Water is the essential liquid of all life in the world; so much so, that health experts recommend the consumption of at least eight glasses of water per day to lead to a healthy lifestyle and a body purged of toxins.
We know that the great enemy of the intestinal flora is chlorine; and we also know that it is an element present in the drinking water that we get from the tap. So can we remove chlorine from water? Of course, the most common way, as our grandmothers did, boiling the water.
Boiling water is the oldest way to consume safe drinking water, but it is not the most practical; nor is it the most economical, if we take into account the use of gas or the electricity consumed to be able to boil it.
In addition, the reduction of water by boiling leads to its mineralization; because, just as the concentration of chlorine is reduced by evaporation, the other minerals present in the water become concentrated, which greatly harms the health of people with kidney problems.
Who does not want to have good quality drinking water? The fight to get the best purified water has taken years in history. However, what we avoid the most among those of us who consume water with high expectations is the bad taste of chlorine.
Many people cannot stand the taste produced by the high concentrations of chlorine in the drinking water that comes out of the tap; hence the idea of using filters that modify the taste of drinking water.
So, the alternatives to enjoy water more and be able to benefit from all its minerals are water filters. But, there are many varieties of filters; so, how do you decide which filter to use? Or which water is best for you?
What water to drink?
It is no secret to anyone that globalization and daily stress have led to the excessive consumption of bottled water. It seems to be the most practical, fastest and healthiest option; but if you analyze a little more the environmental impact that the consumption of bottled drinking water is having, you will realize that you should not have it as your first option.
From an economic point of view, bottled water represents an extraordinary expense for your monthly income. Although it may not seem like it, bottled water is seven times more expensive than filtered water and much more harmful to your health than you imagined because it contains antimony.
It costs the world more than fifty billion dollars a year to satisfy the demand for the consumption of water bottled in plastic. In addition, the amount of plastic bottles that pollute rivers, beaches and forests is impressive. Besides, since we already know that tap water contains chlorine and drinking it directly is not an option, then bottles seem to be safer.
For this reason, although there are limits for the consumption of filtered water due to the mechanical filtration process; or even a bit cumbersome for being machines that are sometimes very large or complicated to use, to protect our environment it is the best option.
Therefore, there are famous companies, such as Rena Ware International, that have now technologically renewed the water filtration process, in such a way that consuming filtered water is no longer a tedious procedure and are much healthier.
The consumption of bottled water in glass is an extremely healthy option, but it is very impractical and too expensive to fit into your budget; therefore, Nano Technology continues to lead in this matter.
Instructions for a water filter
The water filtration process in the world depends on the technological innovation of each company; however, the procedure is almost the same and with the same purpose. Therefore, thanks to the innumerable types of water filters on the market, there is a more eco-friendly alternative for our daily consumption of drinking water and for our pockets.
Currently, the revolution in water filtration is spearheaded by Nano Technology. This was initially designed by NASA for activities in outer space, as the only means of water filtration in space environments.
Most of the physical filters that are used at home manage to separate up to a micron of bacteria, toxins and contaminants; while Nano Technology filters down to a nanometer of impurities.
But what benefits does this have for your health? Well, many. Influenza virus, rhinovirus, hepatitis and more than 100 kinds of bacteria are filtered. Since Nano fibers attract contaminants, bacteria, impurities and viruses with their electropositive force.
With this Nano Technology, the flow of water is greater from your tap, up to six liters per minute; and that facilitates the use of drinking water for your daily consumption and that of your whole family. For this reason, if you want to have access to pleasant, fresh and good-tasting drinking water at all times, we recommend filters that use Nano Technology to purify water.
What do you need for a water filter?
If what you are looking for is maximum economy without endangering your health, here we will show you how you can make your own homemade water filter and all the materials you need.
Now you will see that purifying your water with gravel is easier than you thought with materials that you will easily find in your garden. Of course, this type of filtration is generally recommended when going through extreme situations as a precautionary measure.
First of all you will need:
- Gross sand.
- fine sand
- Fine gravel, which are stones that you will easily find in rivers or on the coasts.
- Coarse gravel.
- Cotton.
- A plastic bottle.
- Scissors or cutters.
- Clean and transparent container, preferably glass and with a wide mouth.
- Activated carbon, this is porous carbon easily available in stores such as for barbecues. However, to activate it you can do it yourself.
How to make activated carbon?
- With very dry coconut shells.
- Remove all the outer part until leaving the part closest to the center of the coconut.
- Once the shell is very clean, well peeled without any remains, wrap it in aluminum foil, leaving a small hole in the center so you can see how it burns.
- Then put it on fire until it turns black; that is, it chars.
- Then, you wet it and crush it into small pieces.
- Once the powdered charcoal is obtained, it will be ready.
Procedure for making a water filter
- Cut the bottom or base of the bottle completely first.
- Then, you turn the bottle upside down and place cotton on the base that would be the spout or mouth of the bottle.
- Then you are going to place the largest stones, then the smaller ones.
- Remember that the number of stones will depend on the size of the bottle, but in reality the smaller stones should always be almost double the number of the larger ones.
- Next, we put in the coarse sand, followed by the fine sand.
- Then you will place a piece of felt fabric.
- Next you will place a layer of activated carbon, then another piece of felt.
- As a last layer we will place fine sand again in double the amount of coal.
- Finally, we place it on the glass container in the form of a strainer.
- This way you will see how when adding the dirty water it will be filtering; but it will not be free of bacteria, so to rid it of the chlorine concentration it will be necessary to let it rest for an hour at room temperature before consuming it.
- This type of filtering is not to purify the water, but it cleans it in a great way; however, to consume it safely, we recommend boiling it after filtering it.
Tips for a water filter
- Filtering water at home does not guarantee optimal purification of bacteria and viruses, but it does guarantee impurities and chlorine concentration.
- For greater security in the consumption of water; especially with regard to parasites and germs, it is necessary to boil the water. But not too much, so that we avoid over mineralization of the vital liquid.
- In the elaboration of the homemade filter, the larger the layer of activated carbon, the better the water filtration will be, since the carbon acts as a very effective sponge, while the gravel only strains.
- To prevent the water from being exposed to plastic contaminants, you can also use glass containers that are much more sterile.
- Remember that the sand you are going to use must already be disinfected. To disinfect it yourself you can strain it and pass it through boiling water. Then let it dry and air out overnight.
- The most recommended thing is that you buy the gravel at a hardware store and also disinfect it with boiling water; because if you collect it from the beaches or rivers they can be contaminated with e-coli, salmonella or amoebas.
- Finally, we remind you that our suggestions on the home method of water filtration are for use in extreme situations, it is preferable to choose to have a filter installed directly on the tap at home, because after all, most also work with charcoal.
