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Survival water filter

December 19, 2024 — BarryK

Getting the gear together to pack into the panniers on the custom recumbent trike, came across a water filter kit that I had purchased early 2021, from Aliexpress:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32666647306.html

img0

Yeah, will pack that, could be a life-saver in an emergency situation. Decided to make some little improvements. The Miniwell supports reverse-flow to clean it out, so you could connect the outlet-side to a mains tap and flow clean water in reverse direction. It will give the filter a new lease on life, but not perfect, so I thought about a little pre-filter to prevent largish particles from traveling down to the filter...

Discovered that a Sharpie felt pen is a perfect friction fit into the coupling that goes through a hole in the top water bag. So, modified one, with internals removed and holes drilled in the side:

img1

Purchased some fine stainless steel mesh a couple of years ago, for another project, "50mesh", from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/285049006213?var=586887237952

...the vendor sells "100mesh"; I don't know what that means, perhaps 100 squares per inch. Very fine, but I have used what already own. Mesh wrapped around the pen:

img2

Just happen to have a silicone end-cap that is the right size, a snug fit to seal the left-side of above photo. Here it is inserted into the Miniwell module:

img3

The whole thing can easily be pulled apart for cleaning. On the bottom-end, the filter, I screwed top of a soft-drink bottle, with holes, to tie onto a branch or something for stability:

img4

Note, the tubing is silicone, not the normal plastic tubing that you would buy in the local hardware store. using that because of the excellent UV resistance of silicone. Setup, it works great, very fast flow rate:

img5

The thread on both ends of the Miniwell are the same as used in plastic soft-drink bottles, such as Coke.

One possibility at the outlet end of the filter, is to screw on soft flexible bottles. These store flat, so pack very compact, and will expand when filled. I've got a few of these, 500ml, for example this one:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33012014287.html

...the thread is compatible with the Miniwell.

Hmmm, I notice that prices of all these items have gone up quite a bit since I purchased a few years ago. Umm, but then comparing with prices in local camping stores, still much cheaper to buy direct from China.

Dare I make a political comment: if you live in the USA, your government has found a new way to tax you, by imposing huge tariffs on goods from China. This, I understand, even if there are no alternative sources from "friendly" countries. Just my observation from the outside. Here in Australia, there is only a 10% sales tax, regardless of origin. But AU sells a huge amount of minerals, grains, etc., to China, and we don't want to rock the boat.

I've become quite cynical in my old age. The politicians are saying they are imposing tariffs to encourage local manufacture, but I see it as a cunning way of raising taxes.

Ha ha, I just typed that political comment to fill in the space alongside the photo. Don't send me an email complaining that I don't really understand why goods from China are being taxed. Probably I don't; just my cynical-old-man reaction to what I see and hear on the news media.

Regarding the trike project, here are recent posts:

Awhile back, purchased four panniers, and right now figuring out how to pack them. Going through all the camping gear; that's how came across the Miniwell filter. Maybe it will never get used, but if "broken down" in a remote rural region, middle of summer, it could be a life-saver. Well, even if just camping at a site with no potable water, with maybe a dam or pond nearby, then can stay there beyond having used all the bottled water.

EDIT:
Very interesting, Miniwell also sell a sealed filter, that has a shelf life of 25 years:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006966050143.html

I read elsewhere, once you start using it, expect a lifespan of about 3 years. That would be very variable of course, depending how murky the water is, and how successful the back-flushing is.        

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