Do-it-yourself water filter - effective and inexpensive solutions. We clean the water with our own hands: a homemade filter Make a water filter at home

Water purification is required not only when using water supply, but also when taking liquid from other sources. It could be a well, a river or a lake. Such water often contains inclusions that are not beneficial for humans. In addition to mechanical suspension, which makes the water cloudy but usually harmless, there are also more dangerous components. These include bacteria, dissolved salts, including nitrates, heavy metals and much more. To use such water, it must be purified. However, most modern filters are designed for the presence of a water supply with a certain water pressure. In a summer cottage or outdoor recreation setting, running water is not always available. In this case, filter jugs or homemade devices are suitable. Let's take a closer look at how to make a water filter with your own hands.

Rice. 1 DIY camping filter device for water purification

To assemble a homemade water filter, you need to select two main parts. A container for storing filter material and a container for collecting purified water.

A plastic bottle is suitable for storing filter material. Its volume is selected depending on the required productivity. The optimal options would be five, ten or twenty liters.

The bottom of such a bottle is cut off, holes are made in the cork, or a mesh is installed instead. Filler is placed inside the bottle.

This filter is attached above a bucket or tank to collect water. It is convenient to use a container with a lid in which a hole is made for the neck of the bottle. Such an installation can effectively purify fairly large volumes of water.

Filter media options

The operating principle of any filter is simple. The water passes through the filter material, which traps contaminants. There are several options for filter materials. For homemade filters it is convenient to use the following:

• Fibrous - fabrics, gauze, cotton wool, non-woven material, for example, Lutraxil. They effectively retain mechanical impurities, but are short-lived and quickly become dirty. They are difficult to wash and much easier to replace. Most convenient nonwovens, which are more durable and easier to wash.
• Sand and gravel – sand and gravel backfill also effectively retains mechanical inclusions. Bacteria settle on their surface, absorbing nitrogen compounds and dissolved organic matter.

• Activated charcoal or charcoal is an effective natural absorbent. In its pores, coal retains substances that cause bad smell and taste of water, eliminates color, makes the liquid transparent. Coal retains a significant amount of dissolved salts. To fill the filter, you can use either ready-made granular filler or one you prepare yourself. Making carbon for a filter is not difficult. Hardwood wood is placed on a metal sheet, close to restrict air flow and heat.

• Zeolite is a mineral absorbent that is good at retaining iron, pesticides, nitrates and other pollutants.

DIY carbon filter

Coal is the optimal filter material. It is effective and affordable. If necessary, you can always make the filler yourself by calcining the logs deciduous tree V metal container. Those coals that remain in the fire or oven are also suitable. Their size should not exceed three centimeters and be at least one centimeter.

The cooled coal is wrapped in gauze and placed in a container in which water will be filtered. This filter option is easy to make in camping conditions.

For home use, for example, in a country house or in a private house, you can do more complex design. It is better to choose a large container with a volume of at least twenty liters. A hole is cut from the bottom used to install the tap. To prevent the faucet from leaking, use a sealant and carefully glue all seams.

A smaller container with filter material is placed in the neck. For such a purpose suitable container ten liters or less in size.

Place the filter material in a homemade cartridge. For it, take a piece of plastic pipe, which has a diameter suitable for the necks of the vessels. Usually plastic bottles are used. Coal wrapped in gauze is tightly driven into the pipe. The resulting filter element is installed at the junction of two containers. Water should not seep past it, but only through the coal.

The first portion of filtered water may contain coal chips. There's nothing wrong with that. The first water is drained, and in the future only clean liquid will pass through.

Pros and cons of homemade filters

DIY filters have a number of positive characteristics and some negative points. These devices are convenient and functional. They are made from scrap materials, so the cost is minimal. You can do it at virtually no cost. The efficiency of homemade filters is high, and due to the large volume of filter material, they are productive.

However, we should not forget that a self-made filter technical specifications and durability will be somewhat worse than factory-made models. They are more reliable and last much longer.

The disadvantages of homemade filter devices are the following features.

1. The relatively short service life is more of a temporary option for the summer season. From time to time a new design will have to be made.
2. The filler has a small resource. Filter materials require frequent replacement, otherwise bacteria, microorganisms and algae settle in them, which further pollute the water.
3. To get a filter you need to spend time and effort. Some options can be quite labor-intensive to implement.

Homemade filter convenient solution, but only for temporary use. For permanent use It is better to choose a factory-made device that has optimal characteristics.

How to make a water filter at home?

There are several ways to make a water filter, using a ready-made, purchased filter, or inventing it yourself. Let's look at these two options.

And so, for the first method, we will need a purchased water filter and a plastic bottle.

This filter is very convenient to use when hiking or traveling somewhere. Let's begin!

1. Take a knife and cut the bottle into two parts. The cut should be in the place where the top part of the bottle (cone-shaped) passes into the middle part (cylindrical).

2 . Now we take the filter and insert its bottom part into the cut off part with the neck. This way we will determine where to cut off the neck of the bottle.

In total, we get a bottle cut into 3 parts and a filter.

3. All the parts for the filter are ready, all that remains is to assemble it. We take the filter and insert it into the cut-off top part bottles as shown in the photo.

4. We place this design in a bottle, and our filter will be ready. We can fill it with water and check how it works.

How to make a filter with your own hands?

The second method is more interesting, since we will create the filter ourselves! This is not a difficult task, but you will have to try. For the filter you will need the following materials:

Filter container.

River sand.

Charcoal.

Cotton wool (can be replaced with gauze or cloth).

Visual diagram of the filter.

The principle of the filter is very simple - water passes through materials that are capable of filtering it, and at the output we get purified water.

To make such a filter, we used the materials listed above; a 5-liter bottle was used as a container.

1. Cut off the bottom of the bottle. We do the same in a bottle cap. small hole, diameters 1 centimeter.

A homemade filter for water purification is a necessary thing in everyday life, because as you know, one boiling is not always enough to purify the water of all contaminants.

However, even far from civilization you can provide for yourself clean water. A simple filter made with your own hands from available materials will help with this.

Homemade devices can get rid of large mechanical impurities, and some can even improve the composition of water. The final result will depend on what filter material you choose.

Possible options for a homemade filter for water purification

Even seemingly clean water from streams, springs and wells contains suspensions of clay and sand, organic remains of living organisms and other harmful impurities that make the water unsuitable for drinking.

To obtain conditionally pure water, it must be passed through several layers of filter elements, which can be used:

• Fine granulates for coarse mechanical filtration (quartz sand, fine gravel)- they serve as a kind of filter for preliminary purification of water from large inclusions;
• Gauze, bandage or clean cloth- purify water from smaller insoluble suspensions;
• Wood (activated carbon)- the most affordable and effective filler for homemade filters. This natural absorbent is equally successful in purifying water from mineral particles and toxic substances.
• More effective than coal, Lutraxil, which recently appeared on the market. The material contains polypropylene fibers that effectively trap impurities harmful to humans.

With these affordable components on hand, you can make a homemade carbon water filter. Of course, such a water purifier is not suitable for long-term use, but on a hike or at the dacha, you can use it to temporarily solve the problem with drinking water.

What is required to create a homemade filter for water purification?

The list of tools and materials will depend on what type of filter you will be making.

To make the simplest options, you can even get by with a plastic bottle or bucket.

To make a filter you will need the following materials and equipment:

• plastic bottle for the filter housing (preferably five-liter volume);
• container for collecting clean water;
• charcoal;
• pure quartz sand and small pebbles;
• a small piece of gauze or a handkerchief folded in several layers.

How to make activated carbon for a filter yourself?

Simple enough. To do this you need to take any metal utensils(cast iron, frying pan, etc.). Pour chopped hardwood without bark on it (birch or aspen are optimal for these purposes) and place it on a stove or fire. As soon as the wood becomes hot and begins to smoke, the container is removed and the charcoal is cooled.

Attention! Not recommended for use with charcoal. conifers wood, since their resin contains essential oils which will spoil the taste of water. If it is not possible to heat the wood in a metal container, you can use small coals from a fire.

The best quality filter will be one with several layers. The more there are, the better. If possible, it is recommended to combine different filters to achieve maximum results.

Manufacturing process - step-by-step instructions

The order of work is as follows:

1. The bottom is cut out of a plastic bottle.
2. Several small holes are made in the lid.
3. Inside the improvised filter housing, gauze or fabric folded in several layers is placed.
4. Activated carbon is poured onto the lowest layer. Its quantity is determined based on the size of the bottle (about 5-7 centimeters per 5-liter bottle). It is extremely important to try to fill the coal in such a way that the finest material is at the bottom, and the larger granules are at the top.
5. Sand is poured on top of the activated carbon in a layer of 5-8 centimeters.
6. The next filter layer will be small pebbles (3-5 centimeters will be enough).
7. The filter is ready for its intended use. Since the cleaning process will take long time, it is recommended to hang the filter (for example, from a tree).

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

To begin with, pour the first batch of water into the filter and drain it, since it will contain microparticles of activated carbon. As a rule, clean water comes out of the filter already from the second batch.

For achievement maximum efficiency you can make several alternating layers of pebbles and sand, but in this case it should be taken into account that what better cleaning, the lower the filter performance.

It is also advisable to cover the filler hole of a homemade filter cartridge with a layer of gauze to prevent insects and other debris from getting inside.

In a summer cottage, you can build a more efficient filter using the same principle. To do this, use any suitable larger containers.

It should also be noted that the resulting water can be used as drinking water only after boiling!

Charcoal is one of the most popular and effective filter materials. It is best to use birch coals, but in no case coniferous wood.


It is quite easy to make coal with your own hands. The workpiece must be placed in a metal container, covered with a lid and heated over fire. Black coals 1-3 cm in size, burned in a fire, are also suitable.

After the coal has cooled, it must be wrapped in gauze and placed in a funnel of a container into which the water will be drained. This is the easiest filter option that can be made even in camping conditions.

If time permits, use a large 20 liter container.

1. At the bottom you need to cut a hole for the tap, then lay the seal and glue it. This vessel will be used for purified water.
2. You need to place a smaller container in the neck; it will house the filter. A vessel with a volume of 10 liters or less is suitable for this purpose.
3. The filter material is best designed in the form of a cartridge. Take plastic pipe, which will fit at the junction of two containers, and fill a piece of pipe covered with gauze with crushed coal.

When the structure is ready, pour water for testing. You may see bits of coal at first, but that's okay. Drain this water and the next batch will be ready to drink. The longer and thicker the cartridge, the lower the performance, but the higher the quality of cleaning.

2-3 liters per hour will be enough for comfortable use.

Pure water has always been necessary for humans, but the more technology develops, the worse it affects the quality water system. Man began to fight pollution a long time ago, for which a wide variety of filters and devices were invented, but to the common man they may not be affordable. Those who want to have purified water have the opportunity to filter it using homemade filters.

What it is?

A water purification filter is a device that helps remove various impurities, particles that do not dissolve in it, chlorine and pathogenic viruses and microbes.

There are three types of filters you can use at home:

• simple;
• with an average degree of purification;
• with the highest degree of purification.

You can apply filters:

• at home: in an apartment, private house, to purify drinking water and mains;
• in industry;
• in tourism;
• for aquariums.

Wherever the filter is used, it has a certain structure that allows it to effectively cope with water pollution. To make a filter mechanism yourself, you need to know what exactly is required for this and how to assemble it into a single whole.

Peculiarities

Water purification is necessary measure modern life, because the impact on nature of various factors of human life has significantly affected its quality and purity. The best solution to this problem is filters that can be installed both at home and in an enterprise of any size.

To drinking water was of appropriate quality, it is best to use special carafes with filtering mechanisms installed in them.

Water purification in the filter is carried out by passing through a certain number of stages, and the more there are, the purer the resulting product will be. At the first stage of purification, mechanical filtration occurs, when large enough elements that clog it are removed from the water. Through next stage there is an impact on the chemical environment of the liquid, and the last level will be a carbon cartridge, passing through which the water becomes completely drinkable.

Most of the filter elements are cartridges, which have their own gradation:

• Mechanical. With its help, sand, mechanical suspensions, and rust are removed. Composition: polypropylene.
• Carbonic. Helps remove substances of organic and inorganic origin, removes unpleasant odors, and affects the color of water. Composition: activated or pressed carbon.
• Softening. Softening water by removing heavy metals. Composition – Na-cationic resin.
• Iron removal. Helps purify water from hydrogen sulfide, improve pH, eliminate metallic taste and odor. Composition: two fills of calcite.

Due to the variety of cartridges, they can be used for different functions, which, in turn, leads to the need to use different devices for this.

Jug filters are the most common option in cases where drinking water is of poor quality. The way they work is very simple, and the price is not high, so almost everyone can afford this option. The filter media is a carbon cartridge that can only handle 500 liters of water before it needs to be replaced. There are specialized and universal options. Specialized ones have additions that make water softer by removing iron from it and adding fluoride.

Carbon cartridges are also installed in the faucet attachments. Their feature is the low water pressure that must pass through the pipes, otherwise the system will be ineffective.

Free-standing units do the job after they are connected to the water pipes with a flexible hose.

In this case, cartridges are changed at least once every 5 months.

To disinfect water, it is best to use an ultraviolet filter., which can only be used after preliminary mechanical cleaning. In addition to the usual drinking water, there is also rainwater, which can also be used effectively. Due to contamination, it is often unusable, but with the help of filters it can be used in a wide variety of areas and for any task. In this case, you need two filters - one primary, to filter out large debris, and the second, for more thorough filtration and obtaining usable water.

Suitable materials

In order to make a filter yourself, you need to have certain knowledge and apply it correctly in practice. First of all, you should take care of a suitable container for the future filter, which will contain all the components. It should be large enough to accommodate everything comfortably. As a filtering agent for a homemade filter, you can use quartz sand, washed quarry sand or activated carbon, gravel and zeolite.

To create the first layer that will cope with major pollution, you need to choose cotton fabric, but its use has its disadvantages: it quickly becomes clogged, rotting processes begin inside, and an unpleasant odor appears. To avoid such problems, it is better to take synthetic material- lutrasil, which is not so afraid of moisture and does not clog too quickly.

Usage quartz sand will be indispensable at the stage of retention of small particles and filtration of heavy metals. The use of gravel will help filter out large particles of unnecessary elements in the water. With the help of zeolite, you can easily deal with metal and salt suspension, in addition, it helps fight pesticides and other harmful substances used in industry.

The highest quality filter through which tap water can pass is a carbon one. Homemade devices allow you to retain mineral formations and toxic substances with equal productivity. In addition, thanks to the influence of coal, the water becomes clear and any odors are neutralized. When choosing activated carbon for a filter, it is best to take it in granular form, because the powder version will get into the water, and large particles will filter the water for a long time.

Right choice filter content will provide quality work for a long time and eliminate the need to buy ready-made equipment.

Methods: what is the best way to filter?

If you don’t have a filter at hand, but you need to somehow purify the water yourself, you can use whole line methods that will show very good results:

• Boiling. With its help you can get rid of harmful microorganisms, although a side effect is an increase in the amount of salts that fall to the bottom of the vessel.
• Advocacy helps get rid of volatile chlorine and other impurities. Such activities must be carried out for at least 8 hours, and after the time has elapsed, pour water carefully and do not raise sediment. It is important to wash the water container well from time to time with soap to remove any residue. harmful substances, and water, even standing water, does not need to be stored for more than 3 days.

• Silver. You can use a simple spoon made of this material, which should be washed well and placed in a small decanter. After water is poured into it, you only need to wait a day and you can use the purified liquid. The use of silver coins for such purposes is impractical due to impurities and small size.
• Ionizer It looks like a chain with a figure at the end, which is lowered into water, where the ion exchange process occurs, and the chain itself is on the glass. So the water should stand for some time, after which it can be drunk.

• Freezing- this is the simplest and affordable way water purification. To carry out the procedure, you need a bottle into which water is filled, but not to the very edge, screwed on with a lid and placed in the freezer. Just wait six hours and remove the bottle from the refrigerator. Once the ice has melted, you can drink the water.
• Shungite- this is a special stone that is placed in a carafe with water and infused. After this, the water is ready for drinking.

• Use of activated carbon tablets, which are crushed and wrapped in gauze. You also need a plastic bottle in which you need to cut off the spout and put a layer of gauze into it, then wrapped charcoal and again a layer of gauze. The resulting homemade filter is inserted into a bottle into which you can pour water.
• Magnets. It is possible to use several identical magnets, which will ensure a uniform magnetic field in a homemade filter. In addition, it is necessary to have fittings with gaskets, from which the throughput system for water purification is constructed. The magnetic filter helps soften the water and minimize the amount of scale on the dishes.

It’s not difficult to make any of the options; the main thing is to have the right ingredients on hand and use them correctly. Although the methods are varied, they have a similar principle - it is ridding water of unnecessary and harmful components that negatively affect the human body.

You can use such a filter in an apartment, private house, it’s not difficult to find suitable option and for the dacha, so that purified and healthy water is available everywhere nearby.

Device options

In addition to the above-mentioned filter jugs and faucet attachments, there is also a separate type of device. They can be installed under the sink or placed on the main pipe, which helps not only purify the water, but also extend the life of all plumbing in the house.

There are also other devices such as:

• Pre-filter. Installation location – water pipe, the goal is protection household appliances from debris and dirt that poor quality water carries. The design looks like a mesh that needs to be washed from time to time.

• Purifier or cooler. This is a device that is located separately and can purify water, heat or cool it. The quality of this water is very high, even better than bottled water.
• Travel filters, which can be useful on a hike or travel. A special feature is the ability to purify liquid from any container.
• Nanofilter– contain a semi-permeable membrane, the pores of which are practically the same as water molecules, which allows you to effectively purify water.

In addition, there are filter options such as:

• Mechanical - they help remove suspended particles in water using meshes and fibrous and porous polymer materials.
• Ion exchange, containing synthetic resins, the principle of which is to soften water by ionizing heavy metals with fluorides.

• Physico-chemical, which help remove impurities that dissolve well through sorption. when interacting with clay, ash, peat and slag, the water is cleared of unnecessary chemical elements. Activated carbon does the job best.
• Electric or ultraviolet, which allow you to purify water using ozone. Viruses and microbes are destroyed using an eco-field.
• Reverse osmosis works by flowing water under pressure through a membrane with small pores, in which all harmful elements settle.

Manufacturing

A homemade filter can be made from different components, but the one that contains activated carbon is considered the most effective, which is why it is worth considering the principle of its manufacture in more detail. The first stage is to find a suitable housing for the product, which can be a plastic bottle.

The order of work is as follows:

• cut out the bottom of the bottle;
• make holes in the lid;
• put gauze or cloth into the bottle, which needs to be folded in several layers;
• activated carbon should be poured onto the bottom layer, approximately 7 cm for a five-liter bottle; the bottom layer should have a powdery consistency, and the top layer should have a granular consistency;
• sand up to eight centimeters high is poured onto the coal;
• Small pebbles are poured onto the sand.

This way you can make a fully working filter that is suitable for a summer house or any other use case. It is important to know that the cleaning process will take quite a long time, so the filter device is suspended near the water source.

Before regular use, it is worth flushing the system by pouring the first batch of water into it, which will wash out all microorganisms and filter the materials to the desired state.

You can make a filter device using scrap materials and a purchased element, for which you need:

• find a 1.5- or 2-liter plastic bottle and cut it into two parts at the place where the product changes its shape;
• a purchased filter is inserted bottom side into the upper part of the bottle, along the edge of the plastic object inside, the tip of the spout with a cap is cut off;
• the filter is threaded through the top of the bottle cut off on both sides;
• the finished structure must be lowered into the base of the jar, which will be the finished filter.