WATER PURIFICATION
for the Prepared Survivalist
1. Boiling
The easiest way to purify water
is to boil it. For this, you’ll need
a container to hold the water and
fire. Allow water to boil steadily
for 10 minutes or a minimum of 7.
Essentially, the longer you boil the
water, the cleaner it would be. Hey,
if waiting for a few more minutes
means you won’t get sick and have
better chances of surviving, it will be
worth it! Don’t forget that water’s
boiling time increases with altitude.
2. Chemical Treatment
You can add chemicals to water to
make it drinkable.There’s Hydrogen
Peroxide, Iodine, Potassium
Permanganate, Sodium Chlorite, and
even bleach to name a few. Some of
these are available as water purification tablets, designed to make
things easier for you. Just drop the
prescribed number of tablets into a
water-filled container and you’ll have
purified water within minutes.
You can also opt for a non-color safe
household bleach, which should have
no scent and cleaners – though you
have to be extra careful. 1/8 teaspoon
of bleach can be mixed into a gallon of
water, and let it sit for no less than 30
minutes.
Another option is to add 5-10 drops of
2% tincture of iodine to every liter of
water, then wait for 30 minutes.
3. Commercial Filters
You know what’s easier than boiling water and using chemicals to treat
infected water? Commercial filters.
There’s plenty of them to go around,
and all you have to do is take your pick!
Most water filters operate in the same
manner – unsafe water enters one
end of the purifier through a hose,
passes through either a charcoal or
ceramic filter that cleans the water,
and comes out into your container via a
hose. Some of them run on automated
pumps, while others are equipped with
filter straws.