Waves For Water Filter

[spinner]

My son is an Eagle Boy Scout and his troop just purchased a Waves for Water Community Filter to eliminate their need for bottled water on scout trips. The filter system is fairly inexpensive at $50 and it says it provides up to 200 gallons of clean water per day. The filters can be back washed and reused for several years.

My question is about the following statement copied from their website:

Highest Filtration Rates Available- At 0.1 micron absolute, it is impossible for any bacteria, protozoa or cysts to pass through the filter. Other filters at .02 micron absolute, it is impossible for viruses in addition to bacteria, protozoa and cysts to pass through the purifier. These are true barrier filters.
Waves for Water currently offers the the 0.1 filter system. If your in need of a filtration system dealing with bacteria with the addition of severe viruses then the .02 would be recommended.
Please note we do not offer or sell the .02 filtration system.

Is this system even worth bothering with if it's only a 0.1 micron absolute? I thought maybe there is someone out there who could give me some advice on this.

[Klayton]

It actually says 0.1 micron? That is better than a HEPA filter (0.3 micron)... odd it is so "inexpensive" for that level of filtration. But if it is "true" 0.1 micron DOES filter out bacteria (0.2 micron being the smallest bacteria).... Not to mention that level of filtration should be a pretty darn slow "drip" vs a flow... Hope you guys get a chance to use it in garrison before going out in the woods to play grizzly adams...

Hope you didn't buy the proverbial snake oil...

[EX121]

Most water available in the "wilderness" won't have viruses, so the 0.1 micron should get rid of the other stuff. So if you are not travelling outside the USA it should work.I've been looking on the internet and I think the only filter that is reasonably priced is one by Sawyer, but at REI it's about $200. If there is ever a cholera outbreak in the USA then the smaller filter would be need, or chemical purification.

[californiapatriot]

what about UV "purifiers" Don't they kill viruses? I think a good ceramic filter plus either boiling or a UV filter would just about make due in any situation.

[EX121]

Yes the uv purifiers do kill viruses, My Bad.

[spinner]

They used it on a trip two weeks ago and used water straight out of a pond. The Scout leader said it was some of the clearest, best water they had ever had. I guess I will have to do some more research. Of course the Waves for Water filter requires you to purchase your own buckets to use with the system, but I'm already getting those for food storage, so what's an extra two?

I do appreciate the input.

[Klayton]

OK just did the math there, that is taking dirty water and making it clean water at a rate of more than half a liter a minute, thats some pretty fast filtering...

[monkeybird]

Please keep us informed on the filters performance. I went to the web site and the hype seems to good to be true for just $50.00. Maybe I just a born skeptic.

[GAGLOCK]

This is the sawyer water filter. Look at the links at the bottom of the waves for water page.

[Spock]

i can't see how they could possibility get 500 gallons a day through one of those. I've got experience with katadyn and berkfield and monolitic ceramic drip filters and i can not see how a gravity filter that small can run 500 gallons in one day. thats over 20 gallons an hour!

[610Alpha]

that does seem high for a non-pressurized system. Maybe someone can do a vid for us?

the monolithic water filter seemed to be reasonably priced as well.