Nowadays, most people have prepared survival kits inside their homes to use during artificial or natural disasters. Such kits include food, medicine, clothes, gear, and water.
The water supply will be the first to deplete in an emergency, and finding clean drinking water can be challenging. Water is the most important supply human beings must have, and people will die if they do not have it for three days.
Various water sources exist, including lakes, creeks, and streams. However, these can be filled with bacteria and other harmful viruses, making people sick.
If gas and electricity are unavailable, you must find alternative methods to convert dirty water into a safe drinking liquid. Thus, learning how to purify water is essential for survival.
This article discusses several methods for filtering water without electricity. This is helpful in survival situations, especially if you are out in the wild.
Sources of Water that need to be purified
Due to rapid population growth, modern water sources are contaminated with chemicals and other waste materials. Even if the water looks crystal clear, drinking it is never safe.
Here are some water sources outside your homes that need purifying.
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Hot tubs
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Lakes or reservoir
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Mountain streams
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Old capped wells
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Rainwater
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Springs
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Swimming pools
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Well water
Off-Grid Water Filtration Methods
Boiling
One of the oldest techniques in purifying water is boiling. Preparing a pot or stainless container to boil the water during an emergency is best.
First, start a fire and put the pot over the flames. Let the water boil for about ten minutes so the bacteria will die in the heat of the flames.
Calcium Hypochlorite
One product you can use today is Calcium Hypochlorite. This chemical can help you purify water in an emergency. If you keep it in a cool, dark place, it can last up to 10 years.
Calcium Hypochlorite is also known as ‘pool shock’ because a single amount of it can disinfect up to 10,000 gallons of water.
When buying one, choose one with at least 68% calcium hypochlorite on it.
Add one teaspoon of chlorine to produce clean water to two gallons of water. Allow the solution to dissolve until it produces a chlorine solution. Next, add the solution to your drinking water at a ratio of 1:100 (one solution to 100 parts water or approximately one pint to 12.5 gallons of water).
You can aerate it to remove the foul chlorine odor. To do this, pour the water back and forth between two containers. You can also try a pool test kit to ensure that the water doesn’t have too many chemicals in it.
Chlorine Bleach or Clorox
Chlorine bleach is one of the common household products which can be used to disinfect water. However, be sure to use it moderately and on these amounts only:
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Four drops per quart of Chlorine bleach in every 10 ppm of clear water. Increase the amount to 8 drops if the water is cloudy.
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Adding 16 drops of chlorine bleach can yield 10ppm per gallon of clear water.
After the chlorine has been in the water for about 15 minutes, you should smell a slight odor. If there is no odor, you can add more chlorine.
Subsequently, the chlorinated bleach will lose its strength in the water. After one year, it will lose its power again, so double the dosage.
Ensure that you won’t use scented bleach or those with additives because they can affect your health.
The water in most cities in the United States already contains chlorine, so adding more chlorine is unnecessary when storing it.
Chlorine cannot kill all other germs or bacteria in the liquid. As such, it won’t eliminate Giardia or Cryptosporidium, and you need to boil the water or use tablets to make it safe for drinking.
Also, it lacks oxygen if the water smells bad after a few years of storage. You can pour it back and forth between two containers until it tastes better. If you are still unsure if the water is safe for drinking, you can boil it. Remember, water will not rot, unlike food.
Disinfecting Water With Solar (SODIS)
When clean water is scarce, especially in the wild, you can disinfect it using PET bottles and the sunlight.
First, pour the liquid into PET bottles and expose it under the sun's heat for six hours if the sky is bright or at least 50% cloudy. However, if the weather is not good, you must put the bottle under the sun for two consecutive days.
PET bottles or clear glass bottles are best for this technique. With this, you can use solar energy to kill the pathogenic microorganisms in the liquid, which can cause waterborne diseases when taken into the body.
Avoid using PVC bottles because they contain UV stabilizers, which can block solar radiation. PVC bottles have a slightly bluish color on them.
DIY Water Filters
You can also make your version of water filters using the materials around you. One method involves using activated carbon, cotton balls, gravel, and sand.
To do this, gather all the materials and layer by layer in a bottle or container. Pour the water you wish to filter to have a safe drinking liquid for yourself.
Hot Rocks
You can use hot rocks if you don’t have a clean pot or container during disasters.
To do this, build a flame using logs or any wood. Then, throw a few rocks on the fire and let it sit there for about 30 minutes until it becomes hot.
Next, gloves or protective material protect the hot rocks from the fire. Place the hot rocks in your water container. It is best if the vessel is glass and not plastic because the hot rocks will dissolve and damage it.
The hot rocks also heat the water, kill the bacteria, and make it safe for drinking.
Pasteurization
Another classic method of distilling water and making it safe for drinking is pasteurization. This method, discovered in the 19th century, kills the microbes in the drink. To do this, you must heat the water to 149 degrees Fahrenheit for several minutes.
You can use a WAPI or Water Pasteurization Indicator to check if the pasteurization successfully occurred. WAPIs are small plastic tubes with industrial-grade wax that melt whenever the liquid is heated to over 150 degrees Fahrenheit for over fifteen seconds.
Pasteurization is an effective method. However, it cannot remove all water contaminants, such as salts, heavy metals, and other chemicals.
Pump Water Purifiers
With the advancement of science and technology, various products can purify drinking water without electricity. One such product is a pump water purifier.
It has many uses, whether you are hiking for leisure or have an emergency. Meanwhile, various pump water purifiers are available, from small, portable models to those that can pump several liters of water instantly.
The smaller versions of pump water purifiers will require extra effort because you will be pumping all by yourself.
The bigger and more sophisticated versions of pump water purifiers will lessen the need for hand-pumping, enabling you to save energy when you need it the most in the wild.
Solar Silt
If you have difficulty starting a fire or don’t have enough logs or wood, use the sun’s rays instead of purifying the water and making it safe for drinking.
To do this, use a bowl or any container to hold the water. Next, put a smaller bowl or container inside which will not float.
Fill the big bowl with water and ensure that no other liquid will get inside the smaller or inner container.
Next, cover the entire bowl or container with a clear plastic tarp or wrap and secure it tightly with rubber, twine, or string. Then, put a rock or any other heavy object above the wrap and the inner bowl.
Position the bowl in a sunny location. This device evaporates water, but the plastic wrap traps it inside. The water forms under a rock or heavy object and drips into the smaller inner bowl. As such, any particles or dirt remain in the main container, and the water in the inner bowl is safe for drinking.
However, this method will take days to work fully. Thus, it is advised that this method be used along with other water-purifying techniques.
Tablets or Purification Drops
Some people hesitate to use tablets or purification drops, but these are some products to purify water during emergencies.
Although iodine tablets can taste bitter, this method is affordable, fast, and convenient. Drop one iodine tablet into a quart of water, releasing eight ppm (parts per million) of iodine.
When the water is cloudy, you can use two tablets of iodine. After adding the tablets, you must wait at least 15 minutes; if the water is cold, you must wait 30 minutes.
Iodine tablets are not good at killing all germs and can adversely affect some people.
Meanwhile, drops or other tablets are available at most outdoor recreation stores near you.
Tree Branch Water Filter
In one of the recent studies of MIT published in PLOS One, it was found that you can filter water using the branches of a tree.
Tree tissue can effectively filter dyes and even bacteria. This is ideal for any emergency and communities living in remote areas without access to clean water.
However, more studies are needed to prove the efficiency of this method. Other areas need to be explored to make it safe for people worldwide.
Ultraviolet Purifier
Ultraviolet purifiers are available in stores around America. You can put These convenient options in your bags, especially during disasters.
It runs on batteries and can clean a liter of water in one minute. UV purifiers can also eliminate almost all contaminants and bacteria in the water.
To use this product, put the UV wand in the water container and hold it for one minute. When the signal lights up, the product has finished cleaning the water.
This product effectively removes unseen bacteria from the water. However, it cannot filter larger particles such as pebbles, dust, mud, and dirt.
Conclusion
In sum, water is the most important resource that you must have to survive during an emergency. The body is mostly water; without it, you’ll die.
When preparing for emergencies, pack water supplies and water purification products. These can be bought at local stores. Always read the labels and learn how to handle them properly.
Learning basic water distillation techniques, such as boiling, pasteurization, hot rocks, solar silt, and others, is also crucial. These survival skills can save your life and the lives of your family and friends.
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