ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
05.09.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Finding and Purifying Water

Author: Cory Doggett Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 25-03-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 20 | Rating:  (50) Article Popularity - Green (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

What amount of water is recommended for a trip? This is a typical first question new adventurers ask when the topic of an adequate water supply is brought up. The average human needs two quarts for drinking, food preparation, and cooking. Several gallons per person can easily be used when you consider bathing and washing out clothing while on the trail. These non-food and drink needs do not have to meet the same exacting standards of purity. Most travelers want to feel confident the water is sufficiently free of human destructive germs and chemicals. This helps in the prevention of illness from touching bathing water, or wearing clothes washed in an impure pond.

Finding Naturally Pure Water

The normal places to find water are springs, creeks, lakes, and ponds located along the trail or nearby campsites. The general rule of purity is the closer that the water source is to an underground reservoir, the better. If possible, water from open sources, such as streams, should be drawn from below the surface of the water flow. Avoid any water that has a discolored scum on its surface, or gives off an odor you can smell as you approach. Stay away from water sources with oil or water with floating matter on the surfaces. Never drink sea water or urine as you will become dehydrated.

When there are no natural flowing sources available, you can seek secondary sources. Snow should not be used directly as drinking water, however, it may be heated on a stove, or over a fire, to melt it before you start any purification process discussed below. A heavy morning dew can supply water, or rain water can be collected in a bowl type vessel. The least desirable sources are water from tree crotches or rock crevices. In an emergency, scrutinize ants or bees going into holes of a tree. This often indicates that there is water stored inside.

Purifying Water with Heat

Water can be purified by first straining out solid impurities. Simply use a cloth over a funnel shaped device. The water can then be brought to a vigorous boil. If you have sufficient fuel, keep it boiling for a full 10 minutes. If you have equipment that can be used to improvise a distillery, that would be an even better way to purify the water. Once the water is boiled or distilled, let it cool. You can add taste to the water by aerating the water when you pour it between two or more clean storage vessels.

The Chemicals and Concentrations for Purity

When planning your trip, be sure to include water purification chemicals. The best choices are chlorine or iodine. If you have laundry bleach, it can be used as a source of chlorine. For iodine, use the common disinfectant tincture of iodine. If you are using laundry bleach, use two drops per quart of water assuming the water is initially clear. If the water is considerably cloudy, increase the treatment level to four drops per quart of water.

When using tincture of iodine the method is similar, although the measurements are different. For initially clear water, add five drops per quart. For cloudy water, double the amount to ten drops per quart. Mix thoroughly in a bottle with a small hole in the cap. This will allow any expanding gas to dissipate while you shake the bottle for 10 minutes. Let stand with the lid removed for a half hour, or until the odor of chlorine is no longer detectable. Iodine treated water will not smell.

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/finding-and-purifying-water-368956.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:

Cory Doggett owns and operates several websites specializing in survival and wilderness skills. Visit the Untolerable.com survival forums.

Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Can You Survive Alone in the Wild?
By: Cory Doggett | 25/03/2008 | Nature
For most people, a trip into the wilderness is not a solitary experience. Usually safety experts recommend that you travel in groups with a minimum size of two to four. The individual wilderness education of the travelers can be different, but there should be an expert or experienced person to serve as a leader. If you travel alone, you increase the risk of injury or death in the wilderness.

Not all Deserts are the Same
By: Cory Doggett | 25/03/2008 | Nature
There are four kinds of desert wilderness: the desert mountains, the rocky plateau, the sand dunes, the salt marshes, and the broken or deserted terrain known as the gebel or wadi. Each type of desert terrain has its own characteristics and each hinders easy travel or transport over the desert area.

Intelligence: The Most Important Wilderness Survival Tool
By: Cory Doggett | 11/04/2008 | Nature
One of the biggest mistakes day hikers make is assuming they don't need to plan for wilderness survival.

How to Build a Shelter in the Wilderness
By: Cory Doggett | 15/04/2008 | Nature
The key to a peaceful and fulfilling trip into the wilderness is having appropriate shelter to protect members of the party from the elements.

Outdoor Survival - Have you Got What it Takes?
By: Steve Gillman | 18/06/2007 | Camping
Outdoor survival is about more than a few skills. See if you have what it takes to survive.

Self Defence 1: Is There A System?
By: John Roberts-James | 17/03/2007 | Self Help
A system for what? A System for Survival on the street, in the park, at your front door - in YOUR BEDROOM. Yes there is! Is it a Burglar Alarm? Well, not really. If he's in, he's in. And so are you! Problem! You have to face him there and then. The Alarm...

Surviving in Intense Competition, Especially Against Big Players
By: William King | 06/12/2007 | Marketing
In today’s competitive world, innovation plays a key role. However, to be innovative, a business must first survive in the competition. For small businesses, industries, or markets, survival becomes very difficult because of the big organized players that have already created their brand in the market.

How to Mentally Condition yourself for an Emergency
By: Stephanie Larkin | 20/03/2008 | Home Security
Many people who have gone through an emergency situation find that they will react in one of two ways. Either they will be frozen in time and not able to take any action because of fear or hysteria or they will know precisely what they need to do because they've planned, prepared and conditioned themselves mentally to handle the situation.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Nature Articles

Birding Tips On Better Wild Bird Watching for Birders
By: Dave Joa | 04/09/2008
Birds are fun and bird watching can be a great way to get out into the countryside to enjoy the great outdoors with the benefit of seeing what the local birds are up to. Seeing birds flying and going about their daily routine, even at your bird feeders and bird houses, can be fascinating and already provides great enjoyment to many.

Birding With Field Notes and Sketches
By: John Wilton | 03/09/2008
To what extent you take field notes when birding is a matter of personal choice. The goal of using field notes varies among birders.

The Remarkable Sounds of Birds
By: John Wilton | 03/09/2008
The vocal skills of birds are due in part to the unusual structure of their vocal anatomy and are decidedly more complex than a human’s.

Birding by Ear
By: John Wilton | 03/09/2008
Birding by ear is at the apex of birding skills. It is the goal of birding by ear to separate one song or call from another, and then determine which species is making the sound.

Please Do Your Part - Keep Your Cat Indoors!
By: John Wilton | 03/09/2008
The number of songbirds killed by cats each year is significant. This problem will worsen if left unchecked. Even well fed domestic house cats when left outside will kill birds.

North American Birding Trails
By: John Wilton | 03/09/2008
Since their inception in 1996, birding trails now wind throughout the United States.

Wildlife Art is A Popular Gift and can Help with Conservation
By: Dave Joa | 03/09/2008
Because Wildlife Art has become so popular today's best wildlife artists are becoming extremely well known for their stunning wildlife paintings and photographs of wild animals and birds.

From Anthropology to Civilization and Back Again
By: Liz M. | 31/08/2008
Today we are challenged. We have so many options and amenities, yet we still live in an astronically animalistic world. Competitions reaching to levels of killing fields, ??? Come on, Really?

More from Cory Doggett

How to Build a Shelter in the Wilderness
By: Cory Doggett | 15/04/2008 | Nature
The key to a peaceful and fulfilling trip into the wilderness is having appropriate shelter to protect members of the party from the elements.

Intelligence: The Most Important Wilderness Survival Tool
By: Cory Doggett | 11/04/2008 | Nature
One of the biggest mistakes day hikers make is assuming they don't need to plan for wilderness survival.

Not all Deserts are the Same
By: Cory Doggett | 25/03/2008 | Nature
There are four kinds of desert wilderness: the desert mountains, the rocky plateau, the sand dunes, the salt marshes, and the broken or deserted terrain known as the gebel or wadi. Each type of desert terrain has its own characteristics and each hinders easy travel or transport over the desert area.

Can You Survive Alone in the Wild?
By: Cory Doggett | 25/03/2008 | Nature
For most people, a trip into the wilderness is not a solitary experience. Usually safety experts recommend that you travel in groups with a minimum size of two to four. The individual wilderness education of the travelers can be different, but there should be an expert or experienced person to serve as a leader. If you travel alone, you increase the risk of injury or death in the wilderness.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below