Water Treatment...Please Help

Boiling water.There is no chemicals, and it is 100% secure; destroys all viruses, bacterias and protozoa.Plus boiling set can be used to distillate water in need.For desalinizing or polluted water .And Katadyne products mentioned above are very good.
 
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Does anyone make a portable pressure cooker? It seems boiling water in an open pot doesn't allow the water to get hot enough to kill off everything. A pressure cooker would provide the needed pressure to allow this to happen.

I could be wrong with that, so who knows. I think the Katadyn Mini may be the best bet for me. That or if I can rig up a katadyn pump with a sawyer filter inside of it and a carbon filter for the taste. Shall see.
 
riz_aaroni said:
Does anyone make a portable pressure cooker? It seems boiling water in an open pot doesn't allow the water to get hot enough to kill off everything. A pressure cooker would provide the needed pressure to allow this to happen.

I could be wrong with that, so who knows. I think the Katadyn Mini may be the best bet for me. That or if I can rig up a katadyn pump with a sawyer filter inside of it and a carbon filter for the taste. Shall see.
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From the CDC website:

Boiling Water

Boiling water is the best method for making water safe to drink. Boiling water as recommended will kill bacterial, parasitic, and viral causes of diarrhea. Adding a pinch of salt to each quart will improve the taste.

Directions for Boiling Water

* Boil water vigorously for 1 minute and allow it to cool to room temperature (do not add ice).
* At altitudes greater than 6,562 feet (>2,000 m), boil water for 3 minutes or use chemical disinfection after water has been boiled for 1 minute.
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From http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/content/water-treatment.aspx
 
riz_aaroni said:
Does anyone make a portable pressure cooker? It seems boiling water in an open pot doesn't allow the water to get hot enough to kill off everything. A pressure cooker would provide the needed pressure to allow this to happen.
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Unconvinced I'd have one exclusively to solve this problem but pressure cookers can be got quite small. Spices Of India were selling three different sizes with the smallest being about a liter. Just had a quick glance and I can't spot them now but I bet you could find something around that size if you search for ethnic rice cookers.


EDIT -

http://catalogs.indiamart.com/products/pressure-cooker.html

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Why wouldn't plain boiling be hot enough to kill everything?

You might re-consider the Steripen. I believe a while ago, steripen had a bad batch which led to a lot of bad reviews.

You also might want to consider a two step system. I backpack with Boomstick and he uses the steripen journey in conjuction with the Katadyn Vario. It works great, and it's better than injesting a lot of chlorine or iodine over a long period.

P.S. If you buy from a place like REI and have a membership, you can return any product you buy no questions asked. If it doesn't work, or you break it, or it just isn't what you thought it would be.
 
The only need for pressure cookers is for canning food. Spores of certain nasties are not killed unless they reach 240F, which van only be reached by boiling under pressure. Spores are only dangerous in an anaerobic environment (sealed in a jar or can),where they "bloom" and reproduce, not in drinking water.

pressure cookers are serious overkill for purifying water.
 
For two years worth I'd look Katadyn Pocket filter.
It won't fit in your pocket, it can be hard to pump (mine is the old T handle the newer ones look easier), but it is sposed to do 50000L.

I'd probably take some spare seals/o-rings and silicon grease too.
If I was handy with a lathe (I'm not) I'd machine up an aluminiu replacement for the plastic body.
Apart from a few kilo of chemicals (which may deteriorate depending on envrionment and storage) I don't think you are gonna get anything else that will last for a couple of years.

And even then I'd want a backup - what if you drop it, lose it, it freezes etc?
 
Sounds like the katadyn pocket is the real deal. I have some polar pure, but only for a back-up. I plan on boiling, using a filter system, and drinking raw water.

Here's a question that i never have been able to find an answer to though: Are there any health affects due to drinking boiled water long-term???
 
revolution13 said:
Here's a question that i never have been able to find an answer to though: Are there any health affects due to drinking boiled water long-term???
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Only if you drink it while it is boiling!:eek:

The only possible health risks I would see is if there were chemicals (pesticides, etc.) that wouldn't be addressed by boiling (or chemical treatments)
 
If the new .02 Sawyer system works how could you not go with it?

Think I'll go with the bucket system rigged into the cap of my MSR Dromedary bag.
 
I checked out some of the water filters today at Cabela's. The Katadyn Pocket seems very well built, minus the plastic tube(maybe you could buy a metal one?). It was heavier than I'd want in a water filter, though it does last really long and seems like a long lasting filter.

May try out the sawyer since it is pretty cheap. Will just boil water when I can and bring some tablets as backup.
 
Boiling +1. Otherwise, my old man found some "pool shock" in powder form that doesn't expire for at least 5-10 years. You need such a small amount to treat a large amount of water. I think it's two tablespoons of diluted solution will treat a few liters of water. A nalgene full of solution would last a long time. My only concern with the Kat products, bleach and Potable Aqua is that they expire in 2-3 years.

The pool shock is called calcium hypochlorate.
 
burddogg said:
Boiling +1. Otherwise, my old man found some "pool shock" in powder form that doesn't expire for at least 5-10 years. You need such a small amount to treat a large amount of water. I think it's two tablespoons of diluted solution will treat a few liters of water. A nalgene full of solution would last a long time. My only concern with the Kat products, bleach and Potable Aqua is that they expire in 2-3 years.

The pool shock is called calcium hypochlorate.
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The filters in the katadyn products last that long too?
 
I'm sorry I should clarify. I meant the Kat and PA chl dioxide tabs. They have a limited shelf life.
 
Ah. Honestly, I think there is no single solution to water treating. If you buy a pump stlye, you'll need a filter eventually. If it breaks, you'll need something else. Traveling abroad and needing the parts will be a major PITA too. In that case, knowing the proper chlorine mix would be very handy. Boiling too. Pretty much just watch MacGyver and you'll be fine lol.
 
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