AndyLyyc
Calgary
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Joined: 06/15/2008
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G'day folks,
Looking for a bit of a theoretical discussion here... We exclusively boondock, usually higher mountain terrain, near water. I'm about to add a external shower and water heater - just realized that's going to have a big impact on my potable water - which as it is, only lasts 3 days give or take...
If I wanted to purify lake/river water to refill the potable tank as needed - does a solution already exist? I found lots of backpacker type systems, lots of RO and carbon systems that really aren't appropriate for this scenario...
My first thought was a simple pressure rated pump, sediment filter on the inlet, carbon, then UV filter would keep 99% of the nasties out... Then just a run of hose up to the tank fill (would likely have to keep it short - 50'?).
Am I over simplifying or could it be that simple?
Andy
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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Joined: 08/19/2003
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Hi,
If you have a generator, then there are a lot of solutions. With only 12 volt battery power, there are still several things that you can do - it is just slightly slower.
You can buy a 12 volt pump and run a 10' or so suction line into a creek or lake. I would use a float, so that you get water near the surface, but not next to the edge of the creek or lake. Then you can run the discharge line as far as you want - up to the length of the wiring that is powering the pump. A portable power pack, like used to jump start your engine can power the pump over 100' from the RV.
For a water filter, I use a EverPure water filter that is rated to keep out the crud - so if the water looks clear, running it through this filter should reduce the crud going through the filter to smaller size than the garderia(SP?)
You might want to use a 5 micro pre-filter to eleminate the larger crud from the lake water, then use the everpure filter to get out the rest of the crud.
I bought the Everpure filter at CampingWorld.com
I have heard of UV water filters, but they also require a fair amount of power, so back to the generator again.
I prefer to take along a few extra 5 gallon water tanks, and then fill them when I am out sightseeing.
By the way, a 12 volt water pump will use about 8 amps in one hour, in the process will pump about 2 GPM or 120 gallons, so the pump power is not very significant.
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greenrvgreen
open road
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Andy--
Stick with the backpacking filter idea, generally you'll find more effective filters than typically used for household or RV's. If you're going to draw from random lakes and ponds (particularly stagnant sources), you need to assume that all your source water is contaminated.
MSR (Mountain Safety Research) makes (or used to make) a fairly large gravity-fed filter for expedition use. It was several hundred dollars back in the day, if they still make it I imagine it's quite costly. But when I was thinking of doing the same thing as you, it was this device that came to mind.
As said previously, a cheap water pump will be plenty good for this, the filtration will be the bottleneck in the process. I think maybe a 5-gallon cistern above the filter, and then an exit hose to your storage would do the trick.
Me, I would chlorinate the living heck out of any such water, even after the processing. And IMO, 5-microns is plenty good for double-checking clean water, but isn't good enough for cleaning dirty water. The MSR filter, I believe, is 2-microns (or ".2", whatever the scale is). And be aware, all those figures are "averages".
Although I regularly used to drink filtered water from alpine lakes when backpacking, and once even drank straight from a stream in Mexico because the bartender at Mike's Sky Rancho said the water was clean, I cannot imagine drinking water from a pond where kids are swimming, no matter how much it had been treated. This is why I shelved the whole idea of a filter.
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campalaska
Alaska
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i use this http://www.katadyn.us/brands-products/katadyn/katadyn-filters-and-purifiers/backcountry-series/katadyn-base-camp.html sorry, links arnt working for me, cost about 60 bucks and works great.i hook it to my ladder and it drains into a 7 gal jug.
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jay2003
San Joaquin Valley, California
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Check REI online. They have a number of filters that aren't necessairly just for backpacking. There are some larger capacity filters that would work fine. Once your fresh water tank was empty you could fill it with water that could be used to wash with but not necessairly drink. You could then use one of the larger capacity filters to make your drinking water.
One thing to consider if you're going to filter every drop of water that goes into the fresh water tank is that you're "wasting" the life of the filter itself as some of that water will end up going down the toilet and some down the sink and shower. Why purify it down to drinkable just to flush it? Replacment filters are expensive for that high of a quality of filter.
Try this filter from REI
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AndyLyyc
Calgary
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Dunno about wasting... We dont use the potable water for drinking - however that doesn't necessarily mean I'm willing to introduce parasites to it either... I'd rather be sure its clean (and chlorinated) than have to head out early because it made one of us sick...
We're generally up high in the mountains, that usually keeps away the majority of the polution (ie beaver fever & the fun of kids swimming in stagnant bodies of water). If it wasn't for a 5yr old, I'd just add iodine & chlorine and call it good... 
UV is easy plan is to use typical aquarium (my other hobby) UV sterilizers - happen to have one of these http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3614&catID=51 kicking around unused. Which we know pretty much kills anything living that passes through it (yes there's a contact time issue however that can be adjusted by properly sizing the pump).
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chainegang
connecticut
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AndyLyyc...Being a backpacker and a boondoocker, the concern you've expressed about "nasties' in shower water I think is an issue you have placed too higher a concern. Higher mountain terrain with the landscape you described as being near water most likely as had humans frolic in the water and not be adversly effected. To me that would be no different than using that same water source for showering so long as it is not drunk. Even when showering, one may get water in the mouth via wet lips, but it is unusual to swallow any get amounts if any at all. Using mountain stream water and pumping that water thru a sediment filter so as not to clog the pump or introduce particles that would clog the shower head should be sufficient. If you insist of eliminating bacteria with devices such as what you and others have suggested, then be prepared for substantial replacment costs of the filters. Bacteria removing filters will also remove small particles that WILL get past the sediment filter. Again... I think cleaning up water to the extent your wanting to debate about is overkill when the end product is to shower up.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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If you got to a backpacker store such as REI or Gander Mountain
You will see a lot of fliters, Read the warnings on the boxes.
There is nothing I can add to what they say
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
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