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  1. #1
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    Default water purification

    How do you keep your water clean when on a trip ?

    So here is our story:
    40 liter water tank lasted the first couple of days.
    I then topped up this tank from the 120 liter tank.
    note - both tanks were flushed out 2 or 3 times the week before.
    That night both my wife and I had the worst stomach bugg .... lost a full day of our holiday

    We are pretty sure it is not food poisoning, all the food was fresh or refigerated.
    We were in contact with some people on the day, so could have picked up the bug.

    Yet in the back of my mind I am worried about the water in the second tank .... even though we flush these tanks it is impossible to completely drain it (while the tank is still mounted in the vehicle)


    So what are our options ?

    1) water purifaction tablets .... (not sure where one can get this)

    2) water filtration (for bacteria, rather than particulates)

    3) boiling .....

    I would love to hear from the experienced crowd as to what are realistic options and what worked for you

  2. #2
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    Default

    I use only filtered water. So if I take 120l water with me, it is all water that has a TDS of 25 or less.

    Else use water that you can trust, but add 1teaspoon of Jik to about 100l of water.

    PS. I just prefer the taste of filtered water.

    PPS. Why not buy water from OASIS. About R25 for 25l. Will cost you R100 for 100l. Very cheap if you think you could have a stomach bug somewhere.
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  3. #3
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Henris View Post
    I use only filtered water. So if I take 120l water with me, it is all water that has a TDS of 25 or less.

    Else use water that you can trust, but add 1teaspoon of Jik (preferably Milton) to about 100l of water.

    PS. I just prefer the taste of filtered water.

    PPS. Why not buy water from OASIS. About R25 for 25l. Will cost you R100 for 100l. Very cheap if you think you could have a stomach bug somewhere.
    Ditto, except for editing above.
    I doubt whether it was the water.
    Have a nice day.

  4. #4
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    Default

    I fitted a dometic undercounter waterfilter to my watertank with a 12V pump and switch, know I always have filterwater aboard.

  5. #5
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    Default

    Tablets you can buy almost anywhere.
    There is no task too simple for some people to complicate !



    Ford Figo 2016

  6. #6
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    Default

    Last edited by JohanJvV; 2011/01/13 at 01:12 PM.
    VW AMAROK V6
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  7. #7
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    I am also interested. So maybe it is time to talk to my Absolutely Water agent. Then I will just get the bits and bobs and build into the car's "skin"
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  8. #8
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    I also DOUBT if our stomach bug was related to the water. YET, one will always wonder ....

    Duncan what are these tablets called (brands) ? Do you have any experience with this, ie how many tablets per 100 liter, for how long, taste, etc etc ....



    I am not so sure of the Absolutely water idea - MOST filters actually turns into a breeding ground for buggs when the water flow through it is stagnant for extended periods. I would like to know if this unit solves this issue.

  9. #9
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    Default

    I agree with Herman. Take the Milton route. It does not taste bad and kills all the bugs. Even if you go the filter route you will still need something in the water to kill the bugs in the filter (ala Carte Blanche).
    Steve
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  10. #10
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    Aquatabs. Buy anywhere. I've used them with great success. Different sizes for different q's.
    There is no task too simple for some people to complicate !



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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plod View Post
    ........... Even if you go the filter route you will still need something in the water to kill the bugs in the filter (ala Carte Blanche).
    Our water out the taps here in Musina is 500 TDS and up. After the filter it is about 20. That filter does the trick.

    Personally I am spoilt with the taste of good water. That is why I am prepared to go to great lengths to get good nice water. I just don't like the taste of all the water you could get out of a tap.
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisF View Post
    Duncan what are these tablets called (brands) ? Do you have any experience with this, ie how many tablets per 100 liter, for how long, taste, etc etc ....
    I have seen Aquatabs in Africa and Puritabs here in the UK, and they are are all 1 tablet per litre of water. The tablets are minute. Don't buy them in blister packs.....they're more for backpackers to treat one water bottle at a time. You can buy them in pill-bottle like containers with 50 or 100 tablets in each.

    I used tincture of iodine for our 6 month trans-Africa trip. It is probably the best of the chemicals in terms of the percentage of bugs it kills, but you do have a life-time allowance of iodine which shouldn't be exceeded. The chlorine based tablets (Puritabs and Aquatabs etc) taste better than iodine. I don't notice them at all, but if you do, you can even get a masking agent to add to the water.

    Just to tempt fate, I have never had an upset stomach in all my years of travelling in Africa, India and remote parts of Australia, and I've always drunk treated local water.

    Incidentally, I bumped into a scientist on a train recently, who is working on modifying honey such that adding it to water will purify it. He has it working, 100%, but they need to develop a way of scaling up the process to commercial levels. He will be a millionaire.

    Mike
    Last edited by MikeAG; 2011/01/13 at 09:29 PM.
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    Default

    Thanks gents !

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    Or you can use 25-50ml brandy/300ml water in your drinking water, the advantage will be two fold.

    This reminds me of the guy.
    Many, many moons ago a guy farming in the back of the Kalahari had the pipe of the window washer routed to the right hand side of the dash board in the bakkie. So when he and swambo went to town, he quietly filled the washer tank with brandy. Driving home she would gladly fill the glass with coke when asked by her dear hubby. She could not understand how/why he arrive home slightly p****d because she only filled his glass with either coke or water.

  15. #15
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    Aquatabs for 1 ltr of water at Dischem is R30 for 50 tablets. They make larger pills too. Try, [email protected]
    There is no task too simple for some people to complicate !



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  16. #16
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    Hi Guys
    I needed a portable water purifier and asked the guy that sold me a tri-osmoses water system for my kitchen. He suggested a portable 'demonstration unit' the sales people use to demonstrate these things to you. It is fitted inside a small aluminium suitcase, with +- 5 stages, a transformer and a pump for when the pressure is not enough.
    I install this unit in my trailer when i tour and it works of my 12v system.
    It even takes the brackish taste out of the Kgalagadi water. With this you can even use water out a cattle waterhole when in a crisis.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by FORTUNER4EVER View Post
    ................
    It even takes the brackish taste out of the Kgalagadi water. With this you can even use water out a cattle waterhole when in a crisis.
    This is exactly why I also want one......
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  18. #18
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    I carry a Katadyn ceramic filter (with secondary charcoal filter for taste). You can apparently drink camel-pee using this if you really have to......and being hand-pumped it still works even if your car is burnt-out or you a stuck on a boat for a few days. They have to be well packed on an off-road vehicle, however, as the ceramic filters are brittle and slightly vulnerable, and are very expensive to replace.

    Never rely on just the filter for purifying water on a trip. They are a mechanical device, relying on seals and decent maintenance.......thus they can (=will) go wrong. Always have an alternative system in place in case........

    Mike
    Last edited by MikeAG; 2011/01/14 at 04:10 PM.
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  19. #19
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    I have this unit, http://purewatersystems.co.za/wp-con...-terrain_0.jpg the Pure terrain 4×4 Water purifier.
    We ran out of water on the Pella/Namakwa route 2 years ago and I simply took water out of the dirty river and what came out of the system was perfect drinking water. The benefit of this unit is that it also has a UV filter so it kills even the smallest bugs.
    Cobus
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  20. #20
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    Anyone tested the end result from the various jugs on the market ? I have an Addis 2.5 ltr Jug in the caravan that fits snugly in the fridge. Whilst I have no expertise to test the water, it has no brackish taste or algea flavour when at some parks which run from tanks only, that we know had strange tastes from previous visits. Maybe someone knows of an online filter that could be fitted between my bottle and my tap? Has to be 'weak' enough to allow flow pushed by a 12 volt submersible pump tho.
    There is no task too simple for some people to complicate !



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