Filtering Water

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LarrySpencer

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My wife recently moved back from the US to the Dominican Republic... After looking around at her and her families situation in Dajabon, and the fact the the water looked like chocolate the day after it rained...if they allowed it through the pipes at all. The fact of the matter is that the water comes pretty much straight from El Masacre, to the residents.

I'd been talkign with a friend of mine from Canada for the past year about different projects she has going on there and one of them was an inexpensive way to filter water. They've actually developed a virtually indestructable filtration system that simply requires on to poor water into the unit (a 300 lb, concrete cased, super water filter that requires very little maintenance and should last for up to 50 years).

Anyway, I just bought one and had it installed last weekend in their house for $85 bucks....well, really $2,500 DP. If you want one of these units, call Jose Rivas in Dajabon...(809) 843-7415. The filter works great, providing sparkling, purified drinking water out of the sludge that comes from el Masacre. Pretty impressive for so little!
 

FireGuy

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Aug 21, 2002
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Larry,

I'm not trying to be picky but unless we know more about this "filter" we should be careful substituting the word "purified" for the word "filtered". They may well not be interchangeable and may impart more to the reader that is actually true. Filtered water may be far from purified, it may just be more aesthetically pleasing impure water.

Gregg
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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FireGuy said:
Larry,

I'm not trying to be picky but unless we know more about this "filter" we should be careful substituting the word "purified" for the word "filtered". They may well not be interchangeable and may impart more to the reader that is actually true. Filtered water may be far from purified, it may just be more aesthetically pleasing impure water.

Gregg

Very true, Gregg. There are filters that take out sediment, or make water taste better, and their are filters that remove most of the bacteria. Usually they are the most expensive. Until I was sure that the described filter purifies water as well as boiling or treating with clorox or purrrissima, I wouldn't risk drinking water from it.
 

canadian bob

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LarrySpencer said:
My wife recently moved back from the US to the Dominican Republic... After looking around at her and her families situation in Dajabon, and the fact the the water looked like chocolate the day after it rained...if they allowed it through the pipes at all. The fact of the matter is that the water comes pretty much straight from El Masacre, to the residents.

I'd been talkign with a friend of mine from Canada for the past year about different projects she has going on there and one of them was an inexpensive way to filter water. They've actually developed a virtually indestructable filtration system that simply requires on to poor water into the unit (a 300 lb, concrete cased, super water filter that requires very little maintenance and should last for up to 50 years).

Anyway, I just bought one and had it installed last weekend in their house for $85 bucks....well, really $2,500 DP. If you want one of these units, call Jose Rivas in Dajabon...(809) 843-7415. The filter works great, providing sparkling, purified drinking water out of the sludge that comes from el Masacre. Pretty impressive for so little!
Hi! Have you run tests for E-Coli on your "purified "water? Canadian Bob.
 
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LarrySpencer

Guest
ok.....not purified....sorry for the use of the word. The filter was actually created by a team of people involved in the water filtration and conditioning environment in concert with a group of medical doctors to address the issue of drinking water in Dajabon and other areas.

The water is free of e-coli, yes, according to their test results.
 

ricktoronto

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And viruses, amoebas, giardia, etc.? Sounds highly unlikely since these types of devices for travellers which maybe do a litre in an hour are $200. 50 years completely sanitary and $85. OK. You take the first glass.
 

HOWMAR

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ricktoronto said:
And viruses, amoebas, giardia, etc.? Sounds highly unlikely since these types of devices for travellers which maybe do a litre in an hour are $200. 50 years completely sanitary and $85. OK. You take the first glass.
Not to mention, mercury, arsenic, pesticides, dioxin, etc, etc.
 
L

LarrySpencer

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Well, let's put it this way....when you come up with a better solution for the masses, who really can't afford much at all, then by all means, present it and we would be more than happy to hear it.
 

ricktoronto

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LarrySpencer said:
Well, let's put it this way....when you come up with a better solution for the masses, who really can't afford much at all, then by all means, present it and we would be more than happy to hear it.

It doesn't mean pretending to give them chemically safe, bacteria free water absent from infectious parasites is a nice thing to do does it? Your idea in the meantime sounds cruel frankly.
 

HOWMAR

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LarrySpencer said:
Well, let's put it this way....when you come up with a better solution for the masses, who really can't afford much at all, then by all means, present it and we would be more than happy to hear it.
The better solution is to continue to drink bottled water rather than instill a false sense of security.
 

Don Juan

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It can be done!

After it has been properly filtered, the best and cheapest way to kill bacteria in water is to run it through a series of copper piping exposed to the sun. Thus heating water to over 120degrees which should eliminate most, if not all parasites.
the only energy expenditure is pumping the water up to a holding tank that channels it to the pipes. You then let it gravitate to a receptacle to cool and, voila! safe water!
 

ricktoronto

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Don Juan said:
After it has been properly filtered, the best and cheapest way to kill bacteria in water is to run it through a series of copper piping exposed to the sun. Thus heating water to over 120degrees which should eliminate most, if not all parasites.
the only energy expenditure is pumping the water up to a holding tank that channels it to the pipes. You then let it gravitate to a receptacle to cool and, voila! safe water!

I assume you mean 120 celsius not fahrenheit, which is a temperature where bacteria thrives. And 120 C is actually higher than the boiling point of water so this would have to be under pressure. Not sure how you acheive that with this idea.

The best way may be different than this way. Chlorine or bromine, UV, etc.
 

HOWMAR

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Don Juan said:
After it has been properly filtered, the best and cheapest way to kill bacteria in water is to run it through a series of copper piping exposed to the sun. Thus heating water to over 120degrees which should eliminate most, if not all parasites.
the only energy expenditure is pumping the water up to a holding tank that channels it to the pipes. You then let it gravitate to a receptacle to cool and, voila! safe water!
Please refer us to a science based authority to confirm this. I can't believe that water heated to 120 degrees is in any way sterilized of either parasites or bacteria, let alone viral organisms. I assume you are talking 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you mean 120 degrees Celsius, then you would need a pressurized system since it is above the boiling point and the water would turn to steam.
 
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Don Juan

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120 degrees farenheit is hot enough....I think.

I once read an article in "Mother Earth" magazine pertaining to this system.Not the greatest authority in scientific issues but I believe it be right. Let do a little research and get back to you all.
 

ricktoronto

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A steam table has to maintain food at 140 F or higher just to keep the bacteria there from getting worse. 120 F would not kill a flea. Just bathe it.
 

FireGuy

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ricktoronto said:
A steam table has to maintain food at 140 F or higher just to keep the bacteria there from getting worse. 120 F would not kill a flea. Just bathe it.
Give him a chance Rick he said he will research it and get back to us (BTW I happen to agree with you on this one).

Meanwhile here is some preliminary data I discovered about heat in a backpacking scenario which would probably serve as a decent starting place:

"Boiling is the most certain way of killing all microorganisms. According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 160° F (70° C) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 185° F (85° C) within a few minutes. So in the time it takes for the water to reach the boiling point (212° F or 100° C) from 160° F (70° C), all pathogens will be killed, even at high altitude. To be extra safe, let the water boil rapidly for one minute, especially at higher altitudes since water boils at a lower temperature..."

I found nothing about 120 degrees and any effective results. Generally the lower the temperature (above a threshold of 160 degrees) the longer the exposure is required to do the job and conversely the higher the temperature the lower the exposure time is required, as would be expected.

I, however, await Don Juan's investigation and results.

Gregg
 

canadian bob

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It is an interesting fact that coffee grounds will precipitate all heavy metals, such as lead, copper, mercury etc. Boiling the water for 3 minutes will kill parasites, giardia, but I understand that E-coli from animal excrement needs iodine,or chloro, or bromine to get rid of it. Canadian Bob.
 

Don Juan

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Hey, "great minds", check these sites

The one important detail that I did not mention and you didn't catch is the time it takes for bacteria and other parasites to die off. according to one of the following web sites, you must circulate at 120* fahrenheit, so many gallons of water through the system for so long, to do the job. I think two hours per 50 gallons. According to one, efficiency is 99% purity.
There's no necessity to heat water higher than that.

www.ita.doc.gov
www.fsec.ucf.edu
www.aquasuninternational.com
www.ecomall.com