Water Purification Made Simple

Posted in: 72 Hour Kit, Be Prepared, Videos

Not much has been written on this blog about processes for purifying water. Directions for boiling water are found on nearly every survival site, although not all of them give identical directions. Water purification tablets are easily purchased, and most preppers keep extra bleach on hand, specifically for purifying water. This week, however, I found a product

water 238x300 Water Purification Made Simple

image by emrank

that makes water purification easier than ever.

The SteriPEN uses ultraviolet (UV) rays to kill waterborne microbes in seconds by simply stirring a liter of water with its’ wand. Hospitals have used this technology for years, but this handy tools puts the same effective process in our hands. I tried the SteriPEN Adventurer and was impressed by its’ compact size. It’s pretty amazing that something that weighs less than four ounces can be so powerful. For campers, hikers, and travelers, it’s hard to beat something that can purify water from streams, a lake, or even the hotel water in a third-world country! The price isn’t bad, either. The basic unit costs a little over $60.

What a great find for purifying a baby bottle of water or stashing in a Bug Out Bag or 72 Hout Kit! It sure beats trying to plan multiple ways to boil water or remembering how many drops of bleach will purify a gallon of water. Those are both good back-up plans, as are larger filters such as the Berkey, but for something portable, affordable, and efficient, the SteriPEN is a great choice.

(10) Readers Comments

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Debbie A
May 30, 2010 at 11:34 am

I remember finding this on the internet a few years ago – wonderful info to pass along:
http://www.electricitybook.com/solar-water-purifi…

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Dustin
June 3, 2010 at 12:05 pm

There is a difference between purification and disinfection…

Also worth noting, boiled water tastes different, and according to the second link, over-boiling can actually concentrate any inorganic bad stuff.

Good overviews of techniques and terminology here: http://beprepared.com/article.asp?ai=30&name=… http://www.everythingyoualwayswantedtoknow.com/wa… http://www.wikihow.com/Purify-Water

The steripen is a great tool – keep in mind that it does need batteries, so pack spares if you elect to use this device. Also, a steripen will not clean brackish/turbid water.

Chemical purification (tablets, iodine, chlorine, etc.) can be very effective, but often leads to unpleasant taste and if incorrectly dosed, can be harmful

Water filtration is good for getting clean water from brackish water – some filters can even filter out viruses. They range from hand-held pump units (hiking/backpacking) to stationary gravity-fed devices (like Berkley) suitable for a homestead. Most of these require that some sort of filter element needs to be recharged or exchanged after a determined level of use.

Distillation (and Solar sills) can be used to clean and purify water, since they collect the evaporated water molecules alone and leave behind all the water-borne nasties and particulates – the down-side is that they are slow and the systems can be a little fragile.

By far, one of the cheapest and easiest to see work methods is the Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) method: http://www.wikihow.com/Sterilize-Water-With-Sunli…
SODIS in action: http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/03/24/l…

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- LizLong
  June 4, 2010 at 3:47 pm
  
  I think this filter along with the Steripen will take care of cleaning brackish water, if I'm understanding it correctly. And I chose one Steripen classic because AA batteries are easier to find than the ones the Adventurer uses. (I put one in each of our two main car bags.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GQZDJE/ref=o… http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015DIRUQ/ref=o…
  
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Dustin
June 5, 2010 at 10:08 am

Coffee filters are often 15-30 micron – the filter linked is 40 micron… many people use a paper coffee filter as a pre-filter on their hand-held pump-type filters (Katadyn, MSR, etc.).

The water may still be quite turbid (consider brewed coffee goes through a filter – only the grounds are held back!)… probably drinkable once UV purified though.

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Mom23Wolves
June 12, 2010 at 5:33 pm

Wow, the steri-pen is pretty awesome, thanks for blogging about it. Lots of improvements since I had to choke down water with iodine and pray 20 years ago. Just got one of the AquaMira straws, but it doesn't do anything for viruses, just cysts and bacteria, which is usually the problem unless drinking from really polluted water with human waste. Still, at $8, it may be another option, just put it in your suspicious water and use for up to 20 gallons (I think).

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- TheSurvivalMom
  June 13, 2010 at 11:23 pm
  
  Whenever we use a high-tech tool, we need to make sure we have at least one low-tech back-up. In my case it's bleach and the WAPI.
  
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Txn4Freedom
January 5, 2012 at 2:27 pm

I have heard that it is not a good idea to store water in used milk jugs – bacteria, etc. – and I can understand that for drinking water. My question is, what about using those jugs to store water for cooking or cleaning? What about putting a drop (or is it 10 drops) of bleach in the gallon of water for purification?

You may have addressed this somewhere but I have not seen it – and I am a "survival dad" and wish I could get "mom" involved

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- TheSurvivalMom
  January 5, 2012 at 3:12 pm
  
  The problem with milk jugs is the plastic isn't meant for long-term anything. It's a plastic that is designed to break down over time. Also, the cap doesn't have a tight fit. Use cleaned out soda bottles instead, even if you have to ask people for them. FEMA even recommends them for use as storage containers. Water out of the tap already has chlorine, so it's not necessary to add bleach.
  
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Jena Anaya
February 27, 2012 at 1:51 am

How long is water and or food safe for in a plastic 2 liter bottle?

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