DIY Water Filters and Rain Barrels

DIY water filters and rain barrels are two ways you can get control of your water and make sure it is the best for your family. Make sure your drinking water is clear of contaminants, tastes good, and smells good. I have written several articles about the issues with the drinking water in the U.S. including water that catches fire and why we should not drink water in plastic bottles.

This article is more about taking control of your situation no matter where you live or what your climate is. There are always parts of the world in a drought situation and the U.S. is going through that now. There have been some record setting heat and lack of rain in several parts of the country this year. In those cases, everyone needs to conserve as much as they can. Filtering your drinking water will help eliminate most of the contaminants that could get into your water do to drought.

Almost everyone can afford a water filter pitcher or even a faucet water filter. The water filter pitcher is filled at the sink with tap water but then the filter removes lead, copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc impurities often found in your water. You should change your filter about every 40 gallons. Prices for the pitcher can range from $6.95 to $30 or more depending on the size of the pitcher. Filters can range from $14.00 to $30 depending on how many you buy at a time. If you like cold water, the pitcher fits on refrigerator shelf or door shelves.

If you would rather filter more water, you can get a faucet water filter for all of the water running through that faucet. One example is Paragon Water Filtration System that can remove 97% of lead, 99.9% of giardia and cryptosporidium, 98% of chlorine, and 95-99% of VOCs like benzene and trihalomethanes. There are many brands of faucet filters on the market, they range in price from $14.00 to $180.00 depending on how much water you want it to filter, and what you want removed from the water. You can also find some that allow you to turn off the filtering just to wash dishes or whatever.

Another way to control your use of water is to get a rain barrel. Even if you live in an area affected by drought today, you can help control what rain you do get. You may ask why mess with a rain barrel? It is a great way to recycle the runoff from your roof and use it to ease drought-like conditions in your garden or with other plants. Once the water is in the rain barrel, you can use that water in a garden, wash a car, and other outdoor uses. Most of these barrels have a threaded spigot so you can attach a garden hose to put the water where you want.

Some of these rain barrels can be hooked together with an ordinary garden hose. Shop around and see which barrels have the features you like the best. Most of them hold about 60 gallons but that can vary as well. Some are made from metal while there are some made of plastic that collapse when empty and pop-up when full of water.

Even if you do not consider yourself a Do It Yourself type, this is something that is easy, inexpensive, and that pays you back over time.