Water Filtration

Survival Messenger appeared on Tim Ridley's Road Dog Trucking show this week to discuss emergency water filtration.

There are so many off-grid water filtration devices on the market--too many to cover in one show. All Tim and I could do was to touch on some well-known favorites: The British Berkefeld (Berkey) systems, AquaRain, Katadyn and Lifesaver.

I use (and love) the AquaRain gravity filter for daily processing of our home's tap water. This removes the chlorine taste and does not tax the filter elements at all.

For on-the-road emergencies, I keep some #4 Melitta coffee filters and a Sport Berkey in my road bag. The coffee filters can be used to strain the larger undesirables from "mud puddle" water. This pre-filtering helps preserve the life of the Sport Berkey's filter element which makes the yucky water truly potable. Additionally, I consider water purification tablets to be a must-have for travel, but I would use these as a last resort.

I'm really getting into DIY water filtration, thanks to cheaperthandirt.com. Here one can purchase an inexpensive filter element, combine it with two food-grade plastic buckets and a dispenser spigot, and voila'. Check out the video.

LMR