1" long Water Purifier

**Rick-SAR** · 10-23-2008, 10:44 AM

Pasteurizing water to make it safe to drink by boiling.

TO PASTEUIZE WATER YOU ONLY NEED TO HEAT THE WATER TO 149F (65c). We only say to "boil" the water because we normally don't have a thermometer with us in the wilderness - we know if we see it boiling (212F) the water has reached 149F and is pasteurized.

If you can tell if it reaches 149F then it is SAFE to drink and you don't have to wait.

You might look at this device that is used all over the world to pasteurize water:
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/W...tion_Indicator and http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Water_pasteurization. The second web site has a table to show what it kills when water is pasteurized.

I have one and it is only about 1" long x 1/4 in diameter" and can be used over and over again indefinitely - it cost me about $6.00 if I remember.

Since water pasteurizes at temperatures well below the boiling point of water, this device saves time and saves fuel when using traditional fuels. As you all know that saving fuel can be a major issue in the bush so why waste fuel if you don't have to.

The web site also shows how to make your own "Water Pasteurize Indicator".

If it is good enough to be used in under developed countries used by thousands to purify water is good enough for me.

Rick-SAR

www.SearchAndRescueTraining.com

**ADEPT** · 10-23-2008, 11:05 AM

Hey, that's pretty neat. Thanks

I am having some trouble with the first link though.

**Sarge47** · 10-23-2008, 12:53 PM

Doggone it! Haven't seen you here since waaay back! You need to show up more often.

**marylp** · 10-23-2008, 12:56 PM

Rick, I am currently looking for a purifier/filter that is easy to use and reliable. I am concerned about this product. The singer Sheryl Crow is convinced that a chemical in plastics is what gave her cancer, she would leave half bottles of water in her car or tour bus, when she would return she would put them in the fridge because they were really hot to drink them later. Something about when plastic gets hot it releases some cancer causing chemical. We are hearing that we should not use plastics in our microwaves, only use glass. The research continues..

**Rick-SAR** · 10-23-2008, 05:06 PM

Mary,

I got mine from this web site. It is a glass tube with stoppers in each end.

see: http://65.108.108.197/catalog/waterp...01fd9ecf3ea52f the green is the wax.

As it turns out the wax melts at 160f if I remember right. So if it melts the temp is higher then 149f.

Rick-SAR

**Rick** · 10-25-2008, 07:42 PM

I don't know. To each his own. I'll use my MSR water pump and continue to boil.

**Blood Groove** · 10-25-2008, 09:02 PM

So no matter how dirty water is it's always ok to drink once it's been heated to 149 degrees?

**crashdive123** · 10-25-2008, 09:12 PM

IMO no. Here's some info http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml

**Blood Groove** · 10-25-2008, 09:27 PM

Yeah I think that if I were to drink water right out of a stream or something, I'd let it boil for a minute like that site said. It's always better safe then sorry!

**Gray Wolf** · 10-25-2008, 11:24 PM

I let the water boil rapidly for two minutes. Truly better safe, than saving one extra minute and being very, very sorry!

**Rick-SAR** · 10-26-2008, 11:10 AM

Blood Groove,

I'm sure that rivers (the Nile, Ganges, lower Rio Grande, etc.) are not always clear. I know in New Mexico from Taos south the Rio Grande is all most always brown with mud. Some filter it with a cloth or other type if filter before drinking or cooking with it.

I always filtered the dirty water with some type of cloth. In my pack I carried some coffee filters for that purpose - they fold up and don't take much space.

The sites I quoted, in a previous a post, talks about areas in Mexico, India, Africa, Bangladesh etc., where boiling is used in solar ovens to pasteurize water. It works for them and should work for us.

100,000s of people use in solar ovens to pasteurize water throughout the world. The water temperature sensor used cuts down on the time it takes to pasteurize water.

In many of our adventures we use fuel we take with us so cutting down the time to pasteurize water can be a big fuel saving.

The science said that once "any" water gets to 170F it is safe to drink - end of story.

I am not saying that other methods don't work just boiling does.

Rick-SAR

**Blood Groove** · 10-26-2008, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Gray Wolf

I let the water boil rapidly for two minutes. Truly better safe, than saving one extra minute and being very, very sorry!

I agree with that! One of the guys from our church was in the Adirondacks mountains and he was thirsty. So he comes across the beautiful mountain stream that's cristal clear, and ice cold. He took a drink, got some kind of a parasite, and was laid out for months. Six I think.

**Blood Groove** · 10-26-2008, 06:57 PM

Thanks for that info Rick-Sar. I've always wondered if boiling any water would purify it.

**UnknownWarrior** · 07-26-2009, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Blood Groove

Thanks for that info Rick-Sar. I've always wondered if boiling any water would purify it.

Boiling wouldn't purify it. It only kills the parasites. The dead bodies still remain so filtering is needed. I'm still unsure if the dead parasites could cause harm.

Here's an easy filter used in African homes, I think in Nigeria?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3071I5QQ2Q

I think I'll be trying this one.

**UnknownWarrior** · 07-26-2009, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

IMO no. Here's some info http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml

That manual says:
"Boiling, filtering, or chemically treating water can remove or kill microorganisms, but it will not remove chemical toxins. This is also the case when using a solar still"

Before, I thought that using solar stills, you get the purest distilled water free from any impurities.

So, if there's a nuclear war and water is contaminated, boiling, purifying filtering or checmially treating won't help? Does that mean any water in that atmosphere would become useless?

**crashdive123** · 07-26-2009, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by UnknownWarrior

That manual says:
"Boiling, filtering, or chemically treating water can remove or kill microorganisms, but it will not remove chemical toxins. This is also the case when using a solar still"

Before, I thought that using solar stills, you get the purest distilled water free from any impurities.

So, if there's a nuclear war and water is contaminated, boiling, purifying filtering or checmially treating won't help? Does that mean any water in that atmosphere would become useless?

Are you concerned with chemical contamination or radiation contamination?

**Rick** · 07-26-2009, 06:59 PM

To answer your first question, just boiling is sufficient to render the water safe to drink if you are concerned with biological contaminants such as bacteria, protozoa, cysts and viruses. Yes, their little dead bodies will still be floating around in there but, since they are dead, they won't cause you any harm.

**Boker** · 07-26-2009, 07:41 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaOOm...eature=related

Right on my level. Might help someone else understand the basics of water filtering.

**UnknownWarrior** · 07-27-2009, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

To answer your first question, just boiling is sufficient to render the water safe to drink if you are concerned with biological contaminants such as bacteria, protozoa, cysts and viruses. Yes, their little dead bodies will still be floating around in there but, since they are dead, they won't cause you any harm.

On the lighter side, doesn't that make everyone a non-veggie?

I'm a veggie btw