is there a way to purife water?

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Big philly 1

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Oct 28, 2005
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Hello, I was just thinking about water? Can you take water right from a stagnent pond and boil it then drink it? Or are there other steps to take before consumption? The reason i ask is because the only way chlorine is sold is in 2 pound containers. Iodine tablets are not found any were by me and I personaly don't care to much fer the taste and or the smell it leaves..

Thanks Phil..
 
I think if you filter it with your shirt or something and then boil it twice for about 12 minutes you should be good.
 
Try filtering through a cloth to remove residue then add 8 drops of household bleach per gallon of water, let stand for 30 mins and you should be good. I would still boil it though if you can !!!
 
Filter it to get out the chunks, then boil it. I've heard different things about the time to boil, but M404 says 10 minutes is all you need.
 
Big philly 1 said:
Hello, I was just thinking about water? Can you take water right from a stagnent pond and boil it then drink it? Or are there other steps to take before consumption? The reason i ask is because the only way chlorine is sold is in 2 pound containers. Iodine tablets are not found any were by me and I personaly don't care to much fer the taste and or the smell it leaves..

Thanks Phil..
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Unless you want to distill that water, I'd stay away from it. You don't know if it has heavy metal, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, or other types of contaminants that can't be taken care of with chlorine or boiling. You could either go with a solar still or electricity/fire-powered still. The latter can be as simple a big pan with a small container inside and the lid turned upside down. The water boils in the big pan, condenses on the lid, rolls down the lid to the center, and drips into the smaller container. It helps if the lid is slightly dome shaped. If you can find clear, running water that has animal sign nearby, you could get away with just a quick boil. I hope this helps.:)
 
Filter out the water using a shirt, coffee filter, sand/charcoal/leaves, etc. then boil it until it starts to bubble. Lots of people of tested boiling times and when Backpacker Magazine (and a bunch of others) did a test they found the water was fine once it reached a rolling boil. According to them you do not need to boil it for 10 minutes, etc. I've been doing this for 10+ years and in lotsa different countries with no ill effects.

You can buy chlorine dioxide in liquid or pill form at a ton of different outdoor sports sources, such as REI. My personal favorite are the Katadyn Micropur MP-1 tablets. Light, easy, convenient, no mixing, no unpleasant smell or taste, no fuss, no muss. Pricey at about $13 for 30 tablets (each tablet treats one liter of water) when compared to just using straight chlorine, but much more convenient.
 
• See if you can find the incoming source as it would be cleaner.
• If not rig up a strainer.
• Dig a hole a few feet away at the lowest level from the pond and let it fill use this
As your source
• Now rig your strainer bandanna, shirt, or make a cone of grass and fill with sand and run your water through it this should get rid of the big chunks
• Bring to a rolling Boil for 10 min. this should kill any of the bad stuff.
• Add charcoal from the fire this will absorb the stink.
 
check out Micropur - sold at both REI, LLBean, Cabelas, etc. Also keep in mind that only takes care of micro organisms. It does nothing against Industrial contaminants. Try one of that Katadyne filters.
 
I use a combination:

Bandanna filter, then boil, then toss in iodine. I'd rather take the time than sh*t my brains out from bad water...
 
Me an Dougo are the same. Filter - then 5 -10 drops per quart of water. More if more nasty.

Wait 1/2 hour to allow the iodine to kill the bugs - loosen the cap and dribble through the threads - drink.

If you add something to flavor the water don't add anything with Vit C - as it stops the Iodine from working - you can wait 1/2 our and then add though.

TF
 
Keep in mind that many ponds/Lakes are at the low point in the land and any run off from live stock in the area or them wallowing in it will collect in the mud so try not to rill it up.
I would look for a running source as my first choice.
I have used iodine for many years the type to use is 10% .
I used this for 5 weeks in traveling in china on my last trip with no problems,filled my 36 oz. bottle upon arriving to the Hotel and this was what I used to drink and Brush my teeth with.
 
Yeah your shirt is the best way, If its all you've got. I would only do this in a dyer situation though. I remember watching Bear on man vs wild do this in a swamp. He used his shirt and the water was almost black. no boiling. The leaves and sticks and slime that were left over was disgusting :barf: But of course he drank it!! MMMMM!! :o
 
Ive heard its great, The fastest and most effective way to purify 32 oz. of water with the quickness!!! about a minute and a half. It has a uv lamp you stick in the water and shuts off once its good to drink!!! Ima get me one of these for sure!!! just takes a few double A's. But a bit expensive, somewhere around 100$
 
I hate to steal this topic but I have another related question.

I'll be traveling to Brazil in July and will be staying with some friends of my parents, but i'm not supposed to drink the tap water for fear of getting sick. What filters can I can use to make this tap water safe enough to drink without getting diarrhea or something?
 
antixbush said:
Yeah your shirt is the best way, If its all you've got. I would only do this in a dyer situation though. I remember watching Bear on man vs wild do this in a swamp. He used his shirt and the water was almost black. no boiling. The leaves and sticks and slime that were left over was disgusting :barf: But of course he drank it!! MMMMM!! :o
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I've got a bridge thats for sale. Interested?:cool:
 
lazerboy2000 said:
I hate to steal this topic but I have another related question.

I'll be traveling to Brazil in July and will be staying with some friends of my parents, but i'm not supposed to drink the tap water for fear of getting sick. What filters can I can use to make this tap water safe enough to drink without getting diarrhea or something?
Click to expand...

The chlorine tablets from REI or other suppliers work good for this. It is what I've been using on my trip for dubious hotel water. It is good to have at least 2 water bottles. Add the tap water, drop in a tablet and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. The chlorine tablet gives a slightly chlorine taste which can be ridden of by pouring into a glass and giving it a bit of a stir. The tablets work much better on tap water than they do water you find in nature because the filtration has already been performed. As has been said, the chlorine tablets are a bit expensive but they are perfect for travelling. You can't for example take bleach with you on the airplane.

Be aware of ice cubes used in restaurants in things like soda pop. They will give you the runs just like the tap water will and you can't trust restaurant staff to tell you the source of the ice cubes. My policy is when the water supply is in doubt - always order beer and drink it from the bottle (actually it isn't such a bad policy).

Also for those who worry about contaminants - if you are faced with dehydration and on a trail - don't worry too much about contaminants. It takes a hell of a lot of heavy metal ingestion or even industrial contaminants to knock you down and most of these compounds aren't inherently soluble in water. If the water is that toxic then it will have a really off colour, smell, oil dispersion or fish kill - then definately stay away from those sources. Most filters for drinking water contain charcoal filter elements, that when they are still active and useful are very affective at absorbing heavy metals and organic contaminants. Again - you wouldn't want to use this in an acid mining tailings pond, but for most 'natural' water bodies you shouldn't have much troubles.
 
The Steripen is great, however, it uses the same process as using bleach. The pen makes Sodium Chlorite which basically releases free chlorine into the water for a specified time. I use the Sweetwater Sodium Hypochlorite drops. 5 per liter of water, and have had no problems here in Mexico. The container is small, about 6 ounces, and has lasted me about a year so far.
 
Big philly 1 said:
Iodine tablets are not found any were by me and I personaly don't care to much fer the taste and or the smell it leaves..
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Where do you live? I see water purification tabs in every walmart in teh sporting goods section.

Next get a good survival manual and learn all the methods. You never know what will be available at the time.
 
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