|
|
Post by greeny on Apr 10, 2016 21:46:31 GMT -8
After spending a lot of time pumping on my first segment trip on the John Muir Trail, the following year I decided to go with the Sawyer "complete water treatment system" (4 liters). It was BRILLIANT, easy-to-use, and saved a ton of time!
However, I still needed to use the SteriPen to handle the potential virus problem. That process was time-consuming, and I wondered if there might be a possible "hack" that could improve the process: why not UV-treat the water "in-line", post filter?
Set aside for a moment that UV doesn't transmit through some plastics, and the SteriPen itself won't activate unless it's submerged. So I couldn't just bolt it into a tube — a SteriPen's UV element would have to be inside a plastic cylinder with an input for water on one end, and a water output at the other. How could I calculate if the water flow would be too fast if it were running over the UV element in an enclosed chamber?
Stephen
|
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Apr 10, 2016 22:20:23 GMT -8
If you're UV treating the water why even bother filtering?
Both techniques are aimed at biologicals.
|
|
|
|
Post by greeny on Apr 10, 2016 23:04:41 GMT -8
>If you're UV treating the water why even bother filtering?
Oh, because I'm a wimp when it comes to water. And the JMT running water is pretty darn good already. I guess viruses are almost unknown in the Sierra streams?
I'm embarrassed to admit I even connected a charcoal filter to the Sawyer, though I think the flow rate might have exceeded the charcoal filter's recommended contact time...
|
|
|
|
Post by Lonewolf on Apr 11, 2016 3:23:00 GMT -8
You only need one or the other, not both. If the water is silty then you might want to use a filter to clear it up but if the biologics are dead, it really won't matter.
In the Norther Rockies, I don't use any treatment after a few days in and some thousands of feet of elevation gain.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 3:34:03 GMT -8
Besides thinking of a bunch of reasons why this is not needed  , I thought of the in-line UV sterilizers for aquariums. In my 55 gal, I run 2 250GPH pumps into a fluidized bed filter. The excess flow, to the fluidised bed filters is run through a canister filter then a UV filter. Which got me to thinking, if you really want to do this project, then something along the lines of a UV sterilizer type of setup may work. Good luck. |
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547 
|
Post by tigger on Apr 11, 2016 6:57:44 GMT -8
I would recommend adding a boiler inline...
|
|
reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
Posts: 11,152
|
Post by reuben on Apr 11, 2016 7:18:30 GMT -8
...copper tubing and corn...
|
|
|
|
Post by greeny on Apr 11, 2016 10:38:14 GMT -8
@ohm -- I'll check into that, but seeing as those are probably powered by AC, I doubt there will be any off-the shelf battery-powered DC tech available. I've sent an email up to SteriPen and to Sawyer to see what they have to say. Neither are likely to be encouraging, of course.
It's a shame Sawyer's .02 micron product has such a bad reputation for being unusably slow -- it would obviously work on any viruses, too. Maybe one of those .02 AFTER their standard .1 micron might work better, because there wouldn't be a problem with getting clogged.
OR -- maybe I should just be thankful the .1 takes care of Giardia and Crypto and forget about Polio and other extremely unlikely viruses...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2016 11:34:14 GMT -8
greeny I have one Sawyer Squeeze going on 5 years, so far no sickes for the wife and I. We do use a prefilter mod so we do not have to backflush in the field, otherwise, in the U.S. I find the product works well and lasts a long time.
|
|
crawford
Trail Wise!
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.--Edison
Posts: 1,775
|
Post by crawford on Apr 11, 2016 13:17:38 GMT -8
I've been racking my brain, but most of the systems I can think of use AC. Any other I idea I've come up with doesn't save time or make any good sense. Anything that runs on batteries would run out of juice pretty quickly as the water gravity feeds through the filter pretty slowly. It would be on so long that you probably wouldn't be able to get many uses out of it, which means carrying lots of batteries.
I usually only use the filter. If I'm really worried about a source I'll consider boiling as well, but my filter hasn't yet let me down. I understand the concern with water as it can really ruin your day (perhaps even a month or two).
|
|
tigger
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,547
|
Post by tigger on Apr 11, 2016 14:52:47 GMT -8
I've been racking my brain, but most of the systems I can think of use AC A moonshine still does not require any AC. |
|
|
|
Post by JRinGeorgia on Apr 11, 2016 19:46:10 GMT -8
I guess viruses are almost unknown in the Sierra streams? That's correct, which is why you don't need the belt-and-suspenders approach. |
|
|
|
Post by High Sierra Fan on Apr 11, 2016 19:48:50 GMT -8
|
|
|
|
Post by dayhiker on Apr 11, 2016 21:29:48 GMT -8
I think you would run out of batteries running streams of water past the UV? If you are worried about viruses why not use chemicals? That is one place they recommend both filtering and something for viruses. Or boil. I could see filtering to get the sediment down to where the UV would work, but probably unneeded on the JMT, so UV would kill everything? Friends have had problems with them stop working though so take chemicals for back up etc. EDIT www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/safe-water.htm"wash your hands" and your cooks hands |
|
almostthere
Trail Wise!
putting on my hiking shoes....
Posts: 696 
|
Post by almostthere on Apr 12, 2016 6:12:37 GMT -8
The uv needs a longer exposure time than just running over the light through a tube. Borrow a steri pen and use as instructed and you'll see what I mean..
A three stage boil, some crushed barley, hops, cloves, and at the end some yeast in a darkened vat for about five days... The penultimate water sterilization process.
|
|
, I thought of the in-line UV sterilizers for aquariums. In my 55 gal, I run 2 250GPH pumps into a fluidized bed filter. The excess flow, to the fluidised bed filters is run through a canister filter then a UV filter. 
