I made my own home, drip, water filter

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Materials, Sources, Tools, Procedure, Test, Rationale

Materials
 US$
Two food-quality, five-gallon buckets with lids @ US$8
 16.00
Ceramic filter, spigot, gaskets and nuts (less shipping)
 15.00
Total US$31.00

Tools
Electric drill
Drill bits: 1/16, 5/8 and 3/4-inch
Sharp, sturdy knife

Procedure (less than 30 minutes)
  1. Procure buckets, ceramic filter, gaskets and nuts.
  2. Find or buy electric drill and bits.
  3. Drill 3/8" hole in centre of one lid.
  4. Drill 3/8" hole in centre bottom of one bucket.
  5. Drill 3/4" hole in side of other bucket, 1.5" from bottom.
  6. Drill 1/16 air hole in side of both buckets just below lid.
  7. Trim holes with a knife to remove burrs and to ensure roundness.
  8. Install spigot in 3/4" hole with a gasket both inside and outside,  tighten hexagonal nut inside, against gasket, finger tight.
  9. Install filter inside the bucket with a 5/8" hole at bottom with gaskets both inside and outside, finger tighten wing nut beneath.
  10. Put the lid with centre hole on the lower bucket with the spigot.
  11. Put the lid without centre hole on the upper bucket with the filter.
  12. Position the filter bucket atop the spigot bucket, such that the filter spout passes through the hole in the lid of the lower bucket.

Test (three or more hours)
  1. Pour about four gallons of clean or dirty water into the upper bucket.
  2. Pour a cap-full of food colouring into the water.
  3. Wait till the water has dripped through the filter into the lower  bucket. Dripping will not start till after some minutes, as the waterpermeates the filter shell and core.
  4. Watch for any water leaking out round the spigot.
  5. Verify that the water in the lower bucket has no colour.
  6. Dispose of this first bucket of water which may contain particles from the filter's manufacture and from your own work.

Rationale
  • City water may carry contaminants, chemicals and radioactivity.
  • Reverse-osmosis filtered water costs about 30 cents a gallon.
  • City water supply could be cut off or contaminated in an emergency.
  • Ceramic filters have proven highly effective and safe.
  • This 2-micron ceramic filter with charcoal core provides adequate protection against microbes, particles and some chemicals.
  • It was a fun project that gives a sense of security.
  • Plastic buckets do not dent when bumped or dropped.
  • Two or three filters installed in the upper bucket would provide faster filtering and a longer filter life.

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