Grifaid Family Filter

Product Description

The Grifaid® Family filter is a household water filter that produces safe drinking water on demand at a rate of 120 L/hr by fixing the device to a container with the untreated water and pumping (see user manual). It uses hollow fibers/ultra-filtration membranes to eliminate biological pathogens from water sources such as shallow wells, rivers, ponds and lakes, down to 0.01 microns and is designed to last at least 5 years (see fact sheet). This product is designed and produced by The Safe Water Trust, a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom in association with Grifaid Charity and Rotary Club.

Target Regions

Worldwide

Target SDGs

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Market Suggested Retail Price

$49.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household, Community

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Grifaid filters have been distributed by many charities and NGOs, including MSF, Handicap International, OXFAM, Save the Children, Solidarites International, HelpAge, Muslim Aid, ACTED, CHF International, INTERSOS.

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include LifeSaver Cube, VF 100 Village Bucket Filter, LifeWell Water Filter, ACI Household Filter, WateROAM ROAMfilter Lite, AquaFilter Family, and LifeStraw Family 2.0.

Manufacturing/Building Method

Grifaid family filters are mass-produced by the UK-based non-profit organization The Safe Water Trust Ltd.

Intellectural Property Type

Trademarked

User Provision Model

The Grifaid organization must be contacted to purchase (request) a Grifaid Family filter. This product is distributed by humanitarian organizations to individuals and communities in need of clean water around the world.

Distributions to Date Status

As of 2019, just over 40,000 Grifaid® Family filters have been distributed in more than 50 countries, including the DRC, Gambia, Ghana, The Philippines, Syria, Lebanon, OPT-Gaza, and Haiti. Interview with representative

Target use case

Household use

Manufacturer-specified flow rate (L/hr)

129 L/hr

Bacteria reduction

Log 6

Type of membrane filtration

Ultrafiltration

Virus reduction

Log 6

Protozoa reduction

Removes all Protozoa – as this is a membrane filter and protozoa are larger than bacteria and viruses which are removed ^{Interview with representative}

Heavy metals and/or arsenic reduction

Unknown

Maximum recommended influent turbidity level (NTU)

Unknown

Effluent turbidity levels (NTU)

Unknown

Material of construction

Food grade plastic, PVC hollow fiber membrane ^{Interview with representative}

Safe water storage capacity (L)

None

Manufacturer-specified lifetime volume (L)

200,000 L

Design Specifications

The device consists of a hand pump to bring water to the filter and a 120-micrometer mesh-prefilter for large particles, creating a two-way cross-flow that continually washes the membrane while pumping. It is based on a cross-flow ultra hollow fiber filtration membrane with a pore size of 0.01 micrometers (MWCO 150kDa), and it has a built-in flushing system with a backwashing syringe. It has a dry weight of 1.2 kg and its dimensions are 480 x 100 x 140 mm.

Product Schematics

Technical Support

The filter can become damaged and therefore not work properly if it is exposed to direct sunlight for an extended time period, is exposed to very high or very low temperatures (under 5°C or over 45°C), or if it is physically struck. Damage can be determined through air leak testing which can be performed by the user and for which instructions are provided in the operations manual.

Replacement Components

Filter does not require spare parts, but replacement “o” rings are provided with each filter.

Lifecycle

This product has an operating life of > 5 years and of 200,000 L in its lifetime capacity, depending on maintenance and feed water quality, and includes a 1-year international limited warranty.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The Grifaid® family filter was designed to eliminate microbial contamination to make water safe to drink for groups of up to 59 people. The designer specified performance objectives included: affordable, long-lasting, easy to use, portable, and usable anywhere.

Vetted Performance Status

Tests conducted by the school of Civil Engineering of New Castle University indicated a high removal efficiency of E. coli. Microbial Reduction Evaluation by the Department of Soil, Water and Environment of the University of Arizona determined a removal of MS-2 bacteriophage of 4.9-5.75 Log and of E. coli of >5.23 Log.

Safety

Potential hazards include the consumption of unsafe water that can lead to gastrointestinal problems due to damage or failure to follow the use and maintenance instructions in the user manual.

Complementary Technical Systems

A container or any type of vessel to collect the untreated water is required for the Grifaid® Family Filter to be fixed on. Also, a container to collect the filtered water.

Academic Research and References

Dao Trinh,Ngoc., 2018, Development of a Decentralized Drinking Water Treatment Plant Based on Membrane Technology for Rural Areas in Vietnam, Kassel University Press, pp. 46.

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/

“Grifaid Family Aquafilter,” Techxlab.org. Available: https://www.techxlab.org/solutions/safe-water-trust-grifaid-family-aquafilter

“MSF – Médecins Sans Frontières,” Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. Available: https://www.msf.org/

“Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion,” Www.hi.org. Available: https://www.hi.org/fr/index

“Oxfam International,” Oxfam International. Available: https://www.oxfam.org/en

“Charity Organization for Children,” Save the Children. Available: https://www.savethechildren.org/

WeAre[WP], “SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL – Aid organisation, association – Safe water for all,” SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL, 11-Oct-2016. Available: https://www.solidarites.org/en/

“HelpAge International,” HelpAge Internationa. Available: https://www.helpage.org/

“Muslim Aid: Making a Difference Worldwide,” Muslim Aid. Available: https://www.muslimaid.org/

“Acted – Act today,” ACTED, 23-Jan-2016. Available: https://www.acted.org/en/

Global Communities, “CHF International is becoming Global Communities, Partners for Good,” Global Communities, 15-Oct-201. Available: https://globalcommunities.org/gc-archives/chf-international-is-becoming-global-communities-partners-for-good/

“Home,” Intersos, 29-Nov-2022. Available: https://intersos.org/en/

“VF 100 Village Bucket Filter,” Engineering For Change, 27-Sep-2018. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/vf-100-village-bucket-filter/

“AquaFilter Family,” Engineering For Change, 27-Aug-2015. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/aquafilter-family/

“LifeStraw Family 2.0,” Engineering For Change, 27-Aug-2015. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/lifestraw-family-2-0/

“ACI Household Filter,” Engineering For Change, 02-Aug-2016. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/aci-household-filter-2/

“LifeWell Water Filter,” Engineering For Change, 03-Aug-2016. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/lifewell-water-filter/

“LifeSaver Cube,” Engineering For Change, 27-Sep-2018. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/lifesaver-cube/

“WateROAM ROAMfilter Lite,” Engineering For Change, 10-Jul-2016. Available: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/wateroam-roamfilter-lite/

“Goal 6,” Sdgs.un.org. Available: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal6

“Grifaid,” Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/buy-water-filters

“EPA-US national primary drinking water regulations under the Safe Water Drinking Act 93-523,” Filesusr.com. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_16cddd06398b476486151153166f2365.pdf

“Development of a Decentralized Drinking Water Treatment Plant Based on .,” Google Books. Available: https://books.google.com/books/about/Development_of_a_Decentralized_Drinking.html?hl=es&id=2UFiDwAAQBAJ

CAWST, “Grifaid Family Filter,” Grifaid Family Filter. Available: https://www.hwts.info/products-technologies/c2a268e8/grifaid-family-filter/technical-information

Grifaid.org. Available: https://www.grifaid.org/documents/user-manual-family.pdf

Techxlab.org. Available: https://images.techxlab.org/ast/564-grifaid-data-sheets-and-instructions.pdf

Wixstatic.com. Available: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/731132_81ddf8f90069428385344449cf3c2f8e.pdf

J. E. Naranjo, B. S. Research, and C. P. Gerba, “Microbial reduction evaluation of the AQUAFILTER FAMILY water filtration system,” Wixstatic.com. Available: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/731132_5b9f71a25c844f1fb38ae2e2e63e28ab.pdf

Wixstatic.com. Available: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/731132_81ddf8f90069428385344449cf3c2f8e.pdf

Techxlab.org. Available: https://images.techxlab.org/ast/564-grifaid-data-sheets-and-instructions.pdf

“Testing results,” Newcastle University. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_81ddf8f90069428385344449cf3c2f8e.pdf

J. E. Naranjo, B. S. Research, and C. P. Gerba, “Microbial reduction evaluation of the AQUAFILTER FAMILY water filtration system,” Filesusr.com. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_5b9f71a25c844f1fb38ae2e2e63e28ab.pdf

“Testing results,” Kenya Water Institute. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_7c3fa6f2063d40f88b35b53cef9a7afe.pdf

“Testing results,” Rwanda Bureau of Standards. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_6746efa125054ac7bae24eb89546d4fb.pdf

“Testing results,” The Central Laboratory for Water Quality of South Sudan. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_33995c57ac4e42a39fc3355fa98925be.pdf

Filesusr.com. Available: https://c65075e9-8cb6-42b6-953b-c9fbceeabc53.filesusr.com/ugd/731132_efb65807bcf24d18a9a06315f6f79315.pdf

Grifaid®, “Grifaid® Community Filter Tutorial: Pump Clean Water,” 16-Aug-2016. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPRtKMlW-3c

U. S. Epa and OP, “Summary of the Safe Drinking Water Act,” 2013

“Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality FOURTH EDITION WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Guidelines for drinking-water quality -4 th ed,” Who.int. Available: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/44584/9789241548151_eng.pdf;jsessionid=2DE3AF9AB13E77FC3FD6F8327298DD87?sequence=1

Grifaid®, “Grifaid® Family Filter Tutorial: Pump Clean Water,” 05-Feb-2016. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e42PAQ49_JU

Grifaid®, “Grifaid® Family Filter Tutorial: Pre-Filter Cleaning,” 05-Feb-2016. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgBvVjFmgU0

Compliance with regulations

The Grifaid family filter is in compliance with the EPA-US National Primary Drinking water regulations under the Safe Water Drinking Act 93-523 and meets WHO guidelines for the removal of Bacteria and viruses.

Evaluation methods

Microbial (E. coli and MS-2 bacteriophage) reduction evaluation by University of Arizona, New Castle University, and other laboratories.

Other Information

Grifaid Family installation tutorial video Grifaid family pre filter cleaning tutorial Grifaid Facebook page