In This Post:
Required materials for DIY water purification
Guide to a homemade water filter system
Science behind water filtration
Purification test
We had previously shared some water purification methods for home, where we briefly touched the subject of different methods to filter water for drinking, such as boiling, disinfecting with chlorine, installing a water filter, and solar disinfectant. In line with our past post, here’s our take on a DIY water filtration system for the home that works wonders.
So, keep scrolling if you are looking for ways to build a water filter at home!
Required Material and Tools for DIY Water Filtration System
Here’s a list of essential material and tools for a DIY water filtration system for your home:
- Activated charcoal
- Cotton balls, small cloth, or coffee filter (for filtration)
- Drinking water test kit (optional)
- Gardening soil
- Gravel/small stones
- Plastic bottles
- Sand
- Scissors, sharp knife, or cutter
- Tall and transparent vase (preferably made of glass)
- Water
Step-by-Step Guide for Making a DIY Water Filtration System at Home
Water is a necessity of our life, and there’s no survival without it. However, the consumption of polluted or contaminated water can cause several viruses that can hurt your immunity. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “Contaminated water can transmit diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and polio. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 485 000 diarrhoeal deaths each year.”
That being said, here’s our step-by-step guide for a DIY water filtration system that will enable you to filter drinking water on your own:
- Step 1: The first step in our guide to DIY charcoal water filter is to take an old plastic bottle and cut off the bottom using a sharp knife or cutter.
- Step 2: Now, secure the same bottle upside down into the opening of the glass vase.
- Step 3: Make the first layer of cotton balls, cloth, or a coffee filter inside the bottle. It should be about 1 to 2 inches thick.
- Step 4: Next, add an inch of activated charcoal as the second layer over the top of the filtered layer [or first layer].
- Step 5: On the top of the second layer of activated charcoal, add about 2 inches of gravel [or small stones] as the third layer.
- Step 6: Add about 3 to 4 inches of sand on top of the small stones. Use clean sand for this step.
- Step 7: Add gravel again to the bottle as the final layer.
- Step 8: Leave some space on the top of the upside-down bottle.
- Step 9: Now, add gardening soil to a glass of water to create muddy water.
- Step 10: Pour the glass of muddy water on top of the homemade water filter system and watch the water drip clean into the vase below.
Note: In order to avoid any complications and best results, make sure that you have followed everything to the T. Furthermore, this was just a small example of a natural way to filter water at home. You can use bigger containers for purifying water at a bigger scale and use it for various purposes. It is also a great hack if you are going out for camping, and you cannot find clean drinking water anywhere. Just make sure you are carrying all the material.
How this Water Filtration Process Works?
The water filtration process mentioned in this blog is quite common and works pretty straightforward. Each layer of the homemade water filter has a purpose that you should understand. Firstly, small stones are used to filter out large sediments or impurities in the water, like leaves, worms, or insects. Afterwards, the second layer of sand is used to remove fine impurities such as dirt and other microbes. In the end, the third layer of activated charcoal is used to remove any leftover contaminants and pollutants that have not been filtered by gravels and sand.
Note: The order of layers in this section are mentioned in an upside-down order.
How to Test the Filtered Water?
This experiment can be a great activity for kids at your home, and it can also keep them engaged for a while. You can add it to the list of science experiments to try with children at home. And, if you are doing this experiment with your children, make sure you test the water before and after the filtration process. Here’s what you need to do:
- Take two glasses of tap water. Make sure you are using water from a faucet and not bottled water. Use the first glass for the experiment and let the second glass stay as it is.
- Pour the first glass of water through the homemade water filter system.
- Make sure you have an empty glass handy and collect the filtered water in the empty glass.
- Test both water samples after filtration using the home drinking water test kit. The price of a standard water test kit in Pakistan is around PKR 3,000 to PKR 7,000.
- If you do not have a home drinking water test kit, you can put it to test by comparing both the water samples for colour and taste.
So, this was our post on how to filter water using charcoal sand and gravel. We have shared a natural way to filter water at home in this blog. In the meantime, stop-by our recent post on tips for recycling water at home and ways to conserve water at home. If you have any further questions, write to us at blog@zameen.com.
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