[saltyblankzero1295]

You could try using a reverse osmosis system

[Sneaky1776]

Water distillers work good. Just know what your doing

[Redcap]

The only RO systems I am aware of end up wasting 30 gallons of water for every five gallons of filtered water stored. If there’s another way to do RO, I’d love to know.

[JosieT]

Have a look at the Big Berky. We use it and there is no need for electric.

[Woodsman]

Do a deep dive into the available information. There is much conflicting information…. Even on the popular methods.

Ask those to claim to be in the know how they come to their decision.

Always remember the FDA (gov.) has allowable limits of what is known as bad for you in products.

Follow the money: food, and things are made to make money and not you healthy.

Trust only your own test.

[MartHale7]

I have used a berkey, it is tried proven and true. But right now the filters are $$$$$$$$$$.

In my berkey I put two silver coins ( one in each tank ) to aid in killing the bad guys.

That said the zero filter that you can get from walmart is cheap, and has amazing results for ppm.

Review on water filters here ->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0ioX6GSz0

The best water filter is the one that pulls out what you don’t want in your water….. I would suggest NOT using the fluoride filter with the berkey, as it is shown to leave stuff in the water you don’t want.

https://waterfilterguru.com/why-you-shouldnt-use-the-berkey-pf2-fluoride-filters/

[Hanidu-Acres]

Very helpful comparisons!

[Sneaky1776]

Alexa pro works great. Basically the same set up just a little less money

[Life-with-Mike-and-Jenn]

I would suggest you research reverse osmosis and how it removes the essential minerals as well as the bad stuff. So many people are on the RO kick with little to no knowledge of what it actually does. I’ve seen videos and suggestions to use an RO system and they show no way to remineralize their drinking water, or even make suggestions to do so. Mother Nature doesn’t like a vacuum, so if one removes necessary minerals from their drinking water, the way God intended it, then your body will leach the minerals necessary for digestion and absorption via your digestive system from your bones. Be aware and be mindful, folks touting “lowering PPM” and such are perhaps not so educated on what PPM actually means and consists of. Also note that typical RO systems take three gallons of “untreated” water to make one gallon of drinking water, so there is a significant amount of waste. This is just our experience in 30+ years of plumbing and water treatment installation. Please do your own research. Not trying to sound mean or rude but there is a slew of very bad and uneducated information out there. Be blessed and have a beautiful day.

[Redcap]

We built a system similar to what these guys did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9-6259glPE

Just natural stuff and no modern parts or electricity. Although we used a plastic barrel and filled it with the gravel, charcoal, and sand. Not optimum (plastic) but it works.

[Njorun38]

If you have an above-ground rainwater cistern, using roof water and water irrigated from the roof gutters into the cistern, this is a pretty common set-up for filtering the water. Many companies that sell above ground cisterns will sell some of these parts, like the first flush diverter, calming inlet, and floating extractor, as part of a kit:

1. For the valve that connects the gutter to the cistern, get a chicken wire or crate style downspout cap to filter out debris like leaves, etc.

2. First flush diverter, with slow-drip control valve. This gets rid of some of the bugs and oily chemical debris from roofs that floats on top of the water before it’s deposited into your cistern.

3. After the FFD, the pipe connecting right after that should have a mesh bug screen (not higher up the gutter, because, with the roof size it may overwhelm the gutters). Clean out the FFD and downspout, and gutter regularly. Make sure the draining overflow pipe and air vent for the cistern also have bug screens. Maybe a louvered outlet for the overflow pipe.

4. Calming inlet as the internal tank entry PVC pipe, to prevent sediment stirring at the bottom of tank.

5. Floating Extractor inside of tank to pull water from the clean water in the middle of tank, and not the particle debris or oils floating on the top, nor the sediments collecting at bottom of the water. This extracted clean water from the middle will be connected to your water pump going from the cistern into the pipes going to your bathroom and kitchen.

6. iSpring 25 GPM Spin-Down (Centrifugal) Sediment Water Filter, connected inside the house just before the RainBro 1/2 HP 6.5 GPM cast iron shallow well (and cistern) pump, to keep sediment out of the pump and water

7. In the kitchen, for drinking water, tabletop filter for after water has left the pipes. Berkey 2.25 Gallon 2-Stage Gravity Filter, with 2 black Berkey filter-purifiers inside (EPA approved to remove all chemicals, including fluoride, and all viruses and bacterias). Can also have a PUR, Brita, or Culligan faucet mounted filter to help ease the burden of the Berkey filter and make it last longer, and also as back up. Filtered water bottles (like Bobble, Sawyer, and Life Straw) can also help. Berkey is by far the best out of all these options, but anything is better than nothing. You can also boil water and let it cool as a primitive form of cleaning water of any bacteria, in the event you have no other options.

8. You can also shock the cistern water with well-safe Calcium Hypochlorite, make sure nobody drinks or bathes in it for 24 hours (can wash hands and drink water from stored jugs for a day). If using this in combination with other methods, make sure to wait about a week before using Berkey filters again, to not overload it with chemicals and cause it to be used up too quickly. This will only be needed occasionally, such as during times where you’re worried about the local rainwater quality due to things like west nile and other bugs in the area.

9. In the event of acid rain, the water can be alkalized with normal baking soda. Be sure to, again, not fill the Berkey filter until the baking soda has diluted for a week, if possible.

10. Soften the bathing water in the bath with VitaBath Vitamin C Dechlorination, 1000mg, directly in the bath water just before bathing. This helps the chlorine shock or any acidity in the rain to not cause dry skin. CraterAquaSystem and AquaBliss also have shower faucet mount filters with vitamin C in them, and also oxygenates and dechlorinates the water. In old times, people would often rinse off any visible dirt with a hose, and clean their feet, private parts, and arm pits with a soapy wash cloth and bowl of water, before hopping in a clean tub to keep the water cleaner longer. This way the whole family can take turns to soak during the week, and the water remains clean. These vitamin C tabs and having baking soda treated water helps to keep the water clean for a good week this way too, and you can use a submersion pool heater to reheat the water instead of using running hot water.