**water**

[Rick Terscale]

I know nothing about "real" survival. I know I would go crazy trying to purify it, and I would probably end up sick.

What are the best ways to purify categorically.......

Tablets...

Filters.. What are some good ones and how can you make one?

No tablets or filters.. What can you do?

Any and all knowledge about Water in a survival situation.

Thanks!

 

[Billrube]

I'm no expert, but my initial thoughts are:

If you have time, it would be wise to full up containers...there are companies sell collapsible plastic 5 gallon bladders, you can get food grade plastic drums to store water in, etc.
That is if you are at home. Push comes to shove, fill up all the bathtubs and extra pots and pans with water if the situation calls for hunkering down at home.

I keep a canteen and a camelback 'bugout' bag in my vehicle. I keep purification tablets of course, but also keep fire starting materials to boil water as well.

Water can be purified with bleach (you have to be careful and have the right type of bleach) and there are some awesome filter systems out there that take most all bacteria out of the water.

Creek/puddle water, etc. can be filtered through a t-shirt to take out the big stuff (debris) but would need to be boiled afterward. the main thing is having some type of collection/storage container and something to boil the water in. Water should be boiled at least 5 minutes at a rolling boil to kill off bacteria and render it safe to drink.

 

[Rick Terscale]

I'm no expert, but my initial thoughts are:

If you have time, it would be wise to full up containers...there are companies sell collapsible plastic 5 gallon bladders, you can get food grade plastic drums to store water in, etc.
That is if you are at home. Push comes to shove, fill up all the bathtubs and extra pots and pans with water if the situation calls for hunkering down at home.

I keep a canteen and a camelback 'bugout' bag in my vehicle. I keep purification tablets of course, but also keep fire starting materials to boil water as well.

Water can be purified with bleach (you have to be careful and have the right type of bleach) and there are some awesome filter systems out there that take most all bacteria out of the water.

Creek/puddle water, etc. can be filtered through a t-shirt to take out the big stuff (debris) but would need to be boiled afterward. the main thing is having some type of collection/storage container and something to boil the water in. Water should be boiled at least 5 minutes at a rolling boil to kill off bacteria and render it safe to drink.

Good stuff! I should know this, and I'm going to show my ignorance here, but how long will water keep? I would think forever, but I know that some nasty stuff likes the wet stuff. If you've had it stored in containers for several years, should you purify it before drinking even though it was stored as "good" water? Can the container material affect the quality of the stored water?

 

[Billrube]

It will need to be properly treated for long term storage...depending on material, it's possible to transfer some taste. Stored water, like any other perishable should be rotated out and replaced with fresh on a schedule.

 

[Billrube]

here's some good info
http://www.captaindaves.com/guide/water.htm

 

[Ken Ford]

You can buy the parts to make a filtering system out Of two five gallon buckets. Hardware store has all the parts you need. Same as I'm using to filter oil as fuel for my truck. Not pretty but since I'm using water filters anyway I don't see why it would not work.

 

[SOCOM]

here's some good info
http://www.captaindaves.com/guide/water.htm

Good info here.

 

[Rick Terscale]

Thanks guys! All great info. That link pretty much sums it all up.

 

[drtybykr]

Good link

 

[Ballplayer]

Crushed charcoal will work in a pinch. (crushed , not powdered down )