How to put Filters on Spring Water System?

I've used a Rubbermaid stock tank to build a water filter. The 70 gal. size has tapered sides with two internal steps in the sides. The steps can be used to support a plate to support the filter media. I used an upflow design meaning the water was directed to the bottom of the tank through a long tube which also served to oxygnate the water. I was removing fish "stuff" from a small pond. As the water rose to the top of the tank, I had a 3/4" thick piece of PVC sheet that served as the support plate for the media. I used lightweight aggregate (basically cooked expanded shale used as the aggregate in concrete for floors in high rises) for the filter media. After the water passed through the aggregate it passed through a drain near the top of the tank and flowed via gravity back to the pond.

You'll need to find something for the support plate. Aluminum plate would work or possibly a very heavy wire mesh. Hardware cloth is too light, I drilled over 3,000 1/8" holes in the PVC support plate. As the water rose upwards it did so at a very slow rate. That meant the fish "stuff" accumulated on the aggregate. Periodically all I had to do was shut off the pump, open the bottom drain on the tank and use a hose from the top to reverse flush the accumulated stuff into the bottom of the tank and out the drain.

You'll need something to support a fine graded sand like mason sand. Once you figure out a support plate, you can lay a piece of woven geotextile on top of that to add additional support for the sand and to prevent it from falling into the bottom of the tank. If the fabric is cut so it extends over the top of the tank, two men might be able to remove it and the sand to replenish it.

This type of filter works by lowering the velocity of the water and providing obstacles to the particles in the water. The faster the speed of water the larger the size of the particles it will move. Given a set flow of water in gallons per minute, the speed of the water will be faster in a small pipe than a larger pipe. The stock tank has a huge cross sectional area which cuts the velocity of water down dramatically. The other advantage of the stock tank is it can be inserted into a line and operated with a small elevation change between the line coming in and the line going out.

Using an upflow instead of a downflow design means gravity is also working for you.

"And! I did not know I could wash out the cord / string filters?"

It works for me. Your results may vary.

Forgot to mention when I remove the plastic deep bowl I take it outside and use an outside faucet to rinse out the bowl and to get much of the gunk off of the filter. Then it goes into a clean sock for washing.

Sometimes it is difficult to center the filter in the bowl to put it back on. I just use some tissue paper on three sides to center it.

If you are squeemish about washing it with other laundry you can wash it separately or perhaps soak it in bleach afterwards.

I tried a 5 mc filter but it would clog up within a couple of days.

I know clothes have polenty of dirt on them, or at least mine do. But putting that silt and dirt through your washer might not be good for it, filters are pretty cheap.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

Yes, Beeman - it is clogging up the washer / it messed up the dishwasher (the machine /not my husband although he is not thrilled with the whole mess either) / and it is leaving sediment in sinks and toilets. I have to get a filter on it.

Thank you WV Hillbilly. I will read up on the GE Homespring system.

Wow Darren - that sounds like a great system but I am not wanting to build a system, I just want something to hook to the pipes to clean the water.

Ken - I did pull out the old cord type filter that the last plumber put on one line and we have it soaking in a bucket to see what happens. I think that might work if I can find a way to clean the filters and not have to buy so many.

We did get a diagram built today, with # of feet on each water line, location of all the pumps and pressure tanks, etc. I have appointment with a Plumbing company in SC next week and I am taking pictures of the whole system to talk to them and see if they have any sense at all.

For now we are using the cloudy spring water to flush toilets.......but it has actually cleared up a whole lot......but we are drinking water from my son's house.

Thank you everyone.

Meanwhile the advantage of the sand filter is you use sand which can be back flushed and you don't need to buy filters. the hardest part of building one is the support plate. That supports the aggregate or sand. Talk to your sons about it. I'm guessing they could build it in a day once they had a tank to work with. You can see the steps in the picture below. The plate I cut out and drilled holes in sat on the lowest one. I was going to set another plate on the upper step and use a finer aggregate to "polish" the water. Turned out I didn't need to. The bottom part of the tank will be where the sediment collects.

Rubbermaid also makes a 50 gal. tank and others besides the 70 gal. tank up to a three hundred gal.

Darren - thank you. We did use a similar tank and sand to filter out some "gray water". Yep, I know we are not supposed to be messing around with "gray water" but.......just don't tell anyone please. The UV man called and he said I already have a particle portion to my UV system! It uses sand too. I did not know that little detail. He said the sand must have gotten dirty when the snow ran the water muddy and he will come change out the sand. So - we will see if that helps clear it up.

Thank you.

On cleaning those string filters - the Romans had the concept right. I whack mine on a rock (not quite hard enough to break the plastic former underneath) in our running stream. It works cleaning them like this a couple of times, then I toss 'em.

Harry Chickpea - Romans? How do you know Romans whacked water filters on rocks? And is your water spring water? Or the stream water? I think I need to try the cord/string filters. But I am going to wait and see what the UV man says about the sand when he gets here later this week.

LOL! The Romans used to wash clothes that way, as did many cultures. It does work. Our water is "branch" water, which is a fancy name for creek water. I'm very careful when I pump, so I avoid most of the turbidity issues.

Oh - you meant they whack the clothes on rocks! I get it. The UV filter man now says there is already a sand filter part to the UV machine and it does both functions. But, I want to clean up the spring water some before it ever gets in my Cisterns. So - he told me I have to ask the new Plumber.......whom I have yet to find......

Thanks everyone