Whole House Water Filter Install for my Rainwater Harvesting System
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2023
- Today I'm installing a whole house water filter for my Rainwater Harvesting System. In the video I'll go over the components of the 5 stage water filtration system, install the system in my pump house, test the system and then touch on details that I didn't cover during the installation.
And if I didn't cover anything you might be wondering, please let me know in the comments :)
Joe
DISCOUNT code is "Homestead5"
Thanks to US Water Systems for partnering with me on this project! Here are the details about the water filtration system installed in the video.
www.uswatersystems.com/us-wat...
Disclosure: I may receive commissions from US Water for associated sales
US WATER SYSTEMS PULSAR MAX PLUS ULTRAVIOLET DISINFECTION SYSTEM - 20 GPM
The Pulsar Ultraviolet Max System combines four (4) technologies to deliver exceptional purity and peace of mind:
Step-Down Micron Filtration;
Granular Activated Carbon Filtration and Absorption;
Charged Zeta Filtration; and
Ultraviolet Disinfection or UV.
5-Stages of Protection
Stage 1: 5 Micron Magna Pre-Filter The first stage traps all particles above 5 microns, which is typically 70-80% of the solids, silt, sand and sediment.
Stage 2: Radial Flow Carbon Filter - The second stage consists of a coconut shell granular activated carbon which removes, chemical, taste, odors and chlorine.
Stage 3: 1 Micron Magna Pre-Filter Next, the second stage steps-down to 1 micron which is the size of Giardia and Cryptosporidium Cysts. At this juncture, nearly 100% of the solids have been removed.
Stage 4: Interceptor Sub-Micron Filter Now, its time to go through the Disrupter media with a Zeta potential of 51 millivolts. Many contaminants are actually "magnetically" removed from the water supply and "secured" in the Charged Filter. It stops things like bacteria, lead, tannin and Chromium 6.
Stage 5: Pulsar Ultraviolet Disinfection Chamber The Pulsar UV is the most advanced ultraviolet system on the market today. It assures 100% destruction of bacteria, parasites, virus and cysts when preceded by the Interceptor cartridge. Solid-state computerized system tells you exactly when to perform maintenance.
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----------- DIY, Random Projects, Rainwater Harvesting, Welding, woodworking, outdoors... and whatever else I find interesting :)
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#rainwaterharvesting #wholehousewaterfilter #waterfilter
Tags: water filter, water filtration, whole house water filter, UV filter, Ultraviolet, ultraviolet sterilization, UV sterilization, rainwater, pump house, well house, water harvesting, rainwater system, tank, how to, water tank,
For anyone interested in US Water systems make sure to us “homestead5” for an additional 5% off any purchases.
You should have provided cost info for your views.
Here's a breakdown for those who are interested:
Component ________________________________ SKU __________$
Whole system_____________________320-PUV-MAX-PLUS 2,295.00
Replacement Ultraviolet Lamp 20 GPM 406-PUV-LM-20 119.25
Replacement Quartz Sleeve 20 GPM 406-PUV-QS-20 116.34
Replacement Ballast Controller 406-PUV-BL-200 293.50
Total $_________________________________________________2,824.09
Water Consumption Gals/Yr: 36,000
$/Gal/Yr (for the 1st Yr): 0.08
$/Gal/Yr (for consumables): 0.01
The filtration system you have is average. The best filtration media is activated carbon block made of coconut shell. Acid washed is desirable. UV lights are nice but somewhat inefficient. They have little effect to eliminate viruses. A filter rated .5 down to .1 micron will reduce chlorine and chlorines, but not eliminate them. Cysts, and other parasites are eligible minutes by a filter only if it states so. During my time on active duty, one of my billets was a Nuclear-Bioligical-Warefare
Instructor. I have a pretty solid knowledge base on filtration of gas, liquids, and solids, at least as of the early 90''s. Best of luck... Semper Fi
The pressure tank needs to be before the filters
The filters job is to remove particulates, taste and chemicals (depending on the setup) taking filtered water and putting it against the bladder of the pressure tank will give your water a taste . That is due to the makeup of the rubber bladder .
the filters are the last thing the water touches before it goes to the Tap
Also
One might consider putting stainless lines before and after the UV sterilizer
UV light degrades plastic over time.
Meaning 5-10 years you may have a broken pex line right at the UV sterilizer
A suggestion
Sir what is the TDS of that water
What happened to homestead4,3,2,1? O.O What did you do to them?
I would love to see the comparison in water quality in your future video. How fun !
Thank you! That’s the plan!😊🙏
As I treat water for a living I was wondering did you disinfect your home plumbing? With the UV system you should have bacteria free water. But if there was some bacteria in your home plumbing before your started the UV system it could still be there. Standard practice is to add household bleach to your supply water and open each faucet in the system until you smell bleach. Then close all faucets up and let the system set for 24 hours. Then flush the entire system out. I would remove the radial carbon filter when doing this as the bleach will shorten its lifespan. This process assures that your now clean water is in a clean system. You could just add some bleach to one of your holding tanks of your choosing to get it into the system. This was really helpful and well done. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate you bringing up that point. As for this specific install, I did not flush just prior to the install. But I do, couple times a year let my primary tank get low and then add some chlorine and cycle water through the house for just that reason. Usually granulated sodium hypochlorite but I have also used generic I scented chlorine bleach, although that’s the lesser ideal.
Yeah I did this with my RV and boat water systems....
Yikes those filters are small. I'd use waaay bigger filters and a 90 gallon sand filter upstream...
I like your “belt suspenders” philosophy on the Teflon tape and pipe dope! 😊
Thats a good filter for your house, if you made the same thing with pentair 4.5x20 canisters you have a wider option of filters that are just as good and half the price, the pentair housings are going strong 10 years later out in the sun (looking crispy), neat plumbing by the way. UV bulbs aren't fool proof if the flow rate is too high or you have hard water, some minerals block the uvc light. An RO membrane is the only garuntee of bacterialogical safety and removal of minerals. Sanatize your plumbing your plumbing connections down stream by adding a little bleach into that bleed hole and letting the system pump up and then flush it, things will grow in that white plastic and it will suprise you how slimey it is in 5 years. - water systems tech
Nearly identical system here in the Virgin Islands.
📍 log and/or painters tape with dates for each filter and bulb replacement.
📍 where is your pressure check/log?
❓ does your UV have a window to check if the bulb is burnt out?
📍 extra notes:
0) Google calendar reminder for regular checks.
1) separate your systems. Toilets and lawn hose do not need UV filtered water.
2) filter the rain water from debris. Sock filter for larger debris, then sediment filter (or sand filter or diatomaceous earth). Shut off valve to stop intake when cleaning your roof. Cleanest roof water for primary cistern for eventual purification. Overflow one-way into second cistern. Second cistern is for lawn/toilet/clothes washing machine and catches water from other roofs/decks. Also, sock filter and a simple sediment filter. Overflow one-way to third cistern. Third cistern used for filling your pool (which has its own pump and filter) should also have a sock and simple sediment filter. Put a deck over the top. The deck can also act as fill for your third cistern. Stone deck material can be nice with a porous limestone and tiny grates in the gaps. Substrate is corrugated roof/deck metal and concrete.
3) trench and make your cisterns subterranean. Use geothermal cooling system to subsidize your air conditioning bill. If the cistern doesn’t have enough thermal capacity for the entire home, prioritize a dedicated single room (probably your bedroom). Btw, there are watertight shipping containers for a budget cistern. Else, concrete and lined primary cistern. Other cisterns only need marine concrete and seal. Cisterns and pool can be thought of as a home foundation, separated like single lane garages. If building all at once, you can easily make the cisterns flow (one-way 1-3). Be sure to have a 4th lane and don’t cover/deck that lane. In fact, shape it, shallow/deep ends, stairs, and have fun. That is your swimming pool.
4) solar hot water heater. Additional instant heat line for kitchen sink and bathroom showers.
5) solar power and a Tesla power wall-type battery solution.
6) septic. Are you off grid?
7) possible grey water catch from showers for fourth cistern. Modified filter for “lawn/landscape” irrigation. Or filter soap/debris and fill an outdoor pond. Research available if you look up earth-ship-homes.
8) hydroponics (and/or aquaponics) can be drawn from secondary cistern. Either deep in a service garage for stable year-round conditions, or a seasonal surface garden that can have a summer sunshade (and winter frost shade) area.
9) power outages often? Hurricanes here. Notes/instructions for closing valves (backflow). Keep an insulated small roof reservoir of purified water for gravity kitchen water and outdoor shower (be sure input valve is closed if power is out for a long while). This can be part of your regular system for continuous flow and fresh water in the gravity reservoir. Battery power wall solution? Else, 2 generators. Primary for the home, and a smaller backup that can be manually moved and used for essentials (refrigerator, emergency LED lights, water purifier, and/or bilge water pump from a cistern for the outdoor shower/kitchen solution. Or enough battery/generator power to charge the pumps and tanks for home water. You’d also need a reservoir for the separated non-purified water for the toilet/shower system water.
Reverse osmosis solution for your kitchen sink and ice maker. Possible remineralization system if so desired.
I liked how you used a UA-cam short to preview/give a heads up of the main video.
Thank you! It’s the very first ‘short’ I’ve done on here….haha. I’m old school so I don’t adopt all the new cool things that other YT folks have probably been using for a couple years. Which is also why you won’t ever see me using those clickbait titles (“this changes everything”) and doing ridiculous thumbnail faces😂
@@homesteadonomics - Haha. That said, I would laugh if there was a video with the title "Top 10 things to do when rainwater harvesting... #6 will shock you!!"
I am not sure about this system, but when I have installed RO systems, I purged the first several gallons as waste and not into the tank. This is to make sure any remnants of manufacturing doesn’t enter the tank or plumbing.
And ro membranes are shipped with a preservative so yup first few gallons. Good job 👍
Perfect timing i was looking at doing a filtering system this morning. I dont like/trust my city water
Glad it was timely! And yes, I put trust in municipal water supplies like I trust my politicians…..not much😂
Live in papua, we’ve been on rainwater for years, this seems like a great upgrade to our saywer filtier in the kitchen!
Great system & walkthrough. I’ll be recommending this video to my clients. Your videos always make everything look so easy! Hard to be “scared” of upgrading after watching you do it. 😁
Awww you are too kind Steff! 😊🙏
Nice setup Joe! 😃👍🏼👊🏼
Thank you Fred!
Thank you for this. I will admit, I have been intimidated by the plumbing. I have been without running water for just over 5 years. I was hoping to have it done this year, but it hasn't happened. There's just been one thing after another that comes up and takes me away. Now I am dealing with a sick goat. Hopefully, with this video, and if nothing else comes up to keep me away from it, I can get it done before the end of next year.
Well thank you for checking it out. And don’t feel intimidated, plumbing is something that is a little anxiety inducing in all of us (except for the professionals). I probably thought and rethought and rethought again about how I did the piping in my pump house rebuild. But if you check out that pump house video, I think it’s a pretty straight forward look at the basics.
If you look at some of the Home Depot kinda stores they even have some pulp and pressure tank combo kits that include diagrams, etc,.
Are you running water from a well or elevated tank? Or tank on trailer? Or something else?
If you want, feel free to send me an email and maybe I could sketch out a plan that might give you a starting point😊
You haven’t been posting much have you? I’ve been subscribed for years and have really missed seeing your videos, hope all is well! Glad you’re back! (?)
I don't post as often as I'd like, but I usually put up 1-3 videos per month. If you have not seen them you can try clicking on the notifications bell. But you can always click on the videos tab on my channel page and you'll see all of my videos there in chronological order.
And back to not seeing me, I'm guessing another reason is because I'm a bit old school and don't like to play the algorythm game. Most youtube folks that you see regularly do a myriad of things from boosting posts, to clickbait titles (all caps, "This Changes EVERYTHING" kinda titles ;), etc,. I believe in simply sharing and letting my videos perform organically.
Hope that helps and I'd like to have you check out some of the ones you've missed :)
Joe
Your just a little jack of all trades. I don't know what you was going to expect when you drank the water...... lol..... it was priceless I would say. I know you know this question, you do know if there where pathogens in your water, you wouldn't know anything for days or weeks. You sure would know when you would be running to the restroom that you had a bug.
Oh I'm messing with you, I'm sorry. I just thought it was funny the way you drank the water & looked @ it & said it taste like water with a discuss look on your face. I so wanted you to say or do something funny.
I really enjoyed the video & I learned something from it. You & your family have a great rest of 2023. God bless,
Chris from Missouri
Haha….well I did consider faking a dry heave or something…..lol
Hope you and your family also have a great rest of the year Chris. May God Bless you too😊🙏
We’re thinking of doing the same Joe. We put in two small under sink filters in so we can access drinking water at either end of our house and they seem to be working well, but the filters need more frequent changing than I’m guessing a whole house system would. Thanks for sharing this.
Well I think your plan of doing the under sink filters is actually more of the ideal setup for being efficient as you aren’t filtering hose water, washing machine, toilet water, etc,. So theoretically I’d imagine that could save more, depending on the filter changes needed.
Of course this setup is a single filter location, but they are large filters. So I guess it might depend.
But I’d definitely check out what they have to offer that might work as a switch out with your current ones. As they do have smaller filters that can fit under sinks in the cabinet.
I like the system set up, and how straight forward it seems, and am looking forward to the water testing video in the future. :)
Thanks Sis!
This looks a great system! US Water is here in Texas as well, and I'd love to have one for my farm in Western North Carolina. We've got a well, and I like the idea of the UV light!
Their systems really are impressive and well engineered! I think you'd be happy if you decided to add one of their filtration components!
Yah know... I've always wondered but never looked into it so I'm glad you came up. I really like how you acknowledged that setting up a new system can be a little intimidating and how you overcame that hurdle. Super well-organized and informative. Thank you!
You make everything you do so neat and tidy! Great job Joe!
Thank you kindly Loren!
Thank you for sharing your experience. Your videos are always very informative and well worth the watch!
I very much appreciate that Jerry😊🙏
WOW Joe you do fantastic work, I always enjoy watching your videos, I really like how your work is always nice and neat. Keep the videos coming. God Bless
Thank you Tony! May God bless you and your family as well😊🙏
I'm not from the US. But I think it'd be nice if they made the (4) filter housings in clear plastic also.
That would a be an interesting idea.... perhaps that could be a future design of theirs! :)
Thanks for the video!
They do make them clear but most of the bigger canisters are blue or gray my guess is to prevent bacteria growth from light
They don’t because algae would grow.
You could put a couple of cloth bags around clear ones. And it's moving water. I don't think it has very much of a chance to grow algae there.
i love how cleanly you work.
you dont want pressure tank after filters you want to put pressure tank before filters, that way no matter how bad filters clog up or some kinda leak develops in the housing your pump wont run non stop burn out, and will always build up consistent pressure,.
also pressure tank usually has bunch of junk unless its brand new, you'll be running bunch of filtered water though previous build up of gunk, which kinda negates whole filter set up, this is probably also why you didn't notice any pressure drop since your pressure switch still wants to meet the pressure requirement after going through all filters, typically each filter will drop your psi about 1-3 range per filter
Zillion thank you's, didn't even know they had these kinds of systems. I was looking at something much cruder and non-drinkable, this opens alot of doors of possibility.
Thanks! Glad you liked it😊🙏
Always a pleasure watching your videos! Informative and attention to detail is always spot on!
Thank you very much John!
I’m impressed, this looks like an awesome system, thanks 👍😁
Hi Joe
I have been learning many things from your channel.
Thank you very much.
I'll be checking into this system.
Thanks for making this video
Love your neatness!
More great content, Joe! Hope the family is doing well. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Thank you Mark! And merry Christmas to you and your family as well😊🙏
Good job sir! thanks for sharing your skills and knowledge.
Nice setup.
Thanks!
I've been spending time spec'ing out my eventual retirement compound, and this is definitely on the list. When I do it though, I'll probably double up the filters in parallel so that they last four times as long. If the house needs 10gpm, then each set is still good until they hit 5gpm instead of 10. Save money on filters, add redundancy, and the plumbing is only slightly more complicated.
That sounds like a good plan! And he’s to that retirement coming soon! Always fun planning things like this😊👍
You should really consider putting a surge protector on the UV light controller. A power surge will almost certainly blow the bulb out on the UV light or possibly wreck that fancy controller. I had a power surge the light on my RO+UV filter. Wasn't terribly expensive to replace the light but its a PITA when you can avoid it for 15-20$
You know what, that hadn’t even crossed my mind as is usually only think of those things during monsoons when we have a lot of lightning. But I think I’ll definitely be adding one soon. Thanks!😊🙏
I would recommend just adding one for your entire house. I have one for my house and then one for my pool rack/panel
Nice overview...saved for future reference!
Thank you….glad to hear it Mark😊🙏
Nice clean install
Thank you!
Bookmarking this vid for my upcoming build
Well done Joe.
Are you going to have a fake sign to open the mini door to the UV?😆 -KJ
you mean like my "caution: venomous snakes" sign on my fuel storage project? because that actually gives me some ideas!😁
@@homesteadonomicsI can only imagine what your fertile mind is going to come up with...
🤣🤣🤣@@homesteadonomics
Great install.
I would suggest to anyone buying such systems to do a little extra research inorder to avoid buying systems with proprietary filters and parts. Everything should be made with common parts to avoid servicing issues down the road.
YES BIG BLUE FOR THE PETAIR 4.5 FILTER DIAMETER AND10 OR 20-INCH LONG HOUSING. 20 INCH LONG HAS 1/2 THE PRESSURE DROP AND DOUBLE THE SERVICE LIFE. Buy open-source pleated filters instead of proprietary parts and cut the upkeep cost in half.
Excellent work again Joe. With the digital key used on the device and it sitting inside a metal building I'm sure that you will protect it by grounding everything to a common ground rod to prevent electrical surges (differences of potential) due to high electron flows associated with lighting in the area. You shouldn't have a problem but digital equipment is suseptible to failure with the small tracings and bondings on the boards and in the chips, etc., in them. Hence, keeping everything at the same potential to mitigate the energy flow between different potentials.
You really need a surge protector on the main panel to protect all circuits of the house or an individual outlet protector. I can tell you from experience that just having up-to-code grounding isn't enough. My electrical is from 2016 and I've got two 6' copper ground rods and a ufer ground plate. Still didn't save my UV light from being blown up by a power surge.
Thank you Lee! Don’t know how I missed this comment from earlier…. Must have seen the other reply and thought I already had.
As for the electronics….yes I’ll be adding a good surge protector to that outlet…. And the main ground is at breaker panel below house slab.
I’d be curious to know whether this system is at all hardened against an EMP - or, if not, how to decrease its susceptibility to an EMP.
Hey brother looks good.. Im fixing to install our UV light and i didn't think u could do pex off the UV light because the light will show thro the pex and it will break down the pex i think ur supposed to have copper or stainless steel atleast 6inches .. You may want to call them and ask just to be on the safe side let me know... A always keep it up brother.....
Hey Dan,
Yes I have heard that too. It’s true that pex is not a UV durable material. But if you look at my run from the outlet of the UV chamber you’ll see that I used a really short section of pex. So the brass fitting from the UV chamber and the elbow brass fitting are the materials that are exposed to the outlet of the UV chamber. It’s a short section of pex so the ‘ribbed’ sections of the brass pex fittings are the only thing getting exposed to the light.
Just imagine how many filter hours go into your toilets, showers, laundry, and dishwasher...your drinking water is like the final 3 percent.....lol
Love your videos!
Thank you Matthew!
AGAIN...and as AWAYS...an excellent presentation! LOVE the new system!! I'm on their website... I'm assuming you got the "Well System"!?
Thank you very much!! 😊🙏 I think they sent me this one….it’s located in residential then in the ‘rainwater systems’ tab
www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-systems-pulsar-max-plus-ultraviolet-disinfection-system-up-to-20-gpm.html
…..make sure to use the homestead5 code if you decide to get anything from them. It’s an extra 5% off😊
@@homesteadonomics The wife is saying go for it! :>)
Outstanding 🔥🦾
We're on well water here in Ohio. No iron but plenty of magnesium and calcium floating around in there to get the faucets nice and crusty. Trying out one of those electronic descalers and I've been trying to figure out what components we need to clean up our water without resorting to a water softener. It is definitely a bit intimidating as it seems the options are endless.
I'm certainly interested in some rainwater collection but would likely need to collect in a cistern to avoid everything freezing up in the winter.
Thanks for the great videos!
Joe, can you do an update on the rainwater harvesting planters (trees, roadside drain area, etc). I am curious to see things after a few years.
Well, I have plans to re-design that project….so yes, I will do more video on it. But about 8 months after I planted those trees I had a heard of javelina come through and chew the roots of the fruit trees. So that was the demise of the original plantings. Version 2.0 will have a fence😉
Wow, I don't get it?? I live on a caribbean island and have been living on rain water for over 19 years. My water goes through one 10" X 2 1/2" 1 micron filter which I change every 2 months, and then through a UV filter. I change my UV bulb every 18 months - they recommend every 12 months. I have never had any issues in regards to this system. No issues with the taps, water comes out clear with nothing collecting in tap filters. Water tastes great. no one has every gotten ill. I did have to change the UV control box after approx. 14years.
Get what? This is just a multi-stage filter system. They also sell single chamber systems, UV only systems, etc,. This is just what they sent me.
If you check out my previous rainwater videos you’ll see that the only filter I have used for 15 years was just a berkey gravity filter. Nothing for the house. Lots of options and there is just one.
Thanks for checking out the video😊🙏
Another great video presentation Joe. Well organized and highly informative. I noticed what looked like a USB key inserted into the system to initiate power. Does this system have WiFi connectivity to alert you if problems are detected? Good luck with your accommodation construction for the goats.
Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday season filled with gentle seasonally appropriate weather and restful evenings together. Peace brother
Thank you! Yes the USB key is to complete the functionality of the power source/monitoring system. The functioning on this particular system is basic….but on the more premium models they have more advanced monitoring that plugs into that same a lot like lamp performance, wifi, and other kinds of things like that.
And wishing you and your family the best as well! God Bless😊🙏
Great Video! Just found your YT channel. LIked-Subscribed-Notified. Keep up the great work.
Awesome setup!!!!!
Suggestion: to be safe, I would "hide" a couple systems underground also.... prepper mentality I guess!!!
Happy Holidays!
Amen
Retired, Veteran
Little tip, no UV should be mounted horizontally, those fingers holding up the end of the glass sleeve will break and you won’t notice it until you try and tighten the nut down which will break the sleeve, also (more so in well water) debris/scale can accumulate on the bottom side of chamber and removal can be tricky.
be nice if you could do a vid on outdoor solar lights. like cheapest to most expensive. ive been struggling to find cost effective good ones that dont die or break within 1 year of purchase. ive gotten dollar store,tsc and walmart brands thus far and am not really impressed. plus you being an arizonan you have the light output restraints i have w outdoor lighting here. been following u since i moved to tucson 6 years ago.keep up the great work boss. went to yer metal shop for my trailer build and they were awesome. thanks for the info in that vid awhile back.
I like your channel, had to join.
My understanding with UV filters is your supposed to have some sort of solid piping like metal on either end of it because it will decorate plastic over time. Is that particular filter different where you were able to use plastic piping on the one end and get away with only have to use the stainless steel on the other end?
That’s my understanding as well. But if you look at the connection I made on that end of the UV filter you’ll notice that I kept that section of pex short so the inside of it is almost completely covered by the brass pex fittings where they slip into the pex. So no UV is hitting the inside do that short section because the brass is covering it. And then it goes to a brass elbow.
Hope that made sense….at least in my mind it does🤪
Thanks for checking it out😊🙏
The powder coated filter cartage hanger will fail and rust up. Get or make a aluminium hanger Starting with a 5 micron filter. You will have a shorter life span for it. 25 micron first . Then what ever you want to hang after that. Remember you have a open system. If you are off grid your UV light is on all the time creating a fantom draw . Run a small UV light under the sink where your drinking water source is and run it on a light switch at the sink for on demand drinking water. Your light will last years longer. Also run a Y strainer before your pump. I have been doing this for a long time .I hope this helps people out there Aloha
Excellent video, info and good workmanship. I may have missed it do you have the model number for the filters and uv bul
This is a comment. Rain is water from the sky. You are welcome.
As true as any words spoken😂
👌
My concern about these systems utilizing the UV lamp, is how do you know it is still working? What happens if you loose power for a few minutes, can it potentially contaminate the system down stream from the light?
We have a similar system to Joe's. I had not thought about not having the UV light on during a power outage. If you didn't use any water during the outage it would probably be OK. However, we do use our water during a power outage with the pressure stored in the system mostly to flush toilets occasionally and that's a problem. Water that has not been sterilized flows thru our system during that time. I just started looking for a battery backup just for our UV light and I think a PC UPS would power the light for the better part of a day. I'll have to do the math to be sure. This was a good question and something I had overlooked. Hopefully a $75 UPS will fix the problem. Thanks.
Usually the power adapter for the light has a LED indicator. Green is good, red the light is dead. My cheapo Amazon UV filter tells me that way. You can also see the light coming through the white piping because its dark in my crawlspace. This probably isn't great long term because the UV will actually break down the plastic
I can understand your concern but its not that much of an issue in my opinion. Here’s why….
1- If it were to loose power for a short time, the previous water in the lines was filtered/UV and therefor good to go.
2- if no faucets were turned on during the power outage there wouldn’t be any flow, therefor there would be no water that hadn’t been exposed to UV
3- Even if the UV was out of service for a short time, I’d still have no problem drinking water that had run through those previous filters.
4- I have lived for 15 years using nothing but a berkey ceramic filter. So this is just bonus for me😉👍
Hi Joe,
Great video. Although I have tested my water for lead and it was ok, I have flirted with various filters. I may consider it again. Do you have to be concerned about the pipes, etc. in the pump house freezing?
Beaver
Hi Uncle Beaver!
Luckily for us, freezing isn’t much of a concern. We do see hard freezes on occasion but the insulated walls on this pumphouse should do well for all but the hardest days long freezes. However with that said, I’ve got a project I’m working on that’ll attach to the back of this pump house that will be a passive solar heater to heat the house during the sunlight hours to help it maintain through the night. Should be a fun little project!
Sweet!
really like this system.im offgrid down here in douglas now and hoping to finish house this year then all these lil projects. replacement filter and bulb pack price would b nice to know and how long they suggest b4 replacing said parts. saw the bulb said 375 days on dig display thats nice.
Very nice setup. If you placed the filter unit on the output side of the pressure tank, would that cause too large of a pressure drop and house water flow would be too low? I was just thinking it would be nice to have the filters after the pressure tank, just to eliminate any contaminates coming from that tank. But maybe it would restrict the flow too much. I have a similar pressure tank on my well in Payson AZ and I need to add filters also. Thx
Love your rain 🌧️ roof systems buddy, amazing job, how is the water to drink?
Great vid! Thanks for sharing. Do you do anything to re- mineralize the water? What is the pH when it comes out of faucet? I'm just curious. We love your channel and have a chunk of property here in Arizona we eventually want to "homestead" in a sense. Your vids are priceless for information.
We have had our rainwater system up for over a year now. We sent water samples to a lab to be tested a month after we started using it. While the mineral levels were greatly reduced we did still have trace of some minerals in our water. If you have a good diet you should not have any issues with mineral deficiencies. Filtered water is not void of all mineral like distilled water is. Our ph levels were pretty neutral. Something I didn't expect was that rainwater is not as clean as you would think. I did our first filter change at 9 months and the filter elements were almost black when I removed them. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it means they are working.
Thanks for checking it out! No, we don’t add anything back into the water. But like the ouroklahomalife said, a good diet of healthy food will supply what you need. Additionally we use a couple types of salt (Celtic sea and Himalayan) over regular iodized table salt for our meal prep as they have natural trace minerals within them.
As for the PH, I do not know, but plan to do a test of pre and post filtered water soon.
And where abouts in AZ is your property?
Thanks for Sharing Joe, Great door handle nice custom touch. Are all the water cisterns full to capacity with the last rains you got at that certain time?
Wonderful video. I'm glad to see this project. What were your hesitancies in putting together a multi-stage DIY system?
Thank you! Regarding my hesitancies…..
Mostly had to do with combining parts from different places to save on cost…. And different specs on certain components not quite lining up, etc,. .. and basically just kinda leaning towards a single source for all the components.
But a more DIY version can definitely be done with cost savings. So don’t let that discourage you if that’s the route you’d like to go😊👍
Some tips. Don't tighten the filter housing with the wrench. Also add o'ring lubricant before tightening. Don't ask how I know. Had to replace an entire housing because I over tightened it and o'ring bound and couldn't be unscrewed it no matter what.
How effective is the UV sterilizer considering the fast water flow rate, I would imagine water needs to be stagnant for maximum UV exposure for any meaningful sterilization to happen
I couldn’t say for sure….but I know depending on the intensity it downs have to be long. They’ve been making and testing these systems for a long time. So I’d imagine if the system is designed for 20gpm then the UV would be able to maintain with that flow.
Are you splitting the filtered water and unfiltered water for different uses? Such as washing machine, toilet probably doesn't need filtered water vs. cooking, drinking would need filtered water. It uses more water to get filtered water.
That would definitely be my ideal. But as of right now I only have one run supplying my house. So it supplies everything.
As for the more water to get filtered water. This system is not RO so there is no wasted water.
I like this set up to cover your whole house. My folks are currently using a reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink that only covers the drinking water. Does this system do the samething as a reverse osmosis system? I understand your system covers the whole house versus ours, which only covers the drinking water from the kitchen. I would prefer a whole house system, since it allows you to drink safe water from any location in the home, rather than just from the kitchen. This set up is the best for a family who have kids that access water from any part of the home. Thanks for sharing this video. Time to do some research...lol
Depending on what kind of water you're starting with you might not need a RO system. If you're on well water and it's hard water (lots of minerals) RO will help extend the life of your hot water tank, make your soap work better in the laundry and in the shower, and reduce hard water stains on plumbing fixtures. But if your supply is municipal from a lake it probably isn't hard enough to justify whole house RO and a filter bank like this would help take out the chlorine and fluoride added by the water utility, making it perfectly fine to drink
This system is filtration/sterilization (via UV) whereas Reverse Osmisos uses a different process and especially for me running lower pressure, would be inefficient for my setup. But for a musical supply they might be a good option.
But ultimately I think it’ll depend on your needs for water use.
Thanks for checking out the video😊🙏
Excellent! I am curious though why you didn't install a spin-down pre filter on your intake? Is it because rain water doesn't need it? I have a community water system and I had to put spin-down filters on mine but it was because I get a lot of >25um particulates. It made my filters last twice as long.
Looks like a very nice system. I have a couple of questions though. Have you had assayed your water quality from the before and after filtration? What are the dissolved minerals content?
Those filters are made with pleated polyester, probably a good chance it's adding microplastics to the water, particularly in light of that study in PNAS. Doesn't seem like rainwater would need much filtering anyway. Seems like activated carbon + UV would be plenty.
Thanks for the video. I am currently looking into a hybrid rain/well water system for our homestead.
What is the PH of your rain water? Rain water is said to usually be somewhat acidic, with a PH of around 5. Have you done anything to balance the PH? If not, have you noticed any problems with corrosion in you metal plumbing and appliances?
Thanks!
okay so I think I will be out there, in Arizona I will need some guide, on how I will be happy to make a trade ;)
Hello,... Could you tell me please what brand and model is your filtration system and what's the filtration capacity GPM (gallon per minute).... Thanks
Check out the description as I have a link there😊👍
Have you tested the filtration to ensure it removes all the PFAS that's in the rainwater?
I mentioned at the end that I have no water tests as of right now, but that I’d do a test comparison in the future of my tank water after a rain vs what the post filtered water looks like. 😊👍
I Need This In My House In Berbera 😊 🎉
Is there a filter prior to the membrane filters you added? Something to take out macroscopic material (leaves and the like).
Very useful video. Thank you Joe!
1) What carbon filtration you have in the kitchen?
2) How often you need to replace filters , including UV filter? Once a year? If so to keep it running, annual expense around $500? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks for checking it out!
As for the filter we’ve been using for the past 15 years. It’s a 2.5 gallon berkey with black ceramic elements. And even though I’m installing this system I will continue to use the berkey as well for drinking water as it’s just habit. I highly recommend berkeys in general.
As for maintenance on an annual basis. If changing at recommended intervals, that is probably close to what it would cost. But that will depend on water source. For example with rainwater I have virtually no mineral or other particulate to filter out. But I will have potentially more silty sediment from my roof surface that makes it in there….even though I do let sediment settle and use a filter on my pump when I transfer water from my tan collection tank, to my green holding tanks. So the water is remarkably clean by then, but some will make it over. So for me I might let the latter filters go longer than a year and just change the first 5 micron filter more often (as it is the cheapest 😉). And I think that will not only prolong the latter 3 but also reduce cost a bit.
@@homesteadonomics Good video. We have a similar system and we still use our Berky. I thought rainwater would be cleaner but, I just changed out our 5 micron for the first time @ 9 months and it was black. Which is OK, that means it's doing it's job. If your looking for a water testing lab we used "Simple Lab" to test our rainwater and our well. They send you the kit and turnaround from when you send in the sample is about 5 days.
for my system I use loose carbon rather than a cartridge. the carbon then can be washed and dried for reuse elsewhere. also about 1/3 the cost. have been doing that way for over 5 years. water annually test out exceeding local utility district water quality by far.
@@homesteadonomics Thanks.
@@OurOklahomaLife Thank you
Reverse Osmosis is easier but wastes to much water for a rainwater system... I use RO on my "city" water that tastes like a swamp
Some food grade grease on those O rings will help seal and extend their life a LOT. Available at brew supply stores... I use it in my beer kegs on the O rings
Yes, RO definitely is a no go for my water situation, but if I had a municipal source I’d certainly consider it as an option.
Nice setup but I have a few questions.
1. Did you connect your pump and UV power supply together so that your light only works when the pump is running?
2. I believe for the UV to have any beneficial effect it needs to have a continual water flow through it with the light on and intermitent short runs do not sterilize your water.
Dave, South Africa
Great video. Checked out the site and they do not list the contaminants that the filter eliminates. That is an extremely important data set. I have a three-stage "coconut shell activated carbon" filter system under my kitchen sink, and it does a great job of filtering the water. It costs about $100 a year to change the filters. This system also uses a "coconut shell activated carbon" filter system, so it should eliminate most contaminants. It would be good to know if it eliminates PFAS and PFOS contaminants, since they are difficult for carbon filters to fully remove.
There are spin-down filters up to 15 micron, might be wroth the investment to safe some filter money.
I’ll look into them….thanks!😊👍
The pressing question is ongoing cost of the system. How frequently do the filter elements/UV bulb need to be replaced and the cost of the elements/bulb.
UV bulbs 1 year 150 bucks, filter 40 -80 peice 1 month to a year depending on usage/contamination level
You mentioned that the UV light draws 1 1/2 amp. I would think that the light is on only when there is actual water flow. Yes? So is there a flow sensor to turn the UV light on and off?
Careful running pex that close to the uv light it could degrade the piping if its not isolated.
when you say your pump house is set at around 50 psi, is that just what your pressure tank is set at? or does this filter system have its own settings?
I’m curious about start up and maintenance costs. What’s the damage?
can this be attached outdoors or its not uv resistant?
Do you find you have more PFAS in your water than well water?
Do you think this would be overkill for a home on city water?
Well, I think it would just depend on your municipal supply. Not all are created equal and many add in things that you might not want to consume. But you might also have a local supply that is rather decent quality.
But regardless, getting things like chlorine and fluoride out of the water you drink is definitely a good thing.
Hope that helps😊
Nice package, but hella expensive. Did you do a DIY comparison in terms of cost and quality?
Off topic questions. What brand of watch are you wearing in the video and do you like it? I want a new watch. Yours look nice and I like the NATO strap.
It’s a timex weekender with the chrono buttons. It’s nothing fancy but I like it. Change the straps from nylon to leather, etc,. And my favorite….is that it’s NOT a ‘smart’ watch…. I can’t stand those😂
Do you add any minerals to the drinking water?
The system I have available (Canada) states it has to be installed after the pressure tank. Seems odd because why would I want that sediment in my tank. What are your thoughts?
Ok, nice ! But what kind of cost did you have to put out for this complete system ? I guess the only thing extra that I would want todo is to add some proper minerals back into the water system for health reasons.
Thanks! Regarding the minerals….that isn’t as huge of an issue as good food will provide most minerals you need. And additional can be obtained by utilizing a good quality sea salt (Celtic) or Himalayan salt.
And for the cost…. The cost of these systems varies quite a bit depending on what you need. This one was sponsored by US Water to me…..so the cost to me is what I will have to claim for tax purposes.