Water?

**Juju** · 05-24-2010, 12:41 PM

I have read where people of an older age when starting a homestead would drink water from a creek or river. How would one clean up water from a creek or river enough to drink it or wash food off in it now a days?

**shoiji** · 05-24-2010, 12:48 PM

Many, many years ago we had a summer place. We used the creek water to wash dishes and bath with. There was a hose used to bring the water in. I vaguely remember that the water was safe to drink unless it was raining or had recently rained. Why I do not know.

You probably need to have a water sample analyzed. It will be interesting to see what people use to clean the water.

**lparker** · 05-24-2010, 01:15 PM

I've a water filter with silver nitrate and activated charcoal that I pack with me when I go where there is doubtful water. It will take out giardia and other nasties. I just use it for drinking water.

**Nada.Leona** · 05-24-2010, 02:37 PM

In most cases, simply boiling it will do the trick. But if it is a situation like homesteading, they likely had it tested beforehand.

**Paws** · 05-24-2010, 02:46 PM

Hhhhmmm...Read somewhere that you can purify water with a tiny amount of bleach add to it. Sorry don't remember the ratios...I agree with one of the other posters about boiling the water. That should make it safe to drink, I think. As far as a more permanent solution, you probably need to consult a professional.
Sorry, wish I could be more help..

**Contrary Housewife** · 05-24-2010, 03:05 PM

In an emergency you can add 1 T of bleach to 1 gallon of water to make it safe. However, too much bleach can make you sick. IMO you are better off with a good filter system. That will remove sediments as well as biological or chemical agents.

As for the stream itself, you really cannot control what runs into it from upstream these days. And some nasty bugs will live there naturally and you would never know. Even the purest looking most remote streams can have giardia.

**frugalfranny** · 05-25-2010, 01:47 AM

You can also buy the tablets that will make if "safe"........usually in the camping dept.....but don't know how good they are....or even remember what was in them. I took them traveling but never had to use them.

**mombottoo** · 05-28-2010, 05:20 PM

You can boil it, then let it cool or you can buy tablets that are made for the purpose of making water drinkable.

**Grainlady** · 05-30-2010, 06:06 AM

You will find a lot of information in this link....

How to Find Water and How to Make Water Safe to Drink by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. - Grandpappy

Collecting rain water would be a better source than a running or standing body of water, if you have the choice. Another safer source is a solar still you can make yourself ([ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_still"]Solar still - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:Evapo_still.svg" class="image">

I keep the things necessary to make a solar still in our emergency kit and in our vehicles.

Along with boiling water and bleach for treating water, we also keep a supply of Grapefruit Seed Extract on hand for killing bacteria as a water treatment. Both bleach and GSE are used to treat stored water to keep it from growing algae. Aerobic Stabilized Oxygen is another useful add-in.

Here are more ideas for treating water to make it potable (it goes on for several pages):
Water Storage and Water Filtration

In our emergency kit we have a Katadyn Hiker Water Filter and Purification Tablets. I would also consider our Travel Berkey Filter and a Sport Berkey good choices to use for purifying clear water, and the best one is and a WaterWise 1600 Non-Electric Water Distiller. We also have an electric water distiller.

Which method you use will depend on your source of water and what you are trying to remove (bacteria, chemicals, etc.). For instance, you can purify water from a rain barrel or a swimming pool in a Berkey, but not sea water or water that has been treated with salt through a water softener.

**KentuckySaver** · 05-30-2010, 04:25 PM

I would get a Berkey water filter before I even thought about drinking that water.

Berkey water filters

**KeithBC** · 05-30-2010, 05:05 PM

We have a ceramic filter installed in the kitchen. It is similar to the Katadyn filter that Grainlady mentioned, but made to be plumbed in as a permanent installation. It is a two-stage unit with a carbon first stage and the ceramic cartridge in the second stage. We have been really pleased with it. It was easy to install and is very convenient. It removes all bacteria and many viruses from the water.