Water filtration vs water tank???

[fred1diver]

Hello everyone
Another quick question
We are in the process of looking for a replacement water tank to add capacity.
Would it be wiser to replace for a bigger tank or look into a filtration system, which would mean unlimited water capacity???

just wondering what th options are.
We are on a fresh water river, so no need to have concern about salt water.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Your water filter wont be able to filter everything out. Keep in mind that it may be down for service at some point so you'll want some reserve

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

What kind of “filtration system” do you envision providing an “unlimited” potable water supply?

 

[fred1diver]

I have no ideas yet, I am
Simply trying to see if there is an alternative to buying a tank

 

[kloudie1]

Under sink reverse osmosis system can do what you envision. A simple filter is probably not going to do the job

 

[jssailem]

It would seem dependent on the water supply you have available. Some options include:

• Tanks give a limited on boat supply. Tanks require sanitation (usually chlorine) to protect and often filtering to improve taste.
• The water surrounding boat as a source. This requires a water maker and likely a filter as well. There is a level of maintenance involved to keep the systems functioning properly. The water may contain a level of contamination that will reduce the quality. Volume production will take some time. Often a small holding tank is used to have ready to water available.
• With proper conditions you may find a resource in a Solar Still. Easier to maintain, but limited production volume is a factor.

 

[Tally Ho]

Fresh water filtration sounds like a good idea, if a filter can provide the volume you need.

i used a ceramic filter hiking water filter to filter some crappy pond water and lived to tell about it. But you need something with bigger capacity.

I am on lake Michigan and have considered the same thing.


Greg

 

[TimFromLI]

I never drink the water in my tanks. I use it for showers and washing up. we use jugs of water for cooking and drinking. if i were in clean fresh water I wouldn't think twice about using it for washing

 

[Hello Below]

You have many cottages on the lakes and rivers in your local area. I would touch base with some of those folks to see what they recommend.

Here is a interesting alternative. And it appears to be made in Canada. They are located in Richmond, ON so I would also give them a call and see what they have to say.

Rainforest Filter - Amazon.ca

Whichever way you decide to go, I would definitely have your water tested regularly for quality.

 

[thinwater]

I would start by finding an analysis of the water. More than likely, the water is the drinking water supply for someone (city).

Public drinking water supplies are VERY seldom treated by RO. More likely, you need to do what the city does:

• Prefilter to keep your tank clean. One micron is reasonable with a bag filter.
• Chlorinate. Viruses and bacteria.
• Carbon block filter. Removes the chlorine residual and catches larger cysts (giardia) that the chlorine missed. About 0.5 micron.

Drinking Water Filtration--The Short Version

Sailing Chesapeake Bay books racing instructional Catamaran Delmarva Kayak Fishing DIY cheap maintenance repair boat cruising anchoring singlehanding

sail-delmarva.blogspot.com

This is almost certainly good enough for everything but drinking. Of course, it is possible that the water is too highly polluted to be used as a public drinking water supply, which should be easy to find out. In that case, an under-sink system will work, but you need a 100 psi supply and an expansion tank, as RO systems are really slow. In that case, it's probably easier to filter/chlorinate/filter water for most uses, and carry bottled water (or water from home) for drinking and meal prep only.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Fresh water filtration sounds like a horrible idea. Those who suggest you carefully investigate the quality of said water are correct.

 

[fred1diver]

Ok, thank you everyone for your insights
So a holding tank it will be

 

[Hello Below]

So a holding tank it will be

“Holding Tank”??? I thought we were talking about a domestic water tank?
Well then, I suggest you ignore all the posts above.

 

[Foswick]

Filtration isn't a "bad" idea. It is just an idea that requires some considerations. The Ottawa river is actually a pretty good candidate for filtration. But, as has been pointed out, you probably would want a RO filter (reverse osmosis), but it depends on your concerns. A good non-RO filter will remove bacteria, protozoa, sediment, and with the addition of activated carbon you can also filter pesticides, herbicides and a bunch of other chemicals. But, this won't filter viruses, dissolved salts, or heavy metals.

On your river, the only one of those I would worry about is heavy metal contamination. Viruses ... yes, technically a risk, but not something that, alone, would make me choose an RO filter. (Check out: Water Quality in Ottawa's rivers, lakes, and streams - Protecting Ottawa's waterways | City of Ottawa)

But, I am less optimistic about heavy metal contamination. Also, probably fine in most areas, but I have a low threshold for what I personally consider "fine". That is the contaminant or potential contaminant that would make require a RO filter.

And, I have only ever seen one RO filter successfully operating on a sailboat, and it wasn't a trivial setup, and definitely more space-intensive than a 40 gallon tank. I considered this, at one time, for our boat - to filter our stored water. Ruled it out on the basis of it being kind of a beast to install. (The key challenges are sufficient water pressure and space requirements.)

 

[fred1diver]

“Holding Tank”??? I thought we were talking about a domestic water tank?
Well then, I suggest you ignore all the posts above.

Oops wrong tank type no just plain water tank please

 

[thinwater]

... But, this won't filter viruses....

This is why the public water supply is chlorinated, even if RO treated (some is). In fact, if you research ROs, none are certified as purifiers for biologically contaminated water; even though they are removing salts, tiny leaks at high pressure can let viruses and bacteria through. For this, you chlorinate.

Public water is coagulated and treated with lime to remove heavy metals. Although there are filters that can do this (and carbon does to a limited extent), it is normally a question of whether it is there or not. Analysis of the river water should be available.

I would filter water for most uses and take some bottles for drinking. Unlimited wash water with little effort. Nice.

 

[Foswick]

Oops wrong tank type no just plain water tank please

Wait! Those are separate tanks? That explains the odd taste.