Filtering lake water for drinking

[lakershaker]

Hello All,
What have some of you done for filtering systems for those that use the lake as their water supply? I have some ideas from internet research, but always like to hear about first hand experience. Also, if anyone has knowledge of the specific things that must be filtered from the lake, I'd appreciate it.

Regards,
Lakershaker

[chocophile]

Several years ago we had a treatment system installed. There is a UV chamber that sterilizes the water (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) and before the UV chamber there's a particle filter to ensure that the water is clear enough that particles aren't blocking UV exposure. This type of system does not address chemical contaminents and it does not improve the taste/smell of the water. This type of system is in wide use, especially in seasonal homes on lakes in Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin.

The system does require maintenance. Startup/shutdown of the water system is more complicated in spring/fall, but manageable. Every 12 months of use requires a new UV light to ensure safe operation.

Overall, I am very happy with the system. I feel comfortable that the water is always safe to drink. The taste of the water isn't always the best (spring seems to be especially lakey), but maybe a point-of-use filter under the kitchen sink would improve that. (We usually bring some drinking water for the weekends.)

Feel free to email me if you want more specifics, recommendations, etc.

[Formula260SS]

You need UV for sure for the bacteria kill, it's always good to oversize the UV some to ensure enough "contact" time with the water, they are all based on flow rate. To improve the taste you could try a GAC (granulate active carbon) at the POU (point of use) or a Carbon Block for the whole cottage. I would use a large 10-20 micron pleated filter on the pump line into the cottage that is rated for the pump flow to keep the large particles out of the system and follow up with a smaller filter after your surge tank, the carbon block filter could be this one. The most important thing with any system is the maintenance, be sure to change the filters when needed and you may want to consider a UV with a meter that tells you the "intensity" of the system.

[ITD]

Maybe I'm missing something here, I know the initial investment more but I would have a well put in. I have trouble remembering to change my water filter, never mind the maintenance required for a purification system. If I had to use lake water I wouldn't drink it, bottled water is cheap, all it would take is one malfunction to ruin your health forever, not worth the risk.

[ApS]

Several years ago we had a treatment system installed. There is a UV chamber that sterilizes the water (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) and before the UV chamber there's a particle filter to ensure that the water is clear enough that particles aren't blocking UV exposure. This type of system does not address chemical contaminents and it does not improve the taste/smell of the water. This type of system is in wide use, especially in seasonal homes on lakes in Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin.

The system does require maintenance. Startup/shutdown of the water system is more complicated in spring/fall, but manageable. Every 12 months of use requires a new UV light to ensure safe operation.

Overall, I am very happy with the system. I feel comfortable that the water is always safe to drink. The taste of the water isn't always the best (spring seems to be especially lakey), but maybe a point-of-use filter under the kitchen sink would improve that. (We usually bring some drinking water for the weekends.)

Feel free to email me if you want more specifics, recommendations, etc.

The only filter I have to maintain is a $3 activated-carbon filter on my water distiller.

Though I don't know of any of my neighbor's water treatments, all of my older neighbors have drawn from the lake for decades. I do too. Water quality increased markedly when I drew from 15 feet of depth rather than the original 7 feet. Only my newest neighbor has a well, which poses a different set of invisible problems. (Like radon, a radioactive gas).

Another neighbor runs a 3-inch pipe into 30 feet of water—perhaps for irrigation of their expansive 3-acre lawn. Using irrigation water on "manicured lawns"—then invisibly returning it to the lake via the lawn—is a bad idea...IMHO.

Some of my family members boil lakewater—some buy many gallons of bottled water. My preference is to distill lakewater—and even to distill the local town water!

It amounts to 25 cents per gallon, and the distillers "throw-off" a lot of heat indoors—desireable during most of the year. Water is boiled for six hours per gallon in the process, running through an inexpensive activated charcoal final-filter, which takes out the really nasty gases.

The remaining dark brown distillate (ejected from the distillation process) would convince a reasonable person to distill all one's drinking water.

[Bear Islander]

A well may not be a viable solution for Rattlesnake Island.

I know many islanders drink lake water untreated. I would not recommend it.

I use a Pura UVB3 filter. The water passes through a sediment filter chamber, then a carbon block filter, then a carbon granular filter and finally a UV chamber. The water has no taste or odor.

Bottled water is not a pure as many people think and can have significant bacteria content.

[codeman671]

Bottled water is not a pure as many people think and can have significant bacteria content.

Being that Polar spring water is drawn in West Alton, NH you are probably correct!:emb:

I checked with IWS last year and was quoted $4500 for a system installed in our house, it seemed like a lot of money to me. What have others paid for their systems on the islands and from who?

[TomC]

see: www.wattspremier.com. I got the 5 stage reverse osmosis w/UV sanitizer. There are several systems shown on the website.

I paid about ~$300-$350, and it works well. I had the water tested by the NH DES (same people who test well water) and it passed easily.

They have pretty good customer service too. I had a leak in the spigot and called them up for a new o-ring for it. They told me the entire $40 part got recalled and if i gave them the S/N of the unit it may be covered under warranty, and i could get a free one. i couldn't provide the S/N (the system was in NH, i was in MA) so I just paid for it. A couple of weeks later i called them up with the S/N after i wrote it down and they credited me the price I paid...

[ApS]

A well may not be a viable solution for Rattlesnake Island.

I know many islanders drink lake water untreated. I would not recommend it.

I use a Pura UVB3 filter. The water passes through a sediment filter chamber, then a carbon block filter, then a carbon granular filter and finally a UV chamber. The water has no taste or odor.

Bottled water is not a pure as many people think and can have significant bacteria content.

But wouldn't you support showering with lake water—as healthier than showering with well-water?

:confused:

[wifi]

I used (drank) lake water for decades, using only a paper filter followed by a carbon one. Worked fine, until they started seeding the lake with chemicals for millfoil nearby. I was sick that whole summer.

[bilproject]

The Pura UVB3 unit is an all in one 20gpm water purification system. PLumbing is fairly easy just water in and water out and a plug in electrical connection. If you do not know how to soder ask your Home Center guy about Shark Bite fittings and Pex. All you will need is a tubing cutter and a sharp knife. One thing to remember for all UV users is that once a year you need to disinfect the piping system. All municipal water systems today use some form of uv to sterilize the water at the plant. Clorine is used to kill bacteria in the piping system to your house. Bacteria that might get into piping when the water is turned off can grow to dangerous levels as it is past your UV system. Cup of clorine added to a filter canister at start up and distributed through out the piping by selectivly opening faucets as system fills will kill any bacteria. Best to do this in your carbon filter canister leaving the filter out as carbon filters will absorb the clorine. After 2 hours drain water from faucets into 5 gallon buckets and let sit for 4-5 days then dump out. This allows the clorine to gas out and not kill the bacteria in your septic system or harm fish in the lake. Coconut carbon is best for the lake as it is the best at filtering out Cyno Bacteria. Sounds like a lot of work but once you have done it takes about 1 hour to get my system up and running for the season.

[fatlazyless]

Or, one can always get a $8.95 light blue plastic water container from Wal-Mart that holds six gallons, and weighs about 50-lbs when full, and fill it for 25-cents/gallon at Hannaford's in Gilford which has a water-vending machine in their vestibule that is hooked up to town water and further sanitizes the town water through reverse osmosis process, and then roll it back to your car in a shopping cart.

And, while u r there, for the same 1.50 u can pick up a 24-oz can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, & a 3.98 deluxe frozen pizza and not need to pay a 12% tip or 9% NH meals tax ........and return to to your island without having to worry about catching a bad case of diarrhea from your drinking Lake Winnipesaukee water.......and YES.....that does in fact happen!.......plus you get to enjoy a beer & a pizza.......cheers :D! From diarrhea to duck itch.....the smile of the great spirit may not be always be smiling for you.

[ITD]

...........and not need to pay a 12% tip ............


:laugh::laugh::rolleye2::laugh::laugh:

[wifi]

Or, one can always get a $8.95 light blue plastic water container from Wal-Mart that ...blah blah.

Then you can always take it back for a refund after you have finished drinking from it... :D

[fatlazyless]

In Meredith, directly across from the town docks at the Mobil Gas-convenience store, they have a large sink with Meredith town water, and they will usually let you fill up your six gallon jug for free which is pretty danged nice of them considering how expensive the Meredith town water & sewer bills have become in the last year.

Plus, it's an easy carry back to the boat dock for both a blue, six-gal water container, or a red, six-gal gasoline porta-tank or both at the same time which would weigh about 90-lbs.......:eek:......but as already mentioned the town treated water is usually a freebie there depending on who is working the cash register.

[Jerry]

I grappled with this same issue when I bought an island cabin some 15 years ago. We did not want to drink untreated lake water both for reasons of the taste of algae and for ithe potential negative health impacts (of sewage, boat effluent, ground run off, parasites, etc), and I did not trust the UV light system which was installed on the house side of our pump which was taking water from the lake because if there is even the smallest debris or turbidity in the water or on the transparent sleeve through which the UV light shines on the water as it passes, it casts a shadow and then any bacteria in the water survives that pass through. After doing research, I decided to use Seagull filters which solve both the health and taste issues. They are relatively expensive, but if you install 20 micron and then 5 micron sediment filters at the pump (and these are very inexpensive filters), then the more expensive Seagull filters will last an entire season because the cheaper filters remove most of the debris, leaving the smaller stuff and more dangerous stuff for the Seagull filter to remove. Of course, I only use the Seagull filters on the cold water tap at sinks that provide drinking water (brushing teeth, drinking, coffee, tea, cooking) and all the other water that we use -- showers, baths, dish washing, clothes washing -- is not treated this way, but only gets the benefit of the sediment filters. There is a lot of test data on the effectiveness of the Seagull filters for things like benzene, bacteria, viruses, gasoline, parasites, etc. and I also had our water tested by a private lab to confirm its safety. So ever since then, we use these filters at our lake cabin and we are very pleased with the results. Here is a website for the Seagull filters. http://generalecology.com/ and http://generalecology.com/category/in-home/product/seagull_iv_x1f_purifier_with_faucet . Good luck.