Making Water Safe to Drink

During a disaster of any kind, whether it’s a natural disaster or manmade disaster, we really need to keep in mind the “Survival Rule of 3’s.”

·         3 minutes without air

·         3 hours without shelter

·         3 days without water

·         3 weeks without food

In this blog post today, I will be focusing on the “3 days without water.”

Making water safe enough to drink should be the top survival “how-to” for everyone to learn and it’s not something to take lightly. Sure, there are devices to purchase to help with that like osmosis and gravity filters and then there is purification tablets and drops but if you aren’t willing to spend the money or simply don’t have the money to spend, there are alternative methods of making water safe to drink but not all methods are created equal.

Boiling water is mostly everyone’s go-to on water purification. While boiling water for purification is an excellent method in removing pathogens, bacteria and viruses, there are a few things to keep in mind while doing it. It will NOT rid your drinking water of toxicities like fuels, pesticides and other chemicals.

For boiling water, it’s best to bring it to a rapid boil for at least 10 minutes. This is a great method of water purification.

Another useful method is using unscented household bleach; the original bleach is the one to use, not the gel or splash resistant bleach. The CDC.gov website has the steps on how to use bleach to sterilize water, but a good rule of thumb is 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of water.

You can also use UV rays if you have the water in a clear container and the water isn’t cloudy or murky by exposing it to the sun for at least 6 hours. There are UV pens that you can buy for that, but they can be kind of pricey.

If your water has solids in it or is cloudy or murky, you can filter the water first through a cloth or coffee filter to remove the larger solids but it will still be cloudy. If the water is just cloudy or murky, you can add a little salt to the water. Salt will cause the smaller particles to sink to the bottom making the sun’s UVs rays able to do its job better. You can also add lime to the water to kill any pathogens and it adds vitamins to the water and makes it taste a little more refreshing.

Then you have the distilling method that is super easy, and very inexpensive. There are tons of websites out there that tells you how to do that step-by-step. Here is one that has is great and has more detailed information  https://interestingengineering.com/science/solar-water-still-the-no-cost-method-to-distill-pure-water

The basics are simple. If you live in an area with humidity, not only just digging down until you get to moist soil is sufficient, but you also need to make it deep enough to put a bucket or a container in it to catch the water in and it needs to be deep enough so that the rim of the bucket or container is about 3-5 inches below the surface of the ground. If you live in a dryer climate, you will have to line the bottom of the hole with freshly cut vegetation and/or soiled cloths and it can be soiled with anything (even if it’s soiled with urine). Put the bucket or container in the hole and cover the entire hole with clear plastic keeping it loose enough so that it sags and secure the edges. Get a small rock and put it in the middle so that it causes the plastic to dip inward in the middle creating a cone shape so that when the sun hits it and the condensation builds up on the inside of the plastic in the hole, it runs down the plastic to where the rock is and drips into the container.

You can also tape the mouths of 2 water bottles together, one with water in it that you cannot drink and one that is empty and tilt them so that the bottle with the undrinkable water is lower than the empty bottle. Its the same concept as the ground distill, when the sun hits them and the condensation builds up, it drips back down and it ends up in the empty bottle. Just keep in mind that distilled water doesn’t have natural minerals in it so mixing it with other purified water, infusing with lemon, ginger, cucumbers etc. or mineral tablets can be used to replace some of the minerals lost in the distilling process. Also, it does taste a little off because of the lack of minerals, so keep that in mind. Distilled water is great for first aid, so keeping some around for that reason should be a must. Just be careful how you store it and/or collect it in because it will pick up whatever compounds that make up the container its in and can contaminate it easier than just purified water.

How much water does one need? Well, about 1 gallon per person per day and storing about 2 weeks’ worth should be is a great place to start.

Storing water isn’t just finding whatever container you have laying around in your garage, it needs to be food quality containers. Empty water, juice or soda bottles and tea jugs are good provided that the containers are properly sealed up. Also, rotating your stored water every year is a good idea.

If you have a Zero Water water pitcher, it comes with a water meter that is good at measuring the impurities in water so that might be a good investment.

Please keep in mind that I am NOT a professional so do your own research. Space could be an issue regarding storing water so purification tablets and drops may also be the way to go or at least worth looking into.

Storing safe drinkable water is one of the most important survival things to learn. However, learning how to preserve food and what foods is the best to preserve is just as important.

That will be the focus of my next post so keep coming back to learn about this and many other valuable tips.  

DISCLAIMER:

Please remember, this blog is for entertainment purposes only and you should consult a professional before utilizing any of my content. I am not responsible for any damages to oneself, other people or property if you choose to ignore this disclaimer. Use at your own risk!