Today we all rely perhaps too much on bottled water and tap water, and only a few of us know how to filter rainwater, which is probably one of the best sources of drinking water we have.
There are 6 principal ways in which we can get our drinking water; boiled water, domestic water supply to our homes (tap water), bottled water, distilled water, natural spring water and filtered rainwater.
Prior to making any suggestions, I'd like to present the results of recent water tests I made in the Nervia valley. The tests were performed using a TDS-EC meter which measures the 'electrical conductivity' (EC) and with this the 'total dissolved solids' (TDS) in a sample of water.
They don't identify specific or individual dissolved solids and all dissolved solids aren't necessarily bad. But the more dissolved solids the more likely you would want to know what is exactly in the water - good and bad.
A level of zero is considered ideal drinking from reverse osmosis or distillation. A TDS level of 50 is typical of water from mountain springs and carbon filters. TDS 100 is 'hard' water most likely through calcium and will shorten the life of your domestic appliances. TDS 200 is considered marginally acceptable. TDS 3-400 from the tap or mineral springs. TDS 500 is at the limit at which water is considered suitable for drinking.
Some of the more common contaminates that are found in water that should be avoided include; lead, chlorine, chloramines, fluoride, mercury, arsenic, herbicides, pesticides, bacteria and parasites.
WATER SAMPLE TEST RESULTS
Boiled Water
Boiled water can be a necessary choice when you are unsure of the water quality you have available. Maybe it looks clean but there is always the possibility it contains germs, bacteria and parasites. Boiling water kills these contraminants but it does not remove dissolved solids in the form of heavy metals, chemicals and toxins. It is however, a good option if you don't have alternative drinking water but should be replaced with an alernative, clean water supply.
Tap Water
Tap water from your tap indoors is by far the most convenient but it is known to have toxins and contaminants that we should avoid. Best option is to put your tap water through a charcoal filter before you drink it. A good filter will remove most of the TDS in the water making it a acceptable supply of drinking water in volume,
TAP WATER SAMPLES (Val Nervia)
- 139ppm: public tap water main square Rocchetta Nervina,
- 154ppm: public tap water in Dolceacqua, Piazza Matteotti,
- 171ppm: public vending machine in front of municipio Dolceacqua,
- 185ppm: public tap water in Camporosso, at the traffic lights (tabacchi),
- 200ppm: water supply to home,
- 245ppm: public fountain in Isolabona, in main viccoli just in from the pedestrian bridge,
Bottled Water
Bottled water is generally better than your tap water but it often contains more minerals and dissolved solids than you would like. The higher TDS values do not necessarily mean the water is bad to drink, but does indicate a higher level of dissolved solids in the water, whatever they might be. A lower level does indicate that the water is more 'pure' than the higher ones but again it doesn't indicate whether they are good or bad elements. Ferrarelle has what appears to be a shockingly high value and lists the elements on their bottles. Their water is high in calcium, has other good and bad elements plus a number of toxins you find in tap water such as chlorine and fluoride. High calcium levels may not be as good for your bones as we are led to believe and can also be the cause of kidney stones.
Anyway, apart from their contents, bottled water is a very bad way to source your water. Cost and pollution resulting from long distance transportation for distribution is a big issue and the single use plastic bottles an even bigger one - not at all an environmentally sound choice of supply.
BOTTLED WATER SAMPLES
- 15ppm: Sant'Anna naturale,
- 19ppm: Martina naturale,
- 42ppm: Eva naturale,
- 44ppm: Valmora,
- 45ppm: San Bernardo,
- 70ppm: Levissima,
- 100ppm: BiancaNeve frizzante,
- 114ppm: Rocchetta,
- 124ppm: BiancaNeve naturale,
- 186ppm: Flavia naturale,
- 288ppm: VitaSnella,
- 650ppm: Ferrarelle.
Distilled Water
Pure water is great for hydration and for cleansing so long as you obtain important minerals from your diet. Home distillation is good although it is energy hungry so unless you have a home solar power system with stable and continuous sunny day power output of over 2kW, then it is likely to be cost prohibitive.
DISTILLED WATER SAMPLES
- 0ppm: pure, distilled water,
- < 5ppm: from a home distillation appliance,
- 20ppm: from MD supermarket (5 litres), 20ppm
Spring Water
Naturally sourced spring water is in many ways the best, the easiest and cheapest source of drinking water. Even if your spring of choice has a low TDS it is adviseable to get it checked for contaminants such as bacteria, parasites and toxins (metal or chemical).
SPRING WATER SAMPLES
- 90ppm: Rocchetta Nervina river water above village,
- 123ppm: spring water from near the souce of the Nervia river,
- 130ppm: spring water from the Langan area.
Filtered Rainwater
Rainwater is an abundant source of water for any domestic and agricultural need and can be harvested relatively easily. Filtered rainwater is by far the best source of drinking water. It is by definition 'distilled' during the process of evaportaion from the sea and lakes to form the clouds that ultimately result in precipitaion. Use a fine mesh to remove leaves, twigs and other debis prior to routing the water through a first flush diverter to the storage containers. The stored water can then pass through a gravel, sand, lava stones and charcoal filter that gives clean water for drinking and general use in the kitchen.
RAINWATER SAMPLES
- 20ppm: rainwater from home roof collection system without 1st flush diverter and no filtration,
SO, WHERE BEST TO GET YOUR WATER?
Obviously this is very much dependent on your taste and circumstances. However, if you have the time and resources, collecting rainwater that is then filtered for drinking seems to be by far the better option from a cost, quality and environmental perspective.
Probably the easiest and most convenient option is to filter your tap water with a ZeroWater filter available online from Amazon.
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Drinking Water Filtration |
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GENERAL INFORMATION
For most efficient use of rainwater collection systems, water should be filtered for 3 specific uses; water for toilets and domestic appliances, water for sink basins and showers, and most importantly for drinking. All excess water can be used for irrigation of the land.
Drinking Water Filtration - the 2 principal ways to filter water for drinking are by using commercial products such as Berkey filters and reverse osmosis filters, or by building your own organice sand and charcoal filter.
Reverse Osmosis systems - typically fit under the kitchen sink. 5 filters: https://www.water2buy.com. The system costs about 200 euros, replacement of all filters costs 60 euros and last around months.
Berkey Filters - Berkey is one of the best gravity water filters available based on the reasoning below:
- Filtration Quality: Their quality cartridge, Black Berkey, can remove the top 20 significant contaminants of up to 99%. Furthermore, its filter can remove pathogenic bacteria without using a UV sterilizer.
- Portability: It is hugely portability, like a water pitcher, which can quickly move around after filling the storage tank.
- Reasonable Annual Maintenance: Considering the capability of removing contaminants, the replacement cost is relatively reasonable for such a great system.
- Lifetime Warranty: It comes with a lifetime warranty on the Berkey system against manufacturing defects and two years on the Black Berkey Filter. Big Berkey Water Filter System Review.
- Comments: "Our Berkey Filter clears most and easy portable too. We've put the two sections on a bucket to raise the tap. It's great if you have outside events as it's portable. I don't think it clears all stuff as the meter showed osmosis as better but since it takes out all minerals it's good to replace these as it's critical and we're all deficient. I use three drops daily of 'Trace pure ocean minerals' for example. Demineralised water is NOT bad for us it's amazing to detox with. Cost here is one euro for five litres at MD so is great as back up supply. I tested the water and its very clean like osmosis. But if u don't change filters then it tests higher.
Demineralised water strips out toxins but it doesn't strip out minerals as science says. We do need minerals in our body and we're all depleted with this which is another huge area. All these inc Berkey clear out parasites, pathogens, poisons very well. Possibly is some thought that Berkey doesn't clear aluminium fully and my test shows it's less clear but is not specific as to what. Hope our water wisdom helps."
- Berkey filters are currently under scrutiny by US standards agencies, most likely for nefarious reasons as the globalists don't want us to have healthy water.
ZeroWater filters - ZeroWater filters can be bought online if not available in your local store. They cost around 40 Euros and at the moment come supplied with a free TDS meter. Filtered water from them have a very low TDS value of zero (like distilled water). You can use the TDS meter to monitor how the filter cartridge performs over time and ultimately as a quide to when cartridges should be replaced.
Organice Sand and Charcoal Filters - the gravel layer catches large pieces of debris, such as twigs, leaves, and bugs. Next, the sand layer catches smaller particles, such as dirt and grit, and makes the water look clean. Finally, the charcoal layer gets rid of bacteria and some chemicals. To make a water filter without activated charcoal, you need a replacement material that has pores large enough to allow water to pass through, but small enough to catch sediment, pathogens, or other impurities. Sand or ceramic are the best materials to use as replacements for activated charcoal.
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Living On The Inside Out
...where less means more
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ecosystems@21-dc.com |
ecosystems.21-dc.com
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