Muddy river and dam water use

Hi I suppose it depends on where you are going .
If towns have Bore Water probably not as big a problem.

For washing ourself most of the the time if very remote we bird bath or swim in river.
Also are very sparing on wash up Use a Spray bottle and washing up liquid to clean plates etc

Hi Croc

We have done this with increadable results, and will bring muddy water to the clarity as rain water.

Have a look at this blog that I did.

If for drinking, you would want to sterlise the water to be safe.


Cheers


Stephen

A 0.5um filter will remove colloidal clay from water, but the volume of the clay will quickly block the filter.
The stuff to use to settle the colloidal clay is alum. Cheap from Bunnings and the like and sold for swimming pools for this precise purpose. It is a flocculant and the "crud" settles out on the bottom and the clear water can be poured off the top. Only a tiny amount is required.
We carry some in the OKA for this purpose, but avoid the need if possible.
We then treat all of our water with chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) prior to filtering with a 5um sediment filter and a 0.5um carbon/silver filter. It is all then safe to drink.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

We use Alum on cloudy water such as from the Darling. You only need a couple of teaspoons for several litres of water. Leave it for a number of hours and the water is crystal clear with all the sediment on the bottom. We use the water for showers and washing up.

Living on the Diamantina River, some years back now, we needed to clear dam water for domestic use, on a regular basis. Maybe 50K litres every fortnight. We only used Alum Sulphate, but once the water was clear, I’d add some Hydrated Lime to neutralise the water to some degree. This cleared water was used for showering, washing & cooking, but advised staff not to drink it. However, on odd occasions, a staff member would present with a dose of the trots! Never used any sterilising agents in over 20 years.

For rapid & efficient floccing, or is it flocking, we’d dissolve the alum in hot water first, then pour this into the muddy water. The mud would start to seperate almost immediately, and a 45KL tank would be clear enough to use in 4-6 hours.

Have also cleared small quantities using cement powder, calcium carbide, ferrite of iron, ash & Epsom salts.

Bob