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The Water Purifier

October 4th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

You should be mindful that the human body is made of more than 75 percent water. Given this little fact, you also must be aware that forty-eight hours without water can kill a person, while the same individual b can last up to three weeks without food. Water is the elixir of life. Without it there would be no life on the Earth, no humans, no nothing.

As priceless as it is, it can also be deadly. Some well known killer water born diseases are cholera, dysentery, typhoid and diarrhea. These are infections that are capable of wiping out a whole city in a matter of days. Look up the epidemics that swept across Europe, America and other continents from time to time. Even today, when modern science is at its zenith, such killer diseases can create havoc whenever they raise their ugly heads.

How do you prevent such disasters from happening? Easy – ensure that the drinking is pure at all times. A good way to ensure this is to install water purifier machines in all places where water is used for drinking. The administration of most cities applies stringent tests to check the potability of the water supplied to residential areas. However, in spite of their best efforts there are always some or other cases of sickness and even fatalities due to unclean drinking water.

This need not happen if there are sufficient water purifier machines installed as a secondary purification process, and thus ensuring that the water you drink is always safe. The water purifier machine is most important when the city or the inhabited area is close to any industrial belt or hospital premises, where the possibility of the contamination of the water table runs high.

Without the water purifier machines in place, humans would be in constant danger of being negatively affected by water borne-diseases, pollutants, metals infiltration and other harmful matter that manages to creep into the water you are drinking.

Water Treatment Methods

August 7th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

In areas where tap water is not chlorinated or where sanitation is poor, there are several alternative methods for ensuring water is safe to drink. These include boiling the water, chemically disinfecting it, filtering it, using various combinations of the previously stated methods, or buying bottled water. Remember: if the tap water is not safe to drink in the area you are visiting, do not use it to reconstitute juice or to rinse fresh fruits and vegetables. Also avoid ice made from tap water.

Below we describe ways to make sure water is safe to drink.
Bottled Water

Bottled water from a trusted source is a recommended alternative to tap water. Before drinking, be sure all bottled beverages have fully sealed caps. If seals are not intact, the bottles may have been refilled.
Boiling Water

Boiling water is the best method for making water safe to drink. Boiling water as recommended will kill bacterial, parasitic, and viral causes of diarrhea. Adding a pinch of salt to each quart will improve the taste.
Directions for Boiling Water

* Boil water vigorously for 1 minute and allow it to cool to room temperature (do not add ice).
* At altitudes greater than 6,562 feet (>2,000 m), boil water for 3 minutes or use chemical disinfection after water has been boiled for 1 minute.

Chemical Disinfection

If boiling water is not possible, chemical disinfection with iodine (e.g., Globaline, Potable-Aqua, or Coghlan’s, found in pharmacies and sporting goods stores) is another method for making water safer to drink. Cryptosporidium (a parasite that can cause diarrhea) and other coccidian parasites (e.g., Cyclospora, Toxoplasma) might not be killed by this method. Cloudy water should be strained through a clean cloth into a container to remove any sediment or floating matter, and then the water should be treated with iodine.
Directions for disinfecting water with iodine

Iodine tablets

1. Follow the tablet manufacturers’ instructions.
2. If water is cloudy, double the number of tablets.
3. If water is extremely cold, less than 5° C (41° F), an attempt should be made to warm the water, and the recommended contact time (standing time between adding a chemical disinfectant to the water and drinking the water) should be increased to achieve reliable disinfection.

Note: Be sure the tablet size is correct for a liter of water.

Tincture of Iodine - measure out your dose to water.

1. If using tincture of iodine 2% solution, add 5 drops to a Liter or Quart of clear water. If the water is cloudy, add 10 drops per Liter or Quart. (Note: 20 drops=1 ml.)
2. Allow the water to stand for 30 minutes before drinking when the water temperature is at least 25°C (77°F). Increase the standing time for colder water: (e.g., for each 10° less than 25°C (77°F), allow the water to stand for double the time before drinking it.

Crystalline Iodine (found at some chemical companies and sporting goods stores) First make a saturated solution and then measure your own dose to add to water. The crystalline form stores well indefinitely and new batches of the saturated solution can be made from a small amount of crystals each time you take a trip.

To prepare a stock of Crystalline Iodine saturated solution:

1. Place 4-8 grams of crystalline iodine into a 1-2 oz container and fill with water. Note: 1oz=6 teaspoons.
Warning: crystalline iodine at 4-8 grams is a lethal dose if accidentally swallowed in a single dose. Keep out of the reach of children.
2. Shake the bottle vigorously for 1 minute. Allow several additional minutes for the iodine to maximally dissolve in the available water. Some crystals should always be visible; if they totally dissolve, then more crystals should be added to the container to insure that iodine saturation of the stock solution has been achieved.
3. If the water to be treated is clear, add 13 ml of saturated iodine solution — liquid above the crystals, not the crystals themselves — per Liter or Quart. Note: 5 ml= 1 teaspoon. 13 ml = about 2.5 teaspoons
4. In cloudy water, add 26 ml of saturated solution per Liter or Quart.
Note: Allow the solution to stand 20 minutes before drinking the disinfected water when the water temperature is 20-25°C (68-77°F). Increase the standing time with colder water. For each 10° less than 25°C (77°F), allow the water to stand for double the time before drinking.

Portable Water Filters

Certain types of portable water filters can also remove some types of infectious agents from drinking water. However, most of the portable filters on the market do not effectively remove viruses, thus chemical disinfection of water is needed after filtering with such filters to make the water safer for drinking. Some portable water filters designed to remove parasites (Giardia/Cryptosporidium) have an “absolute” pore sizes of 0.1 to 1-micrometer and, therefore, may also remove most diarrhea-causing bacteria. See the Division of Parasitic Diseases’ Guide to Water Filters and Bottled Water to learn about different filters and those that filter Cryptosporidium. Viruses are smaller than 0.1 micron and will NOT be removed by filters with a pore size of 0.1 or larger. To kill viruses that may pass through these filters, add iodine (as described above) to the filtered water before you drink it.

Note: Chlorine in various forms has also been used for chemical disinfection. However, it is not as reliable as iodine for killing disease causing organisms in the wide range of water-quality conditions that travelers might encounter
Warnings

* Crystalline iodine 4-8 grams used in a stock solution constitutes a human lethal dose if accidentally swallowed in a single dose. Keep out of the reach of children.
* Water that has been disinfected with iodine is NOT recommended for pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, those with known hypersensitivity to iodine, or continuous use for more than a few weeks at a time.

Content Source:
Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases

To Filter or not to Filter

July 25th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

The whole home H2O filter is the most useful and beneficial home appliance you can have. Many of the industry’s water filter systems are made by a handful of manufacturers. Different companies buy these water filters and put their own”marques” on the filters even though the water filtration technology may be one and the same. If you require a more steadfast supply of filtered water, and if you’d like to use filtered water for ice cubes and coffee, a faucet-mounted water filter is the way to go. At the very least, water filters improve the taste of tap water by getting rid of impurities. How to find the right water filter for your home. Household water filters generally fall into one of two categories: point-of-entry units, which treat water before it gets dispersed throughout the house; and point-of-use units, which include countertop filters. A simple faucet mounted unit will do untill you decide which unit will best suit your needs.

Backpacking Water Filters & Purifiers

April 27th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

Good use of a Backpacking Water Purifier

There are not many people who dont like being out of doors. Hiking and camping are favorite pastimes. Different ways of enjoying nature are hiking, camping, biking just being out there and enjoying the sounds of nature or watching the stars.

In all of these activities there is one very necessary ingredient, namely water.  Water is an essential part of our daily life and especially during any physical activity.  And while water is always good to have, clean water is even better, as our bodies need water that is free of chemicals and bacteria to function at its very best.  This is why carrying a backpacking water purifier is always a good investment for your outdoor adventures.

The use of a Backpacking Water Purifier

Most of the backpacking water purifiers use a micro filter system.  They typically use carbon as their source for filtration and come with cartridges.  The size of the filter itself can vary greatly, depending on the need of the user.  These backpacking water purifiers are created to be lightweight for exploring the outdoors.  A cumbersome piece of equipment would not be efficient for this type of usage.

One of the aspects of the backpacking water purifier is that it is very portable because it can be carried easily as it is usually slender in size and does not take up excess room. The purifier helps to remove a variety of microorganisms from the water including viruses such as hepatitis A, bacteria like e.coli and salmonella, and protozoa such as giardia.  The Backpacking Water Purifier: A Cost Effective Purchase

There are backpacking water purifiers for every pocket as prices range from as low as $15 to many hundreds of dollars. The quality of the purifier depends on the mechanisms used in filtration and the materials used to make the purifier.  For amateur hikers and day trips, the less expensive purifiers prove to be a useful tool.  More experienced campers may want to invest in a more elaborate system for their regular use.

These backpacking water purifiers are not only of good use in nature, but can also be used in an emergency at home.

One can not trust the purity of a stream, so it is always a good idea to use a water purifier to ensure your own health. You are after all in nature to enjoy yourself, not to become ill.

Home Water Purifier

April 12th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

A Home Water Purifier is undeniably the only device for providing safe, bacteria-free water for drinking as well as cooking purposes. Now, there are various methods and devices to perform the job of purifying water. It could be done through ionization, filtering through filter candles, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet irradiation, Alkali treatment of the water and many more. However, it all depends on the conditions that govern the use of the filtering process.

Paradoxically enough, when we are considering the use of absolutely clean filtered water, modern medics predict otherwise by suggesting that exclusive use of pure drinking water may weaken a person’s immune system, thereby making him or her vulnerable to external infection. However, rationale thinking asserts using purified water and so we better stick to the use of a Home water Purifier for all practical purposes.

However, considering the type of home water purifier system may involve several factors like the input pressure of the unfiltered water as well as its temperature. Also, the size of probable impurities matter a lot.

Smaller filters do a better job

Since most germs and harmful bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, people cannot predict their presence in the water, say if it is coming from a well. Home water Filters that can tackle impurities of  .1 micron is supposed to be good enough for such situations. But what happens when smaller bacterial forms are present in the water?

For such situations, the Reverse Osmosis system Home Water Filters are ideal as they can filter down to .0001 microns, blocking virtually everything save and except atomic radiation. These system of Home water Purifiers use several layers of membrane filters and utilizes self-cleaning system too so that the system does not get clogged with impurities even when utilized for prolonged period of time.

Ionization Home water Filter could be the last word in filtration

And lastly comes the Ionization Home Water Purifier that uses silver impregnated carbon to eliminate both organic and inorganic contaminants. The water ionizers execute the electrolysis or ionization which is done in a compartment containing electrodes negatively charged that attract the positive ions in the impure water and in the process the water gets totally purified, turning slightly alkaline which is healthy for humans.

The choice

The type to choose from may largely depend on the input pressure of unfiltered water, its ambient temperature and your budget. While the input pressure will determine the output quantum, the ambient temperature will help control the flow. As for the budget, you are the best judge. However, the water temperature should preferably be over 70 degrees F. and the pressure around 50 to 60 gallons/day. When the pressure goes down, the output obviously will fall down.

Tap Water Purifier

March 29th, 2007 by Tim   Subscribe To Our Feed

Tap Water Purifier

Tap Water Purifier – What Are The Benefits – How To Find It

A tap water purifier has become a necessity. A tap water purifier will be able to clean the water of all dissolved minerals, heavy metals and nutrients as well as agricultural, industrial and organic pollutants. There are many different types of water purifiers, functionality based on what substances need to be removed from your water.

Some home units attach in just seconds to your faucet, and will get rid of heavy metals, inorganic ions, organic chemicals, chloramine, chlorine and sediments that come out of tap water.

Where To Look For A Tap Water Purifier

There are many sources where you can find a tap water purifier – but make sure to check their intricate features, technical details, usefulness and price. Be sure to understand what you require your filter to accomplish before you commit yourself to buying. Because if the unit can’t rid your water of your specific contaminants it is unlikely that the product will be able to satisfy you. You can obtain a copy of the latest test done on the water in your area or you can purchase a Water Test Kit inexpensively and test the water yourself.

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