3 Homemade ways to purify Water

[SA Hunter]

Water is the foundation of life and, as such, water preparedness is one of the most important aspects of being prepared. That said, many are not prepared for even 1 day of water rations. Moreover, there are many who feel that storing water is a waste of time; after all, they can simply use tap water or step outside and use the water left over from storms and floods.

What they do not realize is that following a severe storm, hurricane or tornado, water is contaminated and should not be used for drinking. Flood waters are contaminated with oil, gasoline, or raw sewage which can infest city water sources and cause a number of medical issues.

It is a Fact That Hospital Visits Increase Following a Short Term Emergency

In fact, when short-term emergencies occur, there is an increased number of hospital visits and admissions from common diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, dermatitis, and other causes. These type of medical issues are due to those coming in direct contact with contaminated flood waters. These contamination factors will cause irritation to skin and a host of other medical issues. If ingested, this tainted water can cause a host of medical related issues including but not limited to:

•Protozoan cysts (Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia)
•Parasitic (Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis)
•Bacterial (Escherichia coli, or E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia entercolitica, Leptospira interrogans and many others)
•Viral infections (hepatitis A, rotavirus, enterovirus, norovirus, Norwalk virus)


Learn the Valuable Skill of Purifying Water

To avoid water-related illnesses, it is imperative to learn how to filter your water using materials available to you. Here are three ways of purifying water for drinking. These are also great projects to do with children to teach them this valuable skill.

1. Homemade Water Filter

When you begin to filter water from lakes, rivers and groundwater, there are 4 steps to keep in mind:

1.Coagulation: removes dirt, metals and other particles suspended in water. Chemicals like Alum are added to the water that form sticky particles called “floc” which attract the dirt particles.

2.Sedimentation: the combined weight of the sediment and chemicals stuck together become heavy and sink to the bottom.

3.Filtration: smaller particles are removed as water passes through a series of filters (sand, gravel, charcoal)

4.Disinfection: to kill bacteria or microorganisms found in the water, a small amount of chlorine is added.

How Clean is Your Water? Test it with the Drinking Water Test Materials You Will Need:

•1-liter soda bottles cut in half
•Napkins, cheesecloth or paper towels
•*Gravel
•*Sand
•Activated Filter Carbon (available at pet stores)
•Large water container for dirty water (pitchers or gallon jugs)
•Dirty water (made by adding dirt, twigs, leaves, etc., to water)
•Large waste container (plastic container, thick garbage bag, etc.)
•*Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide, water purification drops or tablets
•2 clean pitchers for filtered water

1.Cut 1-liter soda bottle in half and put top of soda bottle upside-down (similar to a funnel) inside the bottom half. The top half will build the filter, the bottom half will hold the filtered water.
2.Add napkin, cheesecloth or paper towel at the neck of the inverted bottle.
3.Add filtration materials in this sequence:

1.1 inch of charcoal
2.2 inches sand
3.1 inch gravel
4.2 inches sand
5.1 inch gravel

4.Add unfiltered water and allow water to seep through the filter.
5.For added measure, it is recommended to chemically treat filtered water to kill off any pathogens that were not filtered.

2. Homemade Water Distiller

Materials You Will Need:
•Dish-washing soap
•Stove
•Drill and drill bit
•Stainless steel feed-through fitting that has a barbed end and an inner diameter of 3/8-inches
•A 3-ft. long plastic hose that has an inner diameter that matches the stainless steel feed-through fitting
•Large glass jug
•A one-gallon metal pot with a tight lid

1.survival packBegin making your homemade water distiller by using the drill to make a hole in the metal pot’s lid. Once the hole has been successfully drilled, insert the stainless steel feed-through fitting through it, taking care to keep the fitting’s barbed end outside of the metal pot.

2.Give the metal pot a vigorous washing with warm water and dish-washing soap. Be sure to thoroughly wash the pot’s lid, the glass jug and the plastic hose as well. Once your materials have been sufficiently cleaned, give them all ample time to air dry before proceeding any further.

3.Fill the metal pot exactly three-fourths of the way up with the water you wish to distill, then place the partially filled pot on the stove and heat it up to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. After steam has escaped from the stainless steel feed-through fitting for about five minutes, you will be ready to continue with the next step.

4.You’re almost finished with your homemade water distiller. You’ll now need to slowly attach one end of the plastic hose to the stainless steel feed-through fitting, thus venting away any remaining contaminants and preventing them from being condensed into the freshly distilled water. Place the other end of the plastic hose into your jug. Steam that is being condensed will slowly drip into the glass jug in the form of pure water. After the dripping slows down considerably or stops completely, take the metal pot off the stove, after which it will require at least half an hour of cooling-down time before it and the plastic hose can be cleaned.


3. Solar Powered Water Distiller

Materials You Will Need:
•2 liter soda bottle
•utility knife
•lighter
•Black rag

1.Cut an empty bottle in half using the utility knife.

2.Using the top half of the bottle (the part with the lid), fold the bottom edges of cut bottle inward making a 1″ or 2″ lip back into the inside of the bottle (this is the trough). If needed, use the lighter to heat to help the bottle in order to easily bend back in.

3.Thoroughly soak a black rag with the dirty water and set it inside the plastic bottle in full sun for 4 hours or more. The water will evaporate and condense on the inside sides of the bottle and find its way down into the trough.

4.When you notice enough water has collected in the trough, carefully remove the bottle from the nasty black rag and flip it over quickly. The water now flows the other way and ends up in the cap. Carefully remove the cap and drink the water.

Portions of this information have been sourced from The Prepper’s Blueprint.

[SA Hunter]

From Dr Gaz - Auspreps resident Dr.

TWENTY-FOUR METHODS TO PURIFY WATER

SEPARATION: HEAT, LIGHT & GRAVITY
SEDIMENTATION gravitationally settles heavy suspended material.
BOILING WATER for 15 to 20 minutes kills 99.9% of all living things and vaporizes most chemicals. Minerals, metals, solids and the contamination from the cooking container become more concentrated.
DISTILLATION boils and recondenses the water, but many chemicals vaporize and recondense in concentration in the output water. It is also expensive to boil & cool water.
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT is a good bactericide, but has no residual kill, and works only in clearly filtered water. Still in its infancy stage is a new technology involving super white light.

CHEMICALS

CHLORINE is common, cheap, but extremely toxic. It does not decrease physical or chemical contamination, it does increase colesterol formations, is a carcinogen, and causes heart disease.
BROMINE, used in pools and spas, doesn't smell or taste as bad and doesn't kill bacteria very well.
IODINE is not practical, and is mostly used by campers.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE kills bacteria with oxygen, is chemically made and is very toxic. It is used in emergencies.
SILVER is an effective bactericide but a cumulative poison which concentrates and doesn't evaporate.
NONTOXIC ORGANIC ACIDS should be used with caution in large water plants only.
LIME AND MILD ALKALINE AGENTS should also be used with caution only by large water plants, or only for laundry.
NEUTRALIZING CHEMICALS react with the unwanted chemicals and produce outgases and a sediment, but levels of need vary.
COAGULATION-FLOCCULATION adds chemicals which lump together suspended particles for filtration or separation.
ION EXCHANGE exchanges sodium from salt for calcium or magnesium, using either glauconite (greensand), precipitated synthetic organic resins, or gel zeolite, thus softening the water. Minerals, metals, chemicals or odors are not affected, and the water is salty to drink.

FILTRATION

SLOW SAND of 1 cubic meter passes about 2 liters/min, and does a limited bacteria removal.
PRESSURE SAND of 1 cubic meter passes about 40gpm and must be backwashed daily.
DIATOMACEOUS EARTH removes small suspended particles at high flow rates, must be daily backwashed and is expensive.
POROUS STONE/CERAMIC filters are small but expensive, and do not effect chemicals, bacteria or odors.
PAPER or CLOTH filters are disposable and filter to one micron, but do not have much capacity.
CHARCOAL:
-COMPRESSED CHARCOAL/CARBON BLOCK is the best type of charcoal filter, can remove chemicals and lead, but is easily clogged, so should be used with a sediment prefilter.
-GRANULAR CHARCOAL is cheaper, but water can flow around the granules without being treated.
-POWDERED CHARCOAL is a very fine dust useful for spot cleaning larger bodies of water, but is messy and can pass through some filters and be consumed.
REVERSE OSMOSIS uses a membrane with microscopic holes that require 4 to 8 times the volume of water processed to wash it in order to remove minerals and salt, but not necessarily chemicals and bacteria.
ENZYMES & BACTERIA combined can remove contaminants and reduce sludge. See recent article on enzymes & bacteria.

OXYDATION

AERATION sprays water into the air to raise the oxygen content, to break down odors, and to balance the dissolved gases. However, it takes space, is expensive, and picks up contaminants from the air.
OZONE is a very good bactericide, using highly charged oxygen molecules to kill microorganisms on contact, and to ozidize and flocculate iron, manganese and other dissolved minerals for post-filtration and backwashing.
ELECTRONIC PURIFICATION and DISSOLVED OXYGEN GENERATION creates super oxygenated water in a dissolved state that lowers the surface tension of the water and effectively treats all three types of contamination: physical, chemical and biological.

What Chemicals Are Used to Purify Drinking Water?
Chloramines

Chloramines and other chlorine like chemicals are the most common way to purify drinking water. Pure chlorine is also a commonly used chemical, but can be toxic if handled in the wrong ways or is present in too high of levels. Both chlorine and chloramines work to kill bacteria and other harmful substances that may be found in drinking water sources.

Chlorine dioxide

Chlorine dioxide is another break off from chlorine that can be used to treat and purify drinking water. However, it is not used as often anymore because of both the volatility of the gas that it produces (which is easily combustible), and because it raises the levels of chlorite passed the recommended levels by the United States government.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is another chemical that is often added to drinking water to help purify it. Hydrogen peroxide is usually combined with an activator called formic acid and works well on harmful protozoans and pathogens in the water supply. However, it takes longer to purify the water than chlorine, and can become a phytotoxin (or a plant poison capable of killing humans in a high enough dosage) if not used properly. It also changes the pH levels of the water, which requires additional chemicals to return the pH back to normal.

Read more: www.ehow.com/how-does_4898416_chemicals-used-purify-drinking-water.html#ixzz33caVulge

Potassium permanganate: The Most Useful Survival Chemical
- See more at: www.intherabbithole.com/potassium-permanganate-the-most-useful-survival-chemical/#sthash.uYPHLTtd.dpuf

When people think about survival tools, chemicals are usually not one of the first things that come to mind. Potassium permanganate should though.

Also known as KMnO4, Condy’s Crystals and permanganate of potash, Potassium permanganate is a jack of all survival trades.When it comes to survival, the more you know, the more you can do with less. Like wilderness medicine, it also often becomes about improvising with less than ideal tools.

I first learned about the usefulness of this chemical while watching a Survivor Man episode titled Sonoran Desert. In the Sonoran Desert episode (Season 1 Episode 2), Les Stroud demonstrates how mixing Potassium permanganate and glycerin will start a chemical fire. Intrigued, I did some digging.

Turns out it’s not just good for making fires. It’s also good for:

Purifying water.
Creating an antiseptic solution.
As an anti-fungal treatment for the hands and feet.
As a cholera disinfectant
Treating canker sores
Marking snow as an emergency signal.

Proceed with caution, however. The information provided in this article is intended for emergency situations only. Caution should be exercised when using any of the following information.

Potassium permanganate will start a fire when mixed with a couple of different compounds. Glycerin is the most common, but antifreeze will also do the trick. Antifreeze seems to create a reaction that is a little more violent. Be very careful when using either. The reaction is not always immediate. It can take several seconds for the reaction to start a fire – let it be.

After gathering all the necessary fire tinder and large pieces of wood to keep your fire going, place a teaspoon of Potassium permanganate on a flat surface. Carefully add the same amount of Glycerine or Antifreeze evenly on top of your pile. Next, stand back a couple of feet and wait at the ready with your tinder.

Mix sugar in with the Glycerin before adding to your Condy’s Crystals, and you’ll get a decent signal smoke.

For water purification, its use is fairly straight forward. First, if there is any sediment in the water, strain it out. Then add 3 – 4 crystals per liter of water. Stir or shake for a few seconds then let sit for 2 hours. The water should be a light pink (a concentration of 1:10,000) – no darker.

Here are some proportions for killing the different nasty organisms that can find their way into water:

Bacteria requires a minimum of 2.5mg per liter of water.
Viruses require a minimum of 50mg (close to danger levels) per liter.

Potassium permanganate can become toxic in high concentrations, just like anything. The lowest recorded instance of a person being poisoned was 100mg per kilogram of body weight. That being said, the LD50 scale for Potassium permanganate is 1900mg per kilogram of body weight.

Just remember, as long as it is pink – it’s probably ok to drink.

To use as an antiseptic, anti-fungal treatment, or emergency snow signal, add crystals one by one until the solution turns purple. Shake and use to flush out a wound, soak a fungal infection, or to leave a message in the snow.

Don’t eat snow marked in yellow – just saying.

Ideally, Potassium permanganate should be stored in a nonreactive plastic bottle with a Teflon coated cap. Most plastic bottles and non-coated caps should be fine.

Potassium permanganate is not a perfect option for any of the above listed purposes. If other more convention options are available - use them first. What it does do is offer another option should you find yourself with it as your only resource.
Warning

Everything in life comes with a warning label, “Caution, this air compressor may cause bloating.” Here are a couple things you should be warned about when it comes to playing with Potassium permanganate.

It’s an aggressive oxidizer. It must be kept in a safe, non-reactive container.
Solutions mixed too strong can cause caustic burns!
Potassium permanganate will dye just about anything it comes in contact with pink or purple.

- See more at: www.intherabbithole.com/potassium-permanganate-the-most-useful-survival-chemical/#sthash.uYPHLTtd.dpuf

NOTE:
Please remember that a bottle of bleach from the supermarket has a shelf life! And over time it does break down and becomes ineffective!! Powdered Chlorine has a longer shelf life! (Pool Chlorine powder or granules)

While fresh add 8-16 drops (Max) to 1 gallon of water. You can tell by the odour if it is too strong and will be toxic!

Also as stated in Jays post, it is easy to make your own filter. I would use some 4in PVC down pipe and put layers of clean sand and home made charcoal! using old or new..LOL.. pantyhose or fine cloth each end to seal the pipe!

I'll stop here! there is so much info on the net that covers all this type of stuff for preppers, it is really up to you to learn and study!
We are all more than happy to find information and answer questions, but at the end of the day, your life is in your hands and it is up to you to do the hard miles to get the right results!
But like I said we are all here to help...don't be afraid to ask!