You need safe drinking water. Off grid, some people are still drinking untreated well or spring water. And in some instances that's still ok. We did that when we were very young. But we are living in a changing world, and water anywhere can contain significant heath risks, such as;
Microorganisms - bacteria, viruses, and parasites - found all over the surface of our planet.- Heavy metals - arsenic, cadmium, lead, chromium, and others can be found at high levels in some well water.
- Chemical pollutants from agriculture and industry - some spread to nearly everywhere.
So, you have a look at your your source(s) and decide whether you are satisfied with your supply's status quo or not.
At that point, you might choose lot of quite expensive lab testing. Or just a simple gravity filtration system. Or jump directly to more elaborate process towards purification.
While none of these choices guarantees perfectly and constantly absolutely pure water, you can definitely reduce risks with:
- Simple gravity filtration for chemicals and metals
- Reverse Osmosis or UV light treatment - probably your best choice for eliminating micro organisms.
Simple filtration can help - at our cabin for instance, we have a gravity fed countertop filter. But, not really satisfied, we upgraded to a 12v pump with double filtration system, followed by a (12v solar powered) UV light unit.
If you decide to do something about your water, take your time in comparing systems and brands.
Recommendation:
- Assuming you have power available, and for a generally larger volume of water use, a system including reverse osmosis OR UV light treatment - will probably be your best bet. However this will cost you - starting at about 1000 dollars, and of course larger and more elaborate systems can cost much more.
- Gravity filters offer fair to good water filtration solutions for less money. Their performance is largely determined by the filter type they use and their size. Generally, filter types can remove some contaminants - but not others. Filter life until replacement time also varies. We recommend a deep-dive comparison shop no matter what you are considering. These come at various prices up to about 400 dollars.
Bonus related point regarding water sourcing: Whatever your source, water storage near where you are using it is a great idea. Below is a brief video of a very simple DIY beginner storage and water catchment system:
And as always there are much larger and more elaborate systems to look at in Youtube's search bar.