Storing clean, filtered water is essential when building up your emergency storage supplies. There are various ways to ensure that the water you plan on drinking is safe, such as boiling, distillation, reverse osmosis, deionization, chemical purification, and filtration. In this post, we’ll focus specifically on how a water filter works and the best options available for portable water filters.
How Does a Water Filter Work?
Most water filters have tiny openings or a mesh that filters out larger particles, like dirt and sediment. Afterward, the water passes through a polyester filter, which is slightly smaller, and filters out clusters of bacteria. The most crucial step in the filtering process occurs when the water passes through a chamber containing iodine beads. These beads kill 99.3% of bacteria and viruses. Finally, the water passes through a chamber filled with granulated activated carbon (GAC), which improves the taste and odor and filters out any remaining parasites.
Many people already use water filters in their homes, typically attached to faucets or in water pitchers. These home filters usually employ carbon filtration, micro-porous filtration, or a combination of both to purify the water. Portable water filters, like the Berkey Portable Water Filter, use similar methods to clean water. These filters are popular among hikers, military personnel, survivalists, and others in harsh environments. They’re designed to remove toxic chemicals, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, trihalomethanes, detergents, pesticides, herbicides, chlorides, pharmaceuticals, petroleum-based products, and unpleasant tastes and odors. 1
Advantages of Portable Water Filters
- Provides quick access to safe, purified drinking water whenever you find a water source.
- Removes debris and larger contaminants from the water.
- Compact, portable, and easy to use and maintain.
Other portable water filters, like the MSR Miniworks and the Katadyn Combi, use ceramic filters. However, it’s important to note that ceramic filters must be handled carefully. If dropped or damaged, they can develop small cracks that allow larger particles to pass through, rendering the filter ineffective.
What a Portable Ceramic Water Filter Can't Do
- Remove viruses such as Hepatitis A and Rotavirus from water sources.
- Remove all chemicals from the water.
- Desalinate water (remove salt).
Take the first step toward becoming more self-reliant by adding portable water filters to your emergency storage! Whether you're heading out on a hiking trip or preparing for a disaster, it’s essential to ensure you have access to clean, filtered drinking water. References: Ceramic Water Filter - Wikipedia, Lenntech - Adsorption, Berkey Sport Water Filter
