Immersion Heaters

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography.

Used with permission.

There are times when you lose hot water but still have some kind of electricity: when your water heater breaks; after a disaster like a hurricane where utilities are down but battery backups powered by solar panels provide you with power; or you're car camping and want a hot cup of coffee, but don't have the time or energy to make a fire to boil water. 

Regardless of the specifics, it's not an improbable, edge-case situation to need hot water and still have power, and in those cases the immersion heater shines. Invented in 1924, an immersion heater is little more than a shielded metal coil that quickly heats up from the electricity running through it from a conventional wall socket, and just as quickly cools to the touch when unplugged. It is fast, efficient, and far more portable and convenient than heating water in a kettle or over a fire. 

I bought this 300W immersion heater for $16.50 on Amazon, and I use it to heat a cup of water for rinsing my teeth after brushing (my teeth are sensitive to cold water) rather than wasting water by letting the faucet run until hot water arrives from the other side of the house. 

https://amzn.to/3CzsFIf

I don't need the water to be very hot, so a minute is all it takes for it to go from 70° at the tap to 100° in my 12 oz. (1.5 cups) mug.* This is less time than it takes me to brush my teeth, so when the water is hot enough (through practice I can determine this based on the amount of bubbles on the heating element and confirmed with touching the water with a finger) I unplug the heater to allow it to cool. When I'm finished brushing and ready to rinse, the heater is cool to the touch and can  safely be removed and placed on a towel to dry. 

* I haven't needed to boil water with it yet, but I can tell you that after 2.5 minutes the water is 125° and that's hotter than anything I'd like to drink. 

It's essential that you always immerse the heater in water before plugging it in, and submerge as much of the heating element as possible. If you hear the sound of something boiling over, too much of the element is uncovered, so add more water or push the heater deeper if possible. 

It's also essential to always unplug the immersion heater and let it cool off in the water, even if that water is boiling, for 30 seconds before it is safe to remove. Doing otherwise could result in burns to yourself or heat damage to objects. 

I would only use an immersion heater in glass, Pyrex, or similar materials. A metal container could result in burns from touching it if the water reaches boiling, and I would be concerned about the heating element melting a plastic cup. 

https://amzn.to/3CzsFIf

If you are a car camper, long haul trucker, or just want to warm your coffee during a long commute, there is also a 12V DC version (currently $11 on Amazon) which uses a standard automobile power port. Again, be mindful to prevent burns or scalds. 

https://amzn.to/3ANu4uf

Larger immersion heaters also exist, suitable for heating up buckets or even bathtubs full of water. After being very happy with my cup-size heater, I bought this larger heater for $25 on Amazon.

https://amzn.to/48QEVQL

I haven't tested this one yet because I haven't needed to use it; my planned use case is if I need a lot of hot water post-hurricane, and I will use a battery bank to power it. Given its efficiency, and that I very much doubt I'll need to boil gallons of water at a time, using this heater shouldn't drain my battery too much and I ought to be able to recharge whatever is lost via solar panels. 

https://amzn.to/48QEVQL

As with the smaller unit above, observe the safety protocol of fully immersing the heater before plugging it in, only use it in a safe container, and always unplug it and allow it to cool before removing it. 

Despite being 100 year old technology and a niche product, an immersion heater deserves a place in any prepper's supplies to provide fast, efficient, convenient, and smokeless hot water practically on demand. 

The Pacific Bay Portable Water Pump

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Back in 2020 I wrote a post titled Hydration Tube Inline Hijinks wherein I demonstrated my system for refilling your water bladder without having to dig out of your backpack. While I don't claim to be the inventor of this concept, to the best of my knowledge I haven't seen it used anywhere else; all of the quick-detach mounts I've seen are shown being used where the hose meets the bladder. 

Regardless of who invented the concept, I have been very happy with my setup as it makes it a lot easier to refill my bladder in the wild. However, an oddity of the English language is that easier is actually harder than easy, and it isn't easy using a manual pump (in my case, a Katadyn Hiker) to push water up a tube and into a bladder. When I timed myself, it took 2 minutes to pump 2 liters of water, and by the end of it I was tired and my arms were beginning to ache. Yes, it was something I could do, but when you're hiking do you really need something as necessary and basic as hydration to further tire you out? I don't, that's for sure. 

You won't be surprised, then, when I tell you that when I discovered the Pacific Bay Portable Water Pump on Amazon for $10, I bought it immediately to try it out. What follows is not specifically a practical review, as I have not put the pump "through its paces" over a weekend of camping, but rather my initial impressions and how it performs at home. 

https://amzn.to/3t7pOla

Performance

The hoses support standard quick-detach mounts used by Sawyer, Katadyn, etc. so I was able to easily adapt this to work with my inline system. 

The power button is big and clicks easily, making for "easy on, easy off" operation. It automatically shuts off after a minute of operation, but if you press and hold the power button it will pump for as long as you continue to hold. 

The pump filled a 2L Camelbak bladder from two 1L Nalgene bottles quickly and easily, taking about 45 seconds per bottle. (Yes, I paused the stopwatch while switching bottles.) Based on this information:

• a 2L bladder fills in 1:30;
• a 2.5L bladder should fill in 1:53;
• a 3L bladder should fill in 2:15.

I'm not just being pedantic here; there is no pressure sensor in the pump, so there is the risk of overfilling a bladder to bursting if you can't see its fullness. 

I didn't detect any issues with performance when it ran out of water and started pumping air, although the sound changed pitch and there was gurgling in the hose.

Finally, the pump itself is slightly smaller than a standard 500 mL / 17 oz water bottle and weighs have as much, so it's quite convenient to pack. 

Problems

The biggest problem I had was making sure the hoses didn't kink, as they are a  softer and/or thinner gauge material than typical water bladder hoses. That wasn't even a true problem, but rather just a case of "Whoops, the hose is kinked, I need to straighten that out." I will need more experimentation to determine if I want to shorten the hoses or not. 

There's no battery charge indicator on the pump, so there's no way of knowing how much battery is left. However, the Amazon page states that "Performance tests show up to 78 liters can be pumped with a single charge of the battery. Lifetime expectancy of over 100,000 liters", so a charged-up pump will easily last for a weekend of hiking/camping unless you're pumping for a lot of people.

Given it's light weight I would not consider this a durable piece of equipment. I think it will likely break if dropped a few feet onto a hard object. 

This last point isn't a problem, but rather a question: should I put my Sawyer filter upstream of the pump or downstream? I'm not sure if unfiltered water would gum up the pump channel or not (although I do recommend using a prefilter, even if it's just an old t-shirt wrapped around it, just on general principles), but if so do I want to have a $30 filter protecting a $10 pump? 

The video on Amazon suggests having the Sawyer upstream of it, but then the video also shows someone just throwing the Sawyer filter into the stream. This bothers me greatly, not only because that's a great way to lose a filter if the hose isn't properly seated, but also because I'd worry that immersion in water could introduce contaminants into the clean water supply from seepage around the hose-filter junction. No, I'm definitely keeping my Sawyer out of the water, thanks. 

Verdict

This is a fun, inexpensive bit of kit that should make your life easier as long at it works. Since I have no firsthand experience with its reliability or durability, I won't suggest you put it into your BOB or GHB, but its lightweight convenience makes it a top candidate to bring along on pleasure hikes and campouts. Besides, at $10, it's cheaper and more entertaining than some movies I've attended.

Obligatory FTC Disclaimer: I bought this product with my own money. Go away. 

Surprise Finds

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.  

While searching for an item through the Home Depot portal, I misspelled the word and found Augason Farms food pails! The assortment is good, but unfortunately Home Depot (like pretty much everywhere and everyone) is currently out of stock. I even did some checking and there is no restocking date. The only item in inventory seems to be a 100 count box of 125 mL Emergency Water pouches, and they aren't even an Augason brand.

What looked really neat, though, was a 55 gallon water barrel and pump setup from Augason! 

https://www.augasonfarms.com/55-gallon-water-barrel-6-00425-upc-078716005251

From the Augason Farms website, here are the water barrel specs:

Water is the first product to sell out at grocery stores in the days leading up to and during an emergency. Be sure your family has plenty of water in an emergency with an easily-accessible supply of safe, potable water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and sanitation. Don’t forget to pick up water treatment drops to ensure your water is free of bacteria, viruses, and cysts. Augason Farms 55-gallon Water Barrel is BPA-free and produced from food grade Polyethylene.

Barrel Specifications

• 55-gallon food grade water barrel
• BPA-free
• Stackable
• 22.95" diam. x 35.13"h· 18.2 lb.

It appears that this is also unfortunately out of stock, but you may be able to source all the parts to build something similar elsewhere.

Recap and Takeaway

• The Home Depot is probably the very last place I would look for emergency food, but here it is! When the pails were available, the prices were very competitive.
• I can see a water barrel being on the Home Depot site, since it joins water troughs and tanks as livestock-related items.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

The Lunatec Aquabot

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

I wasn't sure what I'd talk about today, and then the Lunatec Aquabot arrived in the mail. The Aquabot is a lid which fits on most wide-mouth Nalgene bottles, turning them into a pressurized water sprayer. 

https://amzn.to/3yhp1wl

The Aquabot has three settings:

1. Mist, which is good for keeping cool in the heat. 
2. Stream, which directs a sturdy jet of water that is capable of cleaning food off of cooking utensils. You can also spray water into your mouth with this setting, allowing you to drink from the bottle without having to remove the Aquabot lid. 
3. Shower, which is like Stream but has 3 separate jets to cover a wider area, and is best for cleaning body parts. 

I keep coming up with uses for settings 2 and 3 the more I think about it: wound irrigation, washing food before cooking, washing your hands before eating, portable outdoor bidet, etc. The lack of water pressure is a big inconvenience when outdoors, and this dandy device solves that problem handily.

 

You can buy the Lunatec Aquabot on Amazon for $27, where it comes with a 750 mL Nalgene bottle. There is also a 3 foot long Tube Extension ($15) which allows you to direct the water while the bottle is on the ground, in a backpack, etc. 

https://amzn.to/3yoqwZS

I don't yet know how sturdy mine is having just received it, but apparently the Aquabot has been around since 2017 and I can find only good things said about it, which tells me it's probably reliable. If you have experience with the Aquabot, please tell me about it in the comments below. 

I'm looking forward to testing this the next time I go camping. If it's as good as I think it is, then that'll be money well spent. 

Getting Home And More

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

A few weeks ago I wrote about several books I share with people who ask serious questions, and a friend asked about Get Home Bags. One of those books talks briefly about setting up a GHB, and that chapter is something that I've tried to follow myself.

A Basic Bag

In Tony Nestor's book Surviving A Disaster, the topic of a plain bag is talked about, starting on page 17.  From the book:

"... As noted during recent disasters, some evacuees had to walk forty miles or more out of their city before supplies were available! [...] Low profile and inconspicuous are key here- avoid the camouflaged, commando-style gear. You want to blend in and look like a student with a book bag and not like a Navy SEAL. Also, avoid the orange packs with 'Survival Gear' stamped on it unless you want those less prepared to know that you are stocked with supplies."

On the following page there is a list of suggested supplies the author has used previously. I'm not going to copy the list, as the items are open to interpretation and your list should be your list, tailored to climate and personal needs. Not to say the list isn't good; it is a little out-of-date on certain items, but use it as a good starting point.

My bag follows most of these guidelines, and that is why I'm really happy the Purple Pack Lady likes colors (here is a link to the purple pack). My bag was a gift, and while it isn't purple or orange, it does look a little tacti-cool. (Please see this post for a really good description of what's in it.) 

https://amzn.to/3kzsaTb

From the Amazon ad:

• Materials: 600D Nylon
• Nylon lining
• Zipper closure
• 17" shoulder drop
• Military tactical backpack size approx.: 9" x 9" x 17" Heavy duty 600D Nylon construction with quiet Paracord pulls and adjustable chest and waist belts
• Lightweight and breathable 20L capacity with 4 zippered compartments, 1 padded velcro rear pouch, and top carry handle
• Molle style webbing, D-rings, and compatible with a hydration pack (not included)
• Fast-release buckles and padded straps helps relieve weight and reduces fatigue when carrying heavy loads
• Great for students, hiking enthusiasts, military, first-responder personnel, or anyone with a passion for the outdoors, everyday use

My one very small quibble is the MOLLE attachment points, which I try to avoid. If I get stuck walking home, I will be in decidedly urban areas and I really REALLY want to be as nondescript as possible. Other than that, this pack has room for everything I want to carry and is small enough to keep my packrat tendencies under control. 

Additional Questions

Last week I posted about buying a freeze-dried assortment from Augason Farms and I was asked "About how many days is this bucket designed to feed people?" From looking at the contents, my opinion is it should be considered a 72 hour supply for 2-4 people, depending on how active everyone is. I also mentioned it was not my first choice, due to the high carbohydrate ingredients. Not that carbs are a deal breaker; I'd just like to see and have some protein added, which I'll do with canned goods if necessary.

More Gear Changes

Due to lack of storage space where I'm at and not much extra room where PPL works, I have to reduce the number of 7 gallon water jugs I have and figure on an alternate way to save water in an emergency. I will keep two, as that is all the room in my closet available, but there is still a need to have more than that for everyone here. Erin has recommended a water bladder that can be filled and kept in a bathtub, so I'm looking at getting the AquaPod Kit 2.0 - Emergency Water Storage Container.

https://amzn.to/2W8Co3u

From the Amazon ad:

• ★ TRUST YOUR WATER! MADE IN USA with BPA-FREE, USFDA APPROVED MATERIALS ★ AquaPodKit liners are constructed of food grade (lldpe) plastic. This material follows and stays within USFDA guidelines and BPA free. AquaPod kit manufactures their liners here in the USA! trust your water!
• ★ liners are constructed of food grade (LLDPE) plastic. This material follows and stays within USFDA guidelines and BPA Free
• ★ PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES ★ Never be without water in an emergency. During a hurricane or tropical storm, water main breaks and storm surges can interrupt or even contaminate your water supply.
• ★ KEEPS WATER CLEAN ★ Water stored in an open bathtub with dirt, soap film, and exposure to debris will spoil and become useless. Aquapod kit will keep water fresh for up to 8 weeks, depending on humidity and temperature conditions.
• ★ 100% RECYCLABLE ★ NO need to cut any parts off water storage bag - used reservoirs may be recycled into many types of new products. Aqua pod kit is disposable and recyclable - Aqua Pod Kit is the only American Bath Tub Bladder to offers replacement liners. Our reservoirs have a positive impact on the environment. The flexible reservoir requires less space for shipping and smaller shipments require less fuel.

Unfortunately, due to the series of natural disasters in the East and Midwest, Amazon is Sold Out with no resupply date available. I will be hanging on to my existing jugs for the time being, just not filling them; when empty they stack up and can be wedged into corners easily. 

Recap and Takeaway

• Please don't look at my posts as the only way to build a bag. Our other authors have brilliant ideas and different ways to arrive at a Good Bag. Read all of the posts available and then go from there!
• Do ask questions, as what seems obvious to others may not be so obvious to you. A slightly different point of view can open eyes and minds.
• Be adaptable. Getting stuck in a rut may keep you from changing directions when the time comes.
• Nothing was purchased this week, but a water storage bladder is going on my Amazon Watch List.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

Prepping Project: Sawyer Squeeze Pouch Hanger

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

As& is used with permission.

Last week, I said:

I can't think of a good way to end this, so I'll just say that hopefully the next time I post, it will be more helpful than this. Maybe I'll have pictures of some of my prepping projects. 

It took me longer than I wanted, but I finally finished one of those aforementioned projects. In the grand scheme of things it's pretty minor, but I like how it turned out. If nothing else, it proves to me that I can make my ideas work, which is an ego boost I need quite badly these days. 

https://amzn.to/3C35hOt

This particular project was born from the squeeze pouches which come with Sawyer water filters. I like the idea of virtually weightless water storage units that are basically flat until filled, but drinking from them is awkward, especially the larger sizes. I have small hands, and trying to grip a 16 or 32 ounce bag of water is not at all convenient. 

After a lot of thinking, I came up with an idea that used some spare parts I had lying around and a one-hole punch, bought at Target for $1.99 plus tax. 

If you look closely at the bottom of these pouches there are indentations which look an awful lot like places you can punch out. At it turns out, you can't, but they got me thinking about putting a hole there. 

I took the hole punch and -- you'll never see this coming -- punched a hole in the bottom of the pouch! I picked the spot closest to the corner to spread the load more evenly. Then I ran some carabiners through those holes and tied a length of paracord to them. Then I filled the pouch and replaced the cap with a leftover adapter, length of hose, and bite valve. 

The end result is a hands-free, wearable drink pouch that uses gravity, not squeezing, to send water to my mouth. By tying the rope to carabiners instead of directly to the pouch I can switch between pouches as necessary. The extra rope disperses the weight across my neck for a more comfortable fit. It's sort of a poor man's CamelBak. 

My only concern is "Will the pouch hold under its weight, or will it break?" and right now I'm testing that by having a filled pouch hanging in the bathroom. If this 32 oz pouch holds, I'll try it with the 64 oz next, although that might be too heavy to hang from my neck. 

So, what do you think?

UPDATE: After hanging for 8 hours, the pouch looks great and the holes show no sign of deformation. (That said, a little duct tape reinforcement around the holes certainly wouldn't hurt.) I'm calling this test a success and will be moving on the the 64 oz pouch next. 

UPDATE 2: the 64 oz pouch held for 8 hours with only minor deformation of the punched holes. I'm calling this entire project a complete success. 

Totes for Water Storage

I've seen a few people on various internet sites asking about water storage in plastic "totes". Since I work with these on a daily basis, I've had to get training on the proper marking and labeling of shipping containers. Here's a basic primer on what are known as Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC), commonly referred to as totes or shuttles.

There are several government agencies and a few Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) that set standards for shipping containers. The Department of Transportation (DOT) at the federal level has regulations set up under US Code (USC) 49, Chapter I, Part 178, Subpart N, Paragraph 703 to standardize the markings required on IBCs. Reading USC regulations is a good way to flirt with insanity, so I'll highlight the important parts.

https://tinyurl.com/8bu24f2r

IBCs will be marked with a series of numbers and letters, not less than one-half inch high, that designate the construction and types of materials they're designed to store. A common plastic shell inside a steel cage will be marked something like this:

31 HA1 /  Y / 0318 / USA / SCHULTZ / 

3656 / 1959 / 1040L / 59kg / 100kPA

• The 31 means that in this instance it's a composite construction, plastic liner inside a steel cage. 
• 11 means rigid.
• 13 means flexible.
• HA1 tells us that it is both plastic (H) and steel (A).
• “A” means steel (all types and surface treatments).
• “B” means aluminum.
• “C” means natural wood.
• “D” means plywood.
• “F” means reconstituted wood.
• “G” means fiberboard.
• “H” means plastic.
• “L” means textile.
• “M” means paper, multiwall.
• “N” means metal (other than steel or aluminum).
• The Y means that it meets class II and III testing requirements for containing hazardous materials. II is moderate and III is minor hazards allowed.
• The next numbers are the month and year of manufacture, important to know if someone is trying to sell you a "new" tote.
• USA is the country of origin, followed by the name of the maker or third-party testing company that certified it.
• Next is the maximum stack weight the shell can hold. Handy to know if you are stacking several to save floor space. 3656 kg is  8040 pounds.
• 1959 is the maximum kilogram weight in materials the container can hold, which equals 4310 pounds.
• 1040L is the volume; about 265 gallons max.
• Water is 8.34 lbs/gallon, so completely filled is 2210 pounds.
• 59KG is the empty or Tare weight, which is 130 pounds. It takes two or three people to lift an empty tote into the back of a truck.
• 100kPA is the pressure rating; about 15 psi. This is useful if you want to try to use air pressure to unload the container.

The standard IBC "tote" is designed to hold 265 gallons of liquid. The plastic used is polyethylene (PE) or high density polyethylene (HDPE) and is food safe. PE doesn't normally hold odors, so re-using a container that was used to ship food is safe after a thorough rinse. New is better, but carefully looking for used ones can work. DO NOT TRY TO CLEAN A CHEMICAL TOTE!  Because of the construction of the plastic shell, it is almost impossible to clean the top of the inside. 

Stacking one on top of another is handy, as it puts the drain valve of the top one about 4 feet above the ground. Drain valves are usually 2 inches and threaded and/or camlock fittings. Make sure you open a vent or have an automatic vent on the top or you will collapse the plastic liner.

If you are storing water in a tote where it is exposed to light, wrap it in opaque plastic or cover it with a tarp to inhibit algae growth. Adding bleach on a regular basis will also kill anything that wants to grow in your water. Use our articles on water purification to figure out how much bleach you'll need, as it varies with the source of your water.

The Chlorine Shortage

Clean water is essential for life. Chlorine is one of the easiest and most common ways to disinfect (kill microbes) water, and has been covered several times here and on other blogs. I even showed the basics for making your own chlorine bleach, and there is a post in the archives about a solar-powered bleach producer.

Chlorine is a basic industrial chemical, used in a lot of processes, but a majority of it (~60%) is made in two plants. One of those plants burned last year, and the other was recently flooded. This has put pressure on the market; as supply goes down, prices go up. Add in the quarantine-based surge in home swimming pool construction and you can add increased demand to further raise prices. 

What does this mean for a prepper? 

• Since most municipal water plants use Chlorine gas as a final disinfectant for the water they supply, we can expect higher costs for our drinking water.
• Some places may try to get by using less Chlorine, which raises the potential for bacteria in our water.
• Household bleach prices will rise and availability will drop.
• Swimming pool bleach will follow household bleach.
• Suppliers may switch to imported Chlorine, which raises costs and means more transportation. 

Chlorine is a gas at normal temperature and pressure, and is shipped as a liquid under pressure. Pure Chlorine stores well, but once converted to household bleach it has a shelf-life measured in months. (Pool bleach lasts longer, but is chemically different.) Stockpiling bleach is a waste of money, so if you're counting on using it for water purification you need to either make your own or investigate other methods. Erin has written about Potassium Permanganate as an alternative method of water purification (it has other uses, too) so give that some thought.

Some other things to consider:

• Conserve water if you're on a municipal system. Reducing the demand will ensure they can treat what they are pumping.
• Have a backup water purification system on hand. If your city declares their water unsafe, they will usually enact a "Boil Order", so keep an eye on the local news. Use the search box and look for Reverse Osmosis for my recommendation.
• If you have a swimming pool (a great way to store lots of water), check with local suppliers for a season's supply of chemicals. Look into alternative methods, which is outside my realm of experience.
• Keep a supply of drinking water on hand. Having been through a few floods and other disasters, you won't get much warning before they shut down the water supply.

We live in a connected world where a failure at one location will have ripple effects that can affect you and yours. Do what you can to avoid the worst of the problems.

The Millbank Bag

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Have you heard of a Millbank Bag? I certainly hadn't until last week; I believe they're more prevalent in the UK than over here, as they were originally  developed at the Royal Army Medical College in Millbank, London.

The principle behind it ought to be familiar, however: it is simply a tapered canvas bag which, when properly soaked, serves as a prefilter to remove sediment and other particles from your water before you filter or boil it. This also serves to increase the lifespan of your filter. 

To use it:

1. Soak the bag in water to cause the canvas fibers to swell. 
2. Fill the bag with water.
3. Hang the bag using the attached cord. 
4. Wait until the water is running clear.
5. Place a bottle, pan, or other water collection device underneath. 
6. Filter, boil, or chemically sterilize the collected water. 

https://tinyurl.com/4a3y56xa

When you're not using the bag as a prefilter, you can use it to carry items. 

You can purchase a 5 liter/1.3 gallon Millbank Bag made in the USA for $32.25 ($26.50 for the bag, plus $5.75 shipping) at Millbankbagsusa.com. 

Here's a Millbank Bag being used by Dave Canterbury. 

A Millbank Bag is a lightweight, multipurpose item which deserves a spot in every prepper's Bug Out Bag. 

Guest Post: the Potable Aqua Pure Portable Electrolytic Water Purifier Device

by Gwen Patton

There are hundreds of gadgets, devices, and chemical additives on the market today intended to disinfect or clean drinking water. Most gadgets are complicated and difficult to use; filters require special hoses, pumps, replacement filter media, and usually require cleaning or backflushing, while chemical additives like halazone, iodine, and bleach have hazards, limited lifespans, and special storage needs to keep them fresh and to prevent children from getting into them.

Ideally, you want an effective water treatment that doesn’t require special storage, isn’t poisonous in case your kid gets into it, and will be cost-effective and available for years. I believe I’ve found that very solution with the Potable Aqua Pure Electrolytic Water Purifier (just "Pure" for short). It comes with a manual, a quick-start guide, a container with 25 chlorine test strips, a power brick and USB cable, a 1-oz squeeze bottle, a wrist lanyard, and the electrolytic device itself. You supply salt, water for the brine bottle, the water you want to sanitize, and the container to sanitize it in. (I used a one liter Nalgene bottle.) The instructions are very complete, and there are videos available as well.

How It Works

https://amzn.to/2AfwKks

The Pure is a small device about the size of a candy bar. It has a long-life lithium battery for power that can be charged by any USB power source or by putting it in the sun with its built-in solar panel exposed. It works by electrolytically splitting table salt ions into a mixture of chlorine and oxygen compounds that are the same chemicals used by municipalities to treat tap water. It will make enough doses for 150 liters of water on a single charge, and the battery should last for over 60,000 doses until it ceases to hold a charge. It charges on USB power in a few hours, and an hour of sun on the internal solar panel will make two doses.

The device has two storage cells in the top, protected by silicone covers. You fill these with table salt, Kosher salt, or even rock salt, so long as it’s sodium chloride. Included is a 1 ounce squeeze bottle, to which you add the contents of one salt cell and then fill with any water, even the water you want to treat, and then shake to dissolve the salt.

On the front between the salt storage cells is a narrow compartment protected by another silicone cover. You open that, drip in about 50 drops of your salt solution, then press a button on the front to cycle through how many liters of water you want to treat at one time. This can be between 1 and 20 liters, though you’ll have to do a second cycle to treat that much. You can treat up to 10 liters at a time per dose.

You hold the button for 2 seconds to start the process. The solution in the electrolizing compartment fizzes for a while, then the lights go out. You carefully pour the solution in this compartment into your container of water you want to treat, shake it up, and close it.

There are other instructions, based on how dirty the water is, and what microorganisms you’re trying to kill, because some conditions (such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium ) require a stronger dose and some require a test stage after 10 minutes to make sure you have enough chlorine in the solution. All treatment requires the water to sit for 30 minutes for the disinfection to complete, except for Cryptosporidium which requires 4 hours of sitting, as those cysts are very hard to reliably kill. There are other conditions in the user guide that say what to do if the water is really dirty or cloudy, but the most common solution is to run the water through a simple pre-filter, like a coffee filter or a clean t-shirt, to get particulates out.

Another side use of this device is to make a strong dose of the disinfectant solution, but to add it to a smaller quantity of water to make a sanitizing solution. You can use this to clean surfaces, disinfect dishes, and to clean wounds in an emergency. It doesn’t make the same compound as what is found in laundry bleach, but it is a bleach, and it can sanitize like one.

Test & Evaluation
I tested this device on my home tap water by running the 10 minute chlorine test, though for this use I didn’t have to, and it showed there was plenty of chlorine in the water. I let it finish the half hour cycle, opened it and sniffed. I could barely detect a hint of pool chlorine smell. I poured a little into a glass and tasted it, and  I could detect no chemical flavor at all. I left the bottle open for 5 minutes and sniffed again, and detected no chlorine odor. I filled the glass and drank it, and I believe it actually tasted better than the water fresh from the tap. I had my wife Maggie taste it as well, and she made the same observation. Of course, I don’t have laboratory facilities to test the water before and after to show it working, but it certainly tasted perfectly fine and I felt no unpleasant side effects.

My Rating: 5 Stars
To recap:

• We have a very small device with an extremely long lifespan. 
• It uses a very common and easily acquired substance to electrically make a sanitizing solution of variable and controllable strength. 
• It can kill or deactivate 99.99% of all usual biological water contaminants in ½ to 4 hours. 
• It is not a filter, so it does not remove particulates or dissolved materials,  dirt, toxic chemicals, or heavy metals. To remove those would require very powerful filters or even distilling. 

The Potable Aqua Pure Electrolytic Water Purifier is an excellent addition to any disaster response gear you might wish to have. It costs $115 from Amazon, and might be found for less at your local camping store.

Purifying Water with Bleach, part 2

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Last month I was asked about how to purify stored water. This woman's concern was that the water was good enough coming out of the tap, but she was worried that long-term storage would result in bacterial growth which would render the water undrinkable.

Purification of water is something that we've covered extensively on this blog, and one of the earliest articles we made on that topic was Chaplain Tim's essay on using bleach to neutralize a toxin produced by an algal infestation of Toledo's water supply.

While filtration and boiling are still the best and easiest methods to purify water, sometimes they just won't work, as in the Toledo case. In that situation, the toxin was left behind by the algae as it died off, and even though filtration would remove the algae itself it would still leave the toxin behind. Worse, boiling the water would concentrate the toxin, actually making the problem worse!

I encourage you all to go read Tim's article, as it explains the chemistry behind why this works and how you should use it. Still, if you're like me and your eyes get a bit watery at all the math, I present to you this handy cheat sheet for storing and purifying water.

I don't recall where or when I found this image; all I know is that it was years ago during a web-wander. If you know where it's from, please let me know so I can give credit where due.

I added my own notes to this to enhance usability. We have teaspoons in my kitchen, but not 1/4 or 1/8 tsp and I don't trust my eyes to be able to accurately eyeball those amounts, so I used Tim's math from his post to convert their measurements into units I could use, which were drops.

Please note: This chart is for standard bleach, not concentrated bleach! Concentrated bleach is 8.25% NaClO (sometimes listed as Sodium hypochlorite) instead of the standard 5 to 6% solution, so you need to use less of it. According to his article, it's 4 drops of bleach to the gallon for clear water instead of the listed 8.

A few things I want to point out before I wrap this up:

• Cloudy water is treated the same way as clear water because, as the text above indicates, you need to filter cloudy water before drinking it. 
• If for whatever reason you can't filter it, I would treat it as surface water. 
• Surface water gets special treatment because there's no telling what's in it. See this article for more explanation. 
• Cold water needs more bleach because the cold inhibits chemical reaction. For a great example of this, do an experiment: take two mugs of water, one from the tap and one hot from the kettle or microwave, and stir in an equal amount of powdered coffee or cocoa. Watch how the hot water absorbs the powder easily, while the cold water causes the powder to clump. The same principle applies here. 
• Allow at least 30 minutes for the bleach to do its job! If the water is cold, make that 60 minutes. 
• The human nose can smell chlorine in water at a ratio of 3 parts per million. A ratio of chlorine to water which makes it safe to drink is 5 ppm. Therefore, if you can easily smell the chlorine without it being supter-strong, it's safe to drink. 
• Chlorine loses its effectiveness years, becoming inert in 5 years. Powdered bleach lasts longer, although I don't know by how much. Here are directions on how to make your own bleach, although be advised that it will be more diluted than commercial versions. 

Drinking Distilled Water

If you watch survival shows on TV. you'll often see folks distilling water, and for good reason: it's a guaranteed way to get all the contaminants out of your drinking water. In fact, back in 2014 I wrote an article about how to set up a very basic still.

There are plenty of reasons to buy or make your own distilled water. In addition to knowing it's contaminant-free, it's also far gentler on things like humidifiers and CPAP machines and is the water you're supposed to use to top off lead-acid batteries. This is especially important if you have very hard water*, like we do in my area.

However, the argument that distilled water may be unsafe to drink gets made time and again, so in this article we examine the question "Will drinking distilled water get you through an emergency, just to kill you afterward? Or is it perfectly safe, and the innocent victim of internet experts?"

Distilled water is quite useful, cheap to buy, and easy to make. It's also known to not have anything bad for you in it. Why wouldn't you want to drink it? First of all, it tastes... well, it actually doesn't taste; it lacks all of the things that give water the flavor you're used to. This flat, lack-of-taste can be quite off-putting, which means you might not drink as much, especially when you need to be consuming lots of fluids.

The second traditional strike against distilled water is that it strips minerals from the body. This has been proven to be untrue. There is, however, a related issue: while distilled water doesn't take anything from you, it also doesn't replace anything your body naturally uses, either. Regular water from your tap, or the filter on your refrigerator, or wherever you get your water has minerals and electrolytes in it that your body needs to function.

If you're drinking distilled for a short period of time, your may be sore or fatigued or otherwise less than 100%, but you'll probably suffer no long-term effects. If you're eating a healthy diet, you might suffer no ill effects at all. If you choose to drink distilled water for a longer time frame, though, you may want to look at taking some kind of multivitamin supplement product to replace what the water isn't giving you back.

The lack of mineral content also means that distilled water doesn't hydrate you as effectively as non-distilled water, and you may have to drink more to obtain the same effects. Keep an extra sharp eye out for signs of dehydration.

In short, distillation is a great way to purify water. Don't be afraid to drink distilled water or use it in household processes. If you do drink it, be conscious of your mineral and electrolyte intake, and take supplements if you need them to stay in good health.

Lokidude

* Hard water, for those unfamiliar with the term, is water that contains very high concentrations of minerals. It causes nasty buildup anywhere those minerals get deposited and allowed to dry, and things like humidifier evaporation panels and swamp cooler panels get coated with a hard, salty looking shell rather quickly.

Hydration Tube Inline Hijinks

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

If you have a hydration bladder in a backpack, you know how difficult it is to refill without unpacking the entire thing -- which is not something you want to do on a hike, let alone while bugging out on foot or trying to get home.

If you're refilling in the wild, then water purity is also a concern. Sure, you could boil water and then pour it into your bladder after it's cooled, but that requires you to make camp and build a fire. If you have a long ways to go, or don't have the time or ability to make a fire, that might not be a good choice.

I'm going to show you how you can refill your hydration bladder using its drinking tube while filtering it at the same time. I consider that last part very important, because once you introduce dirty water to your system it must be considered permanently dirty until you're able to clean it with soap and hot water, and during an emergency you might just forget that your formerly clean water supply is now dirty. With my method, everything that goes into your hydration bladder will be clean.

What You Will Need

1. Mazama MagmaFlow Quick Disconnect Coupler
2. Two Sawyer Products SP115 Fast Fill Adapters for Hydration Packs
• Some pumps (below) may come with fast fill adapters. What's important is that you have two sets of male & female adapters. 
3. Sawyer Products SP110 Inline Hydration Pack Adapter for Screw On Filters
4. Sawyer Mini Water filter. 
• If you do not already own a Sawyer Mini, then purchase their Dual Threaded Water Filtration System which comes with the screw-on adapters in #3. This will save you $4.50.
5. Superglue, epoxy putty, or plasti-dip. 
6. A pump filter. 

About That Pump...

This will be the most expensive part of the setup, but it is necessary to fill your bladder via the tube and, in my opinion, the convenience is worth the cost. I'm using a Katadyn Hiker which I bought about 10 years ago when I first started getting into prepping. It is also a filtration system, and the fact that this means I'm double-filtering my water is a feature in my book. 

However, the quality of filtration is less important than having a pump. If you can find an inexpensive pump that doesn't need a filter to operate, go ahead and use that so long as you feel its construction is durable enough for your needs. I couldn't find any like that, and most of the hiking pumps to be found online are about $50... although I did find one on Amazon for about $27.50 with no reviews whatsoever. I consider that to be super sketchy, but am including it here for sake of completeness. 

Instructions
1) Cut your drinking tube approximately one inch from where it attaches to the mouthpiece and attach the MagmaFlow coupler. Be sure to pair the larger part of the coupler with the longer part of the tube! This is important because the large piece has a shutoff valve which will prevent water from leaking out of your drinking tube when you take off the mouthpiece. 

2) Take your Sawyer Mini and attach the gray threaded adapter to the bottom. Then, using the tubing and fast fill adapters, place them like so:

You may find it useful to remove the cap from the drinking end of the filter like I did.

If you are using the Dual Threaded Sawyer, then you will unscrew the pop-up valve on the drinking end and replace it with the blue adapter.

https://amzn.to/2JMKeFZ

3) Take the remaining fast fill adapter and seal the ends with something tough and waterproof, like plasti-dip or epoxy putty. Even superglue will work, although I recommend you color it in so that you can tell at a glance which of the adapters are sealed.

4) Your finished product will look like this. The sealed caps will prevent contamination of the clean output end by droplets from the dirty input end. This is how I store it in my GHB.

Operation
To refill your hydration bladder with inline filtering, do the following:

1. Remove bite valve from drinking hose using the MagmaFlow disconnect. 
2. Remove sealed valve from the clean end of the Sawyer filter and place it over the bite valve lead to keep it clean.
   
   
3. Insert clean end into drinking hose. 
4. Remove cap from dirty end and place it where you won't lose it. 
5. Assemble your pump and plug its output into the dirty end of the Sawyer. 
6. Place input of pump into water and begin pumping. 

The finished version will look something like this:

Performance

It is reasonable to expect that this double-filtration setup would increase the time it takes to refill a hydration system, but that is not my experience. I tested this with a 2 liter bladder and 2 liters of water. 

• Without the Sawyer, it took me a little over 2 minutes to fill the bladder with 2 liters of water. 
• With the Sawyer, it took me about 1 minute 50 seconds. Since adding another filter cannot make the pump go faster, I attribute this increase to warming up the pump and/or increased familiarity with the process. 

Be Advised!

With your hydration bladder inside your backpack it will be difficult to see how full it is! Be careful not to over-fill it or else you risk rupturing your bladder. 

To prevent over-filling, I recommend that you practice with a known quantity of water. For example, it takes me 60 pumps to move 1 liter of water; therefore, if my hydration bladder is empty then I know I need to pump 120 times to fill it. 

Once you have this number, write it on your pump with a permanent marker. 

Final Thoughts

I am not familiar with all pump systems, but the Katadyn Hiker has an expensive filter ($40) with a limited lifespan (200 gallons) and no ability to backflush it. Conversely, the Sawyer Mini can be backflushed and can filter up to 100,000 gallons over its lifespan. 

With that in mind, if you expect to be drinking from a lot of dirty sources during a bug out or get home scenario, it might be prudent to use the cleanable filter with the longer lifespan to handle the majority of the work. In that case, the solution is simple: get another set of fast fill valves and place them in the input hose of the pump, so that the pump filter is only processing already filtered water. 

Only you know which version is right for you.