4 Ways to Make Water Safe to Drink after a Disaster

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[josema]

Yup, treat water not only for drinking and cooking but also for cleaning injuries 👍

[BolinFoto]

My neighbor have a well on his property.
He got a letter from the government to send in a sample for testing to se if it's safe.
He took a sample from a well he knew was contaminated and sent that in.
And when I asked him why he said "Now they will take it off the list of emergency water sources".

[richardowens]

Thanks, for this video!

I would like to add a couple of ideas, if I may:

1 - An inexpensive water filter can be constructed using a standard 5 gallon bucket, gravel, sand, and some kind of pre-filter material like cloth or air conditioner filter material. Put a drain hole in the side of the bottom of the bucket a couple of inches above the bottom, so that any silt that makes it through the rest of the filter has a place to settle out. Then, place some gravel or rocks up to an inch or two above the drain hole. Then, place a piece of cloth over the top of the gravel or rocks so that it goes up the side of the bucket a bit. On top of the cloth, put some ordinary sand - up to a few inches below the top of the bucket. Then, place another piece of cloth on top of the sand and, if you have it, a cut section of air conditioner filter material.

This will give you an effective mechanical, gravity based filter system to get out most of the particulate matter in any water you might find. And, it will filter thousands of gallons of water. Just pour your untreated water into the top of the filter and capture the filtered water from the drain hole. Of course, you then must boil or otherwise treat the water for bacteria, viruses, and parasites that might make it through the filter. If available, you can also add a layer of carbon - activated carbon, charcoal briquets that have not been soaked with starter fluid, or even burned remains from campfires - at the bottom of the filter.

2 - Mix up a batch of Lugol's Iodine solution (5%). The nice thing about Lugol's Iodine solution is that it is water based and contains no alcohol, like a tincture of iodine might contain. That means, it can actually be taken orally in small doses (1ml-2ml in a dropper daily) to fight off bacteria, viruses, and parasites that may have already been ingested, as well as protect from any that might make it through the filtration process. There are no known pathogens that can withstand iodine. And, iodine is an essential element for the human immune system, responsible for the production of T3 and T4 immune cells. Furthermore, excess iodine in your system (within reason) naturally ends up in mucous membranes in the lungs and sinus cavities - where most airborne pathogens find entry into the human body. Use about 8 drops of Lugol's Iodine (5%) to treat a gallon of water intended for consumption.

A whole gallon of Lugol's Iodine (5%) can be made easily in your kitchen using only distilled water, elemental iodine pellets, and potassium iodide for about $120 - versus up to $20 per ounce already prepared and sold on ebay. And, videos are available here on YouTube that show exactly how to make it in just a few minutes. You will, of course, also need a dark colored GLASS bottle to store the finished product. And, the bottle top should be made of a chemical resistant material and NOT metal. Also, be aware that iodine WILL eventually break down the typical rubber dropper, so keep droppers separate from your stored smaller containers of iodine, until you need them.

I can think of no better single medical substance to have on hand in an emergency than Lugol's Iodine solution. It's FAR better than antibiotics, anti-parasitics, and even alcohol, when it comes to protecting yourself from infections or treating wounds.

Between the filter described above and Lugol's Iodine (5%), you should be able to provide potable water to even groups of people. Hope this helps!

[reaneya]

I got a mini sawyer 6 months back and am happy I never had to use it.

[edgecrusher]

As someone who lives near the ocean, I've been learning how to distill seawater and stockpiling electrolyte packs.

[LSFprepper]

I have a homemade berkey I made from carbon filters and food grade 5gal buckets. I can only store about 50 gallons currently but working on a few plans to catch rainwater. especially for the garden and for emergencies.

[deedieducati]

Oh Cris!!! I evacuated for hurricane Ida, which passed less than 25 miles from my house. I came back once the power was restored 10 days later, but we were still under a "Boil water order" in our area. Many people couldn't even move back into their houses due to the roof damage they sustained. I have two buildings on my property, one being my house. The house is only missing a few shingles, but the other building, a studio, sustained the brunt of the wind. That roof and siding is destroyed.

Anyway, I boiled the water from the kitchen faucet for 3 minutes in a large pot on my gas stove and then let it sit to cool. Once cooled, I ran it through an ultramax Brita filter, put the proper amount of peroxide in and it was just fine. I also made sure to allow the faucet to run for a while since the water was sitting in the pipes for a long time.

I hadn't quite gotten to the point of buying one of the filters that you are showing here. I've been prepping for such a short time compared to many others. I DO have a years supply of food stored, canned and dried, and I've been storing water in the bottom of my closet for about 6 months now. I have grown potatoes, broccoli, spinach, onions, garlic, carrots and peppers for a couple of years now. They are in 5 gallon food-grade containers so I can bring them in during freezes (which is not every year) or if the SHTF and I wanna hide my stock. I also have a plethora of seeds, lemon trees, satsuma trees. I have a solar generator and I ordered that Minuteman K Rocket Stove from one of your videos. I have a rainwater barrel, which I just got before the hurricane, so it was not set up yet. and lots of baby-steps.

Keep the great info coming in. You are a HUGE help to others who WANT to prep but aren't sure what to do or where to start. So THANK YOU!!!! -Deedie

[TheWtfnonamez]

The best single drink of water I have ever had was from a Welsh mountain stream. I was exhausted, and desperately needed a drink. The water was crystal clear, ice cold, and tasted like heaven. I probably remember this moment all these years later because on a primal level my body needed water and that need was met.
Two minutes later my guide was saying "how the do you know there isnt a sheep rotting a hundred yards upstream?" Then he shouted at me about the amoeba and parasites. I guess the moral of the story is that you CAN get away with anything if you are lucky, but when it comes to water you need to be responsible.
Welsh stream water tasted damn good mind.

[Mike_]

I finally gotta say... Your stock footage is always so great!

[trevordelarosa]

Great video like always man. I've bought a couple of life straws as a precautionary measure but after watching this video I realize I REALLY need to step up my game. Thank you for the insight and great information 👍🏻

[MG.]

My primary filters for mobile scenarios (backpacking to bugout) are the Katadyn Vario and their older Pocket, both of which are hand pumped filters. Each is only good to 0.2um (um = microns or micrometers), so that is always a consideration. At 0.2um cysts, protozoa, and most if not all bacteria should be blocked, but not the much smaller viruses. Katadyn makes a refillable external inline carbon filter mainly for the pocket model, but it can work with pretty much any pumped (or possibly gravity action - I don't know) filter as an external carbon stage. I am experimenting with using a Sawyer inline filter as a "prefilter", but I expect its low flow rate to be a serious stressor on the pump mechanism. Sawyer filters are purely mechanical, so they provide no removal of dissolved chemicals or heavy metals. That is what carbon stages are for. Same is true of the Katadyn Pocket filter with the exception that it's ceramic filter is impregnated with silver which is antibacterial (kills bacteria) by its nature. Any purely mechanical filter needs a (preferably refillable) carbon stage added to remove dissolved chemicals and heavy metals. Carbon bonds with more elements than anything else, so it effectively soaks up these contaminants. It also gets saturated eventually and must be replaced with fresh ACTIVATED CHARCOAL. Regular campfire charcoal will not work very well if at all. Look up how to make activated charcoal.
Note that Sawyer makes an inline 0.01um filter, their "Point Zero One" model. At this absolute filtration size, even a mechanical filter blocks viruses. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the infection termed COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease - 2019), is about 46nm (0.046um) in diameter. As a comparison, the "gold standard" mask with NIOSH N95 rating guarantees blocking 95% of all particles 0.300um and larger. The best analogy I have heard for using this mask against SARS-CoV-2 (or any other virus) is like building a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes. Other masks (surgical masks open on the sides, cotton masks, etc) are far less effective than this. Viruses do not have the ability to move, so they "hitch a ride" on larger particles, e.g. dust, bacteria, or liquid ejected be sneezing or coughing. These particles ARE blocked to some degree by almost all the masks, so masks ARE effective for sick people with symptoms.
The only thing I know of that will totally and consistently block viruses are the military grade CBRN / NBC military gas mask filters. Even that mask requires a tight mask-skin bond, so they do not work with beards or even heavy "five o'clock shadow".
My most recent acquisition, which I have not tried yet, is the Survivor hand pump filter. It has 0.01um absolute mechanical filtration by default and an internal carbon stage. Both the mechanical filter and carbon filter are modular units. These are easily replaceable, but not refillable by design. I'm looking at that, but in the mean time I purchased as many spares of both types as reasonable by cost versus space to carry them.
My ultimate filter goal is a man-portable reverse osmosis (RO) system with good particulate and carbon prefilters. These are usually motorized, depending on about 40psi pressure on the membrane. A hand pump might be able to achieve this, but because of the size and weight plus pressure requirements that suggest an electric pump, this is more likely a bugout vehicle accessory. I work on the man-portable design as time allows. Being a retired electronics engineer and currently studying biochemistry helps.

[rogerholland]

Always love your videos. Thanks so much for taking the time to write, produce, and share them! As far as my water readiness, I have 30 gallons of stored water and a Sawyer filter as backup for me, my wife, and our dog.

[skapunkoialternativeliving]

Actually instead of spending $300 on a Berkeley.. you can actually make your own. I did that myself and save a lot of money. just buy the filters by themselves and get a bucket and make your own.. DIY is the way to go guys I'm telling you .I did it you can do it too.

[Gingerouz]

I Keep 21 gallons stored and have a waterbasic emergancy 60 gallon reservoar with pump and filter. Also I have a saywer and a befree for backpacking and last I have some water purification tablets. Can't have more water stored then I have for I live in an apartment. Great video

[heartofdixieprepping]

I got my Sawyers last night. (Mini) & (one gallon with the bag)

[jimcalifwin]

Good material. I have some for home, BOB. My commute Jeep has 5 gallon jug ( partially filled), one gallon H20 pure, 2-3 liters(chilled )depending outside temperature(some days over 105 deg.) also 1 day of can food.
Here in central California flowing water is almost gone and questionable purity. Thanks for your suggestions. I always forget Coffe filters and tablets. Definitely will buy pool shock. Thanks

[fireboltaz]

I used to pack Desalination pumps in survival kits that were attached to life rafts, which mainly filtered salt water

[dcez]

I have a Sawyer Mini water filter with a straw. Highly recommended.

[CascadiaPrepper]

My plan for home is Berkey filtration followed by SteriPen UV treatment. But this is motivating me to take another look at what I keep in my car.

[jeanettemariaperez-marrero]

Living in Puerto Rico, with hurricane seasons and recent earthquakes, there is always cases of water under the stairs and a second safe location in case of an earthquake. Buyout bags are checked every two months, replenished with fresh snacks, water, meds and humidity packs. These can be affected by the humidity and heat, so frequent checking us necessary. A site we have in case of needing to camp out is also checked for cleanliness of brush and such, so it's ready on moment's notice. Rain barrels are maintained for bathing and flushing purposes, food supplies are replenished every time there's shopping to be done. Use something from the emergency stash, replace. It keeps stuff fresh, full of the things we use on a daily basis, such as rice, dry beans, soda crackers, cooking oil, tuna, canned chicken, peanut butter, jelly. Having bananas, fruit trees and root veggies in the backyard all year long is a good thing. A small garden for two is kept in a corner and yields enough to share with family and a few trustworthy neighbors. It never hurts to be prepared.