Chemical water treatment vs. water bottles

desmobob

desmobob

Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
2,494
I used the regular Nalgene bottles for years, supplemented by a bunch of Platypus "bottles." Later, I added some Lexan Nalgene bottles, only to find they are among the worst for BPA hazards. I became very fond of hydration packs and use hydration bladders from Camelbak and Blackhawk.

I decided to try a couple of stainless bottles. I bought two "reduce" brand bottles from Goinggear.com and they seem like a high quality product. But inside the bottles were warning notes that said not to use any chlorine products in them.

I guess that rules out the possibility of using Micro PUR tablets in them. I never used PUR tablets before but recently bought a 20-pack of them so I could stash some in each or my packs and bags. The warnings of the dangers of the PUR tablets seemed a little scary. The tablets are apparently somewhat corrosive.

That brings up my questions:

What containers are safe for use with the Micro PUR tablets? (Will they harm my hydration bladders or Platypus bottles?)

and,
Are all containers safe for use with iodine crystals? (I have a couple of bottles of Polar Pure)

Thanks for any info,
desmobob
 
I just carry a pair of 1 liter bottles and boil my water in a SS cup. For backup, I carry a small bottle of bleach that I pour out and refill once in a while.
 
cant speak for the Micro PUR and what bottle they might affect, but as for Iodine....... it rusted (very slight) my SS kleen kanteen. I would use Iodine with the plastic (nalgenes, platypuss) or witht he SS only for very short term use 9ie: half hour)
 
I can say that after having tested Micropur and Potable Aquas chlorine tabs that the smell will stick around for awhile in a Nalgene bottle. I haven't tried it in a BPA free, but considering the smells these new bottles seem to keep I imagine it would linger longer.
 
Bushman5 said:
cant speak for the Micro PUR and what bottle they might affect, but as for Iodine....... it rusted (very slight) my SS kleen kanteen. I would use Iodine with the plastic (nalgenes, platypuss) or witht he SS only for very short term use 9ie: half hour)
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That's disappointing. I spent the extra money on stainless steel bottles because I had guessed they were resistant to the affects of chemical purification. I guess I should have asked these question before I bought the bottles! :rolleyes:

cssims said:
I can say that after having tested Micropur and Potable Aquas chlorine tabs that the smell will stick around for awhile in a Nalgene bottle. I haven't tried it in a BPA free, but considering the smells these new bottles seem to keep I imagine it would linger longer.
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If the chlorine tabs leave an odor, I can imagine the iodine treatment would be as bad or worse.

I was looking to chemical purification as a more convenient (and lighter to carry) method than filtering. I guess there are trade-offs that seem to balance the scale....

How about you Platypus users out there? They seem to be very resistant to absorbing odors/tastes. Are they damaged by chlorine tabs? (I guess I should e-mail the Platypus people and ask them directly)


Thanks for your responses,
desmobob
 
Nalgene states that their Micropur tablets are safe for use in the Guyot stainess bottles...not sure what the differences are? Iodine will stain some bottles, but I haven't used them enough in stainless to notice any rust. I don't see iodine or the chlorine based tablets doing any harm to water bladders such as Camelback or Platypus and I've used both a few times...they do leave a slight odor.

ROCK6
 
I have e-mailed the question to the customer service departments of Blackhawk, Camelbak, Katadyn, reduce products and Nalgene. I'll let you know what they say.....

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
keep in mind i heavily treated puddle water with iodine and left in the KK bottle for about a week or so.....If you were to iodine you water in a SS bottle and use it the same day, you would'nt get this problem.
 
desmobob said:
I have e-mailed the question to the customer service departments of Blackhawk, Camelbak, Katadyn, reduce products and Nalgene. I'll let you know what they say.....
Click to expand...


The good folks at reduce Products responded very quickly (despite it being Saturday) to tell me it's fine to use MicroPUR tablets to treat water in my reduce brand stainless water bottles:

"There is no concern over using chlorine on 18/8 or 18/10 Stainless Steel.
The steel is strong enough to withstand the harshness of the chlorine.

Chlorine will cause 18/0 stainless steel to rust and corrode, and it also
weakens plastics over time."


The "no chlorine products" warning note was actually intended to prevent eventual damage to the plastic cap by chlorine cleansers, they explained.

BTW, some quick research shows that reduce and Kleen Kanteen bottles are 18/8 stainless and Guyot are 18/10. :thumbup:

So far, so good.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I would add that straining the water to get rid of all visible contaminants is a very good thing also. I think they call it "turbidity", and the clearer, the better. Not that it will preserve your bottle any better, but your GI system... :D
 
desmobob said:
Later, I added some Lexan Nalgene bottles, only to find they are among the worst for BPA hazards.
desmobob
Click to expand...

Just use the lexan bottles. You get about ten times more BPA from eating canned anything than you will from the lexan. It turns out that the plastic coating inside cans is full of the stuff. As long as you're not planning to have babies anytime soon, I wouldn't worry. And yes, I eat my own cooking. I fill them in the morning and drink the contents that day.

Gordon
 
Iodine is rarely used anymore. Although both chlorine based, Pristine and Katadyn [tablets] are both very good. Drinking chlorine at these levels isn't great - long term, but for a few trips here and there - no problem. For long term trips, you want a filter. Nalgene lexan bottles are now BPA free. I primarily used Platypus bags b/c when they're empty they fold-up into nothing.
 
desmobob said:
What containers are safe for use with the Micro PUR tablets? (Will they harm my hydration bladders or Platypus bottles?)
Click to expand...

Have you read anything that it is harms these products? If so, can you link to it? I use Camelbak and Nalgene bottles - old ones - and would like to read up on it.
 
gaj999 said:
Just use the lexan bottles. You get about ten times more BPA from eating canned anything than you will from the lexan. It turns out that the plastic coating inside cans is full of the stuff. As long as you're not planning to have babies anytime soon, I wouldn't worry. And yes, I eat my own cooking. I fill them in the morning and drink the contents that day.

Gordon
Click to expand...

I'm not really worried about the BPA a whole lot. (But the whole issue, especially the can liners thing, sucks!) I started buying multiples of basic-needs type things so I wouldn't have to keep switching gear between packs and bags all the time. I bought Lexan bottles to go in the pockets of my Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack and DevilDog buttpack. Then the BPA issue came to light. So when I needed to buy a couple more bottles to put in other bags, I wanted to choose something different.

I figured stainless steel would be the ultimate... free of chemicals, durable, and you can boil in them. I was worried I made the wrong decision when I read the chlorine warning in the bottles, but it wasn't a problem after all.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
redpoint said:
Iodine is rarely used anymore.
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That may come as a shock to the people selling Polar Pure. ;)

Lots of folks prefer iodine treatment to filtering because it is effective against viruses, which filters are not.


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
I received responses from Cascade Designs (Platypus) and Blackhawk today. It's fine to use MicroPUR (or other chlorine dioxide products) in the Platypus containers and Blackhawk Hydrastorm reservoirs.

And a little more reserach showed that chlorine dioxide isn't really a chlorine product, per se... it's more of an oxygen product. But hey... I'm the guy that squeaked through chemistry class by just a few points above failing. :rolleyes:

No worries with any of my stuff. Good.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
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