Water without container or man-made filter..?

[JohnQTaxpayer]

Dig the hole nice and reasonably big using the ground as the filter, let it fill to its natural level, then drop a hot stone in it to heat it all, the water that does evaporate will be replaced by the points water level.

Sounds great to me.

Even if you killed pathogens by doing a great hot rock boil, both the surrounding soil and the water refilling the hole are potentially contaminated (that is why you are boiling in the first place). Is there any point to spending energy heating rocks in this situation?

 

[ron_m80]

both the surrounding soil and the water refilling the hole are potentially contaminated

heated and filtered water of any kind is potentially better than water that is not.

My only concern would be more along the lines of finding heavy metals in the soil since water ways make for good dumping. Not bugs. [opinion]I would think they like the water and the sun too much for deep wet dirt, no food there.[/opinion]

 

[JohnQTaxpayer]

heated and filtered water of any kind is potentially better than water that is not.

My only concern would be more along the lines of finding heavy metals in the soil since water ways make for good dumping. Not bugs. [opinion]I would think they like the water and the sun too much for deep wet dirt, no food there.[/opinion]

I agree that heated and/or filtered water, even if done in a method that is likely ineffective, may be better that untreated water.

Depending on the location, heavy metals and other chemical contaminants could be a problem. Thanx for the reminder. I often forget that and concentrate more on biologicals.

Your concern is, well your concern. Please realize however, that the fact that multiple soil microbes have disease causing ability is widely accepted. Soil can be a great medium for microbial growth (and some potentially nasty ones - just one example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium_botulinum ).

 

[Bladite]

well, one could potentially make a filter from many many layers of plants (grasses, needles), possibly with a sand/clay layer (think stuffing a hollow log or found pipe or other made tube), and strain the larger particulates out. esp if you can find REALLY large leaves as a wrapper for the tube.

drink dew off leaves, or from various plant sources if available.

get moisture from inserts, blood, or oother sources (always cooked)

soak a shirt in water, fold several times, then make a bowl-shape, dunk in water, and drink the water that filters through the several layers.

use iodine, alcohol, or try to find native things to put in the water to kill buggers.

oh, and according to the survivor man tv show, there's almost no where on the planet you can't find man made trash, if you but look for it. in theory you could boil water in a found container then. heck, make an origami paper cup/pail and use that :>

or dig somewhere with high artesian flow, or many yards from a water source, where potentially nothing nasty would be interested in. it's survival. you takes your chances.


Bladite

 

[KennyB]

Sure but this will always mix with more water flowing into the hole, thus making it difficult to determining what time is enough. Plus when you add the stones you stir up sand, and the boil will stir up sand as well ...

Hmm, good point. I wonder if lining bottom and sides of the hole with a leaf after you've filled some water in, and letting the sand settle before boiling would be an effective way to stop this. I doubt the leaves would prevent the water still coming into the hole from mixing with the water there all together, but it might help to separate "most" of the new water coming into the hole from the water you want to drink, as well as the sand/dirt from the bottom of the whole. I suppose there would be the question of whether or not the leaves themselves could be considered contaminants too though.

I would imagine that after that point, drinking the water that was mostly on the top ( since the heated water will be higher than the fresher, colder water ) could help too.