Sterilised Drinking Water

[BigWave]

I know that boiling and many tablets will sterilise drinking water, but one method that is often overlooked uses sunlight.
The UV from the sun will quickly sterilise water and is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the Red Cross
As PET drink bottles are transparent to UV, the SODIS method is recommended as a way to treat drinking water in developing countries. See this link:
http://www.sodis.ch/methode/index_EN
Thought it might be useful information for PA members as a back-up - keep some Coke bottles

 

[Nanjim]

Beer Wine and Spirits are the purist form of water you can drink .......
Just my thoughts......

 

[BigWave]

Agreed Nanjim. Fish procreate in water
As I said, it's just a back-up in case all else fails

 

[Moneybox]

I know that boiling and many tablets will sterilise drinking water, but one method that is often overlooked uses sunlight.
The UV from the sun will quickly sterilise water and is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the Red Cross
As PET drink bottles are transparent to UV, the SODIS method is recommended as a way to treat drinking water in developing countries. See this link:
http://www.sodis.ch/methode/index_EN
Thought it might be useful information for PA members as a back-up - keep some Coke bottles

That's good information BW but I don't think we have a problem in Australia with water quality. It just amazes me to see how many people spend their hard earned cash on bottled water. Most of us older generation survived tank water that included asbestos, bird droppings, rust, lead, zinc, paint, mosquito lave and whatever the frogs leave behind. And most of us would have drawn water from wells and bores yet we fail to trust what comes out of the tap supplied by the water authority.

It really doesn't make a lot of sense to me :| We fill our bus water tank from whatever water supply is available whether it be a creek, bore or country town and then it goes through a filter before we drink it. So far we've never had an adverse effect from drinking water but then we might have just built up resistance to all those nasty bugs that the city folk might succumb to

 

[Bjay]

Me and my brother plus friends used to drink out of puddles if needed while riding our bikes as young blokes. Never had a problem. Im with you moneybox , you definitely build up resistance to not so great water. Nothing like a magpie or possum in the tank to build resistance to a whole heap of ailments.

 

[Goldfreak]

The thing is with filters is that if they are not changed regulary they contibute more bacteria to the water than drinking it with out any filter. The mains water in Adelaide isnt great but like most of Australia it is safe to drink. I enjoyed un filterd water in Cairns and am now on rain water in Adelaide.

 

[user 5263]

We lived in Gunnedah back in the 1980's and every now an then you put 2 marbles in the electric kettle and give it a hard jiggle and empty out all the crusty minerals that had built up on the sides an element. Would give the kidneys a work out filtering out just plain tap water.

 

[Moneybox]

The thing is with filters is that if they are not changed regulary they contibute more bacteria to the water than drinking it with out any filter. The mains water in Adelaide isnt great but like most of Australia it is safe to drink. I enjoyed un filterd water in Cairns and am now on rain water in Adelaide.

I don't like the filter when it's new. It seems to work better once it's been in there for a while or is it that I've just got to enjoy the flavor of those little blighters that come along naturally?

I was in Toowoomba some years back and found out that drinking their water my actually bring back a feeling of daysharvu :8

 

[Goldfreak]

The thing is with filters is that if they are not changed regulary they contibute more bacteria to the water than drinking it with out any filter. The mains water in Adelaide isnt great but like most of Australia it is safe to drink. I enjoyed un filterd water in Cairns and am now on rain water in Adelaide.

I don't like the filter when it's new. It seems to work better once it's been in there for a while or is it that I've just got to enjoy the flavor of those little blighters that come along naturally?

I was in Toowoomba some years back and found out that drinking their water my actually bring back a feeling of daysharvu :8

I think that's true. Probably like the way you get used to drinking creek water. The taste of some rotting vegetation beats chlorine imho. Filters can have there own colonies going on in there living on the stuff they filtered out. Maybe replicating the creek water taste yummy layful:

 

[CreviceSucker]

I worked on a spillway upgrade many years ago at warragamba dam which supplies Sydneys drinking water.

Apart from the odd dead cow or dog washing into it , there are also massive cod and other fishies up to around 5 feet long , staff know where to feed them if you want a photo of them , point is that fish shittt in the water , they have their own gut bacteria and its not filtered .

Why wouldnt you filter the water you drink ?

I have a primary filter and secondary carbon filter which also takes out cryptosporidium and giardia.

Easy choice for me.

For camping I take a military grade hand pump with filter that will purify everything from wet mud to urine and give you safe water. :gemstone: