Using a milbank, Advice needed please...

[BushTucker]

Hi all

After a recent excursion and water hunting, I thought a milbank may have been useful as i have heard that they basicaly filter muddy water to remove the particles of **** and sand from water passing through it.

My question is, besides having to ensure that it is fully soaked prior to use and that the first batch of water from it is discarded, is there anything else you need to do, fill with filter sand, or leaves to remove the particles or does it just work as is??

Many thanks

Don

 

[Treeclipper]

Just works as is , u need to boil or treat water after.
Didn't know you had to discard the 1st lot though , I thought u filled to top & discarded down to black line then use the rest.

Tree

 

[bikething]

Have you got the instruction label attached to yours ???

mine reads as follows:

1. Soak the bag thoroughly by squeezing underwater
2. Fill the bag to the top with water to be filtered
3. Hang up, and allow water to run to waste down to the level of the black line.
4. Place water bottle under bag and fill. This should take about 5 minutes
5. Afterwards, wash any mud off the bag and replace in pocket.
6. Sterilize water in waterbottle, using tablets from sterilizing outfit.
N.B. If filling is slow, repeat soaking and squeezing under water.

HTH
Steve

 

[Al Pine]

Far from me to advise but I have used the milbank as is and did not need extra filtration....
I used mine on a Birch wood hillside, the water was running through rocks and soil just under the surface so it was quite filtered when it reached me but it was a bit cloudy then a drop of iodine then drank it no problem......If I have any doubts I just boil the hell out of it...............Gaz.

 

[BushTucker]

Thanks guys

I dont as yet have a millbank, but thought that at the time, one would have been usefull.

 

[boots12]

The last one i used, water had a yellow tint when filtered, still drank as was thirsty. No harm done but then i have drank some things i would never try again and pay £or

 

[Still Waters]

I used the millbank bags whilst on exercise whilst i was in the forces.
I would reccomend them to every one.
They aint quick or the state of the art technology but they do exactly what they say on the tin(Bag)

My advice is soak them in any water thats available(it swells the material)
Then hang on a stick,tent pole,tree or what ever is available.
Put your water recepticle underneath and fill the bag with water from the top.
The water that drains out please dont discard it but put it back into the bag.
I do this 5 times.

All you have to do then is boil it or add puritabs and you have good quality drinking water.

(i preffer a good rolling boil for 3 mins)

 

[nickg]

In uk you should ALWAYS either boil or chemically treat the water after the bag. We just dont take enough care of our countryside not to need this. The bag will remove turbidity ie particle matter suspended in the water but it will NOT sterilise the water. Boiling or any form of puritabs etc will do this adequately,
Brand new bags will give the water a yellow/green tint, its perfectly safe but looks wrong, its just the remnants of the green dye in the cloth. Best way to get rid if it is to stick it in the wash 3 or 4 times before use, it wont harm the function of the bag, in fact it improves it believe it or not.
The bags are just acting as really fine filters, nothing more that that, and work best once they are really soaked thoroughly.

Cheers
Nick

 

[8thsinner]

I find my mill bag more convenient if you have a sourcce of water or know that you will have one, because unless you have larger amounts of water available and preferably running theres not actually much point in having it with you.
And it used to be in Newcastle (northern ireland) you could drink straight from the stream from the third bridge up on donard side without risk, did it for years but your right even now I wouldn't do that now a days.

the yellow you got might have simply been from cheaper dyes on the bag, I would give it another try after a bleaching or seriously hot and long wash.

 

[moccasintracks]

Can ya'll explain what a mill bag is and how it works?

Is it something one makes or is it purchased?

Links?

Thanks, Around here I use a Berkley, but it certainly isn't portable.

In field I filter and boil or add pills to it.

 

[tommy the cat]

Moccasintracks its just a smallish bag that is of a pretty fine material that the army used to filter out water. Kinda like a hessian bag but finer. It is simply a means of filter...however, they orignally came with iodine drops and a (taste) neutraliser to purify filtered water. Mine didnt and I got it off ebay from a link off here cost about £3 however, can be a lot dearer with iodine etc.
Dave

 

[bikething]

Can ya'll explain what a mill bag is and how it works?.

have a look here (courtesy of Wayland )

 

[spamel]

It's a fine weave canvas bag. You soak it so that the fibres swell and the holes between the weave then get smaller still. It removes sediment, leaves and twigs, sheep poo and bugs from the water leaving you with cleanish water. It's not gonna be tap water clear unless you got the initial water from a clear source.

You then need to treat the water with a chemical or by boiling to kill any micro organisms that may be swimming about inside.

The millbank is good, but it will not remove chemicals or heavy metals washed into the water from crops in surrounding fields. This is the one big danger in british waterways that cannot be overcome without a more complicated filtration system. Boiling will no affect them, in fact it will strengthen the solution as water is driven off as steam.

 

[GreenmanBushcraft]

As everyone says, soak, discard the first lot of water and then soak and filter from that point one, but always be sure to boil or treat the good old H20 afterwards.

Kris

 

[moccasintracks]

Thanks for the info.

I have used a tripod and tee shirt to filter stuff, but I prefer to use a

Katy dyne filter (spelling?) and then still boil or treat with pills.

There are lots of springs around here that are safe, but paranoid that I am I always boil it at least and / or add the iodine pills

I think the brand is "water pure" that I have.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for the advice guys I will take all advice when I use my new mill bank bag, it did come with instructions, but it is nice to get advice from people who have used them before.

 

[abushcrafter]

(i preffer a good rolling boil for 3 mins)

:yo:
wom (wast of money) the greams are killed when you reach a good rolling boil


_________10 out of_10_______

1. Soak the bag thoroughly by squeezing underwater
2. Fill the bag to the top with water to be filtered
3. Hang up, and allow water to run to waste down to the level of the black line.
4. Place water bottle under bag and fill. This should take about 5 minutes
5. Afterwards, wash any mud off the bag and replace in pocket.
6. Sterilize water in waterbottle, using tablets from sterilizing outfit.
N.B. If filling is slow, repeat soaking and squeezing under water.

so thats what it says

 

[andy_e]

You've probably seen this before, but just in case ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-gk2C_9ORk&feature=related

... is Andrew from Dryad Bushcraft discussing water filtration/purification, he covers the use of Millbank bags, useful for people like me who like to see a thing being done.

 

[Still Waters]

:yo:
wom (wast of money) the greams are killed when you reach a good rolling boil


_________10 out of_10_______




so thats what it says

Slightly confused on what your trying to say there abushcrafter ??

 

[abushcrafter]

this is what i am saying http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/how-long-do-you-need-to-boil-water/