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Long shelf-life water purification for those allergic to iodine

9K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  Shorebird 
#1 ·
Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are putting together our first survival packs and one of the problems we are having is that my girlfriend is allergic to iodine. I know chlorine tablets exist but they have a short shelf life. The LifeStraw is pretty neat, but it too has a shelf-life of three years. Those fancy ceramic water pumps cost a lot of money, especially if you want one that removes viruses as well as bacteria and protozoa. So what are the options for an emergency water filtration that shelf-stable? Boiling is best, but not always possible.


I have found several things, and would like your opinions:
  • Potassium Permanganate - This seems to have the downside of being rather scary stuff. Over-mix it into your water and you can kill yourself which makes me wonder what the long term side-effects of drinking PP purified water are. It seems as though it is even dangerous to touch. On the plus side it is dirt cheap, shelf-stable, purifies quickly, can be used to start a fire, and makes lovely shades of pinks and purples.
  • Colloidal Silver (or something like ASAP Silver Sol, etc) - The biggest downside I can see here is that finding information on using it in an emergency situation is hard to come by. Also, it is a liquid so it will be heavy. It seems with enough time it kills everything of concern though.


If there is anything I missed, please let me know!

Thanks in advance,
Sam
 
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#3 ·
Sawyer Point ZeroTWO (bucket assembly kit version)

For about $125 you don't have to worry about shelf life, filters, chemicals etc.
Or is this the 'costs a lot of money' option you speak of?

The Sawyer Point ZeroTWO™ Viral Water Purifier offers the same level of protection against bacteria
and protozoa, and is the first portable filtration device to remove viruses mechanically.
It does so at a 0.02 Micron Absolute 5.5 log (99.9997%) removal rate,
the highest level of filtration available today.
 
#5 ·
1/4 tbl. of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Shake or stir and let stand 30 minutes before drinking. Bleach remains potent for about 9 months before its effectiveness begins to drop off due to chemical decomposition. Combine this with a coffee filter that can remove much of the sediment and nastiness that harbors most of the contaminants and you should be alright.

Virus removal is the most difficult aspect of your request to satisfy for a reasonable price. Many of the popular water filters do not claim to remove viruses.

Personally, water filtration is not something I would skimp on. I would be more inclined to save my pennies in other areas of my preps. A good water filter can be used at home as well as in the wild. Dysentery, giardia, and hepatitis are not something to fool around with. Spend $100 or more to buy a good water filter that removes most if not all serious threats, including viruses, and that can filter hundreds if not thousands of liters of water.
 
#6 ·
As said above, find a way to buy a filter. Water is the most important part of survival...PERIOD. Don't skimp.
 
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#8 ·
I was thinking of something like this. Though many here will disagree with me, I believe that Katadyn is the gold standard of water filters. This is the Mini. It has a silver-impregnated ceramic filter, can filter up to 2000 gallons before replacement, and weighs 8 ounces. I purchased mine on Amazon a few months ago for $70 on sale.

I also have the Mini's big brother, the Pocket, and I was able to purchase it at $225 several years ago. It has a metal housing and can filter something like 13,000 gallons, but weighs 20 ounces. I carry the Pocket in my BOB with a permanent coffee filter wrapped around the ceramic filter to extend its life and prevent clogging. If you only use these filters when you are unable to boil water, they will last a lifetime or more.

Katadyn Mini Ceramic Water Filter

Personally, I don't like gravity filters in a survival situation. I will likely be on the move and playing around with an awkward filter in a high stress situation is not ideal for me. I do find uses for gravity filters when camping, however. I like something that is quick, efficient, and easily cleaned in a survival situation and the Katadyn Mini and Pocket meet these goals.
 
#10 ·
Colloidal silver is excellent for a number of uses. You don't need to carry too much in liquid form, you can make it as you need it. Get yourself a few 9v rechargeable batteries and a solar charger, plus a set of alligator clip leads.

You can find the silver on the net, along with instructions for making colloidal silver. I make my own, it's relatively quick and easy. I get my silver - .9999 fine medical grade - from atlasnova.com or .999 fine from Cultivate Ministries (also sell the kit and have instruction videos).
 
#13 ·
That is a very good point. We may not need virus protection, but if we do need it and don't have it... well that would be terrible. If a disaster occurs and water supplies get contaminated I have no idea what the possibilities are. Can raw sewage, or other contaminates spread viruses to our lakes, rivers and streams?

I've never seen these before. Interesting.

http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q...icropur™ Purification Tablets (Package of 30)

"The purification method is Chlorine Dioxide and one tablet will treat 1 quart (1 L) of water."
I believe the shelf life on these tablets is around 4 years. I guess changing them out wouldn't be a huge pain, but it seems wasteful. I would rather try to build a kit that is always at 100%

Colloidal silver is excellent for a number of uses. You don't need to carry too much in liquid form, you can make it as you need it. Get yourself a few 9v rechargeable batteries and a solar charger, plus a set of alligator clip leads.

You can find the silver on the net, along with instructions for making colloidal silver. I make my own, it's relatively quick and easy. I get my silver - .9999 fine medical grade - from atlasnova.com or .999 fine from Cultivate Ministries (also sell the kit and have instruction videos).
Interesting! I wonder about keeping a solar charger operational in my survival gear, but that is really neat you make colloidal silver at home that easily! It also seems as though you need distilled water... and if you are distilling water you probably have enough to drink anyway? Or is the idea you make you silver when the "going is good" and use it when things take a turn a worse?
 
#14 ·
You don't really need need distilled water when you are looking for silver ions to sterilize drinking water. Making the silver right in the water you want to sterilize will work. I was posing this for the eventuality that you couldn't boil the water but wanted to kill the bacteria and viruses.

That being said, I'd make sure I had a pretty small bore water fillter. I use 10-12 layers of 1 micron filter material from those biodiesel filter bags. You just get a container to stack them in that has a couple of holes in the bottom. Fit them in really tight and pour your water through it. Then make some silver in the filtered water.

Or you can make straws with chlorine bleach in them that you can use in your water.
 
#15 ·
Colloidal silver is a poor option for purifying water. It is useful as a topical antibiotic but drinking the stuff is not good for you - unless you plan on joining the Blue Man Revue in Vegas.

You already pointed out the problems of permangate. Bad choice as well.

If you aren't willing to just throw out the chlorine tabs and resupply every year, or shell out a hundred bucks on a decent filter, look to a Steripen
 
#20 ·
Colloidal silver is a poor option for purifying water. It is useful as a topical antibiotic but drinking the stuff is not good for you - unless you plan on joining the Blue Man Revue in Vegas.
I've been using colloidal silver for over 20 years. Not even a hint of blue. Here's a quote from the article in the link below:

"The Swiss and Australian Government has approved either or both the silver water filters or the hydrogen Peroxide/Colloidal Silver preparation which are now used in homes offices and town water supplies."

"After testing 23 methods of purifying water, NASA selected a silver system for its space shuttle."

http://altered-states.net/barry/colloidalsilver/suggesteduses.htm
 
#16 ·
I think it is a positive sign that you realize that water is essential.

I also think that it is a negative sign that you are trying to cheap out on having potable water. You said that budget is an issue. I can understand that, and I have fallen into the trap of having some emergency supplies before I understood the importance of water. IMO, besides shelter from the elements, ALL other preps are secondary to potable water.

You can wash in ditch water, and if you're lucky, you won't get an infection from a scratch or cut.

Potable water to maintain hydration is essential. There are NO substitutes!

Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is secondary to having potable water.

You can't store enough, you can't carry enough, and you can't do without it.

Water filter/purification assets are, IMO, the first priority.

I live in hurricane country, and local water supplies have always been available and reliable even after a hurricane. That doesn't mean it will always be that way.

After oxygen and shelter, water is the next priority.

Food, firearms, ammunition, or precious metals are not a substitute.

It can be done with solar stills or gravity drip filtration systems. Although they do work, they take time and require a stable, secure location.

My recommendation is expensive, but it is portable, reliable, and will work for a long time.

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn...s-endurance-series-products/katadyn-pocket-1/

There are other options, and you need to research what you are willing to trade off for reliability, efficiency, cost and projected lifetime of the product you purchase.

I wish you luck, and I hope that whatever you choose it serves you well for many years. Whatever food or caliber debates you may consider later, without water they are all moot points. IMO

GB7
 
#17 ·
Why would boiling not be an option? Boiling is the cheapest, and best solution. A fire can be started in the rain / snow/ wind / hail / sleet / storm. A water filter will only last so long... Fire will be around forever and will not go bad or need a replacement filter.

If boiling is not an option, your firestarting methods, materials, or tools need revised and added to. You do not need a big fire to boil enough water for drinking and it can be done inside. A fire can be built without alerting those whom might be lurking about in SHTF scenario. If people are your concern about starting a fire in SHTF, you need to venture further away from them.

UV filtering will do you SOME good if you can't start a fire. Dew collection, charcoal / sand filtering system, bleach, etc. There are many methods that do not contain iodine, but boiling is always your best bet.
 
#19 ·
Do you live in a sunny climate? Google SODIS. It's free.

Our bulk prep for long-term water purification is pool shock (chlorine). It's a powder that does not lose it's strength like bleach does. The only downside is that you really have to water it down - it's extremely concentrated. So it's not really portable. But it's dirt cheap and widely available during pool season. (I bought at Walmart.) A 5 year+ supply of water purification for under $20. BTW, a scant half-teaspoon will purify a 55 gallon drum of water.
 
#21 ·
Consider the Sawyer SP181 ~ the "All in One" filter. It has a bucket adaptor kit for camp and a squeeze pouch for when you need to go mobile. Very inexpensive. Less than $47 if you do your research. Guaranteed for a million gallons and made in the USA. What's not to love about it?

Forget chemical treatments. Go with the All in One by Sawyer. I guarantee you'll be happy.
 
#24 · (Edited)
If you read the article or the quotes, both silver filtration and the addition of colloidal silver solution are considered safe. The amount of colloidal silver is minimal to achieve purification. It is used in foods and pools as well, which means that it is absorbed into the body in both cases.

A silver filter is not just a static device where water is passed through silver metal. It uses the same electrostatic charge technology that created silver ions that are released into the water. Even at the rate of 100 ppb (parts per billion) silver effectively kills all bacteria, viruses and fungi.


We've only heard of one person in the news who was turned blue. And that person was making his own, not checking the concentration - which was suspected to be over 100 ppm - drinking large amounts daily, as well as applying it to his skin daily - For 14 YEARS.

And, there are simple effective methods for reversing the argyria in a couple of months or even weeks. And apparently he is not only suffering no ill effects, other than the color, and seems to be pretty healthy otherwise.

So, making your own colloidal silver and using it to purify drinking water is safe, easy, convenient, and healthy.
 
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