Water Filtration

Water filtration is surprisingly easy and affordable. At a minimum you need a reliable water filter and some containers. There are many methods to filter and purify water (details). Some of the filter types include:

  • Personal Filters are low-volume, small, effective, inexpensive filters for any emergency kit.
  • Gravity Filters treat a larger volume of water but filter the water more slowly.
  • Pump Filters process larger amounts of water quickly and normally have a hose to reach the water source.
  • Home Filters should purify extremely fouled water or you have secondary treatment.
  • UV Purifiers render bacteria and viruses harmless but they do NOT remove chemicals and debris.
  • 0.02 Micron Filters remove some chemicals, debris, contaminants, bacteria, and viruses.
  • Reverse Osmosis filters remove contaminants (0.0001 microns) including chemicals such as fluoride, lead, pesticides, etc.
  • Water Purification (boiling, tablets, bleach) kills microorganisms but does NOT remove chemicals/debris.

For your home kit you should be able to filter extremely fouled water (this article is extremely important). A serious emergency can compromise the water supply and normal water filters are NOT sufficient to filter extremely fouled water. If the water supply is compromised then use a 0.02 micron water filter. You can start with a more affordable filter and upgrade later. Know about secondary water treatment (see articles).

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