this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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@Postmortal_Pop https://www.aqsolutions.org/charcoal-biochar-water-treatment/
Scroll down for the 300L treatment. This can be modified to be smaller in diameter, not depth (sand should be about 400mm deep). Pre-filter, slow sand filter, biochar filter, drinking water in that order.
If I was getting a setup with that many barrels I would think of looking at rainwater harvest/storage and treating that instead of making a massive treatment setup. Sediment filter and if you are not going to boil it a UV filter too.
I'll likely scale it down and use it to refill our 5 gallons, we go through about 3 a week, that's about 69L (nice) where the 4 barrel setup is is 300L a day. That's about 233 times the amount needed.
Though if I had the ability to install a well on my property, I'd probably build the whole thing and put a drinking fountain on my fence for the local homeless. Be cheaper than handing out bottles.
I take it this is just water that is consumed either for drinking or in cooking? That isn't very much water otherwise. Of course water used for cleaning doesn't need to be quite so clean as any soaps used should do the job there.
Strictly drinking and cooking. The utilities say it's safe stuff but honestly it's nasty if it isn't boiled first. That said, I don't often get bathwater in my mouth so it's not really a problem there.
Now I am thinking of more aesthetically pleasing options. A pond? Stores vast amounts of water and some plants can also help remove contaminants as well. Then a small filter to pass water through before consumption
Now that, that's something I can do. That's something I can do really quickly.