Carbon

[Dorkhedeos]

I was just wondering if i could use carbon to filter out tapwater for drinking. The water in the dorms isnt all that great and it has a weird taste to it so i was wondering if i could just use aquarium carbon to filter it out. I would use a brita filter if i had more money, but i was thinking that carbon is carbon, so might as well use stuff i already have.

 

[cheesy feet]

Get an RO unit...Loads of drinking water are RO water for your tanks

 

[Dorkhedeos]

the thing is, i cant really install anything onto these faucets because they are public and i dont really want to carry like a suitcase around every time i want some water.

 

[dthoffsett]

I don't see why it wouldn't work, carbon is found in a lot of the filters for those water pitchers. My cats' water dish also uses carbon to filter and they're just fine. Of course, they'll also drink dirty fish water .

 

[Dorkhedeos]

I was just making sure because companies sometimes add other chemicals to their products to make them last longer, work better, or cheaper to produce. Its like some water conditioners, most say they arent safe for human use, but i have like a gallon of this other stuff that says safe for human use. Im guessing as long as it is pure carbon it shouldnt matter right? Does anybody know what superactived means?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Well, i got a reply from seachem about their carbon, i havent received anything from the other companies yet though. They should really use spell check before they reply

"Hello,
Matrix Carbon is safe to use with dringking water.
Depending upon the waste load of your tank, our Matrix
Carbon will last anywhere from 3-6 months."

Edit: Im about to go buy myself a big container of it now. Anybody on the forums live around San jose? would any of you guys drink it?

 

[jasonskillz]

im in Los Angeles so ya....

you could always boil your water and i think the carbon should be safe. taste test it before you actually drink.

 

[PoPoV]

LoL, Ill try it.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Tell me how it works out. Hopefully we wont have any side effects for drinking it and ill taste good

 

[Benauld]

Hypothetically speaking it should be safe, I can't see that adding anything to it would make it cheaper/easier for companies to produce, I guess its a matter of just exactly what organic source is used initially. It is used medically to soak up tetrodotoxin in cases of poisoning (it's the only thing they can do for it, as there is no known cure). The following may be helpful - you might have to scour through it though...

Activated Carbon Processing

 

[anodized]

well thats basically what is in brita water filters ... why not just use one of those and stick it in your fridge?

 

[raptorrex]

I was just wondering if i could use carbon to filter out tapwater for drinking. The water in the dorms isnt all that great and it has a weird taste to it so i was wondering if i could just use aquarium carbon to filter it out. I would use a brita filter if i had more money, but i was thinking that carbon is carbon, so might as well use stuff i already have.

basic answer is YES! but you will need to change it often. and there in is the problem, how often to change it. perhaps the Brita may be your best idea.

RO is very wasteful, only a 1 to 5 return. and it will actually be very bad for you over a period of time. even the US Navy, who seem to have invented it, don't allow human consumption of the resulting reclaimed water.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Hrmm, i was just planning on changing the carbon once the taste came back. Im probably going to filter a gallon at a time and then let the carbon dry so it doesnt grow mold or anything. The only thing i have against brita filters is the filter replacement. I would rather replace the carbon in my home made filter every week than replace the brita thing every month because i think its still cheaper. I will see how it goes first with 1 container of seachems matrix carbon and if it doesnt work out too well, ill use the brita. If anyone else tries this as well, please post the results and the brand of carbon being used.