Water purification question

[letslearntogether47]

Anybody have the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter?
I'm thinking of purchasing one for the BOB.Or even for use while hiking.
I'd still boil the water first before drinking.

[SARKY]

While boiling will pretty much kill everything in the water, as of right now the kritters you have to worry about in US waters tend to be bacteria sized and larger. Most filters will handle those kritters. If you were going over seas, invest in a purifying filter to catch the viruses as well.
Any reason you have picked that filter over others? I carry a MSR MiniWorks II. It is easy to pump, easy to clean and I can use it one handed.

[Darkevs]

Google and check out GrapeFruit Seed Extract for adding to water to make it safe to drink.

[kyratshooter]

Anybody have the Aquamira Frontier Pro Water Filter?
I'm thinking of purchasing one for the BOB.Or even for use while hiking.
I'd still boil the water first before drinking.

If you are going to boil anyway why pay good money for a filter?

[letslearntogether47]

If you are going to boil anyway why pay good money for a filter?

Figured it would get most of the nasties out before boiling.
I suppose a bandanna would work just as well.

[Rick]

Sarky has me on ignore so I can poke fun at him and he'll never even know. (chuckle, snort)

Hey, Mr. Survival Instructor. News flash, viruses are smaller than bacteria and are in our waters, too. I'm gonna have to go behind him and pick up dead students. This is gonna be a chore.

If you are going to boil the water anyway why spend the money on a filter? If you're going to spend the money on a filter then carry a small amount of bleach. The filter will stop bacteria and parasites and the bleach will kill viruses.

Don't depend on the bleach alone to disinfect water because it doesn't kill Cryptosporidium or other coccidian parasites.

EDIT: I was typing when KY posted. Great minds and all.

[letslearntogether47]

I watched D. Canterbury do a review on this the other day.
From what I understand it does catch chemicals.But crypto,gardia and hep can still get through.
Especially the cyst?

[letslearntogether47]

I'd like to run some water through this filter and check it with the TDS meter I use for my ro/di water filter.
See what the numbers show.Maybe get some "cool guy"points here from some of the gurus.

[kyratshooter]

Before we get into the required explaination of virus size, filter mesh size and what germs do what to us why not just ask yourself this:

Does it take out as much as my local utilities filter out?

I have come to the conclusion that most of us expect our emergency/woodcraft filters to give us better water than we drink from out taps on a daily basis.

Most local utilities use a fast sand filter and chlorine generated on site. I have met some of the guys that work at the water plant and believe me, it is not rocket science or they would kill us all.

Run it through a filter, dump in a few drops of bleach and drink it. I have missionary friends that are doing that in some of the worst imaginable parts of the world and are staying healthy.

[Rick]

Not according to their web page. It filters 99.9%. I'm familiar with their Frontier water filter but not the one you asked about.

[Rick]

The reason it can remove some chemicals is because it contains activated carbon. It adsorbs with organic chemicals like phenols, nitrites, nitrates and ethers (there's a lot more). But it won't stop heavy metals.

[finallyME]

There exists a .02 micron filter that filters out viruses. My filter is .1 microns.

[Wildthang]

Then you have Bear Grylls drinkin pee out of a dead snake skin, and he dont even die! He must be like Chuck Norris huh

[letslearntogether47]

Then you have Bear Grylls drinkin pee out of a dead snake skin, and he dont even die! He must be like Chuck Norris huh

Yeah,but he did have the squirts once while in a precarious position climbing a waterfall.
"turn off the camera"
Wouldn't want to be drinking down stream from that.....ewwwww.

[Rick]

LLT - Shoot Aquamira an email or give them a call and ask what the pore size is. I'm sure they will tell you. I'm also sure it won't filter viruses. I'll be surprised if it does, anyway.

[postman]

Just strain it through your bandana and then boil it, save your hard earned cash.

[randyt]

The reason their website says it filters 99.9% is if somebody gets sick, they can say it was the 1/10 th of 1% that got them, CYA. lol

[MichMetal]

If you are going to boil anyway why pay good money for a filter?

I guess it depends on where you're at, but neither boiling nor filters catch everything, using both therefore is ideal. This is a great video on the subject.

[Rick]

Boiling water is the preferred method of purification. It will kill all pathogens including viruses.
Filtering water with a commercial filter will block all pathogens except viruses.
I'm not sure why you think neither will catch everything. I would not boil my water if I used a filter and I would not filter my water if I boiled it. It's redundant and a waste of time and fuel.

[Batch]

Potable is pronounced like pōtəbəl not pot able.

I hear a lot of people pronounce it like pot and able put together like Dave says it. I learned the word from Jeopardy years ago as the category "potent potables".

How do you pronounce the word?