Proven Water Treatment Methods (Survival Article)

"No fire. No shelter. No food. Except in the most extreme cases, doing without these won't kill you... at least not quickly. But nothing compares in seriousness to the lack of water. "

On my Last post: Update: 1 week I got feedback from @looking4thetruth, who was interested in my articles about survival and preparedness. I had planned to post some articles on Gardening and Homesteading this weekend, but they can wait. I take feedback from my Followers as a priority, since I am not writing to hear myself, but to actually share something of value, not a verbal diarrhea like most steemit posts are.

Other day I was on @dayleeo page, who was talking about "SteriPEN - Make water drinkable with UV light!". I have researched this product before and I did make a comment about it. Which made me think that this Topic should be covered more. Because Water💧 IS very important to your Survival. You can define Survival however you want, but it's simply: You Really need it and You don't have it. This article can be applied both for home and on the go.

As a rule for the guns: Treat every gun as if it is loaded. Same with Water: Treat All Water Sources As If They Are Dangerous To Your Health! We are dealing with Unknowns. That river, pond, stream, rain water puddle... looks clean. But...

...Yes. Looks can be deceiving. Sure, there's exceptions like Bottled water and tap water (at least in my neck of the woods.) That's just common sense. But, That might not always be available. Let's talk Options, to deal with Unknowns.

What you need to have:

1)Stored water:

Small bottles are more practical, but you can also use barrels for storing more quantity. I can tell you from experience those 2 and 1.5 liter soda bottles are very handy for washing your hands, preparing food, etc. Try washing the plates or brushing your teeth with a gallon bottle or jerry can and you’ll see what I mean. This is the essential water supply you have in spite of nearby water sources or even a water well already in place. The well may break, dry out, get polluted. You may be too weak to walk down to the stream, maybe injured, it might be too cold, too dangerous. Again, water stored in place. What you have is what you can count on during a disaster, the rest is a bonus. Translated: Have some Water.

2) Means of purifying water:

Filter through hollow fiber membrane filter* + Boil** = Clean water
Filter through hollow fiber membrane filter* + Chlorine Dioxide** = Clean water

[This will capture bacteria, protozoa and kill viruses]
*SAWYER mini (hollow fiber membrane filter) removes 99.99999% of all harmful bacteria including E. coli, salmonella and bacteria which causes cholera and typhoid. Removes 99.9999% or protozoa such as cryptosporidium and giardia. (Hollow fiber membrane filter will not remove Viruses and Chemicals)
**Both Boiling and Chlorine Dioxide will kill bacteria, protozoa and viruses. Boiling might take up to 10 min. While Chlorine Dioxide will have to work on water for 4 hours until it kills all Viruses.

If the water is all rainbows and smelling from chemicals, I would suggest finding different source. Only carbon filter is able to remove chemicals, but they have short lifespan.

Most of the time, I would just boil the water. That’s good enough. If I suspect the water source might have been contaminated by deer poo :D who wants to drink deer poo? Then I will filter it and boil it. Chlorine Dioxide is good back up, just in case you can’t make fire. Throw it in and let it sit for 4 hours.
Also to mention Iodine based purification tablets, they will kill Bacteria and Viruses, but only somewhat effective against Protozoa and Giardia and not effective against Cryptosporidium. Though filter will take care of that. Also Iodine will make water taste funny, but so will Chlorine Dioxide. So, it’s your call.

3)Having a source of water

Also lessons learned from Ukraine and other places say that water runs out (meaning you can't find it anywhere, besides the city water being shutdown or destroyed), even if you have all the filters and tablets, you need actual water to purify it. So, storing water might be not a bad idea and knowing were to get water will be life saving.

Tip: Activated charcoal tablets can be taken after drinking questionable water or eating questionable food. I use it mainly for diarrhea treatment. Charcoal has the unique ability to absorb harmful toxins and not release those toxins. I think it’s a must have item. Also it’s pretty cheap, so I see no excuse why not to have it.

Tip 2: In picture with Water Filter, you see coffee filter. Use this to filter particles Before water gets into your water filter.

Tip 3: Ceramic filter will get damaged if you let them freeze with water inside. To avoid it, keep it close to your body heat in a plastic bag during winter adventures.

Hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. These are not the only methods of purifying and making water drinkable. But for me they are easiest and safest. Any suggestions are welcome in Comments and Always do your own research before putting your life on the line.