Water filter "Aquaphor Universal". Do-it-yourself filters for water purification in field conditions

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Lovers of long hikes in areas remote from civilization are most likely aware of the problem of lack of drinking water. Carrying the necessary supply with you is unrealistic. And drinking water from the encountered sources is dangerous. Therefore, experienced travelers use proven water purification methods. To do this, they add special products to it, boil it, pass it through a water filter made by themselves or produced in the factory.

What kind of water can I drink on a hike?

It's good if the path runs through a mountainous area rich in crystal clear streams and springs. But what to do when the trip is not carried out in an ecologically clean area? The first thing to learn is that water for drinking should not be taken from the first source that came along the way. The best option is flowing out of the ground. But, unfortunately, such springs are rare. If they are not nearby, you should choose a water source, which is located in the most picturesque cornernature.

If there is blooming nature around, you can safely take water. If you value your he alth, avoid liquid with a bad smell and color. You should not drink water from a source surrounded by withering greenery, animal skeletons, if there is any factory or settlement nearby. If you consume such a liquid without first cleaning, you risk ending your trip ahead of time.

How to purify water while camping

The issue of drinking water should be taken care of in advance, even before you decide to hit the road. Study the map of the area you will be moving around. Identify sources where you can wash and collect water for drinking. Consider cleaning methods and bring along some materials you may need to make your own camping water filter.

A great option that saves many travelers is a factory made travel filter. If you take it with you, you will hardly need to puzzle over where to get drinking water. Filters for water purification in field conditions are produced with such characteristics that their operation is as convenient as possible in such a situation. A special place in the life of travelers is occupied by the tourist (or hiking) filter "Aquaphor Universal". What explains such popularity?

"Aquaphor Universal" - an assistant to tourists and summer residents

Water filterthe camping "Aquaphor Universal" is actually intended not only for cleaning liquids taken from open sources. It is actively used by summer residents or owners of country cottages where there is no centralized water supply. Its ability to neutralize chlorine also suggests that the manufacturer suggests that the device will also be used to purify drinking tap water.

With the help of this filter, water, in whatever initial state it may be, can be almost 100% free of impurities such as:

• phenol;
• heavy metals;
• oil products;
• pesticides;
• active chlorine.

Using the "Aquaphor Universal" filter in field conditions

The Aquaphor Universal water filter is very compact and easy to use. It weighs only 400 g, has dimensions of 65x90 mm. Able to purify up to 300 liters of water from open sources. In a minute with it, you can get 300 ml of drinking water. This means that just one filter is enough for a whole group of tourists.

The "Aquaphor Universal" filter has a hole for attaching to a water tap, and with the help of a special nozzle it can be attached to any plastic bottle, which is very practical in hiking conditions. But it is important to take into account one important nuance. Water taken from open natural sources must be boiled before being passed through the filter. This only indicates that not all 100% of the microorganisms inhabitingin it, this purifier can eliminate, and the risk of infection, although minimal, exists.

Boiling is the first way to disinfect water

Experienced hikers know that there are several ways to disinfect water from natural sources if a camping water filter is not available for any reason. The most commonly used is boiling. But it is important not only to wait until the water begins to boil rapidly, but also to keep it in this state for at least 10 minutes, and preferably 20 or even 30.

For the best effect, young twigs of any coniferous tree should be added to boiling water. You can use for this purpose the bark of oak, beech, willow, hazelnut or walnut, as well as young birch bark. Herbs that are at hand are also suitable: calendula, arnica, tumbleweed, feather grass, camel thorn, yarrow, field violet. All components must be added in the amount of one or two glasses to a bucket of water during boiling or when it is removed from the heat to settle for 6 hours.

How to rid the water of germs on a hike

• Adding pills. This is not the best way to disinfect water, but with chemical components, it is still not as harmful as an untreated liquid from a river can be. For this purpose, the following agents can be used: pantocid, aquasept, clorcept, hydrochlonazone. With just one tablet of any of the proposed drugs, you can disinfect half a liter of water in 20 minutes.
• Potassium permanganate. On a bucket it should be taken inthe amount of only 1-2 g. Make sure that the solution does not turn out to be a saturated color, otherwise you can get unwanted dysbacteriosis during the campaign.
• S alt. By adding a tablespoon of table s alt to one or two liters, you can disinfect not very dirty water. But keep in mind, the constant use of such a composition can lead to dehydration.

Mechanical water purification on a hike

If the water obtained during the campaign is too turbid and has relatively large impurities, you can build a camping water filter with your own hands. There are several options here:

• Any fabric folded in several layers will help get rid of large particles, earth, sand. You can take a bandage or clean socks.
• For long stays, you can simply defend the water in large barrels or eggplants. Under the action of sunlight, microorganisms also die in it.
• Another way to get more or less pure water is to let it seep through the ground. To do this, you should dig a hole a stone's throw from the reservoir and wait for water to run into it.
• You can make a kind of wick out of wool and lower its ends into a tank with or without water. The water will gradually overflow.
• Also, tourists often make their own water filter in field conditions from three sticks, cloth, grass, fine sand and charcoal. A tripod is set up from sticks, to which a fabric with the listed contents is tied. After passing through grass, sand and coal, the water will become transparent.

Otherthe way to make a camping water filter is to make it from a tin can and sand. To do this, several small holes are made in a canned food jar, a piece of cloth or several layers of gauze are placed on top and hot sand is poured. The filter is ready. Now it remains to pour small portions of water into it and wait patiently until it pours out of the holes. Instead of a can, a plastic bottle is often used

Improve water quality while camping

Water will become a little cleaner and tastier if you add a little wine to it. If the liquid is bitter and has an unpleasant odor, you can stand it for several hours with charcoal taken from a fire. Sometimes pieces of clay or wool are thrown into boiling water. And then, taking them out, wring them out.

Hawthorn berries will improve the taste of s alt water. Another way to get tasty water is to mix it with clean earth and let it settle well. The liquid will improve the quality and taste if you stand it with a few fresh or dried rowan leaves.

The easiest and safest way to purify water from contaminants and microbes is to pass it through a factory filter, such as Aquaphor Universal. But if there is no such filter for water, then you can use improvised means to make it yourself and apply one of the methods of disinfection. Thus, by ridding the water of impurities and dangerous microorganisms, you will get a completely safe liquid to drink. And with advice onimproving its quality and taste, you can even enjoy the process of quenching your thirst to some extent.