Your Pure Water Products countertop water filter (or your double countertop filter) can be used as a siphon filter when no pressurized water source is available. It is just as effective as the most expensive “gravity” filter.All you need is a one-piece conversion kit that is available free for the asking when you purchase the unit. Here’s how you do it:

1. Remove the diverter assembly (the part with the little knob you pull out to make water go through the filter) from the hose. Simply remove the nut that holds it on.

2. Remove the entire spout assembly from the body of the filter simply by screwing in out of the port. In its place, screw the small John Guest push-in fitting provided, with three feet of plastic tubing attached, into the port.

To operate the siphon filter:

1. Put the water to be filtered in an open container at least a foot or so above the top of the countertop filter. Put the “In” tubing (the hose you removed the diverter valve from) well into the container so it can suck water from the container.

2. Suck Hard on the outlet hose until water comes out into your mouth. It’s just like sucking on a soda straw, but you’ll have to suck a lot harder, especially if you start with an empty water filter. Courage ... you can do it.

3. When water starts to come out of the tube, quickly place the outlet hose below the bottom of the water filter so that gravity can pull the water through the hose, thus establishing a siphon. If water doesn’t keep coming, repeat the process until you get a good connection established.

4. When you’ve got a good flow (a fast drip or a small stream), position a clean container to collect the filtered water at least a foot below the bottom of the water filter. Let the filtered water collect in the clean container.

With a ceramic cartridge in your filter, you can expect to produce about one quart of water per hour. With a carbon block filter, production will be faster or slower depending on the tightness of the filter.

To purify non-potable water (e.g., water from a pond or a stream), filter the water as described through a ceramic filter. If a carbon filter is used, the water must be chlorinated. Simply add a couple of capfuls of household bleach to a gallon of water (before filtering), mix well, allow to stand for a few minutes for the chorine to work, then filter through your carbon filter. (The chlorine will kill bacteria in the water, then your carbon filter will remove the chlorine, making good, drinkable water.)

If you have trouble, please call for advice.