07-07-2007, 02:29 PM
The active parts of bleach are supposed to evaporate quickly, and a carbon block filter after your sediment filter (and before your UV light) is supposed to take out the chlorine taste. But I don't want to use bleach either.
Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 (superscript 2's) which is an unstable molecule. It quickly changes to H2O (water) and O2 (oxygen), the latter being the purifying agent. I'm told that hydrogen peroxide is expensive. It can also be dangerous if not in the proper dilution (6%?). The natural food stores often carry an H2O2 solution made in locally as a health tonic. This is in the 6% dilution. It is not marketed as a chlorine substitute for catchment water. They occasionally have a 25 or 35% solution which has all kinds of warnings and disclaimers on it. I believe that H2O2 above a 6% solution can do a number on your skin. When you use the stuff meant for first aid on a deep cut, a physician told me, it will dissolve the fat cells in the fatty layer of your skin. Not a good thing and not a recommended weight loss process, BTW. So, high concentrations can be a problem.
I've been keeping my eye out for algae control options. There are pool clarifiers to clearup the algae, but these are usually not meant for drinking water. Rob at Waterworks mentioned that they occasionally have a clarifier-like product that has an EPA approved rating but I haven't had a chance to find out what it is to do research on it. Lina at Hawaii Catchment is looking into a solar powered electrode setup that is supposed to kill and/or clear up algae. Lina says that they have a service that will vacuum out the algae and debris from your tank for $150-$175, something they recommend once a year.
If you have a UV light setup after your filters, and if your filtration pore rating is small enough, you should have no problems acquiring drinkable water. And, if you really aren't sure how clean your treatment is getting your water, take a sample from the tank and from a point-of-use (kitchen sink) and have them tested. This will tell you how well your treatement is functioning. No guesswork. This was recommended at least once a year.
Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 (superscript 2's) which is an unstable molecule. It quickly changes to H2O (water) and O2 (oxygen), the latter being the purifying agent. I'm told that hydrogen peroxide is expensive. It can also be dangerous if not in the proper dilution (6%?). The natural food stores often carry an H2O2 solution made in locally as a health tonic. This is in the 6% dilution. It is not marketed as a chlorine substitute for catchment water. They occasionally have a 25 or 35% solution which has all kinds of warnings and disclaimers on it. I believe that H2O2 above a 6% solution can do a number on your skin. When you use the stuff meant for first aid on a deep cut, a physician told me, it will dissolve the fat cells in the fatty layer of your skin. Not a good thing and not a recommended weight loss process, BTW. So, high concentrations can be a problem.
I've been keeping my eye out for algae control options. There are pool clarifiers to clearup the algae, but these are usually not meant for drinking water. Rob at Waterworks mentioned that they occasionally have a clarifier-like product that has an EPA approved rating but I haven't had a chance to find out what it is to do research on it. Lina at Hawaii Catchment is looking into a solar powered electrode setup that is supposed to kill and/or clear up algae. Lina says that they have a service that will vacuum out the algae and debris from your tank for $150-$175, something they recommend once a year.
If you have a UV light setup after your filters, and if your filtration pore rating is small enough, you should have no problems acquiring drinkable water. And, if you really aren't sure how clean your treatment is getting your water, take a sample from the tank and from a point-of-use (kitchen sink) and have them tested. This will tell you how well your treatement is functioning. No guesswork. This was recommended at least once a year.