Good info on disinfecting water for cheap!!!

[4gunfun]

Treat up to 10,000 gallons of water for $3 with pool shock (Calcium Hypochlorite) and stores easy for long periods. Go to Wal Mart and buy a bag or two for your bob. http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-use-calcium-hypochlorite-to-disinfect-water/

[StagLefty]

Good info-bleach degrades especially after opening. [Beer]

[ShooterJM]

Good info, thanks!

[Irving]

I have this stuff for our fish tank that dechlorinizes and neutralizes heavy metals for fish. Would it be something to bleach your water, then de-bleach it and neutralize the heavy metals? It is just store bought Aqua safe. After cleaning stuff with bleach, I put some on my hands to get rid of the bleach smell. Works pretty well I think.

[StagLefty]

I have this stuff for our fish tank that dechlorinizes and neutralizes heavy metals for fish. Would it be something to bleach your water, then de-bleach it and neutralize the heavy metals? It is just store bought Aqua safe. After cleaning stuff with bleach, I put some on my hands to get rid of the bleach smell. Works pretty well I think.

I'd get some product info and make sure it's safe for human ingesting. Just in case ya know.

[jerrymrc]

I have a case put away. ;) Bought it on year end closeout a few years back. It has other uses as well. Actually I have I think 10 bags left and mine is the 47% stuff so 1 tsp per gallon to make bleach. Way cheaper than buying it.

[Irving]

Anyone ever heard of the AquaSafe straw? It is supposed to be good for 500 liters of water. http://www.aquasafestraw.com/

[4gunfun]

I have this stuff for our fish tank that dechlorinizes and neutralizes heavy metals for fish. Would it be something to bleach your water, then de-bleach it and neutralize the heavy metals? It is just store bought Aqua safe. After cleaning stuff with bleach, I put some on my hands to get rid of the bleach smell. Works pretty well I think.
The chlorine dissipates pretty fast, don't think you need to worry about treating it again. Just need to filter it if it's muddy. The straw is kinda cool but $50 for storing?

[Irving]

I didn't catch the $50 for storing part. What does that mean? I thought it was only $39.99.

[Anton]

Here's the MSDS...

http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C1447.html

"Corrosive to the eyes, skin, respiratory and digestive tracts." Don't know how dilute it would need to be to be safe but I'm not sure I would want to ingest it anyway.

[StagLefty]

Here's the MSDS...

http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C1447.html

"Corrosive to the eyes, skin, respiratory and digestive tracts." Don't know how dilute it would need to be to be safe but I'm not sure I would want to ingest it anyway.

More good info-that's why I stick to stuff that is specifically designed for purifying "drinking water". [Beer]

[Jeff350]

Here's the MSDS...

http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C1447.html

"Corrosive to the eyes, skin, respiratory and digestive tracts." Don't know how dilute it would need to be to be safe but I'm not sure I would want to ingest it anyway.

You trust good ol' Uncle Sam right?

EPA Emergency Drinking Water Recommendations (http://water.epa.gov/drink/emerprep/emergencydisinfection.cfm)


You can use granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water.
Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately ¼ ounce) for each two gallons of water, or 5 milliliters (approximately 7 grams) per 7.5 liters of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 milligrams per liter, since the calcium hypochlorite has available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 ounces) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water or (approximately ½ liter to 50 liters of water) to be disinfected. To remove any objectionable chlorine odor, aerate the disinfected water by pouring it back and forth from one clean container to another.

[Anton]

Obviously anything that will kill bacteria is bad for our cells too. That said, after seeing the MSDS, I'd try to find something slightly less corrosive.

[Wulf202]

Obviously anything that will kill bacteria is bad for our cells too. That said, after seeing the MSDS, I'd try to find something slightly less corrosive.
Seriously?

Have you checked the MSDS on coke syrup?

Cal hypo is good stuff for preps, somewhere I posted a youtube link earlier this year.

[Wulf202]

More good info-that's why I stick to stuff that is specifically designed for purifying "drinking water". [Beer]
Cal hypo is used in many cases by the municipalities for water treatment.

[Anton]

Have you checked the MSDS on coke syrup?

No. Because, to the best of my knowledge, there isn't one.

[Wulf202]

I have this stuff for our fish tank that dechlorinizes and neutralizes heavy metals for fish. Would it be something to bleach your water, then de-bleach it and neutralize the heavy metals? It is just store bought Aqua safe. After cleaning stuff with bleach, I put some on my hands to get rid of the bleach smell. Works pretty well I think.

There's no way to blanket neutralize all heavy metals out of drinking water without distillation.

Thiosulfate is what removes chlorine, UV light breaks it down as does oxygen. Dumping the water back and forth between containers or letting it sit in the sun for about a half hour with the lid off is all it takes.

[SNAFU]

10,000 gallons? going to carry it? Providing water for a couple hundred?
I'll keep to my Katadyn Pocket filter,,my Expedition and micropur tablets.
Easy enough to boil water while heating/cooking over a fire.
Not to mention having a good well.

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-micropur-micropur-mp1-purification-tablets/micropur-mp1-purification-tablets-package-of-30/

[4gunfun]

10,000 gallons? going to carry it? Providing water for a couple hundred?
I'll keep to my Katadyn Pocket filter,,my Expedition and micropur tablets.
Easy enough to boil water while heating/cooking over a fire.
Not to mention having a good well.

http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-micropur-micropur-mp1-purification-tablets/micropur-mp1-purification-tablets-package-of-30/
No, I'm gonna put a heaping teaspoon into 2 gallons and put it on a shelf. For the $14 plus shiping for 30 tablets will make 7.5 gallons of water which will last my family of 6 plus their spouses about a day. So if I want to say last 6 months $15 x 180 days = $2700. I'll spend the $5 on pool shock and the rest on food and other supplies. But to each their own.[Weight]

[Fentonite]

No, I'm gonna put a heaping teaspoon into 2 gallons and put it on a shelf. For the $14 plus shiping for 30 tablets will make 7.5 gallons of water which will last my family of 6 plus their spouses about a day. So if I want to say last 6 months $15 x 180 days = $2700. I'll spend the $5 on pool shock and the rest on food and other supplies. But to each their own.[Weight]

I like the way you think. [Beer]

[jerrymrc]

I knew that was coming. :)

[4gunfun]

Thanks Jeff350 and Fentonite. Just trying to help some good folk out. Didn't expect it to turn into a debate or pissing match. Use this info if you like or ignore it if you think it is poison. Information and education is goooooooood. Debating can be good too.

[SNAFU]

No, I'm gonna put a heaping teaspoon into 2 gallons and put it on a shelf. For the $14 plus shiping for 30 tablets will make 7.5 gallons of water which will last my family of 6 plus their spouses about a day. So if I want to say last 6 months $15 x 180 days = $2700. I'll spend the $5 on pool shock and the rest on food and other supplies. But to each their own.[Weight]

FYI,,I said I rely on my Pocket filter and Expedition filter.
I've also never paid more than $5 for 6 of the 30pack Micropur tablets.
But they are quite good for hiking/camping/backpacking/canoing.

[zoo9guy]

Thanks Jeff350 and Fentonite. Just trying to help some good folk out. Didn't expect it to turn into a debate or pissing match. Use this info if you like or ignore it if you think it is poison. Information and education is goooooooood. Debating can be good too.

Thanks for bringing this up, I spent sometime searching out more info on this and it seems to be the way to go! Keep your powder dry.

[ldmaster]

A corrosive chemical if there was one!

But all that aside, exactly where are we planning on getting the water to purify in the first place? We live in a semi-desert and it only SEEMS like there's water everywhere. The municipal ponds are almost all fed artificially.

I've been toying with putting one of those food-grade cubes they transport syrup in - like 300 gallons? In the garage.

One of the more likely terrorist attacks is a municipal water supply, specifically the treatment plant. We're in fairly safe country for earthquakes, but interruptions of the power grid put the water system down for the count too.

I've always wondered how hard it would be to dig a well without letting the city know I was doing it.

[Flower] Just sayin'!

[4gunfun]

Water in the city will be a problem just like food and gas if the SHTF. I have spent thousands preparing a place in the mtns. It has hurt my retirement plans and my budget imencely (sp) but I have piece of mind. My wife worries about water more than me. In the winter there is snow and runoff up there. In the summer it will be a little tougher. Large tarps to collect rain water is part of the plan.

[ldmaster]

I am an avid watcher of everything Alaskan on TV. Yeah it's not real knowledge, but a lot of it opens the eye - ya know?

Anyway, in one episode of one show the people trying to live "off the grid" attempted to use melted snow and ice to meet their water needs.

Turns out that snow comes in different types, some have a tremendous amount of air, and some do not. At higher elevations snow contains MORE air than lower elevations, then there is fluffy vs heavy, etc...

Anyways they spent an inordinate amount of time melting snow, and figured for a five gallon bucket of snow melted, they (in their conditions) could get about 2 inches of water in the bottom.

Turns out that converting snow to water takes a LOT of heat, the air content of the snow tends to insulate it and it takes longer to do.

This might be worth a dry run to determine how easy collecting snow for water would be in grid down situations.

[Irving]

NPR was running a news piece on people helping out in Haiti tonight, and they had a guy on who owns a company in Rocky Ford that makes some water purifying deal. I think it is called something like a SunSpring. Anyway, they cost like $25,000 but can purify so thousands of gallons a day for 10 years. The company has set up 19 of them in Haiti and they were saying that since 90% of the water is consumed, instead of used for watering lawns and washing cars, that each one is able to support thousands of people.

I should look it up and check it out.

EDIT: Link to an article. 4 gallons a minute.

http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/rocky-ford-company-donates-water-purifiers-to-haiti/

[cstone]

There was another story today on NPR related to Haiti this morning. When I heard it I thought of the guys on this board who are looking for opportunities to test/train in real world, post disaster circumstances.

Seems like humanitarian projects of the simple, basic needs kinds in Haiti would present some excellent opportunities. Most of the post disaster situations I can think of involve urban or semi-urban collapse of infrastructure type stuff. The best way not to have to defend yourself from the crazed masses who miss their creature comforts would be to help them restore access to fresh water, sanitation, shelter, and some power. Teach a man to fish kind of thing.

If you can't get something to work in Haiti today, maybe you might need to rethink how well it would work for you later, after a future disaster here in the States.

Train like you fight. Test yourself and your equipment in real world conditions.

[StagLefty]

Train like you fight. Test yourself and your equipment in real world conditions.

Absolutely !! There was a large post on another forum I go to that was pointing out how people nowadays buy stuff just to have it but have no idea how to use it or even what it's for. Having the latest Maxpedition pack,solar water filter,trauma medical kit etc. is not the answer in most real world situations.
It's also not real cost effective to buy some of the whistles and bells available on the internet ninja suppliers. [Beer]

[ldmaster]

maybe we should designate a couple of people each month to dream up a backcountry survival scenario, then the rest of us try to tough it out. Do it as a group and there's no real danger, and the lessons learned can be swiftly disseminated with a daily debrief.

But the Haiti thing, that aint survival, Haiti has been a third world cesspool for a few decades now - it's chronic and NOT a good training ground. While it would seem they might want to bootstrap themselves, they're a good example of how welfare kills the spirit of self-reliance - so many years now with multiple generations growing up in the conditions set by their kleptocrats and UN social welfare agencies.

I've ASKED about this kind of stuff, and the "agencies" dont want your time unless you're a doctor or engineer - they want your money.

sad

[Irving]

How does a 2.5 mile hike (as the crow flies) from a ski resort to a cabin sound? That's what I was planning to do sometime. I was going to just try and do it with a compass and topo map. The area I was going to do it in was some where I thought was pretty fool proof (for me).