Water Purification

[jjaje]

Backpacking with small groups and Boy Scouts, I've had the opportunity to use different water purification methods and thought I'd share a little.

First, water purification is of course so you can drink safe water. You have nasties like giardia and cryptosporidia plus bacterias and viruses to be careful of. Although it's generally accepted you don't really need to worry about viruses in most streams in the U.S.

Of ways to purify water, you have:

Boiling - 5 minutes boiling if the source was sketchy, many people say 1 minute is fine for water that was from a clean source.
Pros: works on bacteria and viruses, can always work in an emergency
Cons: Time and fuel involved, plus it's not cold when you want it.
Tips: Filter it through a bandana or coffee filter or something to get the big sediment chunks out.

Chemical - chemical treatment to kill bacteria and viruses.
Pros: lightweight, easy to use
Cons: Chemical taste, costs add up over time, some tablets can take hours, others take minutes.
Tips: Filter water through bandanna or coffee filter to remove sediments and floaties. Does not do much for cloudy or silty water
Even if you don't use chemical treatment as your main means of water purification, you should still carry a couple as a backup, just in case.
Katadyn Tablets
Potable Aqua


UV Light - Basically fill your bottle, stick the UV light in, turn it on, swirl for a minute or two and the UV kills all the bacteria and viruses.
Pros: Simple, easy to use
Cons: Can break in the field, batteries can run out. Not good with silty water
Tips: You shoul dstill filter your water through a bandanna or coffee filter to remove floaties. Carry extra batteries just in case.
Steripen

Filters - basically pump water through one end, and it comes out clean the other end. Some pumps are good on crypto, giardia and bacteria but not viruses. In the U.S. that's not a big deal, and often not an issue.
Pros: Water is always clear (not always possible with chemical or UV treatments) and better tasting. SOme pumps also include charcoal filtering besides ceramic, for better tasting H2O.
Cons: Pumps are larger and heavier to carry. May clog up. Many pumps don't kill viruses.

Tips: if using pumps, make sure you get one that is field serviceable. For easiest operation, place water in a container first, let sediments settle to the bottom, then pump, you will have to field service the unit less often that way.

First Need - this one works on viruses as well as bacteria, giardia and crypto. Backflush with clean water to clean it out.
MSR Sweetwater - Field servicable and has a chemical solution to add for viruses
MSR Mini - removes bacteria, crypto and giardia but not viruses. Ceramic filter is removable and simply scrub it down to field service it.
Sawyer 4L - This does 4 liters at a time, and actually works good with a group, as long as what you are filtering is pretty clean to start with. Simply backflush with filtered/clean water to clear filter.
Katadyn personal - includes activated charcoal to improve the flavor.

Personally I prefer my water clear and better tasting, so I filter rather than using chemicals or UV light.
I've used all of the samples listed here with one group or another. Basically, for best results of any of the systems, pre-filter the water, or at least let it sit in a small container to let sediments settle before pumping.

[Abbax8]

Great Post ! Thanks Jeff.

Dennis

[Jonathan Randall]

Great Post ! Thanks Jeff.

Dennis

Yes, ditto that. Great post!

[David Craik]

Very good post. One can also use a pair of thick jeans or heavy trousers with the cuffs tied and set up on a tripod to filter sediment prior to boiling. Pour the water into the legs and place a container under each cuff.

[ngkungfu]

I saw this on a t.v. show on how to filter water if you can't boil it or don't have anyother way to purify it but it's using a straw and a cigarette filter. Put the filter in one end of the straw and drink from the other end. Not the safest way but it's better than nothing. Like I said this is if you have no other method to filter/purify your water. And of course if you have a straw and cigarette or can find these things left by a litter bug......lol.