5 Ways of Purifying Water for Drinking in an Emergency Situation

Guest post by Josh “Mad Thrad” Campbell

As you probably already know, purifying water for drinking is extremely important, because your life literally depends on your ability to produce water that is free from pathogens and impurities.

First, you need to have a list of the source(s) of water around you (here’s a list of 19 sources of water).

I thought I’d brainstorm a convenient numbered list of purification options for you, so you’d have a handy reference as you make your emergency preparedness plans.

So, here’s my list:

1. Boiling.  Assuming you have something clean and fireproof, like a pot or mess kit, you can boil water. Be sure and filter out large/particulate impurities first; this can be done with anything that’s mesh-like–even a clean sock.  You can boil the water over a stove, campfire or even in a solar oven.  Just make sure it boils for at least one full minute; you could go longer, if you’re somewhat germaphobic (like me), although the longer it boils uncovered, the more water you’ll be losing by evaporation.

2. Commercially fabricated filtration units.  There are smaller, portable units like Katadyn or Berkey bottles or Life Straws, and there are also larger, less-portable countertop units.  The larger units will give you more capacity, so plan ahead for your anticipated situation–whether you’ll be on the move, or staying in place.  Either way, make sure you invest in a filtration unit that will filter out pathogens, cysts and parasites.

3. Improvised purification.  You can use charcoal, sand and one or more grades of gravel and fabricate a multi-staged “filter” using a wide range of materials, from cloths and sticks, to buckets and drums.  Let me re-emphasize that, technically, this is a crude filter, rather than a purifier; water should be boiled after passing through a setup like this.  You can’t be too careful!  Read more in this post over on Lisa’s site, and be sure to read through the comments.

4. Purification tablets or other chemicals.  Simple chemicals like iodine, potassium permanganate, and chlorine compound tablets can individually be used temporarily to treat water, but DO NOT mix chemicals!  Angela has covered this thoroughly in this blog post.   I personally consider chemical treatment to be at the extreme end of emergency water purification, and have made multiple chemical-free plans for long-term survival.

5. Distilling.  This is especially useful if you’re using salt water as your source.  This can be done with items as simple as a stick tripod, a pot, and a few clean cloths.  Drape the cloth over the pot, and as water condenses on, and saturates the cloth, remove it (using a stick or something to avoid being scalded), and replace it with a dry cloth; when each cloth cools, wring it out into a clean container.

As you plan out your survival strategy, make sure you actually practice each technique you’re going to implement BEFORE an emergency happens.  That way, you will have trained yourself, and will have more competence–and confidence–if, and when disaster strikes.

Thanks for reading!  Leave a comment with any thoughts you have!

–Josh “Mad Thrad” Campbell

Keep preparing!
Angela