Good information and I thank you for sharing your experience. For me, the counter top gravity filter is a backup only to buy some time in the event of a problem with my well. I have some redundancy in my home heating, food storage, and off grid power, but the one single point failure I have is the well. If the submersible pump fails, I need to fill the gap until I can replace it. I live near a world class trout stream and would feel fairly comfortable using it for drinking water with the Berkeley or Alexapure. Rainwater is also an option and maybe a better idea since farming chemicals could be present in the stream water. Since it’s not a primary system, the cost of filter replacement isn’t a big problem. As a plan B device, the countertop filter systems seem I offer a reasonable short term solution.
Thanks , but what I said was a very brief outline of an immensely complex issue..it is a social and political issue in many places even in the USA and should be kept sorta secret as to what you have…or can do , as water will become 10x as valuable as food if a bad social event or grid down event ever happens.
I didn’t even touch on 99% of what should be known about water safty or waterborne illness or how to pre-treat , storeage , prevent fouling and a ton of things …plus there’s a lot I don’t know..
But I know enough to last along time
This topic should be researched and properly understood ..before there’s a problem ..
Most all solutions are pretty simple and cheap , IF you know about them and WHAT to do.
With that said I will touch on couple of key points you mention that are importent .
All surface water should be considered dangerous Untill more is known.
A known well is 100x times safer than most any unknown source of surface water…a well is an huge asset but they too can go bad ..have some 20.00 test kits stored for testing the well if periodically ..they recommend every year to or less depending on where you live…and how deep it is …what’s in your area…. Etc…
Depending on the well depth consider having a manual way to access water in dire times. It’s possible to have supplemental electrical pumping on some wells ..
Have a big water tank of good water stored and treated for storage to draw from if needed for drinking ..I have one ..I drain an treat and refill once a year.. My wife and I can Go a year at least without having to go find good drinking and cooking water…
I probably wont need it but it’s there as a back up..
I personally would not trust an unknown surface water source to only treatment by a counter top unit unless I had no choice …even then I’m treating it afterwards with Clorox or other things..
That’s why I have other ways to pre-treat my drinking water. Then put it through the countertop units to be more assured of safty…Some pathogens in water can kill or disable you very quickly ..
I had a friend who drank from a familiar creek while hunting here in the mountains died from liver failure ( that was cause of death) as an animal had died upstream in the water and fouled the water .
No I dont feel safe using 10 dollar water straws…unless I had no choice.they may help , but they may not…I want better stuff personally
Clorox is your best friend at 5 dollars a gallon if you know how to use it properly , boiling is great but harder to do on the fly or without a good heat source…
The pocket Katadnye maybe one of the best investments a man can own…it’s a very high quality small hand held device made for professional needs ..it’s been used for decades world wide by every country …mine will clean 13,000 gallons on one filter , about the size of a small subway sandwich and cleanable and repairable in the field..it makes a quart a minute ….I got my first one in 1995 ..it’s about 150 to 300 dollars depending where and which model… they do make cheaper ones the last time I looked..
Good sediment and charcole or coconut taste filters can help make bitter water sweet and free of grit and then be treated by a additional filter for safty…
very small micron filters I use on my well do a great job for sediment and fractional or sub fractional micron filters can get rid of bacteria viruses. A three ot 4 stage filter can do it all with different step in the filtering process.. they are not cheap but work well ..
If unsure ,12 drops of Clorox per gallon is recommended for killing pathogens but YMMV, depending on the original condition if the water…and if the Clorox is fresh… put it in stirr it and let it sit 30 min..If you can’t smell the Clorox afterwards , do it again…..
IF you can smell it your Ok in most cases.. if it’s under 6 months old ..
If its older you should adjust the number of drops as it looses its strength with time …get rid of any Clorox over a year , or go do some extra laundry or somthing..
You can use the pre package tablets of various types to pre treat …and then go filter it …bacteria, viruses , cysts , heavy metals , chemicals , poisons and run off chemicals need to be considered and addressed especially if in poor health anyway… if your already dehydrated , you do NOT want to develop diareaha or stomach issues ..it might take you out.
Rain water can be gathered but needs to be treated for the roof or surface contaminants, bugs , bird poop , chemicals from shingles.
The main problem is without good testing you don’t know what it needs… being clear or not smelling bad only tell you a small amount of what you may need to do…and sometimes smelling bad is perfectly safe…( some coastal beaches city water....ha)…
Seeing your dog drink it ok means nothing toward your safty, while if he dies or gets sick from drinking it , it certainly tells you somthing .
It’s very confusing…and in an emergency situation it will be 1000 times worse among the masses .
we take water for granted…we don’t even think about not having it , yet it ranks only behind AIR as the most valuable thing we need…
food is way down the list .
Most people have
2 - 3 minutes without air…
2 - 3 days without water …
2 -3 weeks with out food ..
If under stress or exertion , less ..
Many books are written on this topic…..there’s just to much info to know unless one works at learning it .
But …to sum up some stuff…
I would double treat my water UNLESS it’s from a friendly well..or known spring.. sample it in small amount for a few hours ….even a day
do you suffer effects… ? Remember ole Montezuma…..and his revenge ..
Have ways to disinfect containers if possible.
Keep quiet about what you have ..
Always remember marketing people promote their products to sell them…not to protect you..
Do not believe everything you read in this “ world wide economy “ ..or Amazon type places.
Buy good stuff ,
If one “just has to buy cheapo products “ online from our neighbors famous for cheapo stuff then I say
Let the Buyer Beware….
And then boil that shit before you drink it…
J.
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