Trail Blazer 5.0 L/M 6.5″ Drip Filtration Kit

Trail Blazer 5.0 L/M 6.5″  Water Filtration Kit

1) Trail Blazer Ultralight 5.0 L/M Liter Minute Filter, 6.5″ in length (300-6.5-17)

2) 2 gallon pre-drilled buckets with tear off lids

1) 3/4” Spigot

The best containment device for this water filter kit is a five gallon bucket with a screw on gamma lid. A five gallon pail holds all the above components making it easy to store, carry and use.

Some like this Nano Gravity Filter (7.5″ x 2.5″) or this Trail Blazer 5.0 L/M 6.5″ as a backup/replacement filter.

Installation Instructions for setting up a RapidPure drip bucket system for water filtration and purification.

Take one 2 gallon pail and drill a 1/2″ hole in the bottom center of the top bucket and another 1/2″ hole through the lid of the bottom bucket. The holes should be directly in line with one another.

This next step may vary depending upon the space that must be filled between the lid of the bottom bucket and the bottom surface of the top bucket. Some buckets have a raised rim at the underneath bottom center of each bucket that will leave a gap for the water to leak through. It may be necessary to use both flat washers between the lid and the bottom of the top bucket. This generally fills the gap so dirty water can’t leak through the lid into the clean water bucket.

The filter comes with two 1/2″ flat washers. Assuming your bucket isn’t like the one described above leave just one flat washer on the stem of the filter and lower the filter assembly carefully down into the top bucket. As you lower the filter gently align the shaft so it fits through the base of the bucket. If the hole is too tight you can take a pocket knife and lightly scrape the hole to ease the assembly of the shaft.

Take the second 1/2″ flat washer and install it on to the shaft after you assemble the lid of the bottom bucket to the bottom of the top bucket. In other words the second washer goes on just before the wing nut and it is meant to provide a seal if water accidentally settles into the lid of the bottom bucket.

Once the lid, the filter and wing nut are fitted together, gently tighten the wing nut to prevent contamination or leakage. Be cautious and do not over tighten the nut so much it stresses and cracks the filter stem.

Now let’s do a leak test as follows…take a cup of water and pour a thin layer of water into the top bucket but be careful not to add so much it begins to run through the filter element. Then take a cup and pour a little water into the lid that is attached to the bottom of the top bucket. Let the water sit in both places for 20 to 30 minutes and then carefully raise the bucket up and inspect to make sure no water has leaked around the wing nut where the shaft goes through the lid. If there is a leak, it needs to be fixed to prevent unfiltered water from entering the bottom bucket where the clean water goes. The fix may be as simple as switching the flat washers to a different position as described above.

It will also be necessary to install a 3/4″ spigot to the bottom bucket. The hole should be drilled deep into the sidewall of the bucket, but not so far down it makes it impossible to screw the nut onto the shaft of the spigot. When installed the nut fits on the inside wall near the floor of the bucket. If the hole is drilled too low in the side of the bucket the nut will interfere with the floor of the bucket making it impossible to install the spigot. If the hole is too high you won’t be able to get all the water out of the bucket. It’s best to use the nut to determine the positioning so you’ll know exactly where to put the spigot hole.

For anyone who’s not good with details, we provide a complete kit that is already to use in case of emergency. Filter life can be extended if you take a piece of dish cloth and wrap it around the filter element. Securing the cloth with a rubber band is particularly good even when turbid water and contaminants aren’t noticeable.

When you put water into the top bucket it slowly passes through the filtering element and trickles down through the filter shaft on into the bottom bucket. If the water flow becomes too slow you may have to rinse the filter or clean the screening cloth.

For a small to midsize family it is recommended you have at least two or more filters on hand so you can survive a provisional emergency.

Trail Blazer 5.0L 6.5″ replacement filter