Safe drinking water from a shallow well, built in stages.

An open design for homes in the Philippines.

More than half of Filipino families buy their drinking water by the container from refilling stations. For a family of six, I estimate that costs about ₱8,700 to ₱23,200 a year. This page shows a way to make safe drinking water at home from a shallow well, starting small and upgrading over time.

One water path.

1. Shallow well. The hand pump most homes already have.
2. Chlorinated drum. A covered plastic drum, dosed with household bleach like a small pool. It also supplies wash water.
3. Sediment and carbon filters. The carbon removes the chlorine so it cannot damage the membrane.
4. RO membrane. RO means reverse osmosis: water is pushed through a membrane that holds back dissolved contaminants. The reject water returns to the drum, so nothing is wasted.
5. Drinking drum. A small food-grade drum on a stand, with a faucet.

Any power source.

Every pump runs on 12 volts, so the power source can change without rebuilding the water side.

• Grid starter. A plug-in 12-volt adapter. The cheapest way to begin.
• Pedal backup. A pedal generator charging a battery, for brownouts.
• Solar upgrade. A panel, controller and battery, for homes with weak or no grid power.
• Generator. A fuel generator also works, because it only has to run the plug-in adapter or charge the battery.

Build in stages.

At typical refill prices, I estimate stage 1 pays for itself in about a year.

The full system, drawn.

This drawing shows the system after all four stages, with the well motor and solar power added. Stage 1 uses only parts 5, 9 to 12 and 14 to 16, with the hand pump worked by hand and a plug-in adapter in place of the panel and battery.

1. Shallow well, existing narrow pipe.
2. Lever hand pump on a raised pedestal.
3. Counterweight on the long lever.
4. 12-volt gear motor, crank and rod, inside a guard.
5. Cistern drum, 200 liters, covered and chlorinated.
6. Bleach bottle and dosing pump.
7. Float switch that stops the well motor when the drum is full.
8. Wash-water pump, 12 volts.
9. Sediment cartridge.
10. Carbon cartridge, which removes the chlorine.
11. RO feed pump, 12 volts.
12. RO membrane.
13. Reject water return line to the cistern.
14. Drinking drum, 60 liters, food grade, on a stand.
15. Float switch that stops the RO pump when the drum is full.
16. Drinking faucet, gravity fed.
17. Solar panel, 400 watts.
18. Charge controller with low-voltage cut-off.
19. Deep-cycle lead-acid battery, 12 volts.
20. Wash line to taps and toilet.

Concept drawing for discussion, not for construction. Sizes and ratings are my estimates. Confirm them against a water test, the well depth and the parts you actually buy.

Where to buy the parts.

The numbers match the drawing above. I earn nothing from these links. A Philippine link marked 'search' opens a live search, so sellers and prices will vary. Amazon links are United States listings: check that the seller ships to the Philippines, and the shipping cost, before you order. Check that every part matches its description.

The pumps differ by source. The Philippine listing for part 11 is a 24-volt booster pump that needs its own plug-in adapter. The Amazon one is a 12-volt pump that suits battery and solar power.

Safety rules.

• Test the well water before building.
• Use new food-grade drums only. Never reuse a drum that held chemicals.
• Keep every drum covered and screened against mosquitoes.
• Replace the carbon filter on a fixed schedule.

Where this stands.