Purifying water methods and treatments

Proper hydration is important, especially during outdoor activities. If you are up for outdoor activity, carrying enough water for multiple days can seriously weigh you down. At the same time, the more you hear the waterborne nasties, the warier you become. So, what can be the best option to consider here? Water purification is the ultimate answer to this. If you have contaminated water and cannot access bottled water, don't worry.

Different methods and treatments are available out there for water purification that you can use.

Different methods and treatments for water purification

It is highly important to treat and purify your water before drinking. Here we’ve listed some of the most important methods and treatments you must know.

So, here you go:

Boiling

Boiling water to purify it; is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to consider. Water sources at times may make your water unsafe to drink. For instance, germs and parasites are things that you can’t see with naked eyes. However, the presence of these things in water can be life-threatening.

Therefore, it’s highly important to bring the water to a boil before drinking it. This practice can help you have clean and drinkable water as a result.

Bring your water to boil and keep it at a rolling boil for up to 3 minutes at least. However, if you have gotten water from a high-altitude location, you must boil it for a bit longer.

You should cover your boiled water properly and leave it to get cool before drinking.   

Get a Puribag water filtration packet to purify water.

Filtering your water is another easier way to get purified water for drinking. A Puribag water filter packet can be the best way to get safe water for drinking. This is basically a closed water treatment solution with a charcoal filter and P&G purifier. Most importantly, this complete kit includes everything you need to collect and treat water quickly.

With a Puribag water filter packet, you can treat multiple water problems. These include:

• Lead
• Viruses
• Sediment
• Cysts
• Protozoan
• Humic Acid
• Bacteria
• Arsenic

This can be a great water purification solution for all your outdoors. Amazingly, it can carry up to 10 liters of water, which makes it great for camping. Designed for immediate response to water needs and

Using ULTRAPRESS PURIFIER

Having a water purifier is one of the best methods of water purification. Most commonly, water purifiers utilize the multi-level process for water filtration. As a result, these tools are efficient and highly effective in removing most of the impurities and chemicals from water.

GRAYL ultra-press purifier is an easy-to-use and compact water purifier you can have. It doesn’t need any setup and can purify up to 3L water per minute. So, you can easily consider this to get purified and safe drinking water.

Chlorination

Chlorine is another powerful water purification treatment that has been practiced for longer. This is an effective solution to kill germs, bacteria, and other microorganisms from water. You can use chlorine as tablets or liquid to purify water.

Additionally, chlorine is a cheap and effective off-the-shelf solution for water purification.

Distillation

Here we have another water purification method that uses heat sources. It collects purified water in vapor form. This is a suitable water purification treatment based on scientific facts. Water generally has a lower boiling point than contaminations and impurities. In Distillation, water is exposed to a heat source to let it attain its boiling point. Then it is left at that boiling point to vaporize. These vapors are directed to the condenser to cool and reserve as drinking water. This water purification treatment is time-consuming and requires a proper setup. Therefore, it is comparatively less suitable than other water purification methods enlisted here for a time of disaster.

Solar Purification

This water purification method is an alternative to UV filtration. The solar purification method involves the sun’s UV radiations to treat water. In this process, you can fill a bottle with water. Shake it thoroughly for oxygen activation and then leave it in the sunlight horizontally.

This method can effectively kill viruses and bacteria in the water to make it safe for consumption.

Survival Straws

One of the lightest, smallest, and most portable tools for water purification is Survival Straw. This straw style of water purifier has hit the market lately. These straws can be used as drinking straws also. Fortunately, survival straws can get fit anywhere.

You can connect it to a drain valve to clean up your water. You can also fit these straws onto the garden hose.

These survival straws usually contain an activated carbon element for filtration. This element can filter out pathogens and large bacteria. These can also help you get rid of odors and odd flavors from water.

Portable water filter

Two major types of filters currently available include suction or drip filters and pump-action filters.

• The pump action filters use a pump to force raw water via a filter cartridge.
• On the other hand, suction filters utilize gravity drip action. These may be placed on the hoses of the hydration bladder. In this mechanism, the consumer just sucks water through the filter when needed.

Most of these filters have a capacity of pumping a quart per minute. If time isn't your main concern, you can opt for the suction filters to purify water anywhere.

Using chemicals to purify water

Iodination is one of the most common chemical treatments to purify water for drinking. Iodine is a red-colored chemical that is easily available in the form of a liquid or a tablet. This chemical is highly powerful because it can kill viruses and bacteria quickly. However, avoiding a huge amount is important because it can add an odd taste to the water. Overuse of iodine can be harmful as well.

You should use this purifying water method only when you don’t have access to any other option.

Final Verdict:

Finding and purifying water to fulfill your drinking water supply is one of the most important things to prioritize in survival conditions. Regardless of the crisis in which you are, you can use different methods to get purified and safe water for drinking. Finding a water source in the wild can be easier. However, you can turn water from any source into drinking water by using purifying methods mentioned above.

Image by Bruno Henrique from Pixabay