BajaNomad

water filtration

volcano - 8-30-2018 at 11:55 AM

we have a black plastic pila...above ground....husband wants to put in a water filter so it is consumption grade....... does anyone do this? have suggestions??

woody with a view - 8-30-2018 at 12:25 PM

You can install a simple canister filter for sand or go big and reverse osmosis. So the real answer is it depends what you want to do? Is your water source non potable? What about bleach?

Paco Facullo - 8-30-2018 at 12:32 PM

If possible get the water tested to find out whats in it that you don't want in it.
Then you can research what is the best filter for your situation.

boiling is still the best

joerover - 8-30-2018 at 03:46 PM

Boiling kills all virus and bacteria, nothing alive can withstand a full rolling boil.

Inactive filters grow mold after a while. (Mold don't read the price tag.) A cheap replaceable filter could be better than an expensive filter for this reason.

What are you trying to filter out of the water? Heavy metals? Lead? DDT?
Few filters work for this.

The word filter is not regulated. The word purifier is regulated, big difference.

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  


don't drink the tank water





[Edited on 8-30-2018 by joerover]

SFandH - 8-30-2018 at 04:06 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  


buy bottled water for drinking and cooking
I like the 2 1/2 gallon bottles...they are a lot lighter

don't drink the tank water



yup

And I agree, those 5-gallon bottles get heavier every year. There are 3-gallon bottles too.

bajabuddha - 8-30-2018 at 04:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by joerover  
Boiling kills all virus and bacteria, nothing alive can withstand a full rolling boil.


You need to visit a black smoker (without a snorkel).

To the OP, use purificado for drinking and cooking; if you think it's a hassle, so's changing filters and such. It's also a good reason to run in to town for a libation and a taco

A filtration system is fine here Stateside for nasty minerals, etc., but in Baja the 3 gallon bottle RULES. Even here in NM our water sux to high heaven and I buy mine from a machine downtown after disconnecting my store-bought filtration system.

freediverbrian - 8-30-2018 at 04:52 PM

RO systems need constant water pressure a problem in many places in baja. And are mateince heavy a whole house system is very expensive a small unit under kitchen sink is doable but I am with others bottled water is the way to go.

hermosok123 - 8-30-2018 at 05:15 PM

If you are full time or use more than say 50 gallons of drinking water a week you can have a drinking water system and potable water system. It entails plumbing double duty and regular maintenance of the drinking water holding unit. If there is a decent drinking water supplier they can be contracted to fill each separately or you can haul it with a larger tank than the 5 gallon bottles, drain it and out of the sun when not on site. I agree with SF and H.

Better water

PaulW - 8-30-2018 at 05:41 PM

The delivered water in San Felipe is chlorinated and has heavy dissolved solids that my body cannot take. I will not cause any kind of sickness, But many of us cannot process the heavy dissolved solids.
Our house has an 1800Gal in ground cistern for delivered water. I also have a 650Liter tank with delivered RO water. All water for human consumption comes from the RO tank. It has a filter at the delivery end and it has never has anything to collect. Especially no mold ever found. The cistern showes no sign of mold, but is slowly collecting a small amount of sand on its bottom.
My neighbor has a plastic in ground cistern had it has to be purified annually to remove the fungus and mold.
For the original question - a filter will remove particulate only not mold or fungus.
Recommendation get an RO system like sold at Home depot. It will fit under the sink and provide a gallon of very pure water for cooking and drinking. Let the thing run full time and yo will always have that gallon to use. The RO system depends on a pressurized water source so you have to account for that. My SF house is a low pressure system so If I were to do this kind of setup I would need a booster pump.

My home in CO-USA has the same kind of water as San Felipe and I use the under the sink RO unit. My pressure in this home is higher so an boost pump was not required.

BTW, IMO, do not expect to find water in Baja to be good enough for human consumption. Don't believe me then get your water tested and compare with US standards. Converting a black above ground tank to a conventional in ground cistern is highly recommended.

volcano - 8-30-2018 at 06:19 PM

personally, I'm in favor of the bottled water.......would be filtering out plastic residue, and bacteria. Partner wants to look at options...town is an hour away so running in for libations not a possibility...running in every 5 days for bottled water is what happens now. My pila is above the house for gravity flow but not on my property, so burying not an option. Thanks for all the feedback and ideas.

PaulW - 8-30-2018 at 06:26 PM

Bottled water some times is just filtered. Have you had it tested. In San Felipe bottled water comes filtered or Reverse Osmosis to remove dissolved solids.

MitchMan - 7-6-2019 at 09:35 AM

12 pesos for a 5 gallon garafon is dirt cheap. That's really the way to go for drinking and cooking. I think having a tinaco on the roof works just fine for showering, kitchen and bathroom sinks and for the toilet. Tinaco water pressure would be about 2 to 5 psi and that works just fine. The shower would be light but adequate pressure. Using a very simple, small shower head will do the job and save water.

I will never understand why many USA Americans insist on high water pressure. It's simply not a necessity, but is really simply a USA American preference.

My only concern is the salt build up in the cistern and roof top tinaco. I am going to use Rotoplas's big blue with a 5 micron filter to help retard the salt build up. I have been told that use of this filter will not require pressure from a pump and will work a very low psi. It is impossible to eliminate the build up without a soft water treatment system. Filters cannot eliminate 'dissolved salts', the concentration of which increases over time from unavoidable water evaporation. When the salt concentration inevitably reaches the saturation point, the salt precipitates out to the bottom of the tank. Bummer.


[Edited on 7-6-2019 by MitchMan]

fishbuck - 7-6-2019 at 09:42 AM

I have heard that when buy a truck of water that the higher up the mountain the spring, the sweeter the water.
Anybody heard that or know about it.

[Edited on 7-6-2019 by fishbuck]

pacificobob - 7-6-2019 at 09:43 AM

For drinking, We use a 10 micron filter before a RO system,followed by a UV light.small system 50 gallons/day. Cheap, less than $400.

David K - 7-6-2019 at 09:53 AM

Is there any way to taste the various methods? Some folks are very sensitive to the taste of their water and before investing in a system, it would be great to have a sample. I suppose it may have a lot to do with the water that goes in before it is filtered?

fishbuck - 7-6-2019 at 10:24 AM

San Quintin just spent a bundle on a state of the science desal system.
Why wouldn't that water be good. Should be excellent.
A foriegn built system and run by the company that built it for the 1st 10 years I think.
I will try and find a link.

fishbuck - 7-6-2019 at 10:32 AM

It's Stanford...

https://west.stanford.edu/news/blogs/and-the-west-blog/2018/...

willardguy - 7-6-2019 at 11:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by TookieTreeTop  
Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view  
You can install a simple canister filter for sand or go big and reverse osmosis. So the real answer is it depends what you want to do? Is your water source non potable? What about bleach?













I did a search on this guy's posts to see if he had anymore posts on water filtration. It seems he has disappeared. LOL he spoke of flame throwers but saw his comments where he told someone to "eat the corn out his poop". I am sure he's missed enormously. He also doesn't like people to write about surfing in Baja but doesn't seem to mind using other people's experiences and maps to help himself. What a dipsheet!


as a matter of fact he is missed enormously! congratulations on a clean escape woody!;)

nbentley1 - 7-10-2019 at 01:45 PM

Back on topic, anyone have any experience using this type of system rather than reverse osmosis, which I hear is not the most efficient? Thanks

https://www.aquasana.com/whole-house-water-filters/500k-gall...

PaulW - 7-10-2019 at 04:36 PM

Considering the price of aquasana a RO system looks superior.
The inefficiency of RO is the waste water which is a concern only of you have limited water supply.

Both my homes, one in Baja and one in Colorado have either well water or very high dissolved solids water. My system in both places the water for human consumption is exclusively RO and water for all other purposes is the supplied water or the well water. Of course we have to live with hard water and the calcium buildup on faucets and spray heads. This means ongoing maintenance. I consider the waste water for the RO systems in both places as trivial. The RO system like we have can be bought at the building supply place for a little over $100.
After many many years of these systems I have no reason to change.

PaulW - 7-11-2019 at 05:58 AM

Waste water goes directly into the sewer drain and I cannot measure.
Maybe a Google search can answer your question.
Of course it is dependent on total usage. Waste is a certain percentage of total use.

nbentley1 - 7-11-2019 at 07:51 AM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Considering the price of aquasana a RO system looks superior.
The inefficiency of RO is the waste water which is a concern only of you have limited water supply.

Both my homes, one in Baja and one in Colorado have either well water or very high dissolved solids water. My system in both places the water for human consumption is exclusively RO and water for all other purposes is the supplied water or the well water. Of course we have to live with hard water and the calcium buildup on faucets and spray heads. This means ongoing maintenance. I consider the waste water for the RO systems in both places as trivial. The RO system like we have can be bought at the building supply place for a little over $100.
After many many years of these systems I have no reason to change.


Good info. Thank you.