Steripen to purify water?
 

Am heading to southern africa soon and was thinking I might need some water purifying tablets. Came across this - the steripen. Used ultraviolet light to kill bugs. Does it work? Has anyone used it? What advice would you have for getting safe drinking water in southern africa.

[url=http://www.ellis-brigham.com/kit-list---kilimanjaro/steripen/265351/steripen-adventurer]SteriPen Adventurer by SteriPen for

I used a steripen through Turkey, the 'Stans, Russia and Ukraine.

I mostly used it on water from hotels and other sources where the water was clear but not necessarily fit to drink. I used it a few times on water taken from streams- again clear water.

The unit is easy to use (read the directions!) and worked reliably- at least I did not get sick from water on the 3 month trip.

Take a few sets of extra batteries, the size they use (Lithium CR123A) were not easy to come by.

..........shu

They work fine on perfectly clear water, but if there is any particulate matter at all; sand, silt, twigs etc then you would need to filter first.

Steripen
 

I have been using the Steripen for about 3 years now, the Australian Army uses it, as well as some hosipitals. I have found it excellent. But I don't really think you would need one in Sthern Africa as you can buy good bottled water everywhere.
Cheers
Paul

Thanks for the comments. Still haven't made up my mind but I did come across this:

Eco 100% stainless steel micro purification filter pure water bottle with dustcap 1600 litre: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

a filter water bottle. Looks like it would do.

If your filtering just tap water which is clear and you suspect is tainted. Could you just use simple chlorine bleach, to kill the bugs, then use a DIY filter to improve the taste?

YouTube - Make it yourself water filter

daryl

Yes, you could. The advantages of Steripen are: you have drinkable water in 90 seconds. Using chemical treatments you are often told to wait as much as 4 hours contact time before drinking.

I'm not a doctor so you should do your own research- mine tells me that chlorine may or may not be effective against some pathogens. Also there seems to be a general recommendation against ingesting water treatment chemicals over a long period.

For example, this: Ultralight Backpacking Water Treatment

Treating with bleach should be thought of as an emergency method. Although countless websites list this method of treatment, they do not show data for effectiveness against giardia, cryptosporidium, and other pathogens. And these sources do not list the effects of long-term use on the body.

Whether this is true or not, the Steripen does not seem to have these disadvantages.

My traveling partner solved the problem by buying all his water in bottles. I didn't want to be throwing away 4-5 plastic bottles everyday, or spending my travel money on water (though the price of the steripen probably makes that statement ridiculous.)

Anyway, no clearcut answers I think. I was happy using the steripen.

.........shu

I didn't know that the original poster had a specific time limit regarding the treatment of water. It may take 4 hours to kill the big stuff, but less for the small stuff.

It wouldn't be a waste of time to view some of the You Tube videos on DIY water filters. The more you know the less you need to carry. What knowledge one stores in their head weights nothing.

This is what I carry: YouTube - Ultralight Gravity Pro Water Filter.

Its not perfect either, but it's light, small and compact. Doesn't need batteries and has no moving parts. But it does have a 50 gal limit. I hoping to push that, if I need too, by frequent back flushing.
YouTube - AquaMira Frontier Pro UQC (military version)

daryl

Went the steripen route as well. Haven't used it yet though. I find I usually buy water as it's almost everywhere. I always used to travel with a filter but got sick of carrying it around when I nearly never use it as it's really only as a back up. So for those instances the pen is the way to go. You really don't end up drinking out of muddy streams anyway. At least I never had to. AA batteries are everywhere as well, and on a bike you always have power for rechargeables.

We have been using a Steripen in South America, every day for 3 months for 2 adults daily water. (minimum 4 litres a day - often much more)

There are 2 models, one that works on CR batteries or the one we have which works on 4 AA batteries.

I use recharchable batteries and carry a small wall/12v charger.

As mentioned it will only purify clear water.

We have not been sick from any water on our trip and it has worked fine.

It has also saved a lot of plastic bottles from the garbage where there is no recycling and has easily paid for itself over the course of our trip

I used a gravity feed Platypus brand system all last year. I got bored watching the video linked above, so I don't know how the one I bought pre-assembled might differ from the home-made one shown, but it sure looked similar: two 3 or 4 liter Platypus water bags, connecting tubing and a filter; pure gravity feed, i.e., no pumping. I used no chemicals, although I do understand the theory that says you need chemical treatment to deal with viruses; I don't know who gets sick from waterborne viruses, but apparently it's not (yet) me.

I ran two, three, four or more liters of clear water through it per day for most of the year. I never had to backflush or clean it. I never got sick....except when I left it behind to go trekking in famously-pristine Torres del Paine. Wrong choice; I should have brought it and kept using it.

I bought it at REI. I've used a lot of filters over the years, and this one is by far the most convenient and versatile for long motorbike trips: virtually no effort, no waiting, and no maintenance. Also no taste, no batteries, and essentially limitless capacity. Also cheap.

YMMV.

Mark

Coffee filters
 

I use a SteriPen a lot on hotel/hostel/suspicious water...and if I'm using water with sediment or dirt I just pull out my drip coffee thingy, bung a #2 filter in and pour slowly...and wait...and wait...it's slow but since I'm already carrying filters I just use them...or a shirt, anything to get the chunks out...I don't mind a little duff.

Zig

Just recently went to the local travel clinic to get some of my vaccinations brought up to date and the nurse asked me what I used on my last trip (including Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey) for water treatment. I rather sheepishly told her that I used a SteriPen... half expecting her to start laughing... but her response was "Excellent!". She felt it was the best way to go. At least for relatively clear water. I was surprised. :smartass: I really only used it for hotel or campground tap water.

Chlorine should kill most bacteria provided you give it enough time. Cold water will take much longer than in warmer water. A lot of chemical reactions are so called first order and with these, the reaction time is double for every 10 deg C drop in temperature.

Filtering will not remove the taste of chlorine from the water. Add some Vitamin C to the treated water and that removes the chlorine taste, cheaply available at the chemist's shop. The reason chlorine is considered bad in treated water is that the chlorinated by products of the sterilisation reaction can be dangerous/carcinogenic, but they will only be present in tiny quantities and unlikely to be a problem for a short period of time. Certainly better than not treating the water against bacteria.

I think iodine is frowned upon and now banned in Germany for water sterilisation in filters.

I have made up a survival kit/first aid kit and will carry chlorine dioxide tablets plus Vit C tablets. I also bought a Lifesaver UF 4000 Water Filter, which apparently does not require any chemicals. It is self contained, but a little bulky - size of a one litre bottle of water. Can filter 4000l of water before a main cartridge change, but you need to take care of the supplemental activated charcoal filter, as these are a potential breeding ground for bacteria.

My local outdoors shop assistant was luke warm on the SteriPen units, although they did sell them. OK for hotel and camp site clear water, but you would always have the option of buying bottled water there (check seal is in tact).

Grey Beard

A course I did covering a variety of stuff including filters suggested a steripen kind of disables any bugs, to the extent that hopefully they won't still do you any harm. However dead they may or may not be, they're still in what you're drinking!

PreMac filters use iodene, but then the carbon bit takes it out again.

The filter on the Lifesaver bottle has small enough holes to not allow any bugs through at all, and I believe there is a cleaning process to flush it within the filters lifespan? If there is nothing left after these holes, what is there to grow on the carbon bit? I'd not heard that before? Is that specific to a Lifesaver or generally?

:)

The activated charcoal tap/filter I use on my Lifesaver Jerrycan is good for max 500 litres. (the water filter is good for 20,000 litres or 20 tons of water) It is my understanding that the charcoal filter tap (optional extra) is designed to remove chemical contamination. As it is built into the tap (aka clean water end) there are no bugs to speak of.
Highly recommended- Jerrycan tech specs here

Activated Charcoal is a well known medium in which bacteria can breed. This problem would not be specific to the Lifesaver UF4000 filter, but to any filter containing activated charcoal for the removal of certain chemicals, flavours, etc.

The Lifesaver does indeed have a very small pore diameter so claims to remove virtually all bacteria and I think also viruses. But no simple membrane filter can remove DISSOLVED chemicals. Some, but certainly not all, dissolved chemicals can be removed by passing through a charcoal/activated carbon filter. The charcoal filters for the Lifesaver UF4000 filter are not overly expensive. However, the main filter costs more than the price, at which the complete filter is commonly available new on eBay and the like.

You can of course sterilise the main filter with Milton or perhaps hydrogen peroxide and because the main filter is hydrophilic (water loving), don't let it dry out when not in use.

Grey Beard

The Lifesaver system works on membrane technology. To avoid confusion:

I have previously spoken with their tech. chaps and was told categorically to NEVER to use any chemicals on their filters whatsoever as these would irreparably damage the filter and would cause it to malfunction/fail.

(:oops2:I shudder to think what hydrogen peroxide would do to it Grey Beard...)

Without wishing to be a :smartass: and for the sake of anyone using one of those / good health and safe practice (as far as the jerrycan is concerned- I do not have their Lifesaver bottle)- here is how to clean it:

They described the cleaning of the jerrycan like this:
If you have been using really dirty sources and/or want to clean the jerrycan:

Remove the lifesaver filter and rinse it outwardly in known/clean treated water and put aside carefully as not to damage it.

Remove the pump - clean and re-lubricate and put aside

ONLY when the filter and pump are both out of the jerrycan can you then flush out the jerrycan / wash / rinse/ use whatever chemicals you want to clean the inside but making sure ALL the chemicals are FULLY rinsed out so that none remain in the jerrycan before refitting the old filter or fitting a new one and the pump.
They said it would be good practice to pump through a few litres and discard these after the refit.

The filter continues its job until it begins to fail - When that happens, the filter is designed to shut itself down preventing further use.

Their suggestion (to ensure the filter's longest life possible) was to always source the cleanest water possible and minimise debris entering the jerrycan.

I use a normal orange plastic funnel filter (from Halfords) with muslin cloth to remove as many physical bits as possible.

The combined charcoal tap/filter is an optional extra.
Extract from the Lifesaver website:
LIFESAVER bottle also comes with an activated carbon filter. This is made of high specification activated carbon block which reduces a broad spectrum of chemical residues including pesticides, endocrine disrupting compounds, medical residues and heavy metals such as lead and copper. It also eliminates bad tastes and odours from contaminates such as chlorine and sulphur.

Does that mean you can't sterilize and/or purify water which contains chemicals? Which chemicals, exactly?

I ask because many water sources contain chemicals, including my own municipal water supply here in the USA, from which I drink without fear. Chemicals are added to kill pathogens. Chemicals are present naturally.

And: if no chemicals are permitted in the upstream end of the system, what's the point of having a downstream charcoal filter designed to remove chemicals? Surely there's something missing from the explanation.

Mark

Mark- you are obviously very interested in this subject-(as I was!) I would suggest you contact the manufacturer of the device you have selected to ask any specific questions. I asked other questions by calling the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicines. There must be an equivalent in the USA.
The membrane in the filter is designed to prevent bacteria and viruses passing to the clean end- It does not remove heavy metals etc. Once the clean water is on the clean side then it can go through (if fitted) the tap with the charcoal activated filter.
It would be pointless to have a charcoal filter at the dirty water end as the bugs would seriously stack up in there!
The charcoal cannot remove all chemicals that are in water found in nature but reduces them inc. any nasty tastes that linger.

Tech info: I was told that the smallest bacteria (Tuberculosis) measures about 200nm's and the smallest virus known to man (Polio) is about 25nm's. The Lifesaver membrane pores are 15nm's and therein is lies the secret to its effectiveness.

• The chemicals I was referring to were household cleaning chemicals. I was worried at reading Grey beard's post RE:You can of course sterilise the main filter with Milton or perhaps hydrogen peroxide" after being specifically being told by Lifesaver never to clean the filter with anything but clean water and felt a little clarification might help avoid confusion or risk destroying a £149.50+VAT filter! not to mention the health risk too.
• Lifesaver recommend the use of the charcoal filter if water is taken from sources close to where there is heavy industry and/or bad tasting water.
• The 'best practice rule' is that (whatever filter you have) anyone should always seek out the cleanest water source available at the time.

Nothing is ever 100% perfection and I've settled for 99% effectiveness! and as I needed volume, I chose Lifesaver the jerrycan.
Clean water is important to me, I trust this filter and it works for me.

Ultimately, if you still have any doubts after any water filtering / treatment, there is always the rolling boil method.

Hi Bertrand

I already discussed the Lifesaver Filter with their tech support people and I was told that you should sterilise the filter. Hydrogen Peroxide was OK also, but I wouldn't suggest using 30% peroxide, but perhaps the normal 3 or 6% peroxide. Milton is the standard in the UK, but I don't know the equivalent in Germany. I use 3% hydrogen peroxide to sterilise my soft contact lenses daily.

You have to be careful with any filter and the biggest problem is keeping them sterile.

I will have a look later and see if I can find any references to it on the Internet or in the instructions, but I am very surprised that they told you not to use chemicals to clean the filter, unless you were asking about sulphuric acid, strong bleach or caustic soda, etc.

Grey Beard

For the sake of clarity, I will telephone them again next Monday.

Hiya

I really don't get this during regular use at least? One side is clean the other side isn't. If no bugs pass through the medium what is there to grow on the clean side? So why does it need cleaning other than (dirty side only) to maintain through-flow efficiency?

Milton at 1 tablet to 4.5l to sterilise screws up many bottles and tanks if not made of a suitable plastic, maybe metals too. Milton used to maintain water quality at 1 tablet per 100 litres at their recommendation has been fine in our campers plastic tank for long term use. Same I'd imagine just using household bleach, the concentration many organisations quote for adding to maintain drinking water will be a long way from the strength that gets squirted under the loo rim!

:)

The problem with the bacteria in the filter is most likely to occur with back contamination from your saliva on the mouthpiece. This is specifically warned about in the operating instructions for my Lifesaver UF4000. Contamination then spreads to the charcoal filter where a bacterial colony can develop and possible then onto the main cartridge filter.

The operating instructions specifically state you should sterilise the complete filter with a mild sterilising solution like 3ml Milton added to 1.0 litre of clean tap water (or equivalent sterilising solution) and soak for one hour, then invert for a further one hour. Drain and flush with clean water.

Obviously this applies to the Lifesaver UF4000 and you will have to refer to the specific operating instructions for other makes/types of filter.


Grey Beard

See my post #24. Basically the Lifesaver UF4000 operating instructions specifically state you should sterilise the complete filter with 3ml of Milton (or equivalent) sterilising solution in one litre of tap water for two hours.

I think 3% or 6% hydrogen peroxide or chlorine dioxide tablets would also be suitable.

Grey Beard

The simplest way is to use PET-bottles. Fill it 80% with clear water and put it in sun for 6 ours. And it´s free from all bacteria. We had use it for one year and no stomach problems. see: Solar water disinfection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, I am wondering if anyone has been and done a trip though east and west Europe WITHOUT any filter or sterilisation?

The reason I ask is because I may consider doing so. I completed the whole of the Americas drinking out of the reticulated water supply. From memory, there was only one place I had to resort to plastic bottles, at a Mexican tourist resort, that was because the motel had a sign above the sink saying don't drink the water.

My guess is that it was for the tourists, so there were no comebacks from Montezumas Revenge if it occurred.

I did note that some of the water tasted like crap, but I fixed that with beer later on :)

I will use common sense on my trip, and once I hit Asia, then maybe I need to be a bit more aware.

I would like to stay away from plastic bottles though, not because of the cost, but the waste and I don't want to add to the plastic garbage pit in the center of the Atlantic.

Cheers
TS

I telephoned Lifesaver this morning and have asked the question.

I was previously given the wrong information about the Milton fluid

After flushing out the physical debris from jerrycan, it is fine to actually pump a 5ml solution of Milton fluid through the filter - making sure that, once done, fresh water is then pumped through afterwards and prior to storing/using again.

Thanks to Mike at Lifesaver for his advice
Link to PDF Jerrycan cleaning method
bier that's cleared that up!

Hi there - I don't filter the tap water in Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, and in the better hotels in Poland, on the whole in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. I also didn't filter the water in St Petersburg, but would in more rural Russia.

The difference, as it was explained to me by a expedition medic, is one of acclimatisation to the bugs in the water. If you fly into a new place many miles from where you normally drink the water you are very likely to get an upset tummy. But if you were to drink the water en-route, then you are less likely to get an upset tummy.

So I make a point of always cleaning my teeth with the local water then drinking a glass in the morning and evening as I go. During the day I generally do buy bottled water, topping up with tap water as I go.

I've not been ill in Europe doing this - but then again 'I've not been sick' is no indication that you won't be. Some people are MUCH more susceptible to this kind of infection than others.

I've never thought about the impact of buying and throwing away all those bottles of water before. I feel quite bad about that now - I may start using my MSR filter thing from now on instead. Better than it sitting in my pannier un-used as it currently does!

m

I don't recommend drinking the tap water in St Petersburg, my understanding is that it is infested with giardia. The water in most other cities that I've been to in Russia are OK, but out in the countryside I stick with bottled water.

Thanks for the two replies above, makes the decision to drink local all the better. As I mentioned, I would prefer to drink reticulated, which usually has undergone some type of filtering, cleaning etc.

I think I will take a steripen anyway, I have no issues with drinking cloudy water if I have to, or boiling it at a crunch.

Cheers
TS

Well, I have returned from my journey and can now say that western Europe up until at least Latvia was fine.

I am unsure where I copped the bug, but from what I have re-read above, probably St Petersburg, although I only had one glass full at the hostel before I was told to use the filtered tap. I guess one glass may do it?

Anyway, I was fine until after I left here then I basically had the trots for the next few months and I never drank tap water again. I ended up having to take antibiotic and was cleared of that bug somewhere in China.

Of course I still copped a few tummy problems in SEA, but nothing ongoing.

I did use the Steripen a few times along the way, but after the suffering I had, I added to the plastic bottle waste pile :(

Sawyer MINI™ Filter
 

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water filter
 

I have used a Katadyn mini water filter, for fresh water, and a Katadyn 6 desalinator if its salt water! This was in india and africa (Egypt)

Both work fine The latter is bloody expensive but it is the best!


I have been described as paranoid about making sure water is OK but my small child can get very ill very quickly, so I am careful!

I bought a MSR Microworks filter because it filters chemicals and pesticides, soap, urine, petrol, engine oil etc, as well as bacteria, protozoa, and just about everything else accept for water-borne viruses, which are too small for carbon filters.

It is a bit big and bulky but for me, the ability to remove chemicals and stuff like that from water is essential. The Steripens are good if you always have access to fresh, running water that is clear i.e from fast moving mountain streams or taps in garages, hotels, etc.

Other than that, they're not so good - especially because they require batteries and so therefore being electronic, are arguably not as reliable as the simple, hand opeated mechanical pumps such as those from MSR or Katadyn. You must always take water tablets in case of a malfunction or for running out of battery.

On a side note, regarding viruses - I think it is relatively rare to catch them from the water if you are careful. For example, I read that they tend to 'clump' together, normally at the bottom, along with other silt and debris, etc, so making sure you always filter from the surface of your water source will again minimise the risk.

But for third-world water systems I would definitely prefer a steripen or chemical treatment as the main cause of transmission is when basically when tap water gets mixed up with toilet water. While in most third world countries, especially in cities, the water is probably chemically treated at the source, the poor state of the drainage and sewage systems often means by time it reaches you, it could have been contaminated.

If you're going to be staying in motels, or you're backpacking through India, etc, I think UV treatment is a great idea, but for camping I'd say you'd need a decent filter and/or UV/chemical treatment to be absolutely sure.

jeiger