Hi, can anyone help me out with advice on Water Filter and Purifier pumps. As I understand it, the difference between the two is that purifiers take out viruses but filters don't (but boiling takes out viruses anyway I believe). So which to go for, do I really need a purifier or is a filter good enough. I don't like using iodine etc except in an emergency cos its a poison and tastes horrible. I was originally tempted by the First Need which is a purifier but have read that it is not very robust and a pain in the arse to use. The Katadyn's seem to be well thought of but I'm not sure how far I need to go with this stuff.

I'm going RTW and plan to camp a lot so it needs to be small, light, good flow rate and very durable. Also it either needs to be field maintainable or have easy to get replacement cartridges (or whatever) worldwide.

Cheers Andy

I've just bought an MSR mini filter, which includes a carbon block to remove chemicals. My understanding is that no filter will remove virus' on their own, you also need to treat the water.

- ceramic filter elements remove solids and bacteria
- carbon filters remove chemicals (such as pesticides and iodine) and leave the water tasting fresher
- iodine and chlorine remove virus'

In the instructions MSR recommends using the filter in conjunction with a disinfectant 'such as iodine or chlorine'. However they don't say whether this should be before or after filtering.

I am going to add iodine before filtering, then filter through the MSR's carbon/ceramic element to remove solids AND the iodine.

Is there something wrong with my logic here?



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Barry
3AJ Tenere

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Barry
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on my trip i used a katadyn ceramic filter that you have to pump to 'clean' tap, river and lake water. never once got ill with any tummy problems, including extensive use in africa and latin america.

precisely what it left in or removed, i'm not sure, but it seems to work. did not treat the water in any other way.
cheers
ChrisB

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Thanks Barry,

There is one purifier that removes viruses without chemicals. It's called the First Need Deluxe. I quite like it because of this but I'm wondering about whether I actually need to worry about viruses most of the time i.e. Would I be better off just using a filter like the MSR one you have, and using chlorine drops / boiling to remove viruses when I really need to. From what I have learned so far, viruses only seem to be an issue if you suspect the water has been contaminated by human waste, question is, how often is this likely to be the case.

Andy.

Hi Andy

I've always used a Katadyn and never been ill from water I've drunk. You're right that viruses are more of a problem where there are people in the area, atleast in the same water shed area. i.e. If people are crapping up hill from you (as opposed to up stream) the rain water run off will carry the crap into the same water system you're getting your water from.

I would treat water with iodine before running it through a carbon and ciramic filter where I know there are other people but if I'm getting the water from a more remote source there's less need to bother about viruses.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you're getting the water from glacial melt water always pre filter it before putting it through the ciramic filter as the sediment will kill it. Its much finer than other sediments both organic and non-organic. A piece of pertex secured with an elastic band over the take up tube will do the job fine.

Also - most people get sick from water when staying in a town simply because they drop their guard.

Having said all that, I've canoed in most countries with dirty water and you can't help but drink it untreated. (S.America, Africa, Nepal etc.) The only pricaution I took before hand was to drink a can of Coke. I only ever got sick in the UK. How about that!

Hope this helps

Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the advice. Would a ceramic filter remove the taste of the iodine / chlorine?

Also, forgive my ignorance but what is pertex? I seem to remember that my sleeping bag has some on it somewhere :-O

Iodine tabs now come with a second bottle that nuterlizes the iodine. You drop the iodine tab in, wait 20-30 min for the iodine to do its work, then drop in the second tab. It removes the color and taste. It is important to wait before dropping in the second tab, otherwise the iodine wont do its job. I recommend this for a backup at least. My filter gave out on me once while backpacking and I did get a little ill, now I always carry a secondary system to my filter. Also most filters don't screen virus, even the ones that claim they do only get most, not all. In the third world I would treat all of my water with iodine or chlorene. Remember they dont have the advantage of sewer treatment plants and just dump it on to the ground where it filters to the water table or runs to a small stream when it rains.

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John

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John

I use the First Need Deluxe (the one that filters viruses as well) and have only one complaint. It is HUGE. I'm talking, take up half your tank bag huge. The peace of mind is nice, but I'm considering replacing it because of space considerations.

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Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius - William Blake

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We have a purifier (so bacteria, virusses and also smell/odour) from General Ecology (www.generalecology.com). It's the 'nature pure' version. We have not used it yet....anyone with experiences with this device?

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Hi

FWIW I can also recommend the first need deluxe.


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Sean

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Sean

Anyone with a Pur First Need purifier know how to clean the thing? Have tried reverse pumping a few litres of clean water with no noticeable improvement - it still takes a lot of effort to pump. Google search turned up no online instructions.

Great purifier (when it's not blocked) FWIW - claimed to filter everything out, fits MSR dromedary bags just right.

Cheers,
James

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James Courtier

If the first need after back pumping is still difficult to pump -it means the filter is ready to be changed.

Apparently used by aid agencies and military, not only for drinking, but cleaning wounds, etc. I actually bought the 'bike bottle' type (small, light, instant use, fits in the side pocket of a day-bag, or jacket) Couldn't believe how nice the water tasted - even better than my filter jug at home.

Water Filtration with Bottle Water Filters, for Travel and Personal Use.

Also here. Aquagear Water Filter Hill-walkers/trekkers are raving about them because of the run-off from animal fields polluting streams.

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I use MSR Miox Purifier which is good and easy to carry. It doesnt use iodine. One advantage of filter is filtering all the debris and some chemicals/heavy metal from the water. I use a coffee machine's filter to filter the debris and try to avoid using water sources around the cities and industrial areas.

Been using my MSR ceramic pump filter for 8years and havent gotten sick yet.

If Im particularly concurned about viruses in an area and have time I boil the water for 10minutes, let it cool over night and filter it in the morning.

It needs to be cleaned every 10Ls or so.

Recommended.

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