How to make a bottle filter. How to make a homemade water filter

The filter for the purification of polluted water is one of the best technical solutions for both autonomous and public water supply. Especially critical is the situation with the city pipeline, in which old pipes have been in operation for years.

No matter what preliminary cleaning and disinfection the water utilities carry out, it is still not possible to achieve absolute purity of water. This is due to the mentioned deterioration of communications. Rust, particles of sealants, lime inclusions - all these are constant companions of public water supply. However, you don't have to put up with them.

Installing filters in the apartment will completely save the owners from problems with the life-giving moisture supplied to their homes.

In addition to filtering drinking water for its benefits to human health, the safety of plumbing equipment, which often costs a lot of money, is also important. No crane can withstand sand or rust getting inside the structure for a long time - gaskets and seals will fail very quickly. Even more sensitive is connected to the water supply. For her, the ingress of salts or metal impurities is critical.

To screen out coarse mechanical impurities, special pre-filters are installed, equipped with metal mesh working elements. But they can not make the water completely purified. Therefore, experts recommend installing fine filters of the main or flow type.

A high-quality thin filter keeps foreign elements up to 5 microns in size. Most household and plumbing equipment needs such cleaning, for example:

  • hydromassage boxes;
  • jacuzzi;
  • boilers;
  • expensive taps;
  • dishwashers and washing machines.

Moreover, manufacturers produce separate types of filters for cold and hot water. It is forbidden to install a filter designed for hot water on a drinking tap. And vice versa, connect the "cold" filter to the shower or boiler.

In addition, fine filters are extremely sensitive to pressure drops in pipes and require a built-in or additional pressure regulator.

They are divided into several main types:

  • With a fine-mesh metal mesh - simple, fairly effective and inexpensive devices. The filter elements are made of stainless steel. Some models are silver anodized. Such a filter has bactericidal properties.
  • Cleaning with the help of sorption substances - manufacturers often complete such filters with cartridges or activated carbon backfill, which attracts some chemical and organic impurities at the molecular level. In addition, coal destroys odors.
  • With membranes, these are the most efficient filters sensitive to constant pressure (requires the installation of a pump and a tank for purified water). A classic example is reverse osmosis systems.
  • Ion-exchange models with resin filter elements work on the principle of hydrolysis, attracting oppositely charged particles of impurities. The main task of such a filter is to reduce the hardness of water and purify it from metal salts.
  • With fabric filtration - inexpensive and high-quality devices that are in high demand among buyers. The working elements are made of several layers of fabric and require regular replacement.
  • With mineral fillings. Most often, manufacturers use shungite or zeolite. These are universal filters that equally successfully cope with any kind of impurities, including mechanical ones.

Device

All fine filters have several filter elements in the form of cartridges and are equipped with a waste sump (flask or glass). Device dimensions vary by model. The main filters are compact in size, and the multi-stage flow type ones are rather large products with several sedimentation tanks and a reserve tank for clean water.

The quality of filtered water largely depends on the reagent used and the size of the cells. By design, fine cleaning devices are:

  • main;
  • flowing stationary type;
  • flow mobile type in the form, for example, of a nozzle.

Nozzles are cheaper, but they are not very convenient to use. Stationary models are distinguished by their high price, performance and long service life.

Homemade and serial samples

If desired, the filter can be made by hand. Such devices have a number of advantages, these are:

  • low cost and ease of manufacture;
  • sufficiently high efficiency and productivity.

But it should also be taken into account that no handicraft sample can be compared in terms of technical characteristics with industrial models, which are distinguished by increased service life and reliability.

The disadvantages of homemade filters include:

  • the complexity of the manufacturing process;
  • a small resource for filter elements;
  • fragility of the product.

Many are primarily attracted by the budget cost of a home filter. Often it is made from improvised materials, which is economically beneficial for the family budget. But is it worth risking the quality and long-term operation of such an important water supply unit, it is up to each owner to decide independently.

How to make

It should be noted that craftsmen have developed several types of homemade filters. Some take a long time to make, while others can be built in minutes.

The simplest device is assembled from a five-liter plastic bottle and a plastic bucket. Medical cotton wool and paper napkins are used as a filter element.

Manufacturing looks like this:

  1. In the lid of the bucket, a place is marked for a hole, the diameter of which is equal to the neck of the bottle.
  2. By marking, small notches are made with a drill. Then this part of the cover is removed with a knife, and the cut is processed with a file until a smooth surface appears.
  3. The bottom of the bottle is cut off with a knife. The rest is screwed with a neck into the prepared hole in the plastic lid.
  4. The result is a funnel into which the filter material is placed. Layers of cotton wool and napkins alternate, then the filter is slightly compacted.
  5. You can additionally lay out activated carbon or polypropylene fiber material in one layer.
  6. The design is installed on a bucket - this is a ready-to-use filter, somewhat reminiscent of a well-known serial device called a jug. Water is poured through a funnel, passes through filters and is collected in a container (bucket).

What tools will be needed

The set of tools required for work is minimal! It:

  • manual or electric drill;
  • sharp knife;
  • file or sandpaper.

Of the consumables, you only need cotton wool and paper napkins. A contaminated home-made cartridge can be replaced with a new one without any problems and special financial expenses.

Charcoal can also be used for filtering. A piece of birch log is calcined on fire in an airtight container. Then cool and wrap in several layers of gauze. Such a cartridge is installed in an already made funnel from a five-liter bottle.

The best place to use a homemade device is in the wild. Far from civilization, when there is no serial filter at hand, the same plastic bottle with the bottom cut off will come to the rescue. The funnel is tied to the tree with the neck down. The narrow part of the filter is lined with several layers of bandage, gauze or ordinary handkerchiefs.

The more layers, the more reliable the filter and the water obtained is safer for humans.

Service

The use of any filter, both home-made and industrial design, implies a regular change of filter materials and washing sump (flask).

Timely significantly increases the life of the filter and the quality of the water.

In order to always have a glass of clean drinking water on hand, for example in the country, you must either buy it, which will entail costs, or resort to the use of filters.

Filtering equipment can be made by hand using simple materials.

As a filter layer, with self-production, you can use:

  • paper napkins;
  • cotton wool;
  • gauze;
  • cotton fabric;
  • grass;
  • sand;
  • charcoal (crushed);

Conventionally, all of the above components can be divided into 2 types:

  1. Short life: napkins, cloth, cotton wool, gauze and other similar materials (available at a store or pharmacy).
  2. Able to reliably filter water for a long time: coal, sand and grass (to create charcoal, you need to ignite the collected pieces of wood in a metal bowl, and you can pick up the sand yourself and clean it with a sieve or buy it in building materials).

They are alternated in layers to have a greater degree of purification.

We make a filter from a plastic bottle


the simplest filter

We need: a bottle, cloth, coal.

To create a simple design of a filter device from a plastic bottle, you must first rinse it thoroughly.

  1. bottle cap unscrewed and left aside, and part of the bottom is cut off evenly with a suitable object, such as a knife.
  2. In a bottle upside down a repeatedly folded cotton cloth is placed. It must be pressed very tightly against the neck of the bottle (in our case, the bottom). To understand how much material is optimal, divide the bottle into 5 equal parts, regardless of the constriction. One of them should be for fabric.
  3. The cover needs to be drilled. The hole should be small in diameter.
  4. Charcoal, securely wrapped in gauze and folded in several rows so that the sides are not visible, and the black color is slightly visible from below and from above, is placed inside the bottle with twisting movements, pressing down as hard as possible to the bottom. Since it is necessary for the filter that this part of the structure cannot pass any contaminants past it, it must be dense, and this method of placement must be convenient.

The filter is ready, but before you start using it, you need to check it for quality. To do this, you can take a liter of water mixed with sand and carefully pour it into a bottle securely fixed to the surface, for example, by placing the neck in a glass jar of a suitable size. The outlet water should be clear and clean. It will need to be boiled.

The container can be taken in any size, depending on the purpose of collecting water: from 1 liter or 5-20 liters. And in order for the filter bottle to fit snugly to the vessel with clean water, you need to either treat the surfaces with sandpaper or use rubber seals.

As a filler for the filter, various combinations of materials can be made. For example, gauze or cotton wool is placed first, the middle layer can be made from charcoal wrapped in cloth, and the top layer from river sand.

If there are no tissues or napkins at hand, then fresh grass is placed as the first layer, and river sand is already on top.

Today there are a large number of carbon filters, among which stand out: cartridge, desktop, automatic and jug. Here we consider a more convenient option that you can make with your own hands.

How to make a cartridge carbon filter at home?


It is necessary to prepare a fairly large container into which purified water will drain. Well suited, for example, a clean canister of 20 liters. At the bottom, on one of the sides, a small hole is cut out for the faucet, which is glued there with hot glue.

The tap can be bought separately or cut out of the wine bag:

  1. For water that will need to be filtered, you can use a plastic bottle of the same volume as for purified water or a little less, for example 10 liters. The neck should fit comfortably into the food bowl. At the bottom, you need to cut a hole to fill it with water.
  2. Take about 4 cm in diameter and up to 30 cm long. For the bottom, use a suitable plastic bottle, for example, from medicines, at the bottom of which several small holes are drilled. Several paper napkins are placed inside. The edges should be sealed with hot glue.
  3. The tube is completely clogged with charcoal. A few napkins are placed on top so that it does not float. They are also fixed with hot glue to the neck of the top bottle.
  4. The upper vessel with the filter is inserted into the lower one. If the design turned out to be sufficiently tight, then no further action is required. If there is a fairly large gap, then it must be sealed or rubber liners of a suitable size should be used.

To check and put the filter into operation, you need to pour 5 liters of water into the upper part. The first filtered water is drained. This operation is necessary so that small particles of coal are washed out.

Plumbing filters

If necessary, you can create a filter for the water supply. At the same time, the structure will consist of 3 parts: a layer of gravel is placed on the lower tier, cloth and charcoal on 2, cloth and sand on the third, upper tier. The second option would be a similar system, only other fillers are used: 1 - grass, 2 - ash, stones, 3 - sand.

So, using 3 bottles of the same size, in which the bottom is cut, you can create your own filter. Fillers are laid out alternately inside: grass, ash / stones, sand or a layer of gravel, then charcoal wrapped in cloth and sand wrapped in cloth.

The bottles themselves are placed one inside the other in the course of filling. To prevent water from leaking from the side surface, it will need to be sealed with adhesive construction tape, which has increased moisture resistance.

The resulting device is attached to the plumbing system using a tee. And the water itself is supplied with a small pressure power so that the filter has time to cope with its task.

Blitz tips:

  1. To prevent small particles from escaping with water, it must be remembered that for each layer it is better to use a cloth, gauze or napkins. They need to be folded in several layers for reliability.
  2. After installation, always check the filter device for proper operation. If the water comes out cloudy, then the filter is not built correctly. Therefore, it will be necessary to disassemble and reassemble it, paying particular attention to fine sand or ash, which should be better wrapped in cloth.

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

However, even far from civilization, you can provide yourself with clean water. This will help a simple filter, made by hand from available materials.

Home-made devices can get rid of large mechanical impurities, and some can even improve the composition of water. The end result will depend on which filter material you prefer.

Possible homemade water filter options

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 water undrinkable.

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

  • Fine granules 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 equally successfully copes with the purification of water from mineral particles and toxic substances.
  • More efficient than charcoal, the recently introduced lutraxil on the market. The material contains polypropylene fibers that effectively retain impurities harmful to humans.

With these available components at hand, you can make a homemade charcoal water filter. Of course, such a water purifier is not suitable for long-term use, but on a hike or in the country, it can be used to temporarily solve the problem of drinking water.

What is required to create a homemade water filter?

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

For the manufacture of 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:

  • a plastic bottle for the filter housing (preferably a 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 the 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 this purpose) and put on a stove or fire. As soon as the wood heats up and begins to smoke, the container is removed and the charcoal is cooled.

Attention! It is not recommended to use coniferous woods for charcoal preparation, since their resin contains essential oils that 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 filter with several layers will turn out to be of the highest quality. The more of them, the better. If possible, it is recommended to combine different filters in order to achieve maximum results.

Manufacturing process - step by step instructions

The order of work is as follows:

  1. Cut out the bottom 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 smallest fractional material is on the bottom, and the larger granules are on top.
  5. Sand is poured over activated carbon with 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 a long time, it is recommended to hang the filter (for example, from a tree).

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

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

To achieve maximum efficiency, several alternating layers of pebbles and sand can be made, however, in this case, it should be taken into account that the better the cleaning, the lower the filter performance.

It is also advisable to cover the filler hole of the homemade filter cartridge with a layer of gauze so that insects and other debris do not get inside.

In the conditions of a summer residence, it is possible to build a more efficient filter according to the same principle. To do this, use any suitable larger containers.

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

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


It is quite easy to get coal with your own hands. The workpiece must be placed in a metal container, covered with a lid and calcined on fire. Black coals 1-3 cm in size burnt out in a fire are also suitable.

After the coal has cooled, it must be wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in a funnel of a container into which water will drain. This is the easiest filter option that can be made even in field 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. A smaller container should be placed in the neck, a filter will be placed in it. For this purpose, a vessel with a volume of 10 liters or less is suitable.
  3. The filter material is best designed in the form of a cartridge. Take a plastic pipe that will fit at the junction of two containers, and fill a piece of pipe covered with gauze crushed coal.

When the design is ready, pour water for testing. At first, you may see pieces of coal, but this is not scary. Drain this water and the next batch will be drinkable. The longer and thicker the cartridge, the lower the performance, but the higher the cleaning quality.

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

The problem of water filtration is acute both in the city and in the countryside. That is why a water filter should be an essential attribute of any kitchen.

The principle of operation of any filter is to pass water through a layer of filtration material. As such a cleaning material is used:

  • a piece of cloth;
  • cotton wool;
  • napkins;
  • charcoal;
  • grass;
  • sand.

Filters for which gauze, cotton wool, various types of fabric are used can be considered effective, but they are short-lived, and therefore require frequent replacement. They can be used as a temporary option. Charcoal is suitable for regular use. This material must be well laid in layers with alternating sand, gravel, and grass. If it is not possible to purchase coal, then you can make it yourself. To get this material, you just need to ignite pieces of wood. Do not use coniferous wood for these purposes.

Making a simple filter

The flow filter for water purification has not found wide application in summer cottages. This fact is connected with the fact that a flow filter of this type requires water from a water supply system under a certain pressure, but not every dacha has a water supply system with the necessary characteristics. As for pitcher-type filters, they purify water very slowly.

How to make a water filter with your own hands from a plastic bottle

You can find a simple way out of this situation: design it with your own hands using plastic bottles. As a filler use coal, cloth napkins.

A simple filter is manufactured in the following technological sequence:

  • the bottom of a plastic bottle is carefully cut off;
  • the container is filled with filler (cloth, coal);
  • the bottle must be inserted into the opening of the jar with the neck down.

And that's it - the simplest homemade water filter is ready. Then water is poured into a plastic container, after passing through the filler it enters the jar. After purification, the water must be boiled.

Independent deferrization of water

There are several methods that allow the use of an iron-free filter for water purification. One of the main methods is the aeration process, which is carried out with the help of compressors. The water that has passed through the treatment is the safest and can be used as drinking water.

Iron remover device

You can make a filter-iron remover with your own hands. The installation instructions include several basic steps.

  1. The basis for the aerator is the tank, located on a hill.
  2. The shape, size of the tank may be different. Food-grade polyethylene is used as the main material for the manufacture.
  3. The volume of the tank is selected based on the ratio with the amount of liquid consumed. In this option, it is desirable to make a stock of half the volume.
  4. The iron-free aerator consists of:
    • compressor;
    • float valve;
    • nozzle for spraying water;
    • special filter;
    • crane.
  5. Water coming from the well moves to the tank, penetrates through the float valve device.
  6. The liquid enters the tank in a thin jet, while active contact with air occurs.
  7. The aeration process consists in the fact that iron simply precipitates from the water, so a crane should be provided in the design, which will be responsible for removing the metal.
  8. It is also necessary to install a ventilation hole on the tank lid, which will allow an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to the water tank.

Scheme of the reverse osmosis filter

Reverse osmosis filters are used for water purification. Fluid permeates through a semi-permeable membrane. Molecules of water and oxygen pass through its structure. Purification takes place in several stages.

reverse osmosis system

The first step is pre-cleaning. The reverse osmosis membrane is an important element. Composite polymer consists of several layers. During filtration, about 98% of minerals are extracted from water. Next, the water enters a special container in which it is located until the tap is opened. The last stage is the discharge of mineral salts.

The quality of reverse osmosis water purification, the service life of the device depend on how the flow filter is installed correctly. The water filter is installed under the sink in the kitchen. The main filters are cut into the cold water pipeline.

Summarizing

Clean water is the basis of the life of the human body, so everyone should take care of cleaning the water they drink.

There are a variety of water purifiers. Which filter to choose depends on preference. It can be a jug-type filter, homemade or flow-through.

Not everyone in a well or well in the country has water suitable for drinking “immediately”, from a bucket or tap. And even if it is clean, then on the way to the place of "distribution" there are a lot of places where it can be contaminated, chemical and bacteriological. These are old pipes, and storage tanks, and receivers ... Once they get there, bacteria and microbes feel great. In general, it is advisable to filter the water that is inside, in any case, and it is better - immediately before use.

If the water in the water supply is under pressure, at least a little, it is best to install an additional tap, especially for drinking water, and insert a stationary filter with a large cartridge into the system (usually an activated carbon cartridge). For washing dishes and other technical purposes, they use an ordinary tap, and the water that is used for cooking is poured from an additional tap with drinking water.

Worse for those who do not have running water in the house or it is summer. Then, with the onset of persistent frosts and cold weather, there is a problem with water supply. Plumbing in garden partnerships drain water in the truest sense of the word. Summer residents during this period usually begin to bring it with them in large plastic bottles and canisters. Water is "extracted" at home, in stores, at standpipes in settlements on the way to the dacha, and its reserves are created. But long-term storage of water in the open state does not contribute to its refreshment, so the problem of filtration remains. And there is practically only one way out - to filter it in "desktop" pitcher-type filters with a built-in cartridge (again, with activated carbon).

Pitcher-type drinking water filters are relatively inexpensive, relatively convenient, and popular. But they have some disadvantages. Firstly, they have a small capacity, 2-3 liters at most. And this is just the daily rate of water consumption for one person. A family of 3-5 people will not be very satisfied with such a filter (in a single copy). Secondly, they are quite inconvenient to use. Since it is arranged as a container above the container, separated by a filter cartridge, then pouring water into the upper container, we will have to wait until almost all of it is filtered down. Otherwise, you cannot tilt the jug and drain clean water. Thirdly, by purchasing such a filter jug, you are "attached" to a certain type of cartridge. There are no universal cartridges, each manufacturer is interested in getting you hooked on their own “needle”. And fourthly, the resource of such a cartridge is very small, and they need to be changed more often. And they are not cheap...

I also had a similar problem, so I decided to make a homemade filter for drinking water. Since my water supply is still summer and the water from the water tank had to be drained.

A homemade water filter had to be devoid of the above disadvantages, so I decided to make a filter as follows. A plastic canister (made of food-grade polyethylene) with a capacity of 20 liters served as a receiving container. Almost at its very bottom, with the help of hot glue, I glued a small collapsible faucet, which I took from packaged wine. (Well, you know, probably, table wine is sold in 3-liter bags. There is a special tap in the bag. Press it - it flows, let it go - it closes). As an initial container, I took a “standard” plastic 10-liter bottle from bottled drinking water. Just cut a filler hole in its bottom. And the neck of the bottle miraculously almost coincided in diameter with the neck of the canister. It fits so tightly that it doesn't need to be fixed with anything. It remains to solve the problem with the filter element.

Generally speaking, it is possible to install a standard filter element for a filter that cuts into a water pipe. It can be installed inside the top bottle, as it will not fit into the neck of the canister. And you can press it to the neck of the bottle with a pair of washers and a threaded stud. The bottom washer must be perforated (you will need to drill a few holes in it). I already decided to do just that, but then a segment of a polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 40 mm caught my eye. And .. Oh, a miracle! This pipe is also perfect, with a slight interference fit, to the inner diameter of the neck of the bottle! And I decided to make a homemade filter cartridge. It won’t work, I thought, I’ll put an industrial one ...

In the self-made cartridge, the bottom turned out to be the most troublesome detail ... I managed to pick up a plastic bottle from under some kind of medicine. I drilled several holes in the bottom of the vial, stuffed the vial with several non-woven cloths. Then he pulled it onto the tube. For reliability and clearing my conscience, I also dripped a little hot glue. The pipe (30 centimeters) was filled with crushed charcoal. This is sold in bags with the inscription "Charcoal for the grill." Industrial cartridges use charcoal from coconut shells. I don't think it's any better than ours. It’s just that the poor “coconut” republics somehow utilize the shells of coconuts for their own benefit, after they have stripped all the copra from them on mattresses, the pulp on the “bounty”, and make Malibu rum out of coconut milk. Well, in any case, there were no coconuts in our forests, and when my stomach was swollen in childhood, my grandmother gave me a piece of “native” birch charcoal and always helped ...

To prevent the charcoal from floating out of the cartridge, I also stuffed a few crumpled non-woven napkins from the other end of the tube and fixed them with a few drops of hot melt adhesive. In general, the cartridge was made. It remains to insert it into the neck of the bottle, and put it on the canister itself. Here is a filter for drinking water.

After pouring the first batch of water (5 liters) into a bottle, I immediately poured the result into the sink. No, not because it didn't work out. It’s just that this is a standard operation for “running in” the carbon filter itself. The smallest (microscopic) pieces of coal are washed out of it. In principle, they are completely harmless to humans and this operation can be skipped.

The filter capacity was about 2-3 liters per hour. But the most convenient thing is that in the evening you pour a full bottle of water from the well, in the morning you get the purest water ready. And you can pour the next large portion. You can disassemble the water "when necessary", and not when it is filtered. Thus, the house always has a sufficient supply of clean drinking water of 10-15 liters. Not a lot and not a little. It does not stagnate and in sufficient quantity for a reasonable consumption. And the cartridge is almost “free”. A 10 kg bag of coal costs only 300 rubles. Enough for many years.