I'd like to filter, treat rain water safe enough to drink.
It's not difficult at all Wabi. Depending on how you do water collection, the cost starts around $300. The sky is the limit with water collection. If you already run a basement sump pump, and the water is available year around, there's your rain collection. $3 For a new food grade 5 gallon bucket. Pour it through a premium gravity fed purifier.and you are set. I have a couple elements from my Berkey that I have replacements for waiting. 10+ years later and still working good from the shallow well.
If you collect off of a roof, there's YouTube videos of high end catchments with IBC Tanks and pvc plumbing for the DIY. Here's a good video on acquiring them low cost if available near you.
Anyone have experience with this or another system you’d recommend?
Your asking some pretty generic questions here, So your going to get generic answers,
Your link took me nowhere in particular so I'm not sure what Unit/s you're looking at,
You did mention "salt free", which means it's technically not a softener but a 'conditioner' , They do not produce soft water, and the life of the resin is but a few years at best. Then it will need replacing.....Be very clear on that...
UV, why? you have live organisms in your water? Otherwise, whats the goal here also?
Ignore most advice here, from people who have no clue whats actually in your water, and get good advice/info from the local pro's who do this stuff everyday.
I've seen many uneducated homeowners throw so much money into plumbing systems and water treatment systems just for the 'feel good' of it.
But, hey, if mama's happy...everyone's happy.......I totally get that.
Anyone have experience with this or another system you’d recommend?
Your asking some pretty generic questions here, So your going to get generic answers,
Your link took me nowhere in particular so I'm not sure what Unit/s you're looking at,
You did mention "salt free", which means it's technically not a softener but a 'conditioner' , They do not produce soft water, and the life of the resin is but a few years at best. Then it will need replacing.....Be very clear on that...
UV, why? you have live organisms in your water? Otherwise, whats the goal here also?
Ignore most advice here, from people who have no clue whats actually in your water, and get good advice/info from the local pro's who do this stuff everyday.
I've seen many uneducated homeowners throw so much money into plumbing systems and water treatment systems just for the 'feel good' of it.
But, hey, if mama's happy...everyone's happy.......I totally get that.
The one that I have is not a disposable charcoal filter. It is mostly carbon, but doesn't perform like all of the lower quality companies. They won't say what the proprietary purification units are made of or how they are made. What I was told many years ago is that they have silver which continuously disinfects over their lifetime. That has proven true for me. Here's the conservative lifespan and how to clean them. Depending upon water quality used will determine how often to clean.
The labor involved is carrying water from source, ie. Sink, to the unit. This is why I like mine for convenience. Top chamber holds 5 gallons. Lower holds 6. I store the purified in glass 1 gallon jars and pour from half gallon pictures for ease much of the time.
If you want actual useful advice you need to provide more information. What is your water source/supply? Municipal? Rural Water district? Private - Shallow well? Deep well? If a well is it protected from surface water/runoff? Stream? Pond? ??? Why was your existing treatment system installed? Did you really need a water softener or did you run into a good salesman? Why do you want an upgrade? What is it about your water that you don't like? When is the last time you had you water supply tested? Who did it? What did they test for? Results?
If you really need a water softener you may be disappointed with a salt-free water conditioner - they are not as effective for high hardness, and work very differently.
I move into a new house about a year and a half ago. Private well, drilled, about 25 yrs old, don't know how deep and don't have drill logs. Obvious signs of hardness and minerals in house, obvious sulfur odor. House had a cartridge filter and water softener, but previous owners were bypassing the softener! I had it tested for just about everything except radon. Have high calcium and manganese hardness and hydrogen sulfide in the water. Ended getting the softing system rebuilt, adding a hydrogen sulfide removal system (hydrogen peroxide injection/contact tank/catalyzed carbon adsorption), and adding a UV lamp disinfection stage. Wasn't cheap, but I'm happy with the results - and I used to work in environmental engineering/public health/water supply fields, so chose to go fairly aggressive on protecting my own water!
