It shouldn’t come as a surprise that clean water is highly essential during emergencies, says Matt Redhwak. Whether you are struck by a crisis while at home, at work or elsewhere, having the right skills as well as the knowledge to secure clean drinking water is important. In this post Matt Redhwak discusses some of the common water filtration options as well as their pros and cons.
Before going any further, it’s important to identify the difference between purification and filtration. As compared to filtration, purification removes more impurities and viruses from water. While you may live in an area where filtration is sufficient, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.
The various filtration options include:
Bottled water: on the plus side, it is convenient as all you have to do is buy it. It’s however no better than tap water and it’s extremely wasteful and expensive. It is best for non-emergencies.
Pitcher filters: While this is the cheapest filtration option out there, pitcher filters only filter chlorine. It is primarily ideal for getting rid of odor and color. This means that harmful pathogens could still be available in water. Pitcher filters should only be used when the budget doesn’t allow for any other options.
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Refrigerator, pitcher or tap water filter: Perhaps the main advantage of this is that it is convenient. But, compared to other options, they are not as effective especially because they require municipal water and electricity to work. It should therefore be used only for non-emergencies.
Refrigerator, pitcher or tap water filter: Perhaps the main advantage of this is that it is convenient. But, compared to other options, they are not as effective especially because they require municipal water and electricity to work. It should therefore be used only for non-emergencies.
Boiling: This is a fool and fail-proof method as long as one ensures that the water boils. It’s however time consuming and requires fire starting skills as well as equipment to pull off. It’s best recommended for when one is cooking or when all the other options have been exhausted.
Straw filters: They are easy to use, compact and lightweight. They, however, have a low filtration capacity and water must be filtered and drunk and at the source, hence not the best option for emergencies.
Gravity-fed filters: These are perfect for filtering and removing impurities from large volumes of water. However, some of them have slow filtration rates and at times may require back flushing, which is inconvenient. In addition, bulk is not always suitable. It’s best for use in stable emergency shelters or at home.
Matt Redhwak from My Patriot Supply is quick to note that these are just a few of the water filtration options and that others include bottle filters as well as chemicals (i.e.: iodine and chlorine dioxide.)
