Congratulations on your purchase of the PortaWell® Emergency Water Filtration Appliance. This patented system is made in the USA and designed to provide an affordable and efficient method for filtering potentially harmful contaminants.
PortaWell is an appliance that can be configured with different filters combinations to make most non-potable water sources safe for human consumption.
The PortaWell design provides the following:
The PortaWell is compatible with standard 2 ½ inch by 10-inch (5 inch for Mini) filters that can be configured to reduce sediment and particulate (sediment prefilter), pathogenic bacteria and cysts (ceramic or NanoCeram filter), and organic chemicals and chlorine (activated carbon filter). Other specialty filters may be purchased and installed to remove other contaminants (i.e., heavy metals, tannins, fluoride) that may be present.
Note: Maximum operating pressure of the pump is 45 PSI. If pump fails to run continuously when switched on, it is usually because a filter has been plugged and needs to be cleaned or replaced before proceeding.
Note: Choose the source water carefully. Source water that contains large quantities of particulate such as sediment, silt or especially algae can cause premature clogging of the ceramic filter pores and ultimately will reduce the useful life of the filter. The ceramic filter is designed to efficiently remove submicron contaminants but if the source water also contains visible particulate (especially algae), these larger particles may quickly load up the ceramic filter to where the pump stops, and the ceramic filter requires cleaning.
When the PortaWell® Emergency Water Filtration System will not be operated for more than 72 hours, it is important to remove the water from the filter housings and filters to prevent possible algae growth.
Note: Care must be taken when removing the ceramic or NanoCeram filter for storage that the inside of the filter (clean side) does not become cross contaminated with water from the outside (unfiltered side). Best practice is to rinse the housings and ceramic filter in a 500 ppm chlorine bleach solution for 10 minutes before air drying and storage. Four tablespoons bleach per 1 gallon water will give a 500+ ppm disinfecting solution.
Your PortaWell® Emergency Water Filtration System is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for 1 year from the date of purchase.
In the event of a defect in material or workmanship within the 1-year warranty period, WaterMill, LLC will either repair, replace or refund the purchase price of your PortaWell® system at the discretion of WaterMill, LLC.
The warranty does not cover any damage caused by product misuse, abuse, or failure to follow instructions. The warranty does not cover damage to, breakage or fouling of filters.
Contaminant Filter | Particulate¹ | Bacteria | Cyst | Virus | Chlorine | Chemical Reduction² | ²VOC | Heavy Metals³ | Fluoride | Chlorable | Dirt Holding Capacity⁴ | Supplied with PortaWell | Supplied with Expansion Kit | Supplied with PortaWell Triple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sediment | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | High | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Ceramic (CeraSyl) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | Low | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Activated Charcoal | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | High | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ceramic (CeraMetrix) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Low | — | — | — |
| Aquametix | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | High | — | — | — |
| NanoCeram | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | High | — | — | — |
| NanoCeram PAC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | High | ✓ | — | — |
Melt blown spun polypropylene.
Meets NSF Standards 42 and 53 Silver impregnated to prevent bacteria growth
NSF/ANSI 42 & 53 Certified
5-micron Coconut Shell Carbon block
Note: This table is for information only and it is the responsibility of the user to select the appropriate water source and filter setup as some water sources may have additional contaminants than shown below. This table can be adapted for use with the two filter, three filter (PortaWell Triple) and 4 filter (PortaWell with Expansion Kit) systems.
| Contaminant Categories | Treatment Purpose/Filter sequence |
|---|---|
| Biologic – Bacteria, Cysts (>0.5 to 1-micron diameter) – Virus (< 0.5-micron diameter) | • Chlorination Treatment (used to disinfect with high levels of pathogenic bacteria and virus are present) • Ceramic Filter (Used to remove/reduce 0.5 to 1-micron biologic contaminants including giardia, crypto and bacteria) • NanoCeram Filter (Used to remove 0.2 biologic contaminants including giardia, crypto, bacteria, virus >0.2 microns) |
| Organic Chemical – Pesticides – Total Organic Carbon, Industrial Solvents, – Aromatic compounds – Algae color and cyanobacteria toxins | • Activated Carbon Filter (Used to reduce volatile organic chemicals, toxins, and chlorine) |
| Organic Plant – Algae, Moss, plant/animal decay | • Sediment Filter (Used to remove particulate >1 microns) |
| Inorganic Chemicals – Chlorine | • Activated Carbon Filter (Used to reduce volatile organic chemicals, toxins, and chlorine) |
| Sediment – Dirt, silt, sand | • Sediment Filter (Used to remove particulate >1 microns) |
Note: The filters listed above do not remove inorganic dissolved solids such as magnesium and calcium (hard water). They also do not remove salt from seawater.
| Water Source | Water Quality | Contaminant Categories | ¹Treatment/Filter Sequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pond | Cloudy | 1,2,3,5 | 2,3 and 1 and 3 or 4, and 5 |
| Mountain Stream | Clear | 1,5 | 2,3 or 4 |
| River, Canal | Cloudy | 1,2,3,5 | 2,3 and 1 and 3 or 4, and 5 |
| Lake | Clear | 1,5 | 2,3 or 4 |
| Runoff Retention Pond | Cloudy | 1,2,3,5 | 2,3 or 4 and 5 |
| Rainwater Collection | Clear | 1,5 | 2,3 |
| Spring | Clear | ? | 2,3 |
| Swimming Pool | Clear | 1,4 | 3 or 4, and 5 |
| Tap Water (boil order in effect) | Clear | 1,4 | 3 or 4 and 5 |
Note: Best practice is to always place the activated carbon filter after the ceramic or Nanoceram filter. This prevents the carbon filter from becoming potentially contaminated and prevents premature fouling of the ceramic filter due to shedding of small carbon particles during the initial phase of filtration. The activated carbon filter does not remove/reduce bacteria and cysts.
WaterMill, LLC has no Liability (and there is no Basis for any present or future action, suit, proceeding, hearing, investigation, charge, complaint, claim, or demand against it giving rise to any Liability) arising out of any injury to individuals or property as a result of the ownership, possession, or use of any product sold, leased, distributed, or delivered by WaterMill, LLC
| Problem | Potential Cause | Fix | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water leaking from Filter Housing | O-ring damaged or missing | Replace housing O-ring | Note: Apply a small amount of plumber's silicone grease to O-ring and groove to improve sealing of cartridge to tub. |
| O-ring/housing groove dirty | Clean O-ring and can | Clean O-ring and O-ring groove of any particulates; apply plumber grease to O-ring and groove and hand tighten. | |
| Filter housing too loose | Hand tighten canister | Note: Canister should be hand tightened only to snug fit. | |
| Filter housing too tight | Loosen canister, inspect O-ring and replace if damaged | Re-tighten to snug fit | |
| Filter housing bowl difficult to remove from the Filter Canister | Housing is pressurized | Release pressure by connecting spout hose to 1st housing or work on top for 5 minutes to relieve internal blood cell | Note: The ceramic filter media can hold pressure even after the pump has shut off. |
| Pump starts but stops after the filter housings are full | Filter(s) is plugged | Clean Ceramic filter Replace Sediment Filter | Note: Pump will automatically shut off if discharge pressure is above 45 Psi. This is usually due to the ceramic filter becoming plugged with fine particulate or algae that has passed through the sediment filter. |
| Cracked or Damaged Filter | Dropped or crushed filter | Replace filter | Note: Inspect filters before use for any cracks or breaks. A damaged filter is unsafe so it will allow contaminants to pass unfiltered through PortaWell. |
| Water has a slight coloration after being filtered | There are soluble contaminants in the water. This is usually caused by algae/toxin contamination of the water. | Use the NanoCeram and/or Carbon filter to reduce algae/coloration. | Note: Some organic and inorganic contaminants can only be removed with special filters. |
| First filter top and/or bottom gasket is missing or damaged | Check for missing or damaged gasket | Note: Applying a small amount of silicon grease to the gasket will improve sealing performance of the housing (units edges to the filter. |
