O.k..... I've got a Katadyn, Miox, Steripen, Polarpure and Clorox...... and probably others that I've forgotten about..... What works?..... anyone got stories to share on "the good the bad and the ugly?"....... I like all of mine.... depending on the purpose..... Bear
I've used a PUR Scout for years. Liked it but it was the older kind with the iodine impregnated filters. Tasted a little off, even with the charcoal extra. I really like my Katadyn Pocket!!! Tough as nails. phishi and I were on a ridge top one night and had to pull out of a stagnant swamp. Just lift the frog aside and pump.... We had to pre-filter the prefilter with a bandana or the ceramic got to slimed up too quick. If you can get over the extra weight of the Pocket, I think it's one of the best. I don't know much about the miox other than it's application. I have an aqua rain at the house for when the well/power goes out. We pull out of the creek and let it gravity feed through 4 Marathon Ceramic filters. Very similar to the British Berky. Good topic
I forgot about the PUR..... that's good stuff indeed!..... You mentioned the Berkey.... I've got a Katadyn gravity fed ..... similar to the Berkey..... If the electricity goes and the water with it.... I figure I'll rely on a good amount of rainfall here along with a good supply of blue barrels.... if not.... I've got a river close to the house.... probably need to follow it up a bit to get away from the homes around it.... then I'll need to lug it.... Was wondering what thoughts are here about purifying at the the river or lugging it home then purifying?..... Also remembered about the PUR Survivor ..... its a desalinator that can be used for fresh as well.... Lots a water in the middle of the ocean.... but it has salt in it..... Bear
I don't know about the hand held desalinators Bear. I know they exist but haven't looked into them. My fathers boat has a 'water maker' on it that can make 600 gallons of Fresh water a day. Uses similar Marathon Ceramics that the smaller one's use but his backflushes the salt/brine back out of it. I'd think your supply might be safer back at the retreat. You have o carry it sometime, either up front or when you need it. The thing I like about the Aqua Rain, (Berkey), is that I can dump 3 1/2 gallons in it and walk away, 3-4 hours later, it's clean.
The smallest hand-operated emergency desalinator in the world The SURVIVOR 06 Compact and lightweight Recommended for emergency liferafts and individual survival kits Trusted by militaries and individuals around the globe Specifications Water Production (+/- 15%): 1 oz/2 min (890 ml/hour) Weight: 2.5 lbs (1.1 kg) Dimensions: 5" x 8" x 2.5" (12.7 x 20.3 x 6.4 cm) Salt Rejection: 98.4% average (95.3% minimum) Average Pump Rate: 40 strokes/minute US Coast Guard Approval Number: 160.058/7/0 $550 http://www.cascadegps.com/new201233.html
Actually, my parents need one. I'll send them the link. They keep a pretty STOUT BOB in the ready on there boat.
This powder offers an innovative solution to water purification - TheCivilEngineer.org this looks interesting for removing solids any of you scientific/thinking types can you help out on the chemicals they use?
I can't give you the specifics of that particular powder, but the concept of coagulant use in water and waste water treatment is not new, and many of them are safe for human consumption in low concentrations. That said, I've not until now seen it implied as worth the cost to the average BOL owner. You might find more in a search for "flocculant". Might be worth having on hand in case your backup water supply tends to run heavy with sediments. NB: Flocculants will do nothing significant for biological activity UNLESS it happens to adhere to the sediments.
I have Berkey. I have filtered water from a green alga covered pond and cloudy creek and it works great. The water comes out as clean as my tap water. I always treat the filtered water with Clorox as an additional safety measure though I don't think it needs it. I buy the bucket kits which are basically 2 - 5 gallon plastic buckets and lids with holes drilled in the bottom and lid of one bucket, and the filters and a tap. about $100 for the filters and tap. The buckets you can buy and drill yourself. Each filter is good for about 10,000 gallons.
We run two of these for all cooking & beer & wine or any cooking & consuming & we have great water , but for all the crap the chem trails , crap in the skys they burn etc, They don't test for the stuff there dropping .. Edit ADD: I'm doing this B4 were SICK with the stuff that is out there now. I can filter my water , but small amounts in a real case SHTF !
i was just thinking that if you are in an area there is alot of solids in the water this might be useful @T. Riley dont your filters clog faster that way? or do you prefilter the water before running them thru the Berkey?
I run everything through coffee filters first. I purchased several hundred of the large commercial coffee maker filters by the case from SAMs.
My .02 worth. Everyone should have coffee filters in the supply including the BOBs and a simple way or device to use them no matter how many,big,or fancy your water treatment gear is. A trip to any hardware store or builders store stroll over to the pvc aisle and 5 or ten bucks and a 1/2 hour and a drill will build you a method to filter detritus from water before boiling or chemical treatment. Or a trip down about any housewares aisle will find you something ready made. It at the very least makes it more palatable to the eye(and sometime the taste). Won't remove moose pee but will get the chunks of moose poop which does seem to make the wife a bit easier to get along with don't you know. Of course for us REAL men with STEEL pistols that shoot .45acp FMJ rounds we just add more Tabasco to flavor the chunks. Extends the life of your main filtration as "T" brought up.
Some of us sissy boys that have plastic pistols that shoot .45acp JHP rounds use well water from our 18' deep well. I have also used coffee filters to strain water that goes into a Keurig coffee machine and let the charcoal filter and heating element in the machine do it's work. And everyone knows Texas Pete is better on moose chunks.
Coffee filters are good for other things besides filtering coffee and water.. Used paper can be used for starting fires, or wiping hands . Remember that these are sanitary when you buy them, so they can be used for medical emergencies (unofficially). Push comes to shove you use what you've got. If you keep medicine in bottles ,it can replace the cotton many tend to throw away, or use for fire starter . if your meds don't rattle around ,it's not powder at the bottom when you finally open it. Doing dishes, and cleaning spills, though not absorbent, are better then nothing . And wiping ones back side if your out of TP. Dollar store has them too cheap to quibble over the price, and they only take the space you expect to need during your event,. especially if they are the substitute for other paper products . I am sure there are more uses , I just can't remember them all.
