[theflatlander]

Im curious to see what everyone uses for treating water on the go? I used to think bleach was the best thing to use until reading about calcium hypochlorite. I never realized bleach could expire. I order some of the calcium hypochlorite and starting reading the msds sheet and the stuff seems very hazardous without the proper attire and the proper storage area.

I believe the stuff would be great for long term survival but not so much for on the go or for a 24 hour pack. Im wondering what type of chemical you use for water treatment on the go? I heard some types of iodine work well and cant go bad. Is this true? If so what type of iodine is the best to use? Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

 

[MikeK]

Iodine works fine and has been used for a long time. I think I'd go with the calcium hypochlorite myself. I've used the iodine and the chlorine tabs in the past. My preference is the chlorine ones.

 

[tedennis]

It figures. just bought a 3 pack of bleach at costco. didnt realize it had a short shelf life. great price though. Thanks for posting, i will need info also.

 

[13FoxTrot10]

I store several bottles of Polar Pure Disinfectant (2,000 gals treated per bottle).
http://www.campingsurvival.com/popuwadi.html

Polar Pure Water Disinfectant
Has an indefinite shelf life
Is safe and fully effective to use as long as you can see iodine crystals at the bottom of the bottle
One bottle treats up to 2000 quarts of water at less than 1/2 cent per quart
Dosage chart is printed on the bottle
Bottle cap is used to measure and decant solution -- no other equipment needed
Small size and light weight makes it convenient for backpacking and travel
Essential for emergency preparedness

 

[theflatlander]

I store several bottles of Polar Pure Disinfectant (2,000 gals treated per bottle).
http://www.campingsurvival.com/popuwadi.html

how does this stuff taste? really appreciate the link. this is perfect for my BOB.

 

[theflatlander]

Iodine works fine and has been used for a long time. I think I'd go with the calcium hypochlorite myself. I've used the iodine and the chlorine tabs in the past. My preference is the chlorine ones.

just curious to see why you choose the chlorine/ calcium hypochlorite over iodine?

 

[tankman1989]

It figures. just bought a 3 pack of bleach at costco. didnt realize it had a short shelf life. great price though. Thanks for posting, i will need info also.

How can clorine go bad? I wonder if this is just another way to make you throw it out and buy more/new product.

 

[theflatlander]

How can clorine go bad? I wonder if this is just another way to make you throw it out and buy more/new product.

might want to look at this link. I never thought bleach could got bad either.

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=115642

 

[stephpd]

How can clorine go bad? I wonder if this is just another way to make you throw it out and buy more/new product.

The salts will precipitate out of solution. The stronger the solution the quicker this will happen for any given temperature as well as when exposed to light and air.

http://www.forp.usp.br/restauradora/soda/sodaingl.html
http://www.ercoworldwide.com/documents/SodiumHypochlorite_000.pdf

 

[mwatkins]

for camping / hiking i use a MSR sweetwater filter with iodine cartridge.

 

[techo]

I use aerobic stablized oxygen. I treated my 55 gal barrels a little over 4 years ago.
I will be draining them and refilling them soon so, I will see how effective it is.
It's supposed to give your water a 5 year shelf life.
http://www.nitro-pak.com/products/water/water-tablets-and-treatment/oxy-stabile-water-preserver-ion

 

[SigDude]

I have a hard time tring to understand all this hype about treating water? 200 years ago nobody treated water by chemicals, short term always filter as best you can then boil your water. On the farm, we had a cistern and a hand pumped well, our water was very good, If you raised the lid on the cistren and with a strong light, you could see crawdads, and other critters in it. I have drank form 1000's of different places, like creeks, lakes, streams, etc and have never gotten sick. One time in Colorado a long time ago, before all this fancy Hydration/bladder stuff, we use plactic water bottles while we were hunting, but because the water becomes noisy when the bottle was half empty, we tried not to use it or at best refill it as soon a we could. I drank out of a small stream and refilled my water bottle, the water tasted great, 500yards farther up the stream layed a dead elk, right in the middle of that small stream!

Many, many times while water looks bad, it is drinkable, you are living proof that clean water is over rated.

I would much rather deal with what Mother Nature puts in water then what mankind has put in it, and your method of cleaning will not take out what mankind has added!

 

[kingsman]

You do not have to treat water if your source is good. But if you end up in a position where you have to drink questionable water, you better have a way of treating it.

 

[rickb223]

I store several bottles of Polar Pure Disinfectant (2,000 gals treated per bottle).
http://www.campingsurvival.com/popuwadi.html

Careful with that stuff.

It'll "out gas" thru the lid around the threads. Any metal the iodine gas comes into contact with will immediately corrode. BTDT.

Had to store the Polar Pure in a plastic decon container all by it's self.
After finding out it ruined a knife.

 

[Slim Shady]

According to some military studies, iodine is not effective. IIRC, that was about cryptosporidia. It can't penetrate it. A simple 1.0 micron filter is all you need for cryptosporidia. But smaller spores and bacteria may require in the neighborhood of 0.02-0.03 micron which many other backpacking type filters will offer. Micropur, or chlorine dioxide, is more effective and in less time than iodine.

 

[stephpd]

I have a hard time tring to understand all this hype about treating water? 200 years ago nobody treated water by chemicals, short term always filter as best you can then boil your water. On the farm, we had a cistern and a hand pumped well, our water was very good, If you raised the lid on the cistren and with a strong light, you could see crawdads, and other critters in it. I have drank form 1000's of different places, like creeks, lakes, streams, etc and have never gotten sick. One time in Colorado a long time ago, before all this fancy Hydration/bladder stuff, we use plactic water bottles while we were hunting, but because the water becomes noisy when the bottle was half empty, we tried not to use it or at best refill it as soon a we could. I drank out of a small stream and refilled my water bottle, the water tasted great, 500yards farther up the stream layed a dead elk, right in the middle of that small stream!

Many, many times while water looks bad, it is drinkable, you are living proof that clean water is over rated.

I would much rather deal with what Mother Nature puts in water then what mankind has put in it, and your method of cleaning will not take out what mankind has added!

Ever heard of Montezuma's revenge? Dysentery kills over 700,000 people a year around the world every year. Over 130 million people get sick from just a couple of things in the water every year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery

There are so many things in water that not disinfecting it is just plain dumb, since it's so easy to do. And since many of the things in water are microscopic it's impossible to tell just by looking at it.

I treat water for a living and there's no way we could just take the water from the stream and pump it into people's houses without some getting sick. And this creek 'looks' clean 98% of the time. Without through testing there's just no way of knowing what's in the water. Treating with Chlorine or Iodine can kill 99% of the stuff found in water that can make you sick.

 

[Arch Stanton]

t-shirt to filter, iodine and neutralizer after...of course many times, I have used nothing at all

 

[NightRanger]

This is what I put away for emergency use. Storage is critical and CAREFUL handling! 1 lb. will cleanse 10,000 gallons. Pool stores can pick up a pound for about $5. Can't beat that.

Once mix a few granules in a gallon jug, leave open in bright sun light. This neutralizes out most all of the chlorine.

Pay real close attention to storage and not getting any water near it. Extremely concentrated and corrosive when wet. A minor accident could turn into a major problem. I put in plastic bag inside a plastic container.

For $20 you can buy an awful lot of emergency water purification. As mentioned above if you can find a good safe source (well), that doesn't need purification, all the better. If not, a few pounds will hold the family for a good while. Can also use for barter.

 

[theflatlander]

I like the idea of boiling water when ever I can. But sometimes you dont have that option. I really like the looks polar pure and believe that will be included in my bag.

 

[SigDude]

Ever heard of Montezuma's revenge? Dysentery kills over 700,000 people a year around the world every year. Over 130 million people get sick from just a couple of things in the water every year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysentery

There are so many things in water that not disinfecting it is just plain dumb, since it's so easy to do. And since many of the things in water are microscopic it's impossible to tell just by looking at it.

I treat water for a living and there's no way we could just take the water from the stream and pump it into people's houses without some getting sick. And this creek 'looks' clean 98% of the time. Without through testing there's just no way of knowing what's in the water. Treating with Chlorine or Iodine can kill 99% of the stuff found in water that can make you sick.

I wonder how Mankind ever made it this far without treating water with chemicals? Lets see, Mankind has been on this earth for what? 300,000 years, all that time drinking chemical free water. Now we can't leave home without some kind of water treatment in our pocket.

Life is not better through chemicals, they would like you to believe that, after all the more people believe that, the more money someone makes!