(tap water) filter

[JPKeenan]

Anyone have any experience making a home-made filter for tap water?

The cheap on faucet ones seem like they go bad after 25-100 gallons. The more expensive ones hooking into the water lines are better but not willing to shell out the money at the moment.

I was thinking of maybe trying to rig something up with PVC, a water filter or pool filter, and some hose.

I have been floating a plan in my head but wanted input from other folks who might have tried this before me.

 

[partypalooza5]

Tagging along.

 

[JPKeenan]

hehehe, glad to have you. I should draw something up in this CAD program and see what the girl I know at work has to say. She knows a lot more about chemistry and all that than I do.

This weekend I will get some dimensions on the filters I am thinking of and have a better idea. Whole project might be under $50.

 

[partypalooza5]

I wish I had time to learn CAD lol.

I know I've seen DIY tap water filters somewhere, I know it's been done.

My idea was to make a sediment filter, then a carbon block filter, then a third filter compartment full of ammonia absorbing media,phosban, and whatever other chemical media i can think of. lol I don;t know if that would work.

 

[JPKeenan]

same here, a 2 or 3 compartment deal.

I was thinking of having a smaller PVC pipe (drilled) filled with activated carbon inside the pool/water filter, which is inside a PVC pipe. Hose connect the second canister to the first but have PFS or something else in it. I guess the Sand one might come first.

I am way to tired to think about it now... But looks like we are thinking along the same lines.

 

[mgamer20o0]

depends on what your water company uses. if they use chlorine you can just use a carbon filter to do water changes. if you have chloramine in your water you have to use a chemical way to treat the water.

really if you dont want to spend a lot of money got a bottle of prime and a hose. its really not that hard.

 

[krap101]

Well, You can get a reverse osmosis filter for under 100$ (last time I checked) and can even drink from it (dum de dum).

Another idea is get a couple of these

10" Canister Water Filter - eBay (item 260446751014 end time Sep-12-09 14:18:50 PDT)

Hook them up, put some media inside, etc.

Someone made a canister filter out of these, and it could help you

DIY Canister Filter

 

[JPKeenan]

I don't know, just not wanting a python directly attaching directly to the sink but something better than hauling treated buckets back and forth from the bath tub to the tanks.

 

[AdamHorton]

I installed a filter on my kitchen sink, the brand is Filtrete, and it goes underneath the sink and filters all of the cold water that comes out of the sink. Works very well and cost me under $50 with replacement filters costing maybe $20/year max. I had to get a little creative with the plumbing in order to get it to work right, but it does work.

 

[JPKeenan]

Part of what is going on for me is I live in an apartment.... not sure I wanna mess with the plumbing *lol*. If it is carpentry I know what I am doing. Electrical or plumbing I leave to other folks.

I am not sure now which way to go. I have some water cleaner (de-chlor), but still a pain in the butt with hauling buckets back and forth to the living room with my cat under my feet.

If I can make/rig something up so I can have something liek a garden hose attachmentment and go directly to teh tank I figure it will save me time and money (filling the buckets up I maybe will waste a few gallons of water per tank fill up).

Just a hose from sink to tank I would worry about the chlorine (which is what the county water system uses) and the fish. Or would teh fish be safe enough if I add the Stress Coat to the reduced tank before adding in the new tap water?

*lol* I am just at the point where I am knowing enough to be dangerous. I've gone from newbie to potentially dangerous.

 

[partypalooza5]

Part of what is going on for me is I live in an apartment.... not sure I wanna mess with the plumbing *lol*. If it is carpentry I know what I am doing. Electrical or plumbing I leave to other folks.

I am not sure now which way to go. I have some water cleaner (de-chlor), but still a pain in the butt with hauling buckets back and forth to the living room with my cat under my feet.

If I can make/rig something up so I can have something liek a garden hose attachmentment and go directly to teh tank I figure it will save me time and money (filling the buckets up I maybe will waste a few gallons of water per tank fill up).

Just a hose from sink to tank I would worry about the chlorine (which is what the county water system uses) and the fish. Or would teh fish be safe enough if I add the Stress Coat to the reduced tank before adding in the new tap water?

*lol* I am just at the point where I am knowing enough to be dangerous. I've gone from newbie to potentially dangerous.

Just a thought.. Why don't you get a large trasn can (plastic rubbermaid kind) and fill it with water at the sink, add dechlor and stuff, and get a pump and pump the water from the trash can to the tank? Kinda like for SW mixing but it's just for dechlor and stuff.

 

[JPKeenan]

I could just see my cat having a field day with that. It is a good idea if I had a bit of extra room (hopefully can get a loan for this condo).

Mostly just looking at a way to make the tank drain/fills easier.

 

[mfdrookie516]

why dont you get an inline filter, run a python from the sink throught the filter in to the tank?

 

[JPKeenan]

I might be able to rig something like that up, sort of like the original plan.

Figure some PVC pipe to hold a water filter, a tube inside (drilled) with some activated carbon, hole on the other end with a hose to to to the tank.


Hopefully adding some Stress Coast will de-chlor any remaining chlorine in the water going to the tank (I hope).

 

[janjakk]

I might be able to rig something like that up, sort of like the original plan.

Figure some PVC pipe to hold a water filter, a tube inside (drilled) with some activated carbon, hole on the other end with a hose to to to the tank.


Hopefully adding some Stress Coast will de-chlor any remaining chlorine in the water going to the tank (I hope).

same procedure we made from our PVC pipe, thanks for the help here


_________________
Refrigerator water filter

 

[BillD]

It is pretty hard to build a tap water filter for less than you can buy one. I bought 4 GE cannister filters for $5 each and carbon filters are 2 for $18.

 

[JPKeenan]

after looking at the prices it is about the same or more to build one from scratch .

What shocked me is how short most of the filter lifes are for the on the faucet kind of filters.