tomas
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Post by tomas on Jun 28, 2021 11:44:36 GMT -8
I was talking with coworker of mine about his upcoming multi-day kayak trip to Alaska when he mentioned the water situation they were facing. His says that the guide service recommends using iodine tabs for the water only; evidently the water is too silty for a pump filter. Has anybody experienced this before? I would assume that something like the Miniwork would suffice because the filter is easily scrubbed clean.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Jun 28, 2021 12:15:54 GMT -8
... use alum to settle the silt, then purify the clear water with chemicals or a filter, or my favorite, the SteriPen™. Alum is used in home pickling to add crispness, and as a settling agent in water treatment plants. It is non-toxic and tasteless. Most pharmacies have it. A twelve ounce (340 gram) bottle contains enough alum to settle about 24 gallons of silty water.
Paddling_How to Purify Silty Water Basically, put it in a large container and let it sit - unless it's the really bad silt. I apologize: I'm feeling "crabby" today - and frustrated with people who can't just go look things up. Probably the reason I don't come here all that often anymore. But, I know that's what this place is supposedly for. However, the really easy answers are available all over. Again, don't go away mad - I'm just a crabby old man who's having a bad day. <8( |
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jun 28, 2021 16:05:26 GMT -8
Glacial silt is incredibly fine and likely would irretrievably clog a filter. I’d take the guides word in this as they’ve zero reason to steer their clients wrong. That said there are better chemical treatments than iodine, though that is likely the cheapest. Here’s one that tastes a lot better than iodine. www.msrgear.com/water-treatment/filters-and-purifiers/aquatabs/aquatabs.html |
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Jun 28, 2021 17:58:42 GMT -8
His says that the guide service recommends using iodine tabs for the water only; evidently the water is too silty for a pump filter. I have heard the same from an Alaskan river trotting friend. My friend was all about settling and then a coffee filter though for drinking water before treatment. It took a lot of coaxing to dispel her of those ways when she and I first backpacked in the Beartooth. There is "looking stuff up" versus real-life experience. I would go with the quides. I am looking at an MSR Guardian that is supposed to be their new Mil-Spec mud gobbler. $350 though. I am looking at for backpacking as I drift across the Northern Plains between potholes and intense ag and oilfield run-off, not wonderous alpine streams. |
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Post by bobcat on Jun 28, 2021 23:38:02 GMT -8
I brought a small bottle of glacially-silted water home from Alaska just to see. After sitting on a bookshelf for a year, there was minimal sediment and the water was still milky. I would follow the guide’s advice.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 1, 2021 9:18:48 GMT -8
Ages ago I had an MSR Waterworks. I brought it with me to Joyce Kilmer Forest where there is a lot of red clay. A lot of very fine red clay silt in the little streams. It clogged the filter quickly. Eventually it was clogging after about a pint after repeated field cleanings. We had a boiling pot and if we let water sit in it the silt would generally settle out. We had not planned fuel for boiling to disinfect. We had water issues for the whole trip. Afterwards I bought a nylon water bag and used it to settle water in from there on until I went to my Sawyer Squeeze and a 3 liter CNOC bag. Sometimes I would also carry Aqua Mira as a backup. Sucks to not have safe water. But from what bobcat said the glacial silt is so small it will stay in suspension, ready to quickly clog your filter. |
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