2 February 2003
About the Pottery Media Purifier System


A system can be as simple as two buckets, the top one with a lid and the bottom one with a faucet.  The purifier element is set into the bottom of the upper container, which then nest in the lower container, more or less air tight.   Occasional topping off of the upper container helps insure good flow.  In general, if clear water is not used, some of the turbid particles will accumulate on the purifier.  Then these should be cleaned by scrubbing off with a brush.

Prices for these systems depend on location, the size of the container, and whether pottery or plastic, and this should amount to no more than a couple of U.S. dollars.  As with other two tiered, candle systems the primary cost is the containers.  Plastic and pottery containers are considered preferrable to metal ones because of better availability.  While it is true that many commercially available candle systems do use metal containers, these tend to be specially made for fit.  In most cases these metal systems tend to cost well in excess of $20.00 and the candles they contain do no better job than the pottery purifier ones indicated here.

Following is a table comparing the relative merits of the plastic and pottery containers that can be used for the system.  When planning purifier production this table can be used along with the table comparing disk purifiers and candle purifiers, shown in the Forming Candles link.

Containers of Plastic or Pottery?  A Comparison of Attributes

Plastic Containers Pottery Containers
Price About double the price of pottery containers About half the price of plastic containers
Water Taste Some plastics may give a disagreeable taste The pottery would not impart a taste on the water in the way that the plastic might.
Water Cooling Plastic containers do not cool the water as pottery ones do. The water is cooled, because a breeze makes contact with the damp outer container.
Life Time Plastic containers may last a few years, out living pottery containers. Pottery containers are fragile and don't last as long as plastic.
Hygiene Less frequent cleaning than for pottery Consider cleaning the lower container every couple of days.  Saturation with colloidal silver will prevent bacteria regrowth in the container.
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