The weather has warmed up here. For the past 2 weeks it has been above freezing most of the time. The 5 gallon filters have been running for 2 weeks. The output on all; 10a, 10b, and 10c; has cleared up considerably. If the above freezing weather holds for another 2 weeks, we will do another test on the outputs of each.
Jan. 10, 2014 post filter water
Jan 10, 2014 pre-filter water
October 14, 2013 post filter water
October 14, 2013 pre-filter water
Although the outputs have cleared up, and it looks as though these small shallow filters may work in a somewhat limited fashion, it must be realized that the flow rate on these filters is very, very, very slow. Much like a dripping faucet. They will not function at all with a rapid flow. Do not confuse these filters with the type of device you might see used with pressurized water from a kitchen faucet, or filtered water that flows from a refrigerator dispenser. You can’t just pour water in a slow sand filter and have it come “flowing” out magically cleaned and pure to fill a glass in just a few seconds. We are talking 3 or 4 hours here to provide even one gallon of water. Please see the extensive post we have on these small filters for more information. We have been working with these 5 gallon filters for nearly 4 months now, and with larger versions for 7 and a half years. There is a tremendous amount of information.
Just a note to say thanks for sharing the highly informative and helpful details of building and using your cistern. We live in East Tennessee and plan to introduce a similar size, similar purpose underground catchment system, and your experience is exactly what we needed to move toward that goal. Taking the time to document your successes and failures will make our decisions a whole lot more productive. Thanks again for taking the time to share what you’ve learned!