Guide to Making a Home Made Water Purifier

Ever wondered how you could make your own water purifier? It is risky business to do so because it is not possible to tell whether water is safe to drink just by looking at it.
Simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filter are not sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. Even natural spring water - considered safe for all practical purposes in the 1800s - must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is needed. Chemical analysis, while expensive, is the only way to obtain the information necessary for deciding on method of purification.

To use a home made water purifier you will need to first determine what contaminants you will need to remove from the water, and then choose the proper method to achieve the result you seek.
If you desire a source of clean water at home over the long-term, you will get much better results from many of the products offered commercially; especially where extensive research and cutting edge technology has been developed to achieve the most effective reduction of contaminants. No home made water purifier will come close to removing the number and types of contaminants handled by most commercial water purification systems. Your safety and health can depend on getting the water right.
Water purification technologies includes, but are not limited to: ultraviolet light, filtration, water softening, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, deionization and powdered activated carbon treatment. All of these methods can be found in a wide range of products for the home at relatively reasonable prices.

In a pinch, you can achieve a home made water purifier. The following water purification methods are taken from the Outdoor Action Guide to Water Purification, part of The Backpacker's Field Manual by Rick Curtis.
Biologically Contaminated vs. Toxic Water
Biologically contaminated water is water that contains microorganisms such as Giardia (a common microorganism that, if not killed, leads to intestinal disorders), bacteria, or viruses that can lead to infections (see Gastrointestinal Infections, page 316). Toxic water sources, on the other hand, contain chemical contamination from pesticide runoffs, mine tailings, and so on. A home made water purifier that involves boiling, filtering, or chemically treating water can remove or kill microorganisms, but it will not remove chemical toxins.
Boiling
Boiling is the most certain way of killing all microorganisms. According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes. So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C) from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude. To be extra safe, let the water boil rapidly for one minute, especially at higher altitudes since water boils at a lower temperature (see page 68.)

Chemical Purification
There are two types of chemical treatment: those using iodine and those using chlorine. There are a variety of products on the market, so follow the directions on the bottle. Be advised that many of the tablets have an expiration date and become ineffective after that point. Also, once the bottle has been opened, the tablets must be used within a certain period. When in doubt, buy a new bottle. Remember that chemical purification methods may only be partially effective, depending on the water temperature.

Iodine has been shown to be more effect than chlorine-based treatments in inactivating Giardia cysts. Be aware that some people are allergic to iodine and cannot use it as a form of water purification.
Chlorine Treatment
Chlorine can be used for persons with iodine allergies or restrictions. Remember that water temperature, sediment level, and contact time are all elements in killing microorganisms in the water. Chlorine is also a toxic substance and if not used properly or used over time can be very harmful. Home made water purification over the long-term is not a healthy or effective way to assure clean drinking water.
Filtration
There are a number of devices on the market that filter out microorganisms. A water filter pumps water through a microscopic filter that is rated for a certain-size organism. The standard size rating is the micron (the period at the end of this sentence is about 600 microns). Depending on the micron rating of the filter, smaller organisms (like viruses) can pass through.
Be cautious when selecting a filter. You should know what potential organisms you need to treat for. You don't want to go to an area where a virus like hepatitis A is present in the water (a problem in some developing countries) with a filter that will handle only a larger organism like Giardia.
If what I have told you makes it seem like a home made water purifier is more risky and more trouble than it's worth, then maybe it's time to consider a simple, easy to use, affordable commercial home water purifier. I personally recommend the Aquasana brand for it's portability (if you move, just unplug it and move it to your next house), its affordable cost and its effectiveness in removing all sorts of contaminants.

Jayne Bell is the editor of http://www.HowMuchWaterShouldYouDrink.com - She is fascinated by the many ways in which water is critical to good health and has researched extensively the subject of pure water, home water purifiers, and the health benefits of water. The receive a mini-course on the Top Five Water Cures go to http://www.howmuchwatershouldyoudrink.com

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Water Purifier for Boating Safety

Of course you want to be safe on your boat, so you've got rope, life vests, emergency flares, a GPS. But did you think about a water purifier? Humans get dehydrated in a matter of hours. Dehydration can cause weakness, dizziness and disorientation. In a boating emergency these symptoms can be dangerous. Of course, severe dehydration can be life threatening by itself. A person will die in three days, on average, without water.
If you are planning a long boat voyage, you may want a water purifier so that you don't have to carry as much drinkable water. This is especially true if you are traveling with a large party.
If you are boating in fresh water, the water most probably contains the pathogens Giardia and Cryptosporidium, which can cause severe gastro-intestinal illness. If you are an ocean boater, sea water must have the salt removed before it is safe to drink.
Purifying Fresh Water
Water purifiers for fresh water can be found in camping stores, sporting goods shops, and boating supply stores. They are lightweight and relatively inexpensive.

A portable, pump filtration system will remove bacteria from your drinking water. There are pump filters that can be used for fresh, brackish, or salt water. Most water filters use a ceramic or polymer filter, along with a charcoal filter and sometimes a reverse osmosis filter, to remove the microscopic bacteria from water. These systems can be pricey, and it is worthwhile to get the most expensive one you can afford, because it is likely to work better and have more features.
Boiling is the best method of cleaning your drinking water. Boiling will kill all the pathogens in water, provided you boil the water at 212 degrees F for at least thirty minutes. The downside of boiling water is that many pleasure boats don't have a heat source or the large kettle necessary for this purification technique.

The old standby for making emergency drinking water is water purification tablets. These are usually iodine tablets, which can leave the water with a funny taste. But they are cheap and lightweight. There are improvements to the standard tablet which can improve the flavor. There are also chlorine tablets. Water purifying tablets usually take half an hour to four hours to kill the bacteria, but no special equipment is needed.

A new, high-tech solution for water purification is an ultra violet (UV) penlight. This battery operated gizmo uses UV light to kill microbes in about two minutes per liter. Patents are pending, but the UV penlight is getting good reviews. It is expensive, but cheaper than a filter system, and take into consideration that the batteries must be recharged periodically.
Salt Water Desalination

Salt water is not drinkable, and if you try drinking sea water in an emergency you will get very sick. Desalination means taking the salt out and leaving just the water, which you can drink. A portable desalination system is quite expensive, with the smaller units costing more. There are small desalination plants that can be installed on your boat if it is large enough.
A reverse osmosis pump is the best choice for emergency salt water purification. The water must be forced through the filter, which requires you to provide some force for pumping. There are battery operated units and hand operated units. The hand pumped reverse osmosis filters require about an hour of pumping to provide a gallon of drinkable water, but they are lighter weight and no consideration needs to be given to batteries or electrical sources.

If you have a way to boil water, you can buy or make a desalinating still. Fill a kettle that has a tight lid with sea water. Connect a coiled copper tube to the lid, and boil the seawater. The steam (condensation) will drip out of the copper tube as clean water to be collected in another container.
You should add one of these methods of water purification to your emergency gear for any boating trip. Water purifiers are light and affordable. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Steve Dolan is an avid outdoorsman and has owned several boats. Share his insights at Boats and Boating Supplies and check out more about boats at Luxury Boats and Yachts.

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Counter Top Water Purifier

Many people today seek or have improved at-home drinking water since what comes to their taps is water that is mildly treated and still contains many impurities. Today we have a wide variety of popular consumer water filter purifiers; one type that is predominant is the counter top water purifier.
A water purifier is used to remove chemical, toxins, sediment and other organic and inorganic compounds at a more refined level than is done by water treatment provided by regulatory authorities in locations where we live. The refined level of removal of impurities is done by filtration. The particular filter or filters in use with a water purifier indicate what its capabilities are in terms of the size of particles the filter will trap and not allow passage to your tap. There can be one or more filters in use. Often the filters are part of a cartridge unit which is changed at the time the filters stop working.
A counter top water purifier is more than just a water filter as purification relates to the removal of more impurities than simply filtration. Filtration refers to the removal of matter to a particular level or capability of the filter. Purification relates to processes that are included to remove or render harmless small particles such as viral microorganisms as the filter in itself cannot be made to collect microorganisms in and of themselves.

A counter top water purifier is a minimally invasive unit that is most often mounted at the kitchen faucet by instruction with the unit's packaging. The installation is quite simple and should not require tools. The unit should come with installation instructions and an assortment of o-rings of which the one you need for your faucet spout should be included. If it is not included, contact the manufacturer to send the size you need.
In general water purifier units will save you more money than buying bottled water plus you are helping the environment by not adding to the plastics that need to be recycled from disposed plastic water bottles. You can even buy replacement filters on sale in bulk to save even more money.

For more information you need to visit this site countertop water filter or also you can get great deals on Water Filtration Systems and Drinking water filter from our website. You can also know more about water filtration systems, best water filtration system, and regarding water purifiers.

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Know the Best Water Purification Process

Once upon a time, the water available in nature was pure - free from all sorts of contaminants and rich in all essential minerals. But nowadays, due to a rise in pollution, natural water has become a rarity. The utmost need today is to use an efficient water purification process to get back the same purity and taste as that of the natural water.
The water which is supplied to our homes is full of pollutants like pesticides, chlorine, bacteria, cysts etc. Drinking such contaminated water is just not right. This can lead to various ailments.
Understanding this, we know the need of the hour is to have a good and efficient water purifier system which can remove these contaminants and purify the water. Broadly speaking, there are three types of water purification process used in the commonly available water purifiers:-
(i) Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis water filters work by forcing a huge amount of water to pass through a fine semi-permeable porous membrane. The water molecules being smaller than the size of these pores, rush through this membrane leaving behind the contaminants which are larger in size.

They are efficient in producing clean and pollutant-free water but the basic problem with these filters is that they remove everything from the water- even the essential minerals found in the natural water. These minerals are magnesium which helps in strengthening the immune system; calcium which helps in increasing the strength of teeth and bones etc.
Consuming water which is lacking in these minerals can cause digestive problems and later result into mineral deficiencies as well. Removing these minerals from drinking water and then taking supplements for them is not a logical solution.
(ii) Mineral Revitalization
The water filters based on mineral revitalization are actually one step addition to the water purification process used in reverse osmosis. These filters have an extra unit attached to a RO based water filter and are primarily designed to take care of the problem of RO based water filters.
First the RO filter strips out everything from the water (the contaminants and minerals), and then the extra unit used in these filters, artificially adds the minerals back into the water.

This helps in retaining the natural taste and odor of the water. But don't you think, it is a little illogical to pay additional costs for these filters just to get back something which you already have. If minerals are required in the water, why remove them in the first place?
(iii) Ion exchange and carbon filtration
These water purifiers are generally equipped with two filters and have two stages processing of the water. First stage uses ion exchange technique to remove chlorine from the water. It also enhances the pH balance in the water.
The second filtration stage uses carbon filtration technique to remove all chemical and synthetic contaminants. It also removes all by-products of chlorine like Trihalomethanes (THMs), Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC's) which are toxic vapors and have adverse effects even if inhaled or absorbed in the skin.
These multi stage water filters are the best water purification process which removes all type of organic and synthetic impurities from the water while retaining the essential minerals at the same time.
Before buying a water filter, select the water purification process which is best for you. Whatever filter you select, make a choice today and ensure clean and pure drinking water.

Visit my website today to discover more details you need to know when it comes to choosing water purifiers for your home.
Daniel Woods is a dedicated advocate and researcher of the benefits of safe, clean, healthy filtered water. He shares his research on his website - Water Purifier Home. If you want to know how to choose a water purifier, visit - http://www.waterpurifierhome.com and learn about the products our editors personally use and recommend.

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Kent Water Purifier Article

Water purifiers have now become a mandatory home appliance. With the pollution surrounding us, life supporting elements like air and water have been contaminated. The deadly maladies spreading through water have become a matter of concern. Each year around a million people fall sick due to contaminated water and many die. Drinking clean and pure water should be made a habit and Kent has been in this purification service for over a decade. Set up in Noida in 1995, Kent's innovations in water purification have been renowned world over by claiming the 'Best Domestic Purifier' award by UNESCO in 2006-2007 & 2007-2008 and 'Water Digest International' and 'The Golden Peacock' Award for the best Eco-Innovation, both for 2007.
 Kent has introduced the revolutionary Mineral RO technology which can even eliminate the dissolved impurities in the water while preserving the essential minerals in the water. It offers dual purification form bacteria and viruses. This purifier works well with water from all sources like from bore-wells, overhead storage tanks, municipal tanks etc. Even in the traditional UV (Ultra-Violet) purification system Kent has emerged as a winner with its Ultra UV technology. It has a multiple filtration system of Sediment and Nano filters which help in eradicating bacteria almost completely.
These innovative technologies have boasted the sales and the reputation of the company to a great extent. Offering quality products and good after sale services has made Kent a respectable brand. Their endorsements have also gained immense popularity starring the dream girl Hema Malini and her both daughters. Further Kent's pioneering Smart UF technology uses new hollow fiber casing to totally purify the municipality water. It operates without electricity, so now even power cuts won't be an issue in purify water. It has a storage capacity of about 8 liters to store the purified water and thus is a step ahead than any other available water purifier. Kent water purifiers remove the impurity, the seeming bad odor and make it safe for consumption. Kent water purifiers are low on maintenance and are a one time reasonable investment to a healthy and pure source of drinking water.

Monty Alexander is a well known writer and has written hundreds of articles on different topics including future bazaar and home shopping.

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