Building Your Own Water Filter
02 Dec 2020
Having no clean drinking water during an emergency can be fatal and so it's important to know how to make a water filtration system when necessary. Whether you already know how to make one, or you are a first timer, we'll get you familiar with designing a water filter for your needs during a crisis situation. IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: These DIY filters are not designed to make drinkable water. No matter how “clean” your filtered water looks, you should never drink it because it still may contain pollutants you can’t see. Drink at your own risk!
MATERIALS NEEDED
and place it into the bottom half of the bottle.
If you want to fit more materials in your filter, you can use two bottles. You can also use larger bottles or try other containers. *Tip: Clear containers will help you see the filtration as it takes place.* It should look something like the picture attached.
- about 2 empty plastic water bottles
- scissors
- towel or paper towels(for spill clean up)
- gauze or cheesecloth to cover the mouth of the hole
- rubber bands
- any materials you think would make a great filter(sand, rocks/gravel, cotton balls, etc).
- *it's okay if you do not have all the materials needed to do this activity, get creative and substitute materials with what you have around the house).*
CREATING A DIRTY WATER SAMPLE
This can be done very easily. All you need to do for this step to prep the water you are going to want to filter. You can mix some soil with water or to make it a little harder of a challenge, you can add some food coloring, oil, vinegar, etc.BUILDING YOUR WATER FILTER CARTRIDGE
To build your own filtration system, you’ll need a filter cartridge. To do so, start by carefully cutting your water bottle in half, across the width of the bottle. Remove the cap from the bottle. Put gauze or cheesecloth over the opening and secure it with a rubber band. Turn the top half of the bottle upside down (so the part with the cheesecloth or gauze is facing down)![Photo collage showing the steps to make the water filter cartridge](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/waterfilter_step2-640x350.jpg)