Boiling Water

[NatureboyAlec]

Hey guys. Me and my 2 friends want to make stream water drinkable by boiling it. I have some questions lol:

1. Could we boil it in aluminium, like in a clean coke can?
2. How long would we boil it for?
3. How long to let it sit after boiling until its cool enough to drink?
4. We will be using a magnifying glass to start the fire. How long will it take for a fire to start with this on a hot sunny day?

Thanks guys.

[Sarge47]

Hey guys. Me and my 2 friends want to make stream water drinkable by boiling it. I have some questions lol:

1. Could we boil it in aluminium, like in a clean coke can?
2. How long would we boil it for?
3. How long to let it sit after boiling until its cool enough to drink?
4. We will be using a magnifying glass to start the fire. How long will it take for a fire to start with this on a hot sunny day?

Thanks guys.

Try this website: www.hopspress.com. Tomas J. Elpel shows how to start a fire using a soda bottle puddle lens and how to purify water using aromatic herbs to kill germs.

[Tony uk]

Hey guys. Me and my 2 friends want to make stream water drinkable by boiling it. I have some questions lol:

1. Could we boil it in aluminium, like in a clean coke can?
2. How long would we boil it for?
3. How long to let it sit after boiling until its cool enough to drink?
4. We will be using a magnifying glass to start the fire. How long will it take for a fire to start with this on a hot sunny day?

Thanks guys.

1. Yes i suppose if its clean
2. I normaly boil for 10 mins
3. You can drink it warm, But after 5 mins it should be fine
4. It depends on the tinder, just hold it until you get something

[happyman49]

has anyone ever tried boiling water in a paper bag??It will burn the paper down to the water level and then set there and boil.

[BraggSurvivor]

has anyone ever tried boiling water in a paper bag??It will burn the paper down to the water level and then set there and boil.

Thats cool, who woulda thunk?

[Walkman]

According to this you only have to get the water to the boiling point, then it's OK:

Part 1

Part 2

[Beo]

I agree with Tony but I would use a filter first, homemade or store bought s fine.

[trax]

has anyone ever tried boiling water in a paper bag??It will burn the paper down to the water level and then set there and boil.

Can I get a little more detailed instructions please?

[Beo]

Bag, fill with water, lite bag on fire, bag burns up and water spills to ground making small puddle, slam face in puddle and slurp away moisture. jk

[trax]

Thanks Beo, happyman can I get some more detailed instructions from you, too? They might be different than Beo's

[Rick]

Walkman - I would really disagree with that article. It might be right but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Here's what the CDC says.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentWaterTreatment.aspx

Trax - Here's a set of instructions:

http://reviews.ebay.com/Boiling-wate...00000000926926

[Beo]

How did I know Rick would have a link.

[Rick]

I you want to know just ask. I can even tell Spud the time of night his place will be attacked.

[trax]

I you want to know just ask. I can even tell Spud the time of night his place will be attacked.

...last time we're sharing plans with you homesurferboy....another source of potatoes gone!

I read the instructions, think I'll continue to carry a water pot

[Rick]

What? No sense of adventure? You can keep the sack to chew on. It's high in fiber.

[happyman49]

I have poured water into a brown paper bag and set it onto both an open fire and also on a camp stove. The paper bag will burn down from the top to the level of the water and then stay that way till the water boils. I have even tried boiling water in a paper milk carton (remember those) and the results are the same. I never tried drinking the water from the milk carton because of the coating on the carton.

[RobertRogers]

Walkman - I would really disagree with that article. It might be right but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Here's what the CDC says.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentWaterTreatment.aspx

Trax - Here's a set of instructions:

http://reviews.ebay.com/Boiling-wate...00000000926926

Rick, I wrote the article

http://www.survivaltopics.com/surviv...to-boil-water/

and I can vouch for the 0-minute boiling time as being a fact. Please read the references in the article.

Many health organisations are rethinking their statements about boiling water times. In many areas of the world fuel resources are being depleted in order to boil drinking water for extended periods of time.

This is costly both in terms of effort required to obtain or purchase the fuelwood, and as an impact on the environment.

Even if you were on Mount Everest, as soon as the water hits the boiling point it is safe to drink. No need for 10, 5, or even 1 minute. Boiling water for many minutes is a myth that has been passed on as fact all too often. This has done much damage to the worlds resources and is a big waste of fuel.

If you guys want to waste fuel by boiling water for 3, 5, or 10-minutes its up to you but it is very wasteful.

[canid]

i know! i have a few dozen spare petris, a boat load of Potato Dextrose Agar and know where to find lots of dirty water. i propose an experiment to test this

i also have a microscope with 1200x oil-immersion capability to help identify surviving contaminants.

[Rick]

RR - As I said, it might be right. It's just that "I've done it this way for so long" mentality. I did see the Wilderness Medicine reference and I respect those folks a lot. I also respect the CDC. The truth is boiling isn't normally a problem for me. I use a filter and virus stop.

[trax]

i know! i have a few dozen spare petris, a boat load of Potato Dextrose Agar and know where to find lots of dirty water. i propose an experiment to test this

i also have a microscope with 1200x oil-immersion capability to help identify surviving contaminants.

You really have all that stuff? wow, Mr. Science lives!