Safe drinking water: Filters, treatment and testing · Alt Ordo Systems Guide
Off-grid, nobody treats or tests your water but you. The good news is that the methods are simple and cheap: a lab test tells you what is in the water, a filter catches what is big enough to catch, and a disinfectant or a UV lamp kills what slips through. The art is matching the treatment to the test, choosing gear that is certified to do what it claims, and keeping it maintained. This guide covers all three, from a bucket and a bottle of bleach to a pumped system with a UV lamp.
This guide helps you test your rain, well, spring or creek water, choose the filters and disinfection that match what the test finds, size them for your household and your power budget, and keep them working through the year.
What's inside. 19 pages in 9 chapters (At a glance, Where it works, How it works, Size it, Parts and cost, Set it up, Run it, Rules and permits, How it connects), then the sources and a notes page. 7 numbered figures drawn for this guide. You also get a worked example with a fill-in worksheet, 10 numbered steps, a year-round calendar, and a troubleshooting table.
Three builds, costed line by line (typical US prices, October 2026):
- Bare-bones: $153–$207
- Standard: $393–$674
- Comfortable: $1,677–$1,863
Sourced and fact-checked. Facts and figures are cited to the 30 sources listed at the back, and the whole guide was fact-checked before release. General guidance, not engineering advice: your county and a qualified pro have the last word on your site.
Pairs with other Alt Ordo Systems Guides: Roof rainwater catchment; Wells and hand pumps; Water storage and off-grid plumbing; Off-grid solar; Portable power stations; Canning and food preservation; Finding off-grid land. For your county's permits and rules, see our county and state guides.
Instant PDF download. After checkout you get a download link by email. Letter-size pages, made to read on screen or print at home.