nitrates/nitrites, copper, radium, salt, and more. These filters work by pushing water through the reverse osmosis membrane using pressure, leaving contaminants on one side and fresh water on the other. RO systems can also remove salt from drinking water if a home has a water softener.
However, RO systems use an excessive amount of water and are slow, causing a decrease in water pressure. Whole-home RO systems typically do not exist, and the level of filtration is not necessary for day-to-day activities like flushing toilets, taking showers, and doing dishes.
Why is charcoal good for filtering water?
Activated charcoal is an ideal water filter due to its ability to remove toxins without removing essential minerals. It works through adsorption, binding impurities chemically on the charcoal filter surface. To maintain its effectiveness, it’s essential to replace the filter every 12 months. WFA’s subscription service offers an automated replacement service, eliminating the need for regular replacements. This makes it an efficient and cost-effective solution for water purification.
How do you size a home water filtration system?
Flow rate, measured in gallons per minute (GPM), is crucial for determining the amount of water available for various appliances. Typical showerheads flow 2. 5 to 5 GPM, while toilets and dishwashers typically flow 5 GPM and 3 GPM respectively. The size of your house and family can affect your water flow rate requirements, which can range from 15 to 40 GPM. A whole house filter system with a flow rate less than 10gpm is not suitable for maintaining uninterrupted water pressure during peak use.
Filter size, which affects GPM and pressure, is also important. The ideal filter size for most homes is 4. 5″ x 20″, but larger homes may require a second unit in parallel. Filter life depends on sediment quantity and quality, with good quality whole house 4. 5″ x 20″ carbon filter cartridges lasting 100, 000-150, 000 gallons in normal municipal water supplies. The ideal port size for a whole house water filter is 1″, even if the home uses ¾” piping. Systems with 1″ ports and 4. 5″ x 20″ filters carry more water than enough to minimize pressure drops.
Why is filtering water bad?
Filters are effective in removing harmful chemicals from water, but they can also strip away beneficial minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, and manganese. Table-top filters can remove contaminants from tap water, but they may cause unintentional harm. Shima Chin-See, a UK resident, uses an in-door water dispenser linked to a filter in her refrigerator and a self-cleaning bottle that sterilizes water via an ultraviolet chip. Chin-See believes that filter water tastes better and that she can smell and taste the chemicals in tap water.
What is the safest method to purify water at home?
Boiling is an essential method for the eradication of disease-causing organisms in water, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The effective eradication of these organisms necessitates the application of elevated temperatures over an extended period of time. Additionally, boiling is an effective method for treating water that is cloudy or murky. In the event that the elevation is below 6, 500 feet, the water should be boiled over a heat source for one minute. Conversely, if the elevation is above 6, 500 feet, the water should be boiled for three minutes.
What are the disadvantages of whole house water filter?
Whole-house water filters, also known as point-of-entry (POE) filters, are a popular choice for homeowners due to their ability to filter out common contaminants and provide clean, odor-free water to appliances, shower heads, and other household water outlets. They are typically more expensive than their point-of-use (POU) counterparts and may require professional installation. However, they may also reduce water pressure.
Whole-house filters are not only easy to use and cost-effective, but they also prevent mineral build-up and stains, increasing the life of pipes and appliances throughout the home. Before purchasing a whole-house filter, it is essential to understand its pros and cons and compare it to other water filtering systems to determine if it is the best fit for your home or if other options would work better.
Is it worth it to get a home water filtration system?
The cost of installing a whole-house water filtration system can be substantial, but the long-term benefits include reduced bottled water usage, reduced soap usage, and extended lifespan of appliances and plumbing systems. A cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to compare the initial installation and ongoing maintenance costs against potential savings and health benefits. In Pennsylvania, local water quality issues, such as hard water or industrial contaminants, can significantly impact the cost-effectiveness of installing a whole-house system. Intown Plumbing offers a complimentary water test to help identify contaminants in your home’s water supply, ensuring the longevity of appliances and safeguarding family health.
📹 How We Collect, Store, and Filter Rainwater For Everyday Use
How We Collect, Store, and Filter Rainwater For Everyday Use We live almost one hundred percent on rainwater. We get a lot of …
I think you have it backwards. In my opinion the charcoal should be on the bottom, with the fine sand on top of that and the gravel on the very top. That way when you pour water in, you filter out the big stuff and the sand layer cleans it more, then, the charcoal takes out the very fine particulate.
A couple of things that might be good to know: Reversing the order of the filtering buckets would extend the life of the charcoal, at least slightly. It’d make sure that the larger particles are removed before the water hits the charcoal, and allows the charcoal to keep more ability to remove finer particles and contaminants. Charcoal gets its filtering ability from its surface area. The finer you can get that powder, the more surface area, and the better a job of filtering it’ll be able to do. You can put an additional layer of clean sand at the bottom of the charcoal, and that’ll keep the charcoal from getting into the water, and will make the final result a bit cleaner. This will only really work for particulate contamination. If there’s a concern about chemical contamination, either to the filter media, or the water itself, this wouldn’t be advisable. One of those things where you’d need to tailor the solution to the situation at hand.
@Wranglestar Very nice, quick little article!! As with others who have already commented, I have only ever seen this concept executed with the charcoal being the final medium. I’ve also seen a top fibrous layer as well as or instead of rocks. This has prompted me to experiment and make my own. Thank you!!
I would change the order of the filter media. The water to be filtered should make contact with the coarse filter media first and then the media should get progressively finer as it passes through the filter chamber. Other wise you clog up the finer material by asking it to remove large debris (which it will). With the charcoal as the first stage of filtration you will need to replace it more often.
Cody, I like this type of article, and I like that you’re doing them! My question, and I’m not 100 % sure or unsure, so please bare with me. I would think the gravel, then sand, then charcoal would, or should be the order in this filter. Definitely necessary, especially with what has happened in this region of the country. I’m sure you read, or heard about a very dangerous train derailment right on the Ohio, and Pennsylvania border. Roughly 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Burning Vinyl Chloride, which can be a very serious health problem, and even deadly. I’ve also got to get a copy of that book! Again, please keep sharing these articles! Thank you in advance!
If I remember correctly, you can soak the charcoal in a concentrated acid like hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. You can buy hydrochloric acid at a pool supply store or you can get sulfuric acid at some hardware or plumbing stores as it’s used as a strong drain cleaner. Doing so activates the charcoal, which just means that you add little holes in the charcoal to make it more effective at filtering.
Hey Cody, great article. I’ve seen many home made filters in the past all along these lines and the way you put it together was extremely simple and easy to follow. Thanks!! Is there a particular reason why you had the charcoal on top vs the sand and gravel? Typically I’ve seen the charcoal was last so I was just curious.
That wasn’t sand you used. It was dirt. Big difference. Rocks should be pea sized. Charcoal needs to be pulverized using a mortar and pestle. This increases the surface to volume ratio. For better results, activate the charcoal. The carbonized material is then “activated” by exposing it to an oxidizing gas, such as steam or air, at high temperatures. This activation process creates a network of pores and increases the surface area of the charcoal. The activation step is crucial for enhancing the adsorption properties of the charcoal. The charcoal goes on the BOTTOM. Rocks on top. Sand in the middle.
Anyone seen or tried the Uzima filter system? Same concept. Uzima’s design is a bit different with a single filter, which although it attaches to the top bucket it mounts inside the bottom bucket. Claimed 1L/m flow rate. Wonder how that compares to Berkey or it’s generic filters flow rate? $80 on @m@zon. Thoughts, opinions? Thanks.
I thought charcoal was finer and went on the bottom. Am I wrong? I was told by a one of those permaculture types, Geoff LAwton, I think, that Charcoal is like a megacity for microbiology because it stores and will always store pockets of oxygen and water and nooks and crannies within nooks and crannies that are impossible to undo even with a blender, so there is always more room for more micro life than average dirt to survive and thrive… which is why it is good in gardens also.
The article I watched was four months old yesterday and it painted a very bleak future and he said in it Texas is reaching out to the surrounding cities to use them for satellites and we are about forty years ahead of everyone else as far as becoming totally 100% Green and self sufficient and he stated the reasons as we can do math and we like free! Ha ha ha 🙂😎 thanks for the tip!
I remember a article you did a while back where you talked about why you didn’t use Milwaukee Tools. It’s really cool to see that you’re using them now 🙂 you and your website are such a blessing to me! I want you to know that. I don’t know if you’ll read this comment but I certainly hope you do. You said something in a article a few months ago, I don’t remember which one it was I wish I could find it and clip that comment… You should make a short out of it.. You were getting out of your skid steer after something wasn’t working right and you said, “There are no problems, only solutions.” I want you to know that that comment probably saved my life. I think about that comment all the time and try to think of it whenever I do have “problems”. Anyway, Yah bless you fellow Sabbath keeper!
FYI, that was plain dirt, NOT ‘clean sand’. You can clearly see organic material in it, which will end up acting as food for mold/bacteria/etc. As much as I enjoy your trolling, this could get people seriously sick during the SHiFT. PLEASE do better. As well, 304 Stainless Steel Woven Wire 75 micron/200 Mesh (120 openings per inch) isn’t that expensive (around $8 for a 1’x2′ piece–enough for the two pieces needed for this, though buying a full roll would leave you more prepared) and will work MUCH better than window screen, which is only 16-18 mesh. Cheers!
first run I always run bleach water and then fresh water to wash it out. this ensures that the bad bacterias and viruses and other nasties like gardia are gone and allows the beneficial to colonize, personally I have 2 55 gallon barrels (blue plastic food grade). first one on top is fine DE and zealite, the second is broke down lump charcoal that I steamed.
Using brand new uncoated terracotta flower pots with bottom holes plugged, and sprayed with silver inside and out .. then top pot has your sand gravel, second pot has your charcoal both go into a five gallon pail like you have there but the terracotta makes an incredible filter by itself but stacked and used with charcoal then at the end like you said boiled well … maybe placed in a second bucket afterwards boiling for storage..
A little tip that may help, may not just my 2 cents. When gluing a valve I have noticed that if you glue the i.d. of the valve, there is a chance that when you shove them together it’ll push glue onto the ball in the valve causing it to glue open/shut whichever way it is when put together. Most other fittings I glue both sides.
That is a clever way of cleaning water quantitatively. Next is Qualitatively Structuring your water, it has amazing proven results on seed germination, cellular osmosis and many other benefits. Takes less than a minute. All you need is a 2x2x1 inch neodymium iron magnet and tubing (preferably copper).
Well Cody you’ve made a nice particle filter but now you need to treat the water from your filter. This means either heat treatment or chemical treatment or perhaps the easiest method is to put together an ultra violet light system to dispose of the bacteria in the water, which is what will cause most of the problems in your digestive tract. You can make your own or can use a commercial system, my brother in law made his own to maintain the water quality in his koi- carp breeding ponds, almost 20 years ago and apart from regular maintenance/ replacing the bulbs he hasn’t had many problems with the welfare of his fish.
Maybe I’m wrong, but wouldn’t it be better to reverse the order? You put all the sediment in the bucket closest to the bottom, if you reverse that, it passes through the charcoal before ending up in the lowest bucket. Adding another screen layer beneath the charcoal might make it even more effective. That’s what I would do at least. Maybe I”m wrong.
I worry that some uses this is going end up getting sick or in the ER. I recommend you boil the water that comes out of that filter. A better option is to just buy water filters at the local hardware store and use the buckets for a gravity feed system. You can buy replaceable (Cartridge) sediment filters as well as carbon filters
A huge HI to both of you from East Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. We also live entirely on the water we catch and store from the various roofs on our 37 acre rural property. There is a slight slope to our land which we utilised by placing a water tank at the high point which provides 11meters of head at the house, more than adequate for domestic purposes. The rain water is pumped to the high tank by a “Savonius Rotor” wind turbine which I basically built from accumulated scrap steel. The rotor is mounted in a 40 foot high tower, again built from scrap, which is able to be tilted over to lay flat for maintenance if needed. We use a coarse filter which is fitted on the intake of the tower 2 parrallel diaphragm pumps, and a very fine mesh filter at the house, followed by a 50micron filter. We have lived here since new years eve in 1979, and when we bought the place, a year before that, it was an open paddock with absolutely no infrastructure.
Great article! Suggestion: Where the water comes off the roof and is screened before it goes into the water system pipe. If that collection point is cut at an angle rather than flat/horizontal the water or wind will wash the debris away reducing the chance of clogging. Also, the Berky is a great filter but to save money I bought a kit and converted two good grade buckets into a filter. Again great article and thanks
I’m Soo interested in this! I have been wondering how it works! Thanks for the article! I’m looking for land around Douglas AZ. I have a spot in SW Tucson but it is on the flood zone and too many restrictions. I love your articles and am not much of a commenter, but I do send my sincere condolences to both you and yours for the passing of your parents.
Don’t see what all the fuss is about filtering your rain water. I’m pretty sure rain water in the desert is a darn sight cleaner than rainwater in the city. L.O.L. I lived in the desert,(Nullabor plain, Australia) we had four rainwater tanks at each corner of the house, these were our only source of water for family of 6 people. There were no filters of any kind. We’re all still alive and kicking all these years later. Methinks the filter bit is a little over reaction. But hey different strokes for different folks.
Of course construction activities use water to create and install the cob on your many and various builds including, The Root Cellar, the underground Dome home, and the cistern (14,000 gallon at capacity, capacity) as well as the two large above-ground poly water tanks. Is The Root Cellar a part of the underground Dome home? Or one of the separate early earthbag builds? You often mention after building the home Dome there is also meant to be a second Dome. How does it fit into the green dream project master plan?
Always use a conical screen (build it up with chicken wire behind it, or coat hanger, or just raise it with a stick from inside) so that debris rolls off it and away. Having a flat screen it will sag in the middle collect crap which will grow nasties upon it and then wash those nasties into your water system over and over. Let leaves and twigs and other crud roll right off the screen with a few seconds of extra planning. Another alternative is cut the tubing at a 60 degree angle and wrap the end (although be careful because over time it WILL sag inwards, you’re just going to have to man up and do it properly and make a guard / buffer).
Loving perusal you and sharing knowledge it’s useful you never know when you need your idea’s…I have running water I pay for so I use everything sparingly never waste anything to electric and gas living alone I pay the bills it’s learning to save money plus I’ve cancer in my left kidney and can’t take biopsy because the one I have will seed when needle is pulled out…so its gone dormant for some reason at 10cm and another next to it I got a insurance to pay for my funeral and bought my plot 25 years ago to be next to my best friend we were sisters really…don’t want my children paying us they get some money each forward thinking not being morbid paid my father’s when he died my 4 siblngs didn’t have the money and my older brother was paying his house and made redundant…if I was like I was years ago done houses up 1971 to late 80s then did boats up moved on to turning VW vans into campers so like DIY I’ve made all kinds of things…enjoy you’re day ❤
From your plumber. Sanitize the water system entirely before using. A 10% bleach water mix is the standard. Yeah I know, you built it and filled it. You didn’t scrub the inside of the tanks. That Berkey is great. It makes a quality water for drinking as long as you follow the guidelines for filter changes. That other filter is pretty useless. Chlorine will vaporize every month. Dose the storage every large rainfall. You could measure it and calculate the dose or just add a half ounce every month it rains. The county agent will tell you what testing is available. Do at least a minimum coliform bacteria test. I would be worried about heavy metals and parasites Giardia and Cryptosporidium. The Berkey will get most of it but you don’t want sick animals and taking showers in bug infested water can cause Meningitis. Armadillos carry Leprosy. If it gets into the storage tanks you are screwed. Use Bleach. If you are paranoid about it. 24 hours in a small container with an open top and it will vaporize away. Scrub the roof walking away. Scrub the tanks. Plug the piping and let it stand for 24 hours. Drain, rinse, repeat every year.
Great work folks! Really enjoying your articles/progress – very inspiring. We have Rain Harvest in the city for our home. We can go 8 months with no conservation – so in an emergency we could be OK all-year with conservation. Its pumped from tanks thru dual ‘big-blue’ (20 inch) filters for full flow for whole house. 1st one is 20micron then 5micron then Class A UV … and its perfectly safe to drink right out of the tap. The 5 micron is needed to make sure particles + bacteria is <5micron so the UV can kill everything appropriately. Agree 100% that you can just use Berkey for drink/cook if you don't do UV. We change filters about every 5-6months (13,000gal) and the UV lasts about 2 years. You can tell when it's time to change filters because the flow will slow - e.g. no mystery or worry. The 20" filters allow 100% full-flow just as if it were city water - including garden hose etc. We run between 40-60PSI on the pump/pressure tank. All works just as if it were city water. We also do a bit of chlorine in the tanks if the water is going to sit for several months. Very cool to do rain harvest!!
Will you eventually be producing enough from your garden and animals that you no longer need to go to the supermarket (except for the occasional item)? If so, do you have enough rainfall tank space to collect a year’s worth (at least) of water for everything? How much water would you need to collect for two years worth of living & food production? What’s the average annual rainfall in your area?
I’m perusal this article because I just got lab results from my Berkey water filter. They said that its not fit for human consumption because it contained the bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa. I asked Berkey if there filters were not designed to filter bacterias. They only said, “If using untreated (non-potable) water or suspect microorganisms in your water, pretreat it according to the Centers for Disease Control.” So, I guess that means, no. Have you ever tested your water?
Placing a listening device in my unit hasn’t done anything besides droven you crazy. Yes I want all of my resources to come from God and? It’s a shame I can’t cry out to the Lord in peace. Violating my personal request from God as a form of harassment is so low on many levels. You’re constantly listening to us and then you try to use it as a pillar to upset. Invading my prayers is wrong. Whatever I talk about with God is between me and him. Stop making fun of my prayers to God. Your prayers and my prayers are totally different. God loves hearing from us. Go to God about me. Stop coming for me. I’m going to go to God about it. It’s just as simple as that. No matter what the problem is or whomever it may be. God is my rock my sword and my shield and he has never let me down. I will no longer continue to allow man to mess up my peaceful life and mine also my Day. Yes Lord please bless me with land so I can live off grid away from the secular world of luciferian. Enjoy this beautiful day with your Children. They grow up so fast. Enjoy it while it lasts. Children are a blessing focus on being all that you can for your family.
Jim, Unless your 2200 sq ft of metal roofing is painted with a special nontoxic paint, you are slowly poisoning you and your wife. That is because the paint used on metal roofing, depending on color, sloughs off dangerous metals that are toxic and cancer causing. We live in Alaska and harvest rainwater for our household. We have researched this issue extensively. As it turns out asphalt shingles are actually less dangerous and metal roofing. I know you probably think this is crazy but it is true. Now the question is, how many years of exposure to heavy metals from the paint on the metal roof does it take to make you sick? I have been unable to find a suitable answer that question but
sorry to ask can you show inside the Berkey how much the filter inside cost ? i never knew Jess was alot taller then you hahaha Jim is short hahah joke ok i like the way you sprayed painted the pipes to the tanks look good is that to stop the plastic pvc breaking down over the years or just to look good thanks you guy’s rock hahah
But, with all the other surrounding toxicity that our bodies endure, it is probably not good to have one additional Factor like paint poisoning added to the mix. To ensure our safety from collecting our water from an asphalt roof we have a professional distiller that removes just about everything. However this takes a lot of power and is not practical for you where you live off grid. I’m not sure that
Why did you guys choose the desert instead of an area that has water and trees? i know you have said that your area does not require permits or have inspections, I get that, My state does not require inspections or permits out side city limits, August, average rain fall is 4.75” and we have a clay that is perfect for building your home.
hi Jim… u r doing great…. we are a group of 37 people perusal youtube websites similar to urs…. finaly we decided to stop perusal other websites and watch only urs…. we choose ur website to be the best of amongst the others…. u are very friendly, we are enjoying what we perusal and learning alot same time….
do you have to go inside the water tank to clean it once every few years? Here where I am in the tropics the owner of this property has a huge tank about a month ago the taste of water turned awful he told us it is time to scrub the inside. it turns out every 1 to 2 years he sent people to clean it. Methinks there must be something wrong is it not supposed to be maintenancs free?
Super rad set up for sure, I collect rainwater off are chicken barn roof just for the chickens, we have are own indoor horse arena with really big metal roof on it 20 x 300 long both sides, no gutter yet, if I could collect off are big roof, for are garden stuff, are farm house city water hate taste of city water yuk
I’m with you 100% on not using asphalt roofs. I wouldn’t build a rain roof with asphalt roofing and I wouldn’t drink the water, but I did come across a Canadian study that tested water collected off of asphalt roofs and the water didn’t have any of the volatiles from the asphalt. Meaning if someone already has an asphalt roof, they could use it for irrigation.
Amazing job! What about rain water mineralization? It seems to me that rain water after all filtration is similar to distilled water, that not so healthy drinking for a long time due to lack of minerals in it. Do you take additional minerals during the meal/salts? Or do you use a special inserts for that purpose in your drinking water filter?