Water purification information

Having enough pure water to drink is the backbone of survival.  Period.

If you run out of water, you die in less than a week.  If you are drinking impure water, you will end up with a debilitating case of diarrhea at the least, and possibly Cholera, Typhoid or Dysentery at the worst.

During the crisis of a survival situation when you will need to be at your sharpest, any one of these diseases will put you down to the point where you may not make it back up.  This is the last kind of problem you need when your family is counting on you for their survival.



I have assembled some guidelines for purifying water that will help you avoid this problem.  These are approved methods for making pure water that have been established for years, and are recommended by local, state and federal government.  As always, those of you out there with common sense are encouraged to use it, and make your own decisions before drinking any water of questionable quality.

Boiling

Boiling is known to be the most effective means of purifying water.  To properly purify water with this method, filter the water to remove cloudiness, bring to a full rolling boil, and maintain for one minute.  Add one minute boiling time for every 1000 feet of elevation.  To filter the water, use coffee filters, paper towels, cheesecloth or a cotton plug in a funnel. 

Pretty simple, right?  It is, but there are some down sides to boiling.  

• Pure water made by boiling is time consuming.  It takes time not only to boil the water, but also to cool it enough so it is drinkable.
• Boiling requires substantial heat, which requires substantial fuel, which may be in short supply when you need pure water.
• Boiling is impractical for purifying large amounts of water.
• Boiled water sometimes tastes "flat".

To get rid of the flat taste, you can aerate the water by pouring it from one clean container to another several times.  You can also add a pinch of salt per quart, or simply stir some powdered drink mix into your purified water to make the taste appealing.

Iodine

Tincture of Iodine (commonly available at your local drugstore) is another method of purifying water.  

It has been popular with backpackers for years due to the small quantity needed to bring with them.  It does chemically purify water, but not quite as well as the next chemical on our list.  

To purify with Iodine, first filter any cloudiness out of the water using the methods listed above, then add 5 drops of 2% Iodine for every quart of clear water.  If you are not able to remove the cloudiness from the water, use 10 drops per quart.  In either case, let stand for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

At this point, it is also important to mention that the container that you are disinfecting the water in also gets purified by the Iodine.  It is essential that the threads of the bottle and cap are included in this process.  To easily accomplish this, add the Iodine to the water as stated, wait for 5 minutes and slightly loosen the lid of the container.  Turn the container upside down until you can see the water seeping out past the lid, and you will know that the Iodine has covered the threads and disinfected them as well as the water.  Finish waiting for your 30 minute period, and your water is safe to drink.

The downside of Iodine is:

• Some people object to the taste of it in their water.
• Iodine does not break down over time, and may be harmful to the body if drank in large quantities over a long duration.

Bleach

Liquid chlorine bleach is the preferred chemical water purification method available.  The active ingredient in bleach that does the purifying is sodium hypochlorite, and it is typically available in a 5% to 6% solution in common household bleach.  

A note of caution before we go any further:  The only bleach suitable for purifying water is the plain, basic, traditional bleach that has been around forever.  Do not use scented bleach, color safe bleach, or anything with dyes in it.  Plain, regular bleach is what you want.

As above, if possible, start by filtering the water until it is clear.  Mix the bleach with the water and allow to stand at least 30 minutes (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).

Here is the chart for the mix ratio:

Volume of                                      Amount of bleach                           Amount of bleach

    Water                                            for clear water                           for cloudy/cold water

   1 quart                                               3 drops                                           5 drops

 half gallon                                            5 drops                                           10 drops

   1 gallon                                      one-eighth teaspoon                        one-quarter teaspoon

  5 gallons                                       one-half teaspoon                               one teaspoon

 10 gallons                                          one teaspoon                                 two teaspoons

Liquid chlorine bleach is such a powerful disinfectant that one gallon of bleach can purify 3,800 gallons of water.

Bleach also breaks down over time, and does not remain in the body like Iodine does.  For this reason, along with it's better disinfectant properties, chlorine bleach is safer for purifying water than Iodine is.

For cleaning used bottles to store purified water in, mix a solution of one teaspoon bleach to one quart of water.  Wash for 15 seconds followed by a rinse in pure water, and they are now safe to fill with drinking water.

Commercial Tablets

Simply follow the instructions on the package to purify.  If package is missing or illegible, the rule of thumb is one tablet per quart.  Follow the procedure listed above to make sure the threads of the bottle and cap get purified too.

Miscellaneous Info

• Replace stored purified water every six months to maintain freshness.
• Do not use containers that held milk or fruit juice to store water in.  Soda pop bottles are OK.
• If buying plastic containers for water storage, ensure that they are made of food-grade plastic.
• Store purified water in a dark area to minimize/delay the growth of bacteria and algae.
• Regularly used water from large tanks may be treated once per month with one ounce of bleach per 200 gallons.
• If water is relatively clear, and has a noticeable smell of chlorine, it is drinkable, disinfected and harmless.

Take the time to document this water treatment information for your records (hard copies) and you will have the necessary knowledge at hand to ensure that your family's drinking water doesn't make them sick at a time when there is enough chaos in your life.

Here's a toast to your good health..............

LWM out.................