Want to Save Cash? Here’s How You Can Install a Water Filter in Your Home DIY-Style

Let’s be honest, 2020 wasn’t a great year for most of us. And we want to save money where we can. But we also want to make sure that we aren’t risking our health while doing so. And most people underestimate the importance of having a good water filtration system at home. It is literally the most important thing for our survival. You cannot go more than three weeks without drinking water. Heck, the world we are living in right now, try going a week without water. You’ll realize that it’s not a good feeling.

Now, keyboard warriors will argue that there are other ways of getting water in our bodies, like juices, eating foods like lettuce, etc. that contain a very high percent of water is a good way to do that. But drinking plain water is still the best way to get your daily requirement of that H20.

Now, the first thing that comes to your might would be “I don’t want to drink tap or well water. Who knows what kinds of chemicals they put into it”. And you’d be right now. That’s the reason why most people turn to bottled water. But the problem is, there are so many companies out there that deceive you about the purity of their bottled water. There have been several studies that showed that some bottled water actually comes from the same place as city water.

Not only that, the unimaginable amount of plastic waste that is created by bottled water is detrimental to the environment. So, the best way to get yourself some of that sweet filtered water and not spending a boatload of money is to DIY this thing yourself. That’s what this article is about.

How to Make a DIY Water Filter

There is no laundry list of things that you’ll need to create a highly effective water filter. In fact, it is quite simple once you see the materials that are required. You’ll realize that people paying so much money to get their water filtered are actually getting ripped off. Either that, or it would entice you to start a water filtration business yourself because you’ll see how easy it is.

Materials You Need

• Gravel
• Sand
• Activated Charcoal (activated is the keyword here. If it’s not activated charcoal then you won’t be filtering your water).

These 3 things will create a 3 layer water filtration system. The gravel will catch all the big stuff, the sand will catch the particulate matter, and the activated charcoal will take care of the rest. Do note that this filtration system will not get rid of pathogens. For that you will just have to buy a water purifier. Or if you are particularly handy, then you might be able to build yourself a small UV light that you can pass water through. That will kill all the pathogens. But, even with pathogens in the water, it will still be clean enough for anyone to drink it.

All the other materials will depend on how big of a filter you are looking to create. If you are looking for something portable, then a plastic bottle would do the trick. Or you can get 2 big buckets made of food-grade plastic. I recommend going for either glass or ceramic but that’s just personal preference. Either is fine.

Building the Filter

If you are a novice DIYer, you’ll love how easy it is to make a water filter. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you are not looking for a portable water filter. But if you are, the method is still the same. Let’s say you are going the bucket route because you want to filter large amounts of water for your house.

Step 1: Drill a hole in the bottom of one bucket and another hole in the lid of the other bucket. Make sure that the holes line up properly. The idea here is to stack these two buckets in a way so that the water can flow through the holes in the bucket.

Step 2: Cut another hole in the bottom rim of the bucket that will sit at the bottom. This is the hole where you will install a water spigot. Now, connect the lid of the bottom bucket to the bottom of the top one. Both buckets should be stacked when you do this. Also, make sure that you cover these fixtures with a screen to make sure that the unfiltered water doesn’t drip through them when you are filling up your water bottles.

Step 3: Create 3 sections in the top bucket. These sections will be the different stages of water filtration. The bottom stage will have the activated charcoal. You will cover that with a section of sand, and then finish it off with gravel. There should be space left above gravel for water. So make sure you are creating those sections properly. Once you do that, it’s all up to gravity from here on. When you pour water at the top of your bucket, the water will seep through these 3 stages and at the end, you will get safe, clean drinking water.

To Sum It Up

You want to make sure that you are following the steps exactly as laid out or else this won’t work. Also, if you live in an area where the quality of water is an issue, it might be best to go with a premade whole house water filter for well water or tap water like the ones from watermasterz.com. Or at least heat up the water even after it goes through the DIY filter that you just built.

This is just another precaution you should take because there are certain pathogens and bacteria that these filters won’t be able to protect you against. The best way to be 100% sure that the water you’re drinking is safe, is to have it go through RO (Reverse Osmosis). This method ensures that everything is filtered out, including helpful minerals. But that’s the best way to ensure total safety. I hope this guide helped.