Water Purification

[Flagg]

I've heard nothing but good things about the Berkey.

But they are pretty rare way down here. There is an importer and we're going to look at the smallest stainless steel unit.

We currently use a pair of Katadyn Combi's for training/camping/emergency use:

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-...katadyn-combi/

Small enough to carry in a pack/BoB, but very good quality and good throughput/redundancy.

Katadyn makes some good kit in my experience.

[The Reaper]

The units are smaller than they appear.

The Big Berkey is like a large office coffeepot size.

Base the unit size you buy off the quantity of water you need processed.

A gallon per day, per person is reasonable. The Berkeys I have used have flowed significantly slower then the rated values, so add a safety margin.

Hope that helps.

TR

[mugwump]

Originally Posted by Beef

Mug, I had looked into Steripens, I guess, 3-4 years ago. The most common complaint was that they did not hold up well in hot, humid climates. So I didn't invest in one. But based on your daughter's experience, those short comings have been corrected. I'll give them another look now. Thanks for posting!

My daughter's Steripen died two weeks ago in Nepal and she's asked for another for Christmas. She said it just stopped and battery changes didn't remediate. When she got back down to sea level it started working again but she no longer trusts it and wants to replace it. My use in hot/humid has been too short for me to feel safe recommending it but as I said she's used it from 0-15k feet and for extended periods in hot/humid environment to good effect. That said, she's always carried Aquapure as backup.

[doctom54]

Originally Posted by mugwump

If you're on foot I feel pretty safe recommending a Steripen. It uses UV light to scramble the DNA of any nasties. I've used it for about two weeks total in Honduras and hiking the Corcovado in Costa Rico but my daughter has used one for the last 7 months in Vietnam, Tibet, Cambodia, etc. Ours are the older ones that use two CR123A, but they have new versions that use NIMH AAs, solar power, hand crank, etc. The daughter is pretty suspicious of tech solutions but hasn't been let down by this device. She hiked to the Everest base camp where the sanitary conditions are questionable ("f***ing gross" was her technical description) and she was fine when even the Sherpas had the squirts. We both prefilter with paper coffee filters if the water it's goopy. She carries a Surefire toe-popper full of batts on really long segments--she really hates chem treated water.

Pros: no chemical taste; works as well on cold or warm water; only takes 60/90 seconds for 16/32 oz.; small and light; (huge to me) if you're in an area where water is plentiful you don't need to hump excess water because you can get another 32 oz in 90 secs. I'm convinced the "chem" people I've hiked with got sick because they rushed things when thirsty and didn't give the iodine or whatever time to work.

Cons: batteries, only 50 liters per set (although if you're recharging less of an issue); it's a device, and devices break--you need Aquapure as backup.

I've been using a Steripen for about 4 years now from the Okefenokee Swamp to the
Rockies and into Central America. I usually "filter" with a doubled silk bandana then use the Steripen. I have the 4 AA model and it works great.
IF i was worried about chemical contaminants I would choose something with a charcoal filter. Otherwise I will continue to use the Steripen. They have models with AA, CR123 and now one with an internal battery and a USB port.
For Christmas I'm getting my son a Biolite stove and a Steripen with the USB rechargeable battery. As long as you have some wood you will have a stove and a way to make to make potable water. (yes I know you can always "boil" water but that takes time when moving or in a restaurant in a third world country.)

[BryanK]

With this winter storm rapidly approaching my AO, the thread linked here got me to thinking about how I could affordably filter large amounts of water for sustained periods of time for my family, and those in my community should we lose power/town water supply for a long period. MtnGoat posted a picture (below), of a device I could use for continual water storage after some bug/dust proofing with just a few modifications.

I saw this ceramic water filter on cheaper than dirt, and it seems like a decent investment for the yield. Here is a link to the filter with a youtube video embedded in the page for installation instruction. All in all, it looks like a cheap, and efficient way to process a decent amount of consumable water CTD Link.

I imagine something primitive such as this could find it's use out there where you guy's do business as well.

[alelks]

Originally Posted by BryanK

With this winter storm rapidly approaching my AO, the thread linked here got me to thinking about how I could affordably filter large amounts of water for sustained periods of time for my family, and those in my community should we lose power/town water supply for a long period. MtnGoat posted a picture (below), of a device I could use for continual water storage after some bug/dust proofing with just a few modifications.

I saw this ceramic water filter on cheaper than dirt, and it seems like a decent investment for the yield. Here is a link to the filter with a youtube video embedded in the page for installation instruction. All in all, it looks like a cheap, and efficient way to process a decent amount of consumable water CTD Link.

I imagine something primitive such as this could find it's use out there where you guy's do business as well.

Can't get much cheaper than that. You can purchase the food grade buckets and lids at Lowes. I just put up 50 lbs of rice and also some spaghetti and noodles for long term food storage.

I used mylar bags, sucked the air out with my foodsaver and sealed them up using a cheap flat hair iron. Oh yea, I also put oxygen absorbers in each bag which takes out the left over oxygen and emits nitrogen. All of this was pretty cheap. The 50lb bag of rice was only 19 dollars at Sams club.

Info on buckets:

CLick Me

There is also a link at the bottom of the page on food storage using the method I described above.

Just remember though that this system does not purify the water, it only filters it. It can still have harmful viruses in it. For this reason the Berkey filter is definitely the way to go. You can do the same thing with their filters but they are roughly $50 each.

http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com...FedlOgodA3IABQ

[badshot]

TS there is a place near Lake Pleasant few know about that has many clean springs. if you want coords to check out pm me. Though I could show up with two kids under eight, grandma, and wife. Actually has a very cool (temp wise) small canyon too. Taken a lot of predators there.

For anyone wanting a personal Purifier that's light and not too expensive First Need XLE Elite will keep you safe from everything.

As most of you know, drinking bad water can be a bad time; show ender inclusive.

Excellent choice - might have to pick up a Traveler for the truck