Drawing water from a lake

I haven't read all of the responses, however...
You could probably use a 1 micron filter and uv light.
You would need to drop the water tank, drill a hole in top to insert the uv light.
The filter should get rid of any solids and the uv light should kill and prevent most biological nasties.

The catch is that the uv light would need to be replaced according to the manufacture of your specific lights recommendation...
Good luck!

I would wonder about e-coli in the lake. If there's a lot of birds in the area, esp. geese, the e-coli level can rise to unsafe levels in the summer. I know a lake on Vancouver Island where that happens sometimes. It may look okay at the time of a water quality test but can change.

Doulton makes some excellent ceramic cartridges with a 1 micron rating. They have excellent info on everything you need to know about contaminants and filtration here.

As noted, Crypto & Giardia are chlorine resistant. Also note that it only takes one bacterial cell to get into a holding tank to multiply.

Another option is using an ultrafiltration ("UF") cartridge that is rated at 0.2 microns and will remove bacteria and most viruses. We have a 4-stage cartrdige setup using 10" cartridges, ending in a UF filter made by Crystal Quest.

On smoking, Winston Churchill smoked cigars non-stop and he lived to 90. DW's mom died from cancer from 2nd hand smoke in her fifties.

I wonder how many of you have had Giardia? It isn't fun. In a quest for an "Opening Day Golden Trout" Forty years ago, in knee deep snow I drank from a hole in the covered GIBBS STEAM about three miles from iced-over GIBBS LAKE.

Two days later Giardia struck me. Sorry no graphic details, but I was sicker than a dog.

Metronidazole (Flagyl), cured me quickly. It's an Rx drug.

A few summers later I discovered clear evidence of cattle grazing near the lake.

It's tough to beat the system I outlined earlier, and coupled with a filter recommended by the WHO and CDC the threat is eliminated.

You WILL end up in thee HOSPITAL!!! Do NOT drink lake water! Its not the same as Spring or well water!

valhalla360 wrote:

Tvov wrote:
"Bottled" water was at some point "non-potable" water - it just has been filtered, treated, and tested. Same with your "city water".

The vast majority of rural households pump water from wells and use it untreated (maybe a water softener but that's not an issue of potability)... but well water is typically free from organic contamination.

City system well water could be used in the same way but liability and PR push them to use more extensive treatment. When you hear about "boil water advisories" it's pretty much never due to issues at the wells. It's related to issues where the water can pick up stuff after the well head while it's passing thru the system.

Many "cities", towns and small Boroughs do not rely on drilled wells, instead they draw water in from streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and outdoor open reservoirs which may be fed from springs.

Pretty much like what the OP wants to do.

However the big difference is the cities and such go to great lengths to fully TREAT the water to get it to safe drinking standards.

The OP obviously does not wish to spend tens of thousands in proper treatment systems.

IF the water was truly 100% "safe" then the OP should have no worry about that water sitting stagnant in his tank.. The truth is however, the OP obviously knows and understands that the water drawn from the lake is not 100% safe, especially if it sits for a long time..

Rather than letting it just sit and stagnate, perhaps keeping the water MOVING constantly may be a better solution?

Some solar panels, some batteries and a continuous running pump up to a cistern system allowing the cistern to overflow the excess 24/7/365 rather than pumping to the RV freshwater tank.

Then the OP could draw from that and then filter that water..

I would not rely on a filter.
Look up how to make your own water filtration device.
It involved a 55 gallon drum, sand, rocks etc. You pump the water into the 55 gallon drum and the ingredients in the drum produce safe drinking water.
You would then pump that water into your tank.

I would rig a UV light in your tank to kill the critters, but the light has to be beneath the surface of the water as the UV light is not effective above the surface as the surface will reflect the needed light.

Then I would use a Berky filter to further filter water for drinking and cooking. Remember that you need to boil water about 8 minutes to make it safe and 8 mins is a long time, thats 8 mins after it reaches the boil. Easier to filter it.

There are no safe lakes in North America for drinking.
There are many springs that are safe, and possibly the resulting streams within a few feet of said spring could also be safe.

It just takes one small critter to poop in the water to give rise to the bacteria that can harm you. One dip of boot leather residue or sunblock off a hikers skin is enough to give life to critters in otherwise pure water…

dilution is the solution

shum02 wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

sayoung wrote:

If that lake water hasn't been tested by a laboratory you really don't know if or it isn't safe.

and if it has been tested all you know is the quality of that water at that location and point in time. doesn't take into account changes, such as the next thunderstorm washing a ton of cow poop into the lake.
bumpy

Maybe moose and deer poop.

Northern Ontario has very LITTLE acreage for grazing cattle. Seriously, most of you have no clue what Northern Ontario is like. Rocks and trees, trees and rocks with lakes and rivers scattered everywhere in between. Bush that goes on forever until the next lake and so on. A big chuck of paradise really.

Deer poop? I wish! There are no deer in my area.

Bumpyroad wrote:

sayoung wrote:

If that lake water hasn't been tested by a laboratory you really don't know if or it isn't safe.

and if it has been tested all you know is the quality of that water at that location and point in time. doesn't take into account changes, such as the next thunderstorm washing a ton of cow poop into the lake.
bumpy

If cow poop or any livestock poop got into this lake that I am drawing from, I have bigger questions.

It would be impossible as there are no farms up stream of the lake. Moose and bear poop, most likely.

Filtering Tap Water

Many but not all available home water filters remove Cryptosporidium. Some filter designs are more suitable for removal of Cryptosporidium than others. Filters that have the words “reverse osmosis” on the label protect against Cryptosporidium. Some other types of filters that function by micro-straining also work. Look for a filter that has a pore size of 1 micron or less. This will remove microbes 1 micron or greater in diameter (Cryptosporidium, Giardia). There are two types of these filters — “absolute 1 micron” filters and “nominal 1 micron” filters but not all filters that are supposed to remove objects 1 micron or larger from water are the same. The absolute 1 micron filter will more consistently remove Cryptosporidium than a nominal filter. Some nominal 1 micron filters will allow 20% to 30% of 1 micron particles (like Cryptosporidium) to pass through.

Filter manufacturers may pay to have their filters tested to see if they remove Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Filters that have been tested and certified should have wording on their labels indicating they have been listed and labeled to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or Standard 58 for cyst removal or cyst reduction by an ANSI-accredited certification organization. To find out if a particular filter is certified to remove Cryptosporidium, you can look for “NSF 53” or “NSF 58” plus the words “cyst reduction” or “cyst removal” on the product label information. If you chose to use a non-certified product, select those technologies more likely to reduce Cryptosporidium, including filters with reverse osmosis and those that have an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller.

Because filter testing is expensive and voluntary, some filters that may work against Cryptosporidium may not have been tested. If you chose to use a product not labeled “NSF 53” or “NSF 58”, select those technologies more likely to reduce Cryptosporidium, including filters with reverse osmosis and those that have an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller.
Filters designed to remove Crypto (any of the four messages below on a package label indicate that the filter should be able to remove Crypto)

Reverse osmosis (with or without NSF 53 or NSF 58 labeling)
Absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller (with or without NSF 53 or NSF 58 labeling)
Tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or NSF/ANSI Standard 58 for cyst removal
Tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or NSF/ANSI Standard 58 for cyst reduction

Filters labeled only with these words may NOT be designed to remove Crypto

Nominal pore size of 1 micron or smaller
One micron filter
Effective against Giardia
Effective against parasites
Carbon filter
Water purifier
EPA approved (Caution: EPA does not approve or test filters)
EPA registered (Caution: EPA does not register filters based on their ability to remove Cryptosporidium)
Activated carbon
Removes chlorine
Ultraviolet light
Pentiodide resins
Water softener
Chlorinated


(U.S Center For Disease Control)