Water: Purifying – 2. Boiling Water

A section in Chapter 2 of the book:
Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking

Without a high-quality filter, boiling water is the best and most reliable method of purifying water for drinking, removing all living microorganisms. To be extra cautious, some might say to boil water for 10 minutes or more. The key is to raise the temperature above 160 degrees long enough to kill all germs and parasites—which doesn’t take very long. Most experts agree that a full, rolling boil is sufficient.

Poor Taste: Boiling water releases air from the water, giving it a flat, unpleasant taste. Drizzling clean water between two containers (like you see in a fish aquarium) can infuse air back into the water and restore some of the taste. Even better is to mix in flavoring like powdered lemon juice or fruit-flavored drink mix.

Direct Heat

• Place water in a metal container and boil over a fire.
• Containers might include: beverage can, tin can, pot, canteen, aluminum foil shaped into a bowl, etc.
• Depending on the size of your fire, you should be able to bring it to a boil within a few minutes.
• Place water in a non-metal container and place hot rocks from a fire into the water-filled container
• Containers might be made of plastic, bark, hide, cloth, glass, seashell, bamboo, coconut, or anything else that could not be placed over a fire. Plan ahead by packing several lightweight turkey-sized oven bags, which hold a gallon of water.
• Heat large rocks (that will still fit into your container of water) in a fire for about 10-15 minutes, then drop them one-at-a-time into your water for about 20 to 30 seconds each. You should be able to flash boil your water within a couple of minutes.

Caution: Boiling water does NOT remove things like
chlorine, gasoline, ammonia, herbicides, pesticides, arsenic, lead, mercury, etc.
Use a charcoal filter for these.

Plastic Bottle

If a plastic bottle is the only thing you have to hold water, there are still options for using it and heat to purify water. A word of caution, however, in that a slight misjudgment in heat or placement may ruin an otherwise good water container.

• Completely fill the bottle with water, cap it tightly, and place the full bottle in or above some hot coals. The water inside and lack of air should prevent the water from boiling and the plastic from melting. Your goal is to get the water above 160 degrees for several minutes.
• Suspend a plastic water bottle just above flames or coals so that the water inside keeps the plastic from melting.
• Leave the water bottle in bright sunshine for several hours to help kill any bacteria or parasites from the sun’s heat, light, and ultraviolet rays.

Poisons: Boiling water kills harmful pathogens,
but does not remove chemicals, toxins, or poisons like oils or metals.

} } }  This information is in the book “Prep Lists for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking.” { { {