Emergency Water Sanitizing — FarmPal

When the tap fails, the well floods, or you're drawing from a creek, you need to know how to make water biologically safe with whatever is on hand. Boiling, bleach, iodine, UV pens, and ceramic filters each have a place in a layered preparedness plan.

Cost Range
$0 (boiling) to $300 (gravity ceramic system)
Water Yield
Treats existing water — no new yield

Key Points

  • 💧Boiling for 1 full minute at a rolling boil kills bacteria, viruses, and protozoa (3 min above 6,500 ft)
  • 💧Unscented household bleach: 8 drops per gallon of clear water, 30 min wait (16 drops if cloudy)
  • 💧Calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) stores indefinitely — 1 lb treats ~10,000 gal
  • 💧None of these methods remove chemicals, heavy metals, or radiation — filter first if suspect
  • 💧Always pre-filter cloudy water through cloth or sand before sanitizing

Installation Steps

  1. 1Pre-filter: pour through clean cloth, coffee filter, or settle for 24 hrs and decant
  2. 2Boil: bring to rolling boil 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 ft elevation)
  3. 3Or bleach: 8 drops (1/8 tsp) regular unscented 5-6% bleach per gallon, stir, wait 30 min
  4. 4Confirm a slight chlorine smell — if none, repeat the dose
  5. 5Or use iodine tablets (2 per quart, 30 min) — not for pregnant women or thyroid patients long-term
  6. 6Or SODIS: clear PET bottles in direct sun for 6 hrs (UV kills pathogens — works in emergencies)
  7. 7For ongoing use: gravity ceramic filter (Berkey, AquaRain) removes 99.9999% of pathogens with no power

Practical Checklist

Tap items as you go — progress is saved on this device.

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Supplies

Safety Steps

Testing & Verification

Tips

  • 💡Store bleach as calcium hypochlorite granules — liquid bleach loses potency in 6-12 months
  • 💡A 0.2-micron ceramic element filters pathogens but not viruses — pair with UV or boil for full safety
  • 💡LifeStraw and Sawyer Mini are excellent personal/backpack tools (~$25)
  • 💡Test treated water with a free chlorine test strip to confirm dose was adequate
  • 💡Always keep a 2-week supply of bottled water as a no-effort fallback