Water purification question...

N

Noble Warrior

Joined
Aug 31, 2007
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22
Ok I am in the process of buying some form of water purification... I'm willing to spend up to AUD$1000 or a little bit more if need be. I would like to be able to purify even the most rank of water. Even salt water would be a bonus. This will be used for the bush mainly but I would like to get something that would be able to purify salt water or a whole range of the worst crappy water if possible.

Is a desalinator the way to go? If so what would be effective for around AUD$1000 give or take a bit? Is UV purification the way to go? What is the best UV water purifier money can buy? Is pump purification the way to go? Chemical? Tablets? Other? Combinations of the above??? BRANDS? MODELS?

I know this is a pretty broad question and I know it will seem lazy to ask such a question but I really value input from people who have already done the research so I can save some time AND get the RIGHT advise.

Also it will help others who may have the same hill of learning to climb as me! ;)

Thanks!

Terry.
 
How much water are you looking to purify? At what rate?

Any size or weight restrictions?

What power will be available?

You're gonna have to narrow your admittedly-broad question a bit.
 
Gollnick said:
How much water are you looking to purify? At what rate?

Any size or weight restrictions?

What power will be available?

You're gonna have to narrow your admittedly-broad question a bit.
Click to expand...

Right. The lighter the better. Just looking to purify enough water in a day for a days worth of drinking water for one person. The quicker the rate the better but so long as I can survive off it if need be. Power not too sure. Maybe have some small camping solar panels maybe not. Maybe just batteries or maybe no power at all. I would go with the pump and UV wand if that does the job. Desalination would be nice but I would most likely be using streams and puddles etc anyway.

Anything else to narrow it down? Thanks!
 
Check on an item called a Life Straw. You can Google them for complete info and specs.

You can often pick them up on E-Bay. They are not available commercially from any other source in the U.S. Cost is $3 overseas and averages around $10 on E-bay

These things were developed for use in remote regions where pure water is unknown. They will filter about aything, including salt, from the water source.

Next to this the Frontier Straw is a good alternative. It is available from most suppliers:Sprortsman's Guide, Cabellas. Cheeper Than Dirt. Pretty good, but not as good as the Life Straw.

Any of the Katadon products will do the job for you but they are a bit bulky. make sure you keep an extra filter.

If you just need safe water consider boiling your supply. It is the only sure fire method.

Next to that, two drops of clorine bleach per qt of water, let it sit for 30 minutes, then drink.

Skip over to the Hoods Woods forum at survival.com. Professional woods bums over there can answer anything.
 
Thanks guys.

I will be getting one of those Lifestraws for a back up for sure. Still reading about other purifying methods though. Complex subject :(.
 
Miox units are great so are the steri pens. Fo dirty (pond or algea filled river water) water I would use a filter system though.
 
I own multiple filtration units, a Steri-Pen, have used bleach, chlorine dioxide, and iodine. Desalinators are beyond my realm of experience.

You first need to figure out what you are really going to use it for and in what environment. It sounds like you just need a filter fit for backpacking. The PUR Hiker Pro is one of the most popular. It won't last as long as ceramic filters, but it also won't break when dropped, frozen, etc. It's relatively lightweight, simple and not too bulky. Make sure you wrap a coffee filter or bandanna around the intake to extend the life of the filter.

I recently got the Steri-Pen Adventurer, which is amazing. It kills everything imaginable and very quickly, is light weight and geeky-cool. I also got the solar recharger case (which unfortunately is not waterproof), so you can very slowly recharge the batteries. The draw backs are that it doesn't filter out the big stuff, it doesn't do anything about heavy metals, pesticides, etc. or improve the taste, it depends on a battery and it has to penetrate the water to kill the bad stuff, so it won't be effective in brackish water.

If you want to go chemical the PUR MP-1 chlorine dioxide tablets are currently the best going. Ignore the 4 hour wait time. I talked to the rep and he said the lawyers made them put it on there for liability. I would go with with the 30 minutes that all of the chlorine dioxide makers state. The MSR Miox creates it's own chlorine dioxide from salt and electricity, if I understand the science behind it. It works very well, but has most of the drawbacks of the Steri-Pen. So do the other chemical purifiers. ClO2 is safer and more effective than iodine, has a longer shelf life, and will kill cryptosporidium (eventually).

If you want simplicity and lightweight, go with chemical. If you are worried about pesticides, heavy metals, household chemicals (think Hurricane Katrina), etc. go with a water filter. If you want light and futuristic, go with a UV light or the MSR Miox. You talked about the nastiest waters, so I would go with a filter and if you're still worried drop in some ClO2 tablets.

Hope this helps.

Kage
 
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