Boiling rain water or snow for drinking?

B

beeperboy

I was wondering what the group's consensus is on drinking rain water or melted snow. Is it necessary to boil the water, or is it free of harmful bacteria and cooties? It seems like a waste of precious heat energy to boil if that is not required to make the water safe.

BB
 
Don't know about snow, but rain water should be fine. I'd be more worried about whatever you're catching the rainwater in.
 
If the rain water or snow is collected in a clean container then no, that is if the rain or snow fell into the container, but if is gathered off the ground then yes I would boil it.
 
New clean snow is usually OK.
Old snow found in spring is sometimes NG.
Older snow of summer means absolute NG.

Using snow as water source takes lots of fuel as snow has good insulation property.
Ice is much better from energy consumption, if the ice is clean.
 
All I know is I've drank rain water and used to eat snow all the dang time when I was a kid.

Fresher the better, old snow gets crap in it.

Now days I'd more likely boil anything because I don't like the runs.
 
Generally rain that falls from the sky onto a clean surface and into a clean collector is OK. I say generally because not all rain is created equal. Here in central Brazil sometimes the rain falls as mud due to the amount of windblown dust in the air and in that case you have no idea what's in it.

If rain is falling through a leaf canopy it is contaminated. Mac
 
pict said:
i

If rain is falling through a leaf canopy it is contaminated. Mac
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Wow, I had no idea about that. So if in the middle of the rain forest, making a rain catch and drinking the water with out boiling is a no go?

Thanks Pict:thumbup:
 
Tony, think of all the birds and monkeys way up in the canopy pooping all over everything! Not to mention all the bugs leaving toxic ooze in their paths...
 
rainwater that falls onto the ground uncollected isn't rainwater anymore. It's ground water. And all sources of ground water are to be treated as suspect.
Snow has to be melted anyway, and if it's cold enough to snow, you may as well go ahead and do yourself the added favor of boiling and drinking a hot cup of something to keep your core temp from dipping.

If your rain water is collected in something like a plastic bag, or container of some kind you'll be fine. All collected precipitation is clean. It's only after it hits the ground that it can get contaminated.

Same for dew and sleet.

About the only time you need to question precipitation is during a fall-out situation. Then it's possible that the precipitation will be contaminated via radiation. For atleast 48 hrs (IIRC, I could be completely wrong about the time frame).




ETA:

Hadn't thought about the jungle/canopy variable. Very true, good observation.
 
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KEmSAT-Survival said:
rainwater that falls onto the ground uncollected isn't rainwater anymore. It's ground water. And all sources of ground water are to be treated as suspect.
Snow has to be melted anyway, and if it's cold enough to snow, you may as well go ahead and do yourself the added favor of boiling and drinking a hot cup of something to keep your core temp from dipping.

If your rain water is collected in something like a plastic bag, or container of some kind you'll be fine. All collected precipitation is clean. It's only after it hits the ground that it can get contaminated.

Same for dew and sleet.

About the only time you need to question precipitation is during a fall-out situation. Then it's possible that the precipitation will be contaminated via radiation. For atleast 48 hrs (IIRC, I could be completely wrong about the time frame).




ETA:

Hadn't thought about the jungle/canopy variable. Very true, good observation.
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Actually rain water on the ground is considered surface water, which is typically considered more dangerous than ground water (well water). Not that ground water is always safe (close-by septic system = bad), but surface water is usually subject to a much higher level of contamination.

Catching water in a plastic bag is only safe if the bag is clean. Plastic can be just as filthy and contaminant laden as a leaf or a chunk of animal hide. If you're using the same plastic bag that you carried a lunch meat sandwich in three days ago, plan on sucking down some bacteria.
 
tonym said:
Wow, I had no idea about that. So if in the middle of the rain forest, making a rain catch and drinking the water with out boiling is a no go?

Thanks Pict:thumbup:
Click to expand...

No, not necessarily. I collect dew off leaves alot. You have only to beware of poisonous plants, contact dermatitis, excess mineral buildup, or fecal matter really. After a few moments of rain, the leaves are clean. After a long rain, no issue. The plants' stomata are open and leaves shiny. Hell, eat the leaf too if its edible!

When its raining, animals hide so no real occurrence of defecation during raindrop after its all clean. As for insect poop, its either honeydew like from aphids, as in sugary water from the phloem of the plant, or fras, poop from eating other insects like mantids which is just the exoskeletal chitin, the same stuff in your nails and many vegetable and fruits, or poop from plant cellulose...

But boiling kills it all. Best to play it safe. I boil and make tea with my water. Diarrhea is unwanted. Giardiasis is unwanted. Bacteria, roundworm, all unwanted.
 
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Water running on leaves for a few minutes or a few hours might knock off the big chunks, but it in no way disinfects the leaf. To test this, run your finger around the inside of a urinal, then run it under cold water for five minutes, then give your finger a good suck. ;) Blah!
 
A fresh leaf plucked after the rain in a tropical rainforest is no dirtier than a leaf of lettuce pulled from my garden. My strawberries touch the ground, which is way more of a concern. I eat those too. I also don't use sprays or pesticides or any of that.
I live in the Redwoods, classified as temperate rainforest. I collect and eat raw wild strawberry, blackberry, wood sorrel, sheep sorrel, etc. from under the canopy, and after a good rain soak they are more crisp.:D I eat them directly or cook with them. Millions of people do this and have for millennia.

The inside of a urinal is way, way, way dirtier and abundant with trace buildup. But, your statement is valid: loose dirt can be removed but sticky residues or oils or molds cannot. Leaves/plants should always be examined for these reasons and others.
 
tonym said:
Wow, I had no idea about that. So if in the middle of the rain forest, making a rain catch and drinking the water with out boiling is a no go?

Thanks Pict:thumbup:
Click to expand...

img26574927159.jpg

Take a look at all the crap in the bottom of that puddle in my tarp. How much bird droppings do you want in your coffee, one lump or two?

Rain that falls through canopy often looks more like tea than water. This can be a great resource, it just needs to be filtered and treated. In rainy season we always set up some form of rain catch, it allows you to camp far from flowing water. Mac
 
paleojoe said:
A fresh leaf plucked after the rain in a tropical rainforest is no dirtier than a leaf of lettuce pulled from my garden. My strawberries touch the ground, which is way more of a concern. I eat those too. I also don't use sprays or pesticides or any of that.
I live in the Redwoods, classified as temperate rainforest. I collect and eat raw wild strawberry, blackberry, wood sorrel, sheep sorrel, etc. from under the canopy, and after a good rain soak they are more crisp.:D I eat them directly or cook with them. Millions of people do this and have for millennia.

The inside of a urinal is way, way, way dirtier and abundant with trace buildup. But, your statement is valid: loose dirt can be removed but sticky residues or oils or molds cannot. Leaves/plants should always be examined for these reasons and others.
Click to expand...

Pale

I too eat fresh veggies out of the garden...but I typically wipe them off...and give the dirty stuff a good rinse. Probably not the best idea, but there's something about eating a tomato warmed by the sun that just can't be beat. I am doing this in a controlled environment...if I do get sick at least I'm at home and near help. If I'm out in the middle of nowhere I'm more careful about what I put in my mouth.

Many millions of people have died throughout history from drinking funky water. Rain washes fecal matter off vegetation and soil and carries bacteria and other nasty critters into drinking water sources. Bacteria can also form a fairly tenacious biofilm which can't just be washed off. We've almost eliminated water borne disease in this country by disinfecting the water.

Better safe than sorry, particularly when in a remote location with little support.
 
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