Question on water filtration

Aubrey

Aubrey

Basic Member
Joined
Mar 28, 1999
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I lost my MIOX system on a rowing trip. Question.- For hard use, is this still the best option. To be honest I was very pleased with my MIOX

Then another question - I am in Africa so most kit is eBay but no luck to find one on fleabay that will ship to Africa. Looking for tan unit if possible so if you know of one, new or used in good condition, pls drop me a PM.

Or please comment on what you have found to work for you ..... I have a Steripen as well but our water is muddy (see Vaal River rowing picks) so not ideal.

Have a great day!

Aubrey
 
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Got a MIOX on fleabay ...... USD 100 plus USD 15 shipping Not bad at all :D
 
Cool! You are going to arrange for this one to float in a brightly colored bag, right? :D
 
:) I rolled and sunk an aluminum Jon boat on the James River here and watched a number of my things float on down the river....
It sinks and you lose it, it floats away and you lose it, just the price of playing the game. LOL!

I know- aluminum Jon boats have no place on rivers.....

Good find on the filter and getting it shipped to you.
Bill
 
I've spent my share of time in wooden jonboats on rivers, so they do have their place or they wouldn't be so popular. Generally, a bright yellow or orange floating bag is easy to recover after a spill.
 
I think a heavy load and only one guy in the boat knowing how to paddle/manuever had quite alot to do with it. It took quite some time to get the boat off the bottom/away from the rock it washed against, by that time my floating things were quite aways ahead of us but nothing so great as a life lost & a lesson learned.

Nearly lost "really good swimmer" on an inflatable raft the next trip. Cold deep water, strong current and arrogant SOB would not wear a vest. He flipped his raft and we played Hell getting to him in time.

Bill
 
lmalterna said:
Nearly lost "really good swimmer" on an inflatable raft the next trip. Cold deep water, strong current and arrogant SOB would not wear a vest. He flipped his raft and we played Hell getting to him in time.

Bill
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Darwinism at work I say.
 
Shotgun said:
Darwinism at work I say.
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Not really. I've always run across people on the rivers making bad decisions. Darwin's theory about bird beaks has nothing to do with it. People have the ability to learn, assuming they survive their mistakes. As an old river rat, I take it upon myself to help as many people survive as possible. It is my version of the law of the sea. If you see someone in distress, you help them. In doing so you help everyone including yourself. No one was born knowing these things. Some are harder to teach than others.
 
;) Funny thing is- he was a friend of the friend I was fishing with that day, I had never met him. A few years later I went to work for a new company and lo and behold... he was working there. We never became friends but others noticed that he did not rip me in emails on after action events like he did others....we never spoke of the near drowning or dragging his but out of the river.

He looked a little like a dejected Charlie Brown dripping water and dragging his rubber raft back up the bank towards his truck after we got him out. He lost all gear and a bit of dignity puking water on the bank but kept his raft.

Funny- it did not hit me that it was a life or death situation until we got the boat to him and I saw his eyes and felt how weak he was. Just another guy in the water up until that instant. It was early April, river high and cold- he was wearing boots, long pants, two shirts and jacket. I had stripped to neoprene socks, swimtrunks, under armour shirt and polar fleece when we got in the boat- thankful to my Boy Scout instructor when I saw how his clothes bogged him down.
While fighing to release the hung anchor(in the rocks) I had thrown three tied lifejackets to him but he was barely treading and unable to move to them as they floated past. My knife was in my BDU's rolled on the seat... after that, I kept a cheap but sharp knife on a lanyard tied to the anchor ropes tie off. We had anchored just above a railroad trestle that funneled the water- he was tied off in the funnel.
Bill
 
Cold water immersion is a very serious situation that few newer boaters consider, much less prepare for. Most of the rescue incidents I have been involved with over the years were just such, and at the shoulder season where the air temperature was moderate but the water still quite cool. The people who pursue watersports with a passion year-round invest in the proper gear such as wetsuits and drysuits, throw ropes and top notch PFDs. They also practice well established rescue skills. These skills are available to everyone (here in the U.S.) who has the interest to learn them through the ACA and it's affiliates. Just as with many other skills, they are learned, not inborn. And all the books in the world won't replace good gear, competent instruction and practice.

Here is an excellent read, a .pdf from the ACA.
http://www.obxpaddlers.org/joomla1/attachments/225_Cold Water Safety (ACA).pdf
 
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Aubrey said:
I lost my MIOX system on a rowing trip. Question.- For hard use, is this still the best option. To be honest I was very pleased with my MIOX

Then another question - I am in Africa so most kit is eBay but no luck to find one on fleabay that will ship to Africa. Looking for tan unit if possible so if you know of one, new or used in good condition, pls drop me a PM.

Or please comment on what you have found to work for you ..... I have a Steripen as well but our water is muddy (see Vaal River rowing picks) so not ideal.

Have a great day!

Aubrey
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Just curious Aubrey if the water is that murky, how do you pre-filter? I’ve been in some pretty tannic water areas where they really need to be pre-filtered. Even if I’m using my preferred Sawyer gravity filter, I either let the water settle or I use something like a Milbank bag to remove as much sedimentation or detritus as possible. The MIOX is a great piece of kit, especially if you’re trying to purify several of gallons at one time.

Glad to see you found a replacement!

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Just curious Aubrey if the water is that murky, how do you pre-filter?

ROCK6
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This was what I was wondering. If the water is muddy then filtering the water through a climbers coffee filter or even a doubled bandanna or t shirt would prolong the life of even a good filtration system.
 
I may not be understanding the MIOX correctly, but from what I can tell, it isn't a filter but a chemical dispenser, using salt and batteries to produce chlorine compounds that is added to water. And effectiveness is dependent on turbidity of the water? Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
Codger_64 said:
I may not be understanding the MIOX correctly, but from what I can tell, it isn't a filter but a chemical dispenser, using salt and batteries to produce chlorine compounds that is added to water. And effectiveness is dependent on turbidity of the water? Please correct me if I am wrong.
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You're spot on Codger. The more particulate matter in the water, the less effective; this is true for UV, iodine, or other chlorine-based purifiers. There are several ways to improvise a pre-filter, including just letting the water stand for several hours in a container and scooping out the top/clearer water before using your purification method. On smaller amounts, I like the Milbank bag which works quite well to clean out most of the detritus and/or sediment before applying MIOX, Micropur tablets or iodine.

Even being a battery operated device, I've found the MIOX to be extremely robust with a long battery life to make the chlorine dioxide solution. It's been much more effective when you have clean but questionably potable water which I've been dealing with in some areas of Iraq and Afghanistan. If it didn't come from a bottle (and even some of those were suspect) or out of a US military (certified) water buffalo, I used my MIOX...better safe than sorry. I'm quite comfortable with the Sawyer filters I've used back home, but when down in Florida during the summer, I often filter via pump or gravity filter and then add the requisite drops of MIOX for added protection when not fully knowing the extent of the water source.

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Just curious Aubrey if the water is that murky, how do you pre-filter? I’ve been in some pretty tannic water areas where they really need to be pre-filtered. Even if I’m using my preferred Sawyer gravity filter, I either let the water settle or I use something like a Milbank bag to remove as much sedimentation or detritus as possible. The MIOX is a great piece of kit, especially if you’re trying to purify several of gallons at one time.

Glad to see you found a replacement!

ROCK6
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Hi Rock

The water is just muddy so I just fill 2 x 1 gallon bottles ... set them aside overnight and the next morning, the silt has settled to the bottle. Carefully throw to top clear part (about 0.75 gallon) off and treat with the MIOX ....... muddy taste but we add some electrolite that masks that :D Also have the Steripen but that is for 100% clear water and I like the MIOX having the ability to test. Do carry Aquapur drops in my PSK and worth having a back up.

Have a great day!!

Aubrey
 
Good info guys! Thankyou! I install systems like this on swimming pools, so I understand a bit about chlorine generation. It also only works in an optimal temperature range. Below 50-60 degrees F., it barely generates. I saw where MIOX said that if in doubt, add twice or even up to four times the dosage to turbid water. I understand that because the idea is to achieve a level of free chlorine above the chlorine that is used up oxidizing the organics, which then becomes a compound called a chloramine. I can see where some prefiltering would help. But since the MIOX isn't a filter, it wouldn't be subject to clogging. And a coarser prefilter would work.

I am considering getting a filter of some type. The rivers I frequent are fairly clear and I can generally find smaller side creeks and springs to get water, but there usually are beaver, otters, deer and occasionally cattle in and around the rivers. To date, I've generally just relied on boiling when my need exceeds the water I bring with me. I will be getting the 6 liter Sea To Summit Pack Tap water bag soon.
 
Codger_64 said:
Good info guys! Thankyou! I install systems like this on swimming pools, so I understand a bit about chlorine generation. It also only works in an optimal temperature range. Below 50-60 degrees F., it barely generates. I saw where MIOX said that if in doubt, add twice or even up to four times the dosage to turbid water. I understand that because the idea is to achieve a level of free chlorine above the chlorine that is used up oxidizing the organics, which then becomes a compound called a chloramine. I can see where some prefiltering would help. But since the MIOX isn't a filter, it wouldn't be subject to clogging. And a coarser prefilter would work.

I am considering getting a filter of some type. The rivers I frequent are fairly clear and I can generally find smaller side creeks and springs to get water, but there usually are beaver, otters, deer and occasionally cattle in and around the rivers. To date, I've generally just relied on boiling when my need exceeds the water I bring with me. I will be getting the 6 liter Sea To Summit Pack Tap water bag soon.
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I'm totally agree with you.You'r 100% good here that it also only performs in an maximum heat variety range. Below 50-60 levels F., it hardly produces.No doubt a coarser prefilter would work.
I agreed what's said above!!!

Above Ground Pools
 
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