Building the Ultimate Spring Water Filtration System: DIY Sediment Filter for Clean Water

Welcome back to Base Camp WNC!

Today, I'm going to talk about the largest spring box I think I've ever built. This one is either for myself or Mr. Chuck. Both springs are quite old, drawing water from the hillside, but we do get a little dirt and sediment in them. If you’ve watched my channel before, you’ll notice that I rigged up a filter on the outflow pipe to catch some of the sediment, and it works really well. Mr. Chuck has a similar issue with his spring, which we’re currently working on.

As I’m going to show you in this video, the setup involves two 15-gallon drums. One drum has the top cut off and fitted to the bottom of the other, making use of both tops. This configuration allows water to enter through a tube that directs it downward, encouraging sediment to settle at the bottom. I also have my usual filters installed in the system. The overflow pipe is located on the side, where the filtered water will exit and flow into the catchment system.

Here’s how it works: the water comes into one end of the pipe and flows downward. I have a one-inch pipe extending about 18 inches down, surrounded by a three-inch pipe. I’ll disassemble it during the build section to show you the details. There are slots at the bottom that force the water to settle at the base, allowing the sediment time to settle before it reaches the filter. Mr. Chuck implemented my idea and added a filter to his setup, which lasts a few weeks. I’ll show you how you can add a T-joint to incorporate two filters, or use a cross-joint for three filters, reducing the frequency of filter changes.

This setup should collect a good amount of dirt and sediment. Each drum holds 15 gallons, or about 100 pounds of water. I’m planning to install a valve at the bottom, so when you’re ready to clean it, all you need to do is open the valve, and everything will drain out. Here, at the bottom of the lid, I’ll place a valve. If it fills with dirt and mud, you can open the valve and poke a welding rod up inside to release all the water. This way, when the tank empties, you’ll just be dealing with the dirt and mud instead of 100 pounds of water.

It might look strange because I have one end here and another on the opposite end. What I did was cut ten and a half inches off the top of another barrel, which fits right over this one. I’ll show you how I marked it. It’s on the tapered edge, and since it’s round, it’s tricky, but I used a five-inch object as a guide, placed it against the barrel, and marked a line all the way around. It’s accurate enough for what I need. I’ll now take a saw and cut it off.

Now, there it is. I cut it cleanly. I guess I have a new dog water bowl now! But this is actually the bottom of my filtration system. Here’s a large part of the drum that I already had cut. When you look inside, you can see that it fits perfectly at the bottom. We have about an inch and a half gap all around, allowing me to pour some food-grade silicone caulk and secure it with bolts.

After aligning the two pieces, I secured them by wrapping a ratchet strap around the barrel to hold it tight, and I used self-tapping metal screws. I then took it apart and applied Lexel adhesive, which adheres to almost anything, but HDPE plastic is notoriously hard to bond. I marked the alignment points to ensure the holes matched up when reassembling. I applied a bead of adhesive around the top edge, slid the two pieces together, and tightened the bolts. It’s glued, sealed, and bolted securely. I trimmed the bolts sticking out, and although the grinder made a bit of a mess with the glue, the inside is solid with all the carriage bolt heads sealed.

We’ll let it cure for a while, fill it with water, and see if my idea works. At the top of the barrel is where the handle used to be. I used a two-inch fitting, which is larger than needed, because I had to account for the original handle fixture. I made a two-and-a-quarter-inch hole using a hole saw to fit a two-inch male adapter. I wrapped Teflon tape around the fitting, and it should now be watertight.

The inflow pipe connects here, and inside, we use a two-inch female adapter. A reducer connects to a one-inch pipe, which fits snugly. I don’t glue the interior components so they can be easily removed for cleaning.
Despite the rain, I’ll show you this assembly. It’s a 90-degree elbow with an 18-inch pipe that fits into the bottom part of the lid. It’s designed to direct water downward, slowing it down and letting the sediment settle before reaching the filters.

Now, I’ll put it all together. When complete, the water flows into the inflow pipe, settles at the bottom, and the filtered water exits through the T-joint. This way, I can add multiple filters if needed. The whole purpose is to prevent sediment from reaching the commercial filters. At the end of the year, I should have just a couple of inches of silt at the bottom, which will be much easier to clean out.

If this interests you or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. This is what we do here. I specialize in Carolina homestead planning and build custom solutions. If this video helps you or if you’ve modified my design, I’d love to see pictures or videos of your version. I’ll feature it on the channel, giving you credit and even a shout-out to your YouTube channel. As always, like, share, and subscribe. See you next time, and I’m happy to help!

Visit us at:  Carolina Homestead Planner