WaterFilterTop.com

I only need a small water filter, counter top. I don't know why I can't make one, but it has been difficult to find information, instruction or ingredients.

I would think that carbon would be one ingredient. I want the water to taste better, and remove the bad minerals, and organisms. I don't want to remove the good minerals.

I live in a high rise that is about 60 years old, and it uses city water. The city is on the shore of Lake Michigan.

I really don't want to put a lot of money into buying a counter top water filter system, since I'm on Social Security, and have to cut costs as many ways as possible.

Some things I've learned in my searches, is that the carbon can become contaminated over time, and should be changed periodicly. I also learned that batting below the carbon can remove small pieces of the carbon. But, are there other ingredients I need, and how do I build it?

If your water is coming from lake michigan, then your water has allready been filtered by carbon or anthracite. The municipal city water filters are built like this: bottom layer is gravel, then the next layer is "green" sand. These both act as mechanical filters. The top layer is Carbon or anthracite. There is a bunch of other filtering and separation that takes place before it gets to the carbon. Anyway, the carbon beds act as a type of "polishing" filter before it is chemically treated and distributed to the users.

If your water tastes bad or has odor... your idea of a carbon filter may work but due to the age of your building... you may be experiencing some pipe issues. Either way, a home filter will help a little bit. Your best bet is to call your municipal water department and make a complaint. They can sample your water and also test for lead and other impurities.

Carbon filters do become spent through use and must be changed out periodically.

Having said all that... at the current cost of carbon and the other materials needed to make your homemade filter... go buy a Brita filter. You'll save a ton of money.

My 2 cents and 2 points.

2006-08-29 15:56:20 by Orchid

Mr Singh, CEO of Prego Inc, talking to Biplab Pal on his latest project on a new carbon filter development for household drinking water market.

I'm using a water filter for drinking which consist of a four stage catridge: activated carbon, silica sand, zeolite and mineral sand. Lately, I notice very small particles sentiment at the bottom of the mineral pot where the filtered water is stored. I believe this is from the filter catridge as there are large pores where the particles may pass through. Does this render the water unsafe for consumption?

The water is still safe. Mine does the same thing.

2007-10-30 18:22:05 by Avex

Price: $28.50 $22.23

This specially formulated carbon block is NSF certified for the reduction of lead, cryptosporidium, giardia, and entamoeba, as well as a long list of harmful volatile organic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and more
Fits all standard under counter and counter top filtration systems
Reduce your environmental impact: Using these Watts replacement filters with your water filtration system can save over 4,500 half liter bottles going in to land fills per filter change out

We recently bought a water filter you install on the sink and it filters the drinking water. I wonder, sometimes the water has little blackk particles on it even though its been used many times. I gather its the carbon? Is it dangerous if we continue to drink it? It smells much better than our normal water and has been working but Im worried about those black things.

A lot of filters of this type are built around activated charcoal, that is carbon that's been treated to have many micropores that can trap and hold pollutants. The filter should not leak charcoal (and this would be a reason to return it for replacement), at least not after initial use. If the residue you're seeing id charcoal, it is pretty much harmless.

However, some filters also impregnate the activated carbon with an insoluble silver salt like silver chloride to act as a bacteriostat. This does not substantially kill bacteria in the water but does prevent its build-up and multiplication in the filter itself.

Silver chloride is toxic, though because it is insoluble, it would be hard to get a lot of it from the filter. Still, since the carbon particles could be carrying silver chloride, that's another good reason to take the filter back to the vendor for replacement.

Remember, by the way, that a carbon filter alone mostly improves taste while removing some potentially harmful chlorinated hydrocarbons in tap water (which arise from the otherwise beneficial chlorination process). It does not make raw water bacteriologically safe. If you're getting water from a municipal system, that's usually not a worry, but if you getting it from, say, a well, you still need to have your well checked regularly for contamination.

2007-01-29 07:28:07 by nikogal2006

Price: $29.99 $26.85

6 Months usage based on conditions
Filter Life- 500 Gallons/ 1900 Liters

You may be helping a lot of people to save money and keep healthy by answering and share your experience using Brita filters.

I found that Brita Filter replacement cartridges and similar products are extremely expensive. Not mention if you have to pay for the water+sewage as well in your monthly utility bill.

1. Is it good for pregnant woman to drink water filtered by brita instead of buying bottled/distilled water?
2. Is brita filter cartridge contains only activated carbon, what are the white/cream particles inside?
3. Is it easy to regenerate just by boiling it, or you have to reactivate the carbon by baking or burning it?
4. Can you replace the carbon with regular activated carbon (with the same particle size)?

It depends on what you are wanting to filter out of the tap water. Do you know if your tap water contains an elevated level of lead or other heavy metal or chemicals other than the chlorine added in water treatment? If not, I suspect that most filters are very effective far beyond their recommended capacity, since that is based on the worst possible level of contamination in any water system. If you want to test this, use the filter for a while beyond the recommended replacement date, and test the water for chlorine with a swimming pool test kit. If you don't have a pool or know someone with one, call local pool maintenance companies & see what they would charge to test it for you. I am quite certain that there is no way to regenerate activated charcoal/carbon.

2006-10-06 12:27:36 by coza b

Do you know the signifigance of water? Read it if you please:

What kinds of symptoms result from drinking too little water? Most commonly I see constipation, dry and itchy skin, acne, nose bleeds, repeated urinary tract infections, dry and unproductive coughs, constant sneezing, sinus pressure and headaches.

You might ask how a lack of water intake can cause this wide array of symptoms. Water is required by every cell in the body as nourishment and to remove wastes. When water becomes scarce, the body tries to limit the amount it loses through breathing, mucous production, urination, perspiration and bowel movements.

Several cups of water are lost daily through breathing because the lungs require humid air to do their work. In the winter when drier air prevails outside and heating systems (especially forced hot air and wood stoves) dry out the air inside, even more water is lost. It is estimated that on an average day in the fall, 3-4 cups of water are lost through breathing. On a cold, dry winter day as much as 2-3 more cups of water may be lost in this way. The body has to moisturize the air before it reaches the lungs and does so through the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages and the bronchi. As available fluid decreases, the mucous lining becomes drier. This in turn irritates the lungs, causing them to become more reactive to dust, mold particles, cigarette smoke and other irritants, and less resistant to viruses and bacteria. The result: dry cough and bronchitis.


The mucous membranes of our lungs and gut are an important component of our resistance to disease. They provide an effective barrier to bacteria, viruses and pollutants when intact. But a number of substances (such as aspirin) are known to harm this barrier. What is less well known is that a lack of water in the body makes the all important mucous less viscous and can cause constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and a slowed movement of the bowels contents. These problems in turn increase ones risk of other long term disease including hemorrhoids and colon cancer. The mucous lining in the sinus passages is similarly vital as a defense against disease. When it becomes drier, sinusitis, nose bleeds and allergic symptoms worsen.

Obviously, we all lose some water through urination and urination is required for the removal of various toxins from the body. When fluid volume is diminished, the ability of the body to remove toxins through urination is also diminished. It is a comon misunderstanding that the more water we drink, the harder it is on the kidneys. In fact, except for people with some uncommon kidney problems, the opposite is true. Water soluble toxins cannot be easily removed through the bowels, especially when a lack of water also causes constipation. These toxins then must be eliminated in other ways such as through the skin. The increase in body toxin levels can cause headaches and fatigue. The attempt by the body to remove excess levels of unwanted chemicals through the skin can cause acne and will aggravate eczema.

The easy solution to all these problems is to drink more water. Coffee, tea and soda all contain caffeine which is a known diuretic and will actually accentuate the symptoms of fluid loss. Fruit juices are more concentrated in sugar than your body's fluids and so the body will attempt to dilute them in the gut thereby causing a loss of water from other areas of the body. In the dry, hot air of winter and very hot days of summer, drink at least 10 glasses of water daily for optimal health. During the spring and fall, 8 glasses will suffice for most people, although those with inhalant allergies do best to drink as much water as possible. Pregnant women need to drink at least 50% more water daily than they would while not pregnant. People who exercise vigorously should add one glass of water for each 30 minutes of exercise. Herbal teas and diluted fruit juices (1/3 fruit juice to 2/3 water) can be substituted for some of the water. Drink one extra glass of water for each cup of coffee or black tea you have. Humidifying the air in the winter will help reduce water loss, but be careful to clean humidifiers daily to discourage bacteria or mold build up.

What type of water is best? Activated carbon or charcoal filtered water is probably the least expensive way to drink 'safe' water. The carbon filter removes most of the carcinogens and bacteria commonly found in drinking water. These filters are often very inexpensive and can be found in almost any department store. Distilled water has had all the metals (both harmful and helpful) removed. None of the flourinated and chlorinated hydrocarbons (coming from combining fertilizers and pesticides with flouride and chlorine) are removed. It is these hydrocarbons which are linked with the most health problems. Bottled spring waters may be healthy, but they are not yet required to be analyzed for chemical and bacterial levels.

Water can be a miracle cure for many common ailments. Try drinking some now and see if you don't feel better!

I definitly need to drink more water!

2007-02-24 19:59:58 by Cloud Nine--Sez YAHH 2 tha hatas