Author Topic: Water purification when up on the fells.  (Read 5119 times)

richardh1905

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Water purification when up on the fells.
« on: 14:40:56, 11/07/20 »
I've never bothered when I am out in the wilds. Now that I'm visiting busier hills, perhaps I should, although I have never been ill from drinking contaminated water in Britain. Yet.


Do you think that I am being a bit gung ho in drinking unpurified water from remote hill streams?
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ninthace

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #1 on: 15:08:03, 11/07/20 »
Depends how fresh you like your internal parasites, especially in sheep country where they provide half the life cycle of the liver fluke.
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richardh1905

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #2 on: 15:28:08, 11/07/20 »
I'll take that as a 'Yes' then, ninthace.  :)
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GoneWest

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #3 on: 15:53:48, 11/07/20 »
When in the wilds, I carry a Sawyer Mini filter (I covet the Micro, now that it's available) to get rid of the bigger stuff and chlorine dioxide tablets to deal with viruses and really small bacteria.

Chlorine dioxide can kill most of the bugs without the need for a filter but it's a bit slow-acting on big things like parasites - hours at low temperatures. I always carry some tablets when out and about, even on short not-so-wild walks when I don't expect to be needing to forage for water and don't have the filter with me.

ninthace

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #4 on: 16:25:00, 11/07/20 »
I'll take that as a 'Yes' then, ninthace.  :)
Hey - its free protein and even a nematode has to make a living somehow!
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richardh1905

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #5 on: 16:51:39, 11/07/20 »
When in the wilds, I carry a Sawyer Mini filter (I covet the Micro, now that it's available) to get rid of the bigger stuff and chlorine dioxide tablets to deal with viruses and really small bacteria.

Chlorine dioxide can kill most of the bugs without the need for a filter but it's a bit slow-acting on big things like parasites - hours at low temperatures. I always carry some tablets when out and about, even on short not-so-wild walks when I don't expect to be needing to forage for water and don't have the filter with me.

Thanks for the reply, GoneWest. Purification tablets are of course the lightest option.

I'll take a look at the Sawyer Micro, although I do like the look of the MSR filter (Trailshot).


pS - I was under the impression that the only things that the filters could not remove were viruses.
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Ridge

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #6 on: 16:59:23, 11/07/20 »
I use, and swear by, Traveltap.
Unless they have changed purification tablets used to taste.

GoneWest

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #7 on: 17:26:14, 11/07/20 »

pS - I was under the impression that the only things that the filters could not remove were viruses.


That's pretty much true, I think, but I've seen the odd report that suggests that some small bacteria might slip through some filters. In any case, the tablets will get them!
« Last Edit: 17:34:05, 11/07/20 by GoneWest »

GoneWest

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #8 on: 17:31:06, 11/07/20 »
Unless they have changed purification tablets used to taste.


Chlorine tablets taste as you would expect them to. Iodine tablets, when you could still get them, were even worse. You can neutralise the taste with Vitamin C powder, but that stops them working, as well, so mustn't be added till the last minute.
Chlorine dioxide tablets (whose chemistry perplexes me) work a lot better and, surprisingly, don't impart any significant taste at all to the water. They are quite expensive, though, and (like all purification tablets) have a shelf life of a year or so,
« Last Edit: 17:36:52, 11/07/20 by GoneWest »

richardh1905

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #9 on: 18:35:16, 11/07/20 »
Got to say that the Sawyer Micro looks like the bit of kit to have.
« Last Edit: 20:29:17, 11/07/20 by richardh1905 »
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karl h

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #10 on: 18:47:30, 11/07/20 »
A lot of the time when up high I don't bother but i always carry my Sawyer mini and make sure my cheap plastic bottle that I'm carrying has the same thread and I just screw on the filter and drink straight from the bottle

richardh1905

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #11 on: 21:32:35, 11/07/20 »
Up to now I haven't worried much about the purity of mountain water, but I fear that I have perhaps become a bit complacent - the English hills have become so much busier in the time that I have been away.

The hot weather has concentrated my mind too - especially during our recent walk over Randygill Top and Yarlside in the Howgills - the only water we came across whilst on the ridge was an unappealing sheep trampled pool between Randygill Top and Kensgriff. Even Tess our spaniel wouldn't drink it!
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Ridge

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #12 on: 22:43:41, 11/07/20 »
What ever filter you go for filling the bottle from a scummy puddle and then giving it to a child to drink from while other people watch is a joy not to be missed.

April

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #13 on: 06:17:30, 12/07/20 »
What ever filter you go for filling the bottle from a scummy puddle and then giving it to a child to drink from while other people watch is a joy not to be missed.

 ;D

Richard, we both have Sawyer Micro filters. We had the Sawyer minis that we used for years but upgraded last year to the Micro filter which filters must faster.
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richardh1905

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Re: Water purification when up on the fells.
« Reply #14 on: 07:40:22, 12/07/20 »
What ever filter you go for filling the bottle from a scummy puddle and then giving it to a child to drink from while other people watch is a joy not to be missed.


 ;D ;D ;D


I look forward to that!
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