Using creek/dam water to fill tanks

MarkAC · Veteran Member

Using creek/dam water to fill tanks

villatranquilla · Guru

I've seen success to clear the cloudy water by sprinkling cement powder over the water and also have been told fire ash does the same. This will only clear the water so I'd be boiling all drinking water or get the tablets that hiker use to disinfect water

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Alum is the flocculent of choice. Only a tiny amount is required.
We regularly fill from rivers, streams, cattle troughs and the like. We have not needed to resort to a flocculent, but do carry some if required. Nor do we filter any water on the way into the tanks, but we do filter before use - drinking water via a 5um sediment filter followed by a 0.5un carbon/silver filter (10"cartridges) and washing water via a 25um sediment filter (to keep the "rocks" out of the shower rose).
The 0.5um filter will remove any sediment remaining, but cloudy water is to be avoided as it will block those filters much quicker than normal.
We chlorinate all water that goes into our tanks at the time of filling.
Cheers,
Peter

MarkAC · Veteran Member

do you put the alum into your tanks or another container first?

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

MarkAC wrote:
do you put the alum into your tanks or another container first?

Into buckets first. You don't want to have all of that fine material blocking up the filters, because they WILL remove it but there will be a lot of it.

Cheers,

Peter

MarkAC · Veteran Member

Thanks. I assumed so. I have a reusable ceramic filter insert that I've used for over 20 years.

When it clogs up, just remove it and scrub with pot scourer and its like new again.

I cant believe it has lasted so long. It was the only thing that survived the fire that destroyed my m/h, because it was in the lower bins

Grandad5 · Senior Member

Not sure if this is of any help but when I lived on a property I routinely pumped very muddy dam water into a 5000 litre open topped tank to use as general house water supply.
I used Aluminium Sulphate as the flocculant.

The aluminium sulphate raised the ph to a point where the flocculating action was severely diminished. I learnt to add some lime to lower the ph level before adding the aluminum sulphate. Took about 3 days to clear 5000 litres of muddy dam water to the point where I could clearly see small insects walk across the bottom of the tank through 6' (1800mm) of water.
Aluminium sulphate works best at near neutral ph.

I'm very interested in hearing how successful the process may be in small scale for caravan use and how people go about it.

Jim

-- Edited by Grandad5 on Tuesday 25th of June 2019 10:19:18 AM

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Grandad5 wrote:
I used Aluminium Sulphate as the flocculant.

Sold commercially as "Alum". Available from swimming pool chemical suppliers, including Bunnings. Cheap as .

Cheers,

Peter

MarkAC · Veteran Member

thanks Peter

Already googled it. Now I'll just have to wait until i get to a town with a bunnings

oldbloke · Guru

Domestos is a very cheap way to buy chlorine. If i recall correctly about 3 table spoons is all thats required for about 200 litres. Takes about an hour and good for afew days at least. But may not kill i think gardinia

See attachment

-- Edited by oldbloke on Sunday 30th of June 2019 12:58:20 PM

-- Edited by oldbloke on Sunday 30th of June 2019 01:51:33 PM

MarkAC · Veteran Member

according to the UA EPA, Disinfect water using household bleach, if you cant boil water. Only use regular, unscented chlorine bleach products that are suitable for disinfection and sanitization as indicated on the label. The label may say that the active ingredient contains 6 or 8.25% of sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented, color safe, or bleaches with added cleaners

oldbloke · Guru

MarkAC wrote:

Looking for advice from people who actually use this method.
I've been refilling my tanks by pumping water from very clear creeks for a while now without issue. I use 3 filters

Hi, just curious what filters u are using?

-- Edited by oldbloke on Sunday 30th of June 2019 04:21:20 PM

MarkAC · Veteran Member

I have a 5 micron ceramic filter (had it for 20 years) and a 5 micron carbon filter and silver one to take out the taste

Ceramic filter is first in line near the pump, so it clogs up first. Easy to clean with a kitchen scourer.

To date, I've filled from rivers such as Tumut river etc which is crystal clear

Now that I'm in Qld with very muddy waters, I'll start using alum as a flocc

some towns (Birdsville etc) have very poor drinking water from the bore, salty but the locals think its ok

oldbloke · Guru

What is your sytem? Do u pump direct from river to the tank? When do you filter?

MarkAC · Veteran Member

I found a video that explains it easier than I can type

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOy4bPO-TkU

1. The main differences are that I use a floating intake with insect mesh over the end and both filters are 0.5 microns and straight into the van when its a clean river.

2. I havent pumped from really dirty water yet but I want to be prepared for that time.

3. When I pump from dirty supply, I will pump into 2 x 20l drums and depending how clean it is, I will add flocc to the drums if needed but hopefully the filters take out the big stuff. I will add flocc to the drums if needed. Then into the van

4. I was on the Murray a while ago and pumped straight into the van via the filters. A few kms downstream, I met a council worker who was removing a warning blue-green algae present sign. He said there was no more algae! could have been an issue

5. I've not used chlorine to date but will from now on

i should have known better because i met a couple of female travellers who had visited the Himalayas and collected water from snow melt. you would think that would have been clean water but she contracted giadia