[Vendome]

For those of who have not done so, I would encourage you to buy a water purifier.

 

On the order of things, it really isn't expensive and i

 

Last week, in an American city, 2 Million people are boiling their water, due to a break in their primary water main.

 

In Katrina, people were walking through water they could drink but for a purifier.

 

In Haiti, the water was contaminated and a water purifier would have helped stem problems associated with fouled water.

 

In Tennessee the floods took out the clean water supply but again, a water purifier would have delivered clean water.

 

Please note there is a difference between filtered water and purified water.  Filters are fine for backwoods hikes, for the most part but, a water purifier in a grid down situation is an absolute must.

 

NACN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HasTWSZVYtU&feature=player_embedded

 

CNN

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/02/boston-area-communities-under-boil-water-order/

 

I personally have the Lifesaver bottle for just such an emergency.

 

It can purify 6,000(1,500 gallons) liters of water on one filter.  That's Katrina water that everyone was walking through.

 

It will remove germs, chemical, effluence, etc and return pure water that is drinkable and can deliver 2.5L per minute.

 

“ The smallest bacteria are about 200nm (200 nanometers) in size, the smallest viruses are about 25nm. The holes in LIFESAVER membranes are 15nm so nothing is getting through.”

 

FAQ's

http://www.lifesaversystems.com/faqs.html

 

 

                      

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They also offer a jerry can version that holds 18 liters and filters 20,000 liters(next on my list)

 

                    

 

 

                      

 

 

 

These things aren't cheap but hey, When you are thirsty you will be glad you invested in these and so will your family

 

The prices are as follows:

 

6,000 liter  Lifesaver bottle =  $179.99

 

20,000 Liter Lifesaver Jerry Can =  $399.00

 

 

 

 

[RC one]

Treating Water with a 5-6 Percent Liquid Chlorine Bleach Solution

Clear/Cloudy Water Volume to drops of bleach to purify

1 quart/1 liter 3 drops if clear - 5 drops if turbid

1/2 gallon 5 drops if clear - 10 drops if turbid

1 gallon 1/8 teaspoon if clear - 1/4 teaspoon if turbid

5 gallons 1/2 teaspoon if clear - 1 teaspoon if turbid

10 gallons 1 teaspoons if clear- 2 teaspoons if turbid

Cloudy water should be filtered before boiling or adding bleach.

Filter water using coffee filters, paper towels, cheese cloth or a cotton plug in a funnel.

Place the water (filtered, if necessary) in a clean container. Add the amount of bleach according to the table below.

Mix thoroughly and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before using (60 minutes if the water is cloudy or very cold).

Cloudy water should be filtered before boiling or adding bleach.

Filter water using coffee filters, paper towels, cheese cloth or a cotton plug in a funnel.

[RC one]

Then there's this, the Solar Still, one of my favorite ad lib survival devices:

with this you can purify the water out of a vehicles radiator and drink it. http://www.energywhiz.com/experiments/solar_still.htm

[meowmeow]

bfl - to post #79

[TexasRepublic]

On the topic of water filters, I once considered the Lifesaver Bottle until I read the specs and learned the shelf life for an unopened unit is only 3 years. I think the membrane is some kind of plastic. I wanted something more dependable for long-term storage.

I chose the British Berkefeld filters instead. http://www.britishberkefeld.com/. Do not confuse their products with the Black Berkey product — different products from different manufacturers. There is a lot of confusion over that. The British Berkefeld company is a corporate descendant of the Royal Doulton company that pioneered ceramic filters in the early 1800’s. Their website disavows any relation to Black Berkey. The Black Berkey is made in China and marketed by a relative newcomer and has not been certified by as many recognized testing labs as the British Berkefeld products. For those reasons, I chose to buy a filter from a long-established company, even if their technical claims (about filtering viruses) don’t quite match the newcomer’s.