In Africa, women who do not have a clean water supply have been taught to pour water from one pitcher into another, using several layers of cloths to strain out contaminants between. This home made water purifier has been effective at eliminating a lot of water-borne disease in this poor region of the world, but you must ask whether this technique is either effective or wise when applied to a Western water system. Most home made water filters are more complex and involved than this, of course, but they still lack the controls you’ll find on commercial water purifiers.

Home made water purifier instructions you’ll find online are complex. They are often simple filters, but they are often more complex systems such as distillation. Still, there are some serious problems with the do-it-yourself approach to water filtration. Improperly filtered water can be a health hazard. It is worth of praise and understandable that you wish to save money by making your own filters, but you should recognize that if you do, you may spend just as much money as you otherwise would while also putting yourself and your family at risk.

First, home made water purifiers generally don’t tell you when they can no longer remove contaminants. Most professional grade water purifiers have some system whereby they will tell you to change filters or clean the purifier. Except for distilled water, you should assume that your home made water filter will need to be replaced, so you have to determine what the maximum safe use time for it is yourself. If you don’t change the filter when it’s saturated with contaminants, the result could be worse than if you used no filter, as fresh water running through will dissolve some of the contaminants already in the filter and give you a double dose.

Even if you use a distillation system or something else that supposedly removes all the contaminants from your water, you are likely to have a problem. For one thing, distillation removes even good minerals like iron, copper, and calcium, but it does not always remove chlorine, as chlorine is naturally a gas and will evaporate - and condense - right along with the water. In addition, distilled water that is not subsequently aerated will taste flat and lifeless, and your distillation system may add its own contaminants to your newly-purified water. You really need to know what you’re doing.

If you are determined to make your own home made water purifier, make sure you get a kit that helps you do it properly. Any good distillation system will use a multiple-filter system. Water should sit for a while to let the precipitates fall to the bottom, then be run through filtered layers, first of sand or diatomaceous earth, then a layer of activated carbon, and finally a second layer of diatomaceous earth. Each filter should be separated from the others by a layer of gauze or mesh fine enough to keep the layers separate. The best systems will force water through the filter at pressure. Check your system when you’ve run some water through by allowing a glass of filtered water to sit for a day or two. Are there still precipitates? Does the water turn cloudy? Also, have the water tested for biological impurities. You often can’t see microbes, but that doesn’t mean they are not there and will not make you sick! In most cases, you’ll find it is cheaper and easier to simply purchase a commercial system, where everything has been pre-tested for you.

Home water purifier systems are significantly more involved than simple home water filters. While a filter can easily be attached to your faucet by you, a home water purifier system will likely require a professional to install it, and will take up a significant amount of space under your counter or in another location convenient to your faucet. When you choose one, therefore, you’ll have to think about the cost and space required by the system as well as how the system itself works. The best home water purifier system is always the one that works best for you.

When considering home water purifiers, you’ll want to learn about their filter systems. Do you need to change filters frequently? This is an issue for some filter types, and it’s important not just because of cost but because of the convenience factor. If you neglect to change your filter frequently enough, the water you drink just before filter changes could be more contaminated than unfiltered water. If you’re the sort who will put off such tasks, you should probably invest in a system that does not require changes.

You should know about contaminants home water purifier systems remove. Home water purification systems remove different contaminants, depending on the system you’re using. Not all systems will remove the contaminants you need to eliminate, but you may not need every contaminant removed either. Be sure your chosen system takes out whatever you’re concerned about. For instance, a UV system is great for removing amoeba from a natural water supply, while a reverse osmosis system removes almost everything but may function better with a UV filter added to kill any living things that slip through.

How much does the home water purification system cost? Cheap systems are simple and attach directly to your faucet; they remove contaminants by filtering water through activated carbon, but don’t get much. On the high end, industrial-grade UV systems destroy all biological contaminants, like bacteria and amoeba, far more effectively and safely than chlorine, but can cost over a thousand dollars. Most systems run around $200 or a little more, but installation may cost you more if you need to have a plumber or other professional install it. Offset the cost with an assessment of how much your bottled water is costing you. Also, if you’re examining a shower filter, your filter will save you money in quality shampoos and body soaps; these filters remove drying and damaging chlorine, and will help your expensive bath products work the way they’re supposed to.

There are four basic types of home water purification systems that are available on the general market. Reverse osmosis systems install under the counter, and use a passive filter system (one without pressure) to collect water in a reservoir at a rate of about fifteen gallons a day. UV systems use light technology to kill germs in your water supply, but don’t remove any other contaminants; this makes them great for spring water or other non-municipal supplies that are otherwise fine. Activated carbon filters are commonly used in the faucet filter systems, but are also used in larger systems to provide clean water on a larger scale; they work pretty well, but need frequent filter changes. The KDF-55 filters are generally attached to a showerhead to remove chlorine and soften your water, making your shower water healthier for your skin and enabling your expensive bathing products to work better as well. Know these differences before you buy, and you’ll save yourself money and time.

Reverse osmosis water filters function by passing water through a membrane-type filter that leaves impurities on the other side. Clean water is deposited in a reservoir, to be pumped up to a separate drinking water faucet, and the contaminants on the other side are flushed out of the system later. This type of water filter is among the best ways to clean your water, and it will remove most contaminants: most bacteria and viruses, pesticides and other VOCs, hydrogen sulfide, nitrates, sediments, arsenic, chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals like lead and mercury, iron, and even bad tastes.

The reverse osmosis water filter is also referred to as a hyperfiltration system. That’s because it is so very effective at removing contaminants from your water supply. It works by moving your water through a series of reservoirs, in which the clean water moves to the clean side of the filter, leaving behind the contaminants. The filter does not work through pressure; instead, water must move passively. This means that the filtration process is slower than you might find in other water filtration systems. A reverse osmosis water filtration system will require a large tank to be installed under your counter which will provide a drinking water reservoir. In most systems, you can expect to produce around fifteen gallons a day of bottled-quality water. If you’re a bottled water fan, this will save you much more than the reverse osmosis filter will cost you.

Reverse osmosis water filters come with one of two types of membranes: thin film composite (TFC) and cellulose triacetate (CTA). The TFC membranes are best at removing contaminants, but they are also susceptible to damage from chlorine in a municipal water supply. If you have chlorine in your water, you can preserve your TFC membrane better by installing an activated carbon pre-filter upstream of your osmosis system; many osmosis filters include a carbon pre-filter as part of the system, in which case you need to be very careful about changing that filter out. A CTA membrane isn’t quite as effective as the TFC, but it is also less vulnerable to damage by contaminants.

If you have a problem with biological contaminants, you should consider using not just a reverse osmosis water filter by itself, but also using an ultraviolet filter, as this filter is the most effective by far in removing biological contaminants without otherwise contaminating your water supply. So your perfect reverse osmosis water filter may need to have a total of three filters to be completely effective at cleaning your water: the activated carbon filter (which needs to be changed regularly), the osmosis filter, and the ultraviolet filter (which needs an electrical power outlet). With these three filters in your system, however, you can be assured of a tasty, reliable, and clean water supply for your home and family.

The only other thing you may need to be concerned about with a reverse osmosis water filtration system is the amount of water it takes to create those fifteen gallons a day - up to ten gallons for each gallon of clean water created. If you live in an area where water needs to be conserved, you may need to ensure that rejected water goes into your gray water reservoir, where it can be used to feed your flowers.