Water purifying

[JRhetts]

After finishing my previous post, I realized I have some pics of an actual vehicle wash [atop Keno Hill, YT, in the rain]:


1 My vehicle



2 My water source



3. My equipment



4 The finished product

 

[Jeff Wanamog]

I think this thread should be moved to a more general area. We all should have this knowledge concerning the filtering of questionable water for consumption.
The amount of info is amazing, but I don't think this is where someone would just happen to be looking.
Just my .02.
Jeff

 

[grizzlyj]

http://generalecology.com/pdf/pr/SGIVpds.pdf

I have no idea what the General Ecology Seagull IV doesn't touch that you might encounter, but its removal list seems impressive :Wow1:

 

[SkiFreak]

John,
Can you tell us which brand/model pump you use for your wash down setup?

 

[JRhetts]

John,
Can you tell us which brand/model pump you use for your wash down setup?

SkiFreak
I believe I did under #3: a Jabsco 32605-0092 unit that delivers 4GPM at 60PSI. I toyed with an 80 psi pump, but its amperage demand would have required an 8GA electric cord, which is way too heavy, bulky and expensive. I also found that the brush on an adjustable wand does a better job even than my 3200psi pressure washer at home — friction is better and faster than spraying forever trying to get the last residue off.
John

 

[charlieaarons]

My water treatment system:
1) 7 chlorine dioxide tablets per 220L tank (made by Accepta in the UK). 1 tablet in 30L gives 4ppm ClO2, the recommended amount.
http://www.accepta.com/water_treatment_chemicals/chlorine-dioxide-tablets.asp
2) A Pre-Mac IWP filtration system (used by the UK military) with 3 elements
http://www.pre-mac.com/GWP_IWP.HTM
a) Fleece filter that gets sediment and protozoa down to about 3 microns
b) Iodine secreting element which releases a high concentration of iodine to almost instantly kill viruses and bacteria
c) Activated charcoal element to absorb iodine, residual ClO2, and organic chemical compounds.

I only use the ClO2 tablets if the water source is questionable or if want to "zap" the tanks.

Charlie

 

[SkiFreak]

Oops... missed that.
Thanks for the elaboration on how you made your choice.

 

[westyss]

Thought I'd share the system I developed for our FUSO-FM-260 based rig. We have two interconnected potable water tanks totaling 105 gallons with a single fill. Because I have lived on private wells for the last 40 years, I find my body accommodates well to "reasonable" amounts of all sorts of bugs in my water. So I feel comfortable filling from just about any sort of source that at lest some other people are actively using. [Prolonged trips in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and all over North America and Europe have only produced one diarrhea attack in all that time, which Cipro promptly squelched.]

My fixed plumbing inside the rig includes a pair of water filters in line with the cold water tap at the galley sink. This is where I get all my drinking water. The hot water tap at the galley and both taps at the internal and external showers are unfiltered. The first sequential filter is a standard 10" cartridge filter, in which I use a relatively high-flow carbon/particulate filter to remove chlorine and other unpleasant tastes and odors. The second sequential filter is a Seagull-IV. This is a microbiological purifier which traps bacteria, cysts and viruses, along with removing chemical and aesthetic contaminants including herbicides, pesticides, chlorine and foul tastes, odors and colors. It is rated at 0.1 micron [0.4 micron absolute.] I have used this filter on sailboats as well as my vehicle for many years and have been very pleased. I know that twice we inadvertently filled with contaminated water that was improperly labeled, and suffered no ill effects while others who drank it without benefit of our filtration became ill.

Over the past 8 years I rarely have added chlorine to the drinking water I have been able to find, though I do de-bug my tanks and plumbing if I have not been using the rig actively for a couple of months or more. Based on research I did, and a seemingly excellent article in Overland Journal a number of years ago, I use the following table to dose my tanks when I do it [probably way less chlorine than you may be accustomed to using, but this is what math and science say is needed to neutralized the organic load and not leave a whole lot of 'free' chlorine ions floating around for your body to ingest]:

View attachment 117638

However, sometimes I have needed to get water from a source I could not verify as being used [i.e., pre-tested] by other people. For example, this summer on a 3-month trip to the Yukon, including the North Canol Road, I had to fill several times from streams and lakes that I was sure could be fully contaminated with at the very least Giardia Lamblia. [Having had this once 40 yrs ago I absolutely did not want it again.] So I carry with me a pair of Doulton filters and an external 12v pump [the pump doubling as a wash pump to get inches of mud off the rig so that entry, exit, and view out the windows is not so messy] that I use in this type of situation to pre-filter the water going into my tanks. The first stage is a particulate/sediment filter, and the second stage is a Rio-2000 unit that gets just about anything that could be bothersome [pathogenic bacteria (E-coli, Cholera, Typhoid, Salmonella, Shigella, Klebsiella Terrigena), Cysts (Cryptosporidium, Giardia, etc.).] These are both high flow and field cleanable filters. Since I have a screen filter on the inlet to my pump, I have yet to see any discernible build up on either Doulton filter after several hundred gallons pumped from flowing streams and still lake waters. [i think I could if really necessary almost pump water out of a ditch, as long as no dead animal was floating in it.]

Here are a couple of pics of my equipment. The first is of the internal filter set up.

View attachment 117639

The [open] locker door is located just behind the truck cab at the drivers-side front of the house. The height of the locker door is roughly chest high for me, so I have very easy visual and manual access to everything. The space itself is under and beside the galley area, just beneath and behind some drawers and our stove/oven.

1. is the 10" cartridge filter
2. is the Seagull-IV contaminant filter
1&2 Filter all the water at the cold tap at the galley sink; this allows all drinking, tooth brushing and cooking water to be filtered, but does not (unnecessarily) exhaust filter capacity on showers or washing boots, bodies and motorcycles with the external shower
3. is the pressure tank to prevent 'hammering' in the plumbing lines while pumping
4. is the external shower [no filtered water]
5. is the hot water tank
6. is the Esbar hydronic furnace for hot water and house heat when stationary [heat for both can be produced by the Fuso engine while traveling].
Directly above 6. is the cab-to-house pass-through.

As for the external filters and pump, picture 2 shows:

View attachment 117640

1. the Anderson plug that delivers 12v from the truck batteries via a mate attached behind the front bumper to a female standard 3-way plug; this makes maintaining proper polarity literally foolproof
2. an ordinary extension cord, here 50' so the truck can be at some distance from the pump if the terrain dictates that; the pump delivers "pushed" water better than "sucked" water; any 12GA extension cord up to 50' can be used
3. male plug, waterproof switch and pressure-limited pump with screen pre-filter on inlet side; I chose a Jabsco 32605-0092 unit that delivers 4GPM at 60PSI; my filters can't pass more than that flow, and while a few more PSI might make washing more effective, it would require a much heavier gauge electric cord at any length
4. garden hose makes all connections to and from the pumps and filters; I use thin-wall RV hose for its potable water rating and easier coil-ability than 5/8" or 3/4" hose
5. Doulton sediment filter, connected to
6. Doulton Rio 2000 contaminant filter
7. wash wand which can be connected instead of filter; right angle helps get undercarriage and inside of wheels where largest amounts of mud accumulate; I also carry a brush head on an adjustable wand through which water flows to the brush head; this allows me to really clean widows and around doors so that they we don't constantly pick up mud as we do daily business; I think this brush does a better job of removing the residual film of dirt/mud than having more pressure

Items 1—4 easily fit in a plastic box that rides behind the front seat, meaning it is easy to access and deploy for washing after a muddy day [quite a few of those this summer in the Yukon]. The filters are stowed in my rear storage area; it takes little more than a minute to access them when needed.

Hope this offers some ideas you guys can use in doing your own.

John

Another great informational post here John, thanks for doing that! I have to say I think your rig is one of the best on expo and always enjoy seeing more of it. Your water system is darn near exactly what I am doing so it was good to get some positive reports on this system,
If you get a chance check out on my build thread for a pic that I believe was you travelling north just south of Quesnel BC. I gave you a wave and you waved back. It looked like your truck with the bike on the back but its a poor picture. Here's the page. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/48351-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/page27

 

[JRhetts]

Another great informational post here John, thanks for doing that! I have to say I think your rig is one of the best on expo and always enjoy seeing more of it. Your water system is darn near exactly what I am doing so it was good to get some positive reports on this system,
If you get a chance check out on my build thread for a pic that I believe was you travelling north just south of Quesnel BC. I gave you a wave and you waved back. It looked like your truck with the bike on the back but its a poor picture. Here's the page. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/48351-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/page27

Thank you very much for the nice compliment. I enjoy sharing my experience and what has worked well for us. I honestly would like to share more — our build and other details — but I find myself unwilling to take a lot of time away from adventuring to do the documentation that good posts require. Guess I'm selfish!

I looked as closely as I could at the pic you posted in your build thread. I was indeed at Quesnel and Horsefly Lakes on my way North, but that was about May 20-22, a bit earlier than you pic appears to be dated; and to my eye the rig in the picture appears different from mine. My truck is white as well as the house, while the truck in your pic looks gray, correct? I have a very big frontal area [truck and house have the aerodynamics of a brick] and I have four big round lights on a bar just below the windshield.

I would have very much liked to have waved to you, but I am not sure it in fact was me.

I like your build; keep up the good work.

John

 

[westyss]

Thank you very much for the nice compliment. I enjoy sharing my experience and what has worked well for us. I honestly would like to share more — our build and other details — but I find myself unwilling to take a lot of time away from adventuring to do the documentation that good posts require. Guess I'm selfish!

I looked as closely as I could at the pic you posted in your build thread. I was indeed at Quesnel and Horsefly Lakes on my way North, but that was about May 20-22, a bit earlier than you pic appears to be dated; and to my eye the rig in the picture appears different from mine. My truck is white as well as the house, while the truck in your pic looks gray, correct? I have a very big frontal area [truck and house have the aerodynamics of a brick] and I have four big round lights on a bar just below the windshield.

I would have very much liked to have waved to you, but I am not sure it in fact was me.

I like your build; keep up the good work.

John

Thanks John, May 21 was when we were on our way south from Quesnel, you have a distinct rig there so I instantly determined that it was you, especially after we passed and I saw the bike with the cover on it on the back rack that you previously reported on. I would be soooo surprised if there was another FM out there heading north in BC at that time. Along with that I talked to some friends that started telling me about a rig they saw in the Yukon, I showed them a pic of your rig and they said "thats the one", small world huh?
The picture that I posted was also digitally zoomed in so ended up being really bad quality.
Anyway, please post more info on that rig as I am sure many on here would like to see more of it, but dont let posting get in the way of travelling!

 

[dhackney]

Check out how Douglas Hackney put a purification system together www.hackneys.com/mitsu/ click on the left hand side project design docs and build up photos. You will see water systems overview. I figure this is the best system I have seen to date and I am going to copy it eventually. I am no expert though in water purification systems. By the way that is alot of water=heavy

Our system worked well for us while living full time in the truck for two years.

We used two tanks:

• Raw water, filtered and unsterilized - ~45 gallons / ~170 liters
• Drinking water, filtered and sterilized - 33 gallons / 125 liters

We used a gravity fill or lift pump to fill the raw water tank.

The raw water tank pump/filter system also has a raw water output spigot for truck washing, etc. purposes.

We filled the raw tank from wherever we could get fresh water.

At our convenience or when needed, we pumped the raw water through the micron filter and UV sterilization system and into the fresh water tank.

The system does require 12VDC and 120VAC (or 220VAC, depending on the UV model) power.

The water system overview PDF is here: http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/watersystem.pdf

The water system PDF provides an overview of some factors that anybody building a truck that needs to be able to use any source of fresh water will need to address, whether they are addressed in the way we did or not.

I must give an unsolicited and unpaid endorsement to the Pura UV filter array here. We never broke a UV tube or had any trouble at all with that unit, and believe me, we took it through some very, very tough conditions. Highly recommended.

 

[JRhetts]

Thanks John, May 21 was when we were on our way south from Quesnel, you have a distinct rig there so I instantly determined that it was you, especially after we passed and I saw the bike with the cover on it on the back rack that you previously reported on. I would be soooo surprised if there was another FM out there heading north in BC at that time. ...

I guess if you saw the bike and its cover, the probability is that indeed it was me. Glad I waved even if I don't remember!! Old age is gaining!!

John

 

[davidvilla]

G'day blokes and blokettes,

I need some advice on water purification and what may be best in terms of options.

Here goes:- picture this... 1000 litres of onboard water tanks, the possible need to take on water from a river / dam / creek etc or from a source of unknown quality, anywhere in the world.

I'm thinking the water would need to be filtered from source into tank then probably again from tank to tap.

Here is where you come in... what specs would I need to look at in terms of filters or is something like a reverse osmosis system needed. Remembering this is our only source of drinking water etc.

Your words of wisdom would help greatly.

The basic answer that large portions of these locales prescribe is to get a carbon water channel of some sort and a stainless steel compartment. In the event that you don't have a water purifier pitcher, fixture water channels, ledge water channels, or under counter water channel, make sure to take the time to get one of these. They are moderately economical and after some time will pay you back in better wellbeing, less outings to a specialist, and less requirement for solution. For individuals who need or need to channel bigger measures of water you can purchase under counter water channels or even an opposite osmosis water channel

 

[Alastair D(Aus)]

If you plan to spend significant time away from a source of potable water of known quality it is worth really thinking your system through. If you only tend to spend a few days in the wilds then just having a tanks that keep washing and drinking water separate is sufficient and probably better.

We have always tended to travel in remote areas and until recently have done so in Landcruiser size vehicles so space has been limited. We always have two 10L containers of good drinking stored away for emergency use only and will continue to do so.

Our system starts with a multi purpose plastic bucket that can be used to transfer water or as a settling source for a pump in a river or pond. A rock in the bottom etc as has been shown. We have a Shurflo pump mounted on a board with a long cable. Pumps work better pushing than sucking. You need at least 40psi as most filters build up a lot of back pressure when any amount of dirt is present. We have used a Best 10 micron filter for years. They are reversible so can be washed out and also have silver in them to inhibit growth during storage. The pump is also useful even if using a tap or tank when the pressure is low.

From the source we pass all water through the Best filter and then into the tanks. We have always had at least 2 tanks so we keep drinking water separate and top up the other tank for general use whenever we can. If the water is sourced from anywhere where there is a serious risk of contamination we treat it with hypochlorite based tablets. Other friends we have travelled with have used Milton but I don't like the residual taste - imagination or not. We now have a dual stage filter system with a 10 micron first stage cartridge and a carbon/resin final stage to remove the nasties, not tested in the field yet since someone has not finished the build yet.

We have found this approach works well for us and over 30 years we have not had an adverse event even when travelling in Central Asia and surrounds for 9 months. I have had more problems on business travel in supposed top flight hotels.

I like to use hoses with snap connectors as it allows easy problem solving or temporary changes in unusual situations. The 20m of hose and cable for the separate pump has been a boon in many difficult spots.

cheers

 

[DiploStrat]

If really dirty, pre filter with a rag, cloth, or similar.

Bleach in the tank to kill the krawlies.

Filter (charcoal or similar) at the tap to fix the taste.

Not hard.