What water can I use ?

[Knightfisher8]

What water can I use ?

If I was out for a trek and fancied a hot brew is it safe to use river/burn/loch water etc ?

Do you need to filter it after boiling ?

will it make me ill ?

k.

 

[FreddyFish]

Bringing water to a boil kills any organisms in it. Contrary to the advice given in many other sources, the water does not have to be boiled for “ten minutes plus a minute for every thousand feet above sea level” or for any of the other recommendations you may have read about! The time it takes to bring water to a boil and the temperature of the water when it boils is sufficient to kill Giardia, Cryptosporidium and any other water borne pathogens. Recognizing that the boiling point of water decreases as you climb higher the temperature at which the water boils is still hot enough to kill those organisms that might make you sick. Continuing to boil the water wastes fuel, evaporates the water and delays consumption. Overseas, especially in developing countries where river systems are still a frequent method of sewage disposal, boiling for a longer period of time (one or two minutes) is advisable. Keep in mind that being able to boil water to disinfect it is dependent on having fuel available to burn; a metal container to heat the water in and the time it takes to boil the water.

 

[fred gordon]

I suspect a lot depends on where you are. I have drunk from lochs, burns etc all over the Scottish Highlands and never suffered any ill effects. I think you have to take a common sense approach. Have a good look a way upstream. If there are no deer.sheep etc in the water it is probably OK. Are you near/below habitation? If yes then be careful. Are you out in the wilds miles from anywhere? Then you are likely to be OK. Beware of lochs in the summer. Many of them can have an algal bloom on them and some of its biproducts are toxic, they have killed dogs, for example. If, as you say, you are particularly interested in hot drinks then boiling the water for a while will do no harm. You can help the situation by burying all human waste a good distance from a water source and being careful about personal hygiene. If, after all this, you are still in doubt use sterilising tablets

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Bringing water to a boil kills any organisms in it. Contrary to the advice given in many other sources, the water does not have to be boiled for “ten minutes plus a minute for every thousand feet above sea level” or for any of the other recommendations you may have read about! The time it takes to bring water to a boil and the temperature of the water when it boils is sufficient to kill Giardia, Cryptosporidium and any other water borne pathogens. Recognizing that the boiling point of water decreases as you climb higher the temperature at which the water boils is still hot enough to kill those organisms that might make you sick. Continuing to boil the water wastes fuel, evaporates the water and delays consumption. Overseas, especially in developing countries where river systems are still a frequent method of sewage disposal, boiling for a longer period of time (one or two minutes) is advisable. Keep in mind that being able to boil water to disinfect it is dependent on having fuel available to burn; a metal container to heat the water in and the time it takes to boil the water.

Good info, would add if you can collect water from a flowing source and not a stagnant pool that would be better, I like to catch water as it cascades of a rock. that might just be me

 

[Elines]

Is there any reasonably simple/surefire method of checkiing for chemical pollution as opposed to biological hazards? Eg fertilizer run-off/pesticides.

 

[British Red]

Short answer is no on chemical pollution. Very unlikely in this country nowadays - more so in less developed areas.

One correction to FreddyFish's note. Boiling will indeed kill all organic matter, however bringing to the boil and removing instantly from the head might not be sufficient with cloudy water since the suspended particles may insulate organisms. Its fine for clear water.

I wrote an article here on all the purification methods that may help

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28811

Red

 

[Ogri the trog]

Is there any reasonably simple/surefire method of checkiing for chemical pollution as opposed to biological hazards? Eg fertilizer run-off/pesticides.

I doubt there is, as it would have to detect a veritable cocktail of contaminants as you've mentioned. Nothing short of prolonged testing at a laboratory would suffice - and even then you'd need a PHD to understand the results.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Elines]

On chemical pollution - thanks for the responses - I thought that was the case but worth checking.

 

[Knightfisher8]

thanks for the information , I have got some peace of mind now .

I was wondering if the water should be passed through filter paper first before drinking ?

 

[rik_uk3]

Good link here

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/how-long-do-you-need-to-boil-water/

 

[lannyman8]

you would only need to pre filter if the water was very dirty filled with grit or lots of sediment etc, this should be done before boiling really......

on chemicals in our rivers etc, some of the water pruification pumps can take some chemicals out with the charcoal/carbon filter, before the chemical traets the water, how effective this is,????who knows, i would not trust it on regular intival/period.......

hope this has helped a bit more.

chris...............................

 

[Knightfisher8]

cheers chris ! , I suppose it the more times its filtered the more clean it will be , im sure theres loads of filter paper available and doesnt take any time to do , im just always abit weiry etc and end up taking bottled water which ultimatley is just extra weight!

 

[JAG009]

I have drank straight from streams and burns in scotland in the past with no ill affects ,but now i use the katadyn pocket filter just to be safe its a bit pricey but well worth the money .

Jason

 

[Elines]

You might find the attached link of interest:

http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/WAPI

as it shows an indicator you can use to see if water has been heated (not boiled) enough to be (biologically) safe. (I think Cody Lundin refers to it in one of his books)

More generally the site is concerend with using the sun to 'fuel' solar cookers - not much use for us but interesting and the video makes some good points:

http://www.solarcookers.org/

like wondering why a technology that uses a free resource (the sun) isn't promoted more (surely it can't be because there isn't a profit in it??)

 

[billygoatscruff]

We wre taught to heat water and the instant it boils its ready.We were also taught to drink from a clear running stream/river if poss. and to take water from small waterfalls/runs as it's cleaner.Having drank from streams at home and in Scotland,i have never suffered any ill effects.Once the water may smelt a bit of cow dung,but we were on night manouvres.heh! I'm still alive.Personally i think all the purification malarky has gone too far.Tablets OK,but as a rough camper all the new hi-tec gear defeats the purpose.Clean,clear and boiled is the way to go.

 

[garethw]

We made lake tea fishing for years, even boiling water from the Grand Union canal... I stopped when I got very ill after drinking, apparently clean water, from the river Test. Since then I've always brought water or used potable tap water for my outdoor pursuits..
Due to weils disease I've even stopped washing up in the lakes and rivers..(two of my mates have caught this, very nasty disease.)

I still think, and what I read backs this up, that if you boil your water you'll have no problem. Just don't fill up your billy if you have a cut on your hand..
cheers
Gareth

 

[Ogri the trog]

You might find the attached link of interest:

Very interesting Elines,
Though I was told that 65 deg C was the temperature at which the lesser nasties started to be killed off, with the majority being killed off at 88 deg C, there are some specific (and rare) nasties that can cope with up to 122 deg C IIRC.
While I have no wish to doubt Cody Lundins word, I'd prefer to stick with what I know.

Ogri the trog

 

[billygoatscruff]

Very valid point garethw.Drinking the water is less dangerous to your health (if boiled) than immersing a cut or open wound in dirty water.This point is not recommended;but we all used Zippo lighters back then,and to sterilise out in the field we used the old small one shot tubes of lighter fluid(unfortunately no longer available).Fill up your zippo,drizzle a little over the cut and you know what comes next,not as painful as it sounds but NOT RECOMMENDED although i still do it if i dont have FIK with me.Also ,as you correctly implied ,keep cuts /wounds clean and dry.