FAQ
- How many gallons of water can be purified by a pound of salt?
- How long will a battery last?
- What is a “deep cycle” battery and how is this different from a normal battery in a vehicle?
- How long will a purifier last?
- What kind of maintenance do I need to do?
- Where do I get replacement parts?
- How long does it take to learn how to use the purifier?
- Does the purifier run all of the time?
- How many gallons a day can a purifier cleanse?
- Why is the water purifier better than other methods such as SODIS?
- But, isn’t SODIS less expensive and more sustainable because it used locally available materials?
- Why do I have to wait an hour and retest the water before I can drink it?
- Can the water purifier be used with existing plumbing systems?
- Should I filter the water before I use the water purifier?
- What history working in various countries does the water purifier have?
- How do you get the water purifiers into the country?
- Do you have to pay customs on the water purifier?
- How do you do training on the water purifier?
- How is the water purifier shipped?
- What other supplies do I need to operate the water purifier?
- Are there any cultural issues that I need to consider before installing a water purifier?
- What size battery do I need?
- Do I need to chlorinate all of the water in a tank?
- How can I test water to verify if there are biologicals in it?
- Can I contribute funds without purchasing a complete water purifier?
- If I donate money for a water purifier, do you have the capability to implement it in a needed country?
- My church, service organization or family would like to go to a foreign country and set up a water purifier? Can you help recommend a location where we can take a water purifier?
- Why can’t I just put bleach in the water to make it safe?
- Does the purifier have to operate on a battery?
- We have ac power available; can we just plug the purifier into the wall?
- Are there any hazardous materials in the water purifier?
- Are there any by-products from the water purification process? See above.
- What do you do with the Sodium Hydroxide?
1. How many gallons of water can be purified by a pound of salt?
The amount of water that can be purified by a pound of salt depends upon the turbidity of the water. The more dirt and other particles in the water, the more chlorine is needed to make the water safe. With water that does not have a lot of particles in it, a pound of salt can potentially disinfect from 10,000 gallons up to 70,000 gallons of water.
2. How long will a battery last?
The answer is…it depends on the type of battery, its size and how it is operated. We recommend using a 12 volt “deep cycle” battery that is rated for at least 100 amp-hours. If a battery is kept charged with a battery charger or solar panel, it can potentially live through hundreds of charge/discharge cycles and treat a tremendous of water over its life. On the other hand, if the battery is allowed to completely discharge before it is recharged, it will have a much lower life.
3. What is a “deep cycle” battery and how is this different from a normal battery in a vehicle?
- Deep Cycle batteries tend to have much heavier internal plates. They are a more rugged battery that can take a much higher degree of abuse and vibration compared to normal starter batteries.
- Deep cycle batteries can tolerate a much higher degree of discharge than the thinner plate thickness starter batteries.
- Deep cycle batteries are rated in amp-hours, whereas regular starter batteries tend to be rated in terms of Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) which does not reliably relate to amp-hours.
- Neither type of battery should ever be fully discharged. Doing so will shorten the battery’s life. Discharging a starter type battery to near dead conditions can lead to permanent battery failure in less than 30 such cycles.
4. How long will a purifier last?
New Life International has been supplying various versions of the water purifier since 1998. While we don’t make any specific performance claims or warranties because of the harsh and vary environments that the water purifiers operate in, we do know of water purifiers that have been in operation for over five years. Because there are no moving parts in the water purifier, following the instructions in operations manual should keep the water purifier operating for an extended period of time. However, careless handling, inappropriate operation, allowing the purifier to run dry (i.e. inadequate water in the chambers) and not keeping it clean will have significant impact on the performance and life expectancy of the water purifier.
5. What kind of maintenance do I need to do?
The water purifier requires minimal maintenance. After each use, the water purifier should be rinsed with clear water to remove the salt in the tubes. Other maintenance activities include keeping the contact points clean of corrosion on the lead wires to the batteries.
6. Where do I get replacement parts?
Under normal use, you should not need any replacement parts for the water purifier. As a convenience, we include some spare parts with the water purifier. Additional spare parts may be purchased in a plumbing or hardware store or may be ordered from New Life International. The “hub” of the water purifier where the electrolysis occurs should never be opened without getting prior instruction and core parts before attempting a repair.
7. How long does it take to learn how to use the purifier?
The water purifier is simple to operate. A detailed instruction manual is included with the water purifier. Users are always welcomed to visit New Life International’s facilities for hands-on training. From our experience, most people are comfortable with setting up and operating the water purifier after one to several hours of training.
8. Does the purifier run all of the time?
In most situations, the water purifier only operates for a short period of time each day. For example, if you have a 500 gallon tank that you want to purify, you would only need to run approximately 10% of the water (50 gallons) through the water purifier. The submersible pump included with the water purifier will pump about 5 gallons per minute through the system. Therefore, it will take the pump approximately 10 minutes to purify the 50 gallons depending upon how the operator configures the purifier.
9. How many gallons a day can a purifier cleanse?
The answer to this question is dependent upon many different factors such as how large your holding tank is and the rate in which you can pump water through the water purifier. In addition, you only need to run approximately 10% of the water through the water purifier. There will be enough chlorine in that 10% to chlorinate the remaining 90% (follow the instructions in the operations manual on testing the water). Other factors such as the cleanliness of the water and availability will impact the rate of production.
10. Why is the water purifier better than other methods such as SODIS?
Chlorination is the only disinfection technology that effectively disinfects from the point of introduction all the way through the piping system to the tap as well as storage containers. With other methods, such as SODIS, there is the possibility of recontamination of the water before it is consumed.
11. But, isn’t SODIS less expensive and more sustainable because it used locally available materials?
- If the poor purchase SODIS bottles, on a cost per liter basis, SODIS water storage costs 4 to 10 times more than permanent water storage that is available locally.
- In the developing world the poor are a majority, and SODIS makes them dependent on rich man’s trash in order to be sustainable if they do not purchase their own bottles.
12. Why do I have to wait an hour and retest the water before I can drink it?
There are two primary reasons why we wait an hour before retesting the water and drinking it. The first reason is that we only send about 10% of the water from the tank through the water purifier. This 10% of the water has enough chlorine in it to disinfect the remaining 90%… but it takes time for the chlorine to go mix with all of the water. The second reason is that we want to give the chlorine enough time to kill all of the microbes in the water.
13. Can the water purifier be used with existing plumbing systems?
The water purifier is designed to be flexible to use with almost any water source or system that is being used in-country. With a little creativity, innovation or plumbing skills, the water purifier should be able to be integrated into existing systems.
14. Should I filter the water before I use the water purifier?
Under ideal conditions, water should always be filtered using whatever means is available locally. Removing particles and reducing turbidity generally means that less chlorine is needed to disinfect the water.
15. What history working in various countries does the water purifier have?
The purifiers have been sent to 58 different countries including: USA, Mexico, Belize, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Israel, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Congo, Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia (pending), Botswana (pending), South Africa, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor, Philippines.
16. How do you get the water purifiers into the country?
Many people traveling to a foreign country will take the water purifier with them as checked baggage. The water purifier ships in a 24×16x12.5 inch (61×40.6×31.8cm) container that weights about 20 lbs. We will also ship the containers via UPS or FEDEX.
17. Do you have to pay customs on the water purifier?
The answer depends upon the country. Generally speaking, if you bring the water purifier with you as checked baggage, you will not have to pay customs if you explain that the water purifier is for humanitarian purposes.
18. How do you do training on the water purifier?
The purifier is shipped with an assembly and operations manual and DVD. In addition, users are always welcomed to visit New Life International’s facilities for hands-on training.
19. How is the water purifier shipped?
Many people traveling to a foreign country will take the water purifier with them as checked baggage. The water purifier ships in a 24×16x12.5 inch (61×40.6×31.8cm) container that weights about 20 lbs. We will also ship the containers via UPS or FEDEX.
20. What other supplies do I need to operate the water purifier?
The other supplies needed to operate the water purifier may be purchased in-country (cheapest option). These supplies include: 12 volt battery, battery charger (note: an optional solar panel can be obtained from New Life International), table salt, water storage and treatment tanks and any locally obtained pump upgrades or replacement parts.
21. Are there any cultural issues that I need to consider before installing a water purifier?
It is our experience that understanding and overcoming the local cultural issues is the largest challenge to implementing a successful water purification program. See the section labeled “Cultural Issues” for more details and information.
22. What size battery do I need?
We recommend a 12 volt, deep cycle, marine battery.
23. Do I need to chlorinate all of the water in a tank?
You only need to run approximately 10% of the water through the water purifier. There will be enough chlorine in that 10% to chlorinate the remaining 90% (follow the instructions in the operations manual on testing the water). For example, if you have a 500 gallon tank, you will only need to pump approximately 50 gallons through the water purifier. There will be enough chlorine in those 50 gallons (if you follow the operating instructions) to disinfect the remaining 450 gallons.
24. How can I test water to verify if there are biologicals in it?
Answer coming soon. Sorry for the delay.
25. Can I contribute funds without purchasing a complete water purifier?
New Life International is a donor support, non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization. All contributions are tax deductible and will go to supporting the operation of New Life International and water purification.
26. If I donate money for a water purifier, do you have the capability to implement it in a needed country?
Almost daily, New Life International receives requests from around the world for a water purifier. Donations go to help fund water purifiers as they are requested.
27. My church, service organization or family would like to go to a foreign country and set up a water purifier? Can you help recommend a location where we can take a water purifier?
Yes! We are in contact with a number of different organizations around the world who are working with the water purifier. We will be glad to help you make contact with an area that has a need for a water purifier.
28. Why can’t I just put bleach in the water to make it safe?
- Bleach often contains other chemicals such a fragrances.
- Bleach looses its effectiveness the longer it sits in its container
- Bleach dissolves substances out of its plastic container and reacts with them to produce potentially hazardous materials that in turn contaminate the water to be treated.
- Bleach is often made with mercury anodes whose residue contaminates the bleach.
29. Does the purifier have to operate on a battery?
No, but it does have to operate of DC current from such sources as a battery charger or transformer arrangement with diodes.
30. We have ac power available; can we just plug the purifier into the wall?
No, not directly, the current needs to be turned into 12 VDC.
31. Are there any hazardous materials in the water purifier?
The byproducts in the purifier are not hazardous per se, but they do need to be appropriately handled just like one would with any household cleanser. The sodium hydroxide on the negative side of the purifier and the partially converted salt on the positive side that is rich in the sodium hypochlorite intermediary between salt and the chlorine disinfectant should be handled safely to insure that it does not get into anyone’s eyes or on their skin, or consumed.
32. Are there any by-products from the water purification process?
See above - Answer #31.
33. What do you do with the Sodium Hydroxide?
The sodium hydroxide can be used to treat pit latrines or it can be used to make soap.