New drinking water filter

[Loren Beach]

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Membraloop Flexible and sustainable for every application Flexible water filter for yachts, motorhomes, camping... Clean germ-free water from your tank. Details MEMBRALOOP reduces bacteria, viruses and protozoa highly protective Very low to no maintenance costs Small footprint and...

membraloop.eu

I just read about this in the new product section of the Feb. 2024, Yachting Monthly.
Hyped as "chemical and electricity free in-line water filter with a lifespan of 10 years, that removes solids, bacteria, and even viruses."

Expensive at well over $500. US, but it does sound quite interesting. IF it does what it sez it will do.

Submitted for your consideration, as Rod Serling may have said.

 

[toddster]

Maybe. I have been out of "the game" for some time, but there used to be hollow-fiber filters that would do that in a lab setting. They required high-pressure pumps, and yes, they needed to be cleaned periodically, using a variety of chemicals. (e.g. sodium pyrophosphate and a light detergent) And they could be ruined if they dried out. Certainly it wouldn't be maintenance-free.

For comparison, J-boats come equipped with a "seagull" filter, which appears to be just an ordinary activated carbon filter like you'd buy at the hardware store, except it has a stainless steel housing, comes with a lot of unrealistic marketing, and cost ten times as much. $150 per year for annual replacement. I'm not sure who thought that associating what seagulls do with drinking water was a good idea.

 

[Christian Williams]

Wasn't it Toddster who said that the ordinary "water filter" installed by owners intending to cleanse tankage is actually a bacteria trap? The argument was that they sit unnoticed, growing what they intercept?

I have one, installed by the previous owner. Changing the filters is awkward, and I forget for a year or two at a time.

I wonder what need there is for any of them, beyond advertising. And what value they provide, besides metaphysics.

 

[toddster]

Yes, many studies show that most home water filters are a net source of bacteria, after the first day or so. (All the "certification tests" are done in the first hour.) Hollow-fiber filters might be a different sort of deal, with proper maintenance. But I suspect that in a typical home installation, the end result might be like all the others.

 

[Gaviate]

Thanks Loren, I've been researching filtration systems and hadn't come across this. The washable feature is appealing although there are smaller pore filters available.
My quest is to use/consume any water that will "float my boat" and eliminate the need for excessive storage tanks. Being geographically limited to fresh water sailing in this regard is a bonus and does away with the need for the complexity of a salt sucking watermaker.
Its inconceivable that I should ever suffer from thirst!

 

[Pete the Cat]

I cruised for a couple years in Central America with a simple set up. I bought drinking water, but took on water from all sources through a simple garden hose filter and treated the "house water" (for dishes and cleaning up) with bleach. The problem I found in Central America was sand in the water that was used by the crude treatment processes in Central American coastal towns--the sand would settle in the bottom of my tanks if not filtered. I never trusted the water to drink and never had a problem. I got by for weeks at a time with another person on board by being frugal. I had considered all manner of water treatment, but was happy with what I had for simplicity.