purifying water with bleach

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I want to reopen an earlier posting, due to an incorrect statement by "old git": From the Chlorox site:

http://www.clorox.com/health/disaster.html#purify

Water should be stored in clean, sanitized containers with tight fitting screw-on caps. Clean containers with a sanitizing solution of 1 teaspoon household liquid bleach in 1 gallon of water. Pour this solution into the containers, let stand for 2 minutes, drain, then fill with tap water. Water containers should be labeled, stored in a cool, dark place, and the water replaced every six months.

Link http://www.clorox.com/health/disaster.html#purify

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), June 10, 1999.

CAREFUL--THIS WILL MAKE YOU GAG

The recommendation at the clorox site is one teaspoon per FIVE gallons of water. Their recommende dose is already twice what I've seen recommended by many other sources (they recommend four drops per quart, whereas other sources recommend two) But to then multiply their already high amount by a factor of five sounds pretty yucky to me.

-- malcolm drake (jumpoff@echoweb.net), June 10, 1999

Answers

Malcolm

If you're going to post a link, please read the entire link from top to bottom before you post it.

If you look above "Purifying Drinking Water", you will find a section on "Storing Disaster Supplies".

Old Git copied directly the recommendations for SANITIZING bottles for water STORAGE, rather than PURIFYING water which is not potable.

PLEASE people, water is important. Read thoroughly before confusing newbies and fresh GI's

-- nothere nothere (nothere@nothere.com), June 10, 1999.


Reformatted, with emphasis and comments added:
Clean containers with a sanitizing solution of 1 teaspoon household liquid bleach in 1 gallon of water.

Pour this solution into the containers,
let stand for 2 minutes,
drain, [Note that this drains the sanitizing solution from the container.]
then fill with tap water. [Note that this refills the container with tap water.]



-- No Spam Please (nos_pam_please@hotmail.com), June 10, 1999.

While we are revisiting this subject Ace Hardware still has 5# of pool chlorine for only $8.88, this is about 1/2 regular price. For details on using dry bleach see http://home.earthlink.net/~kenseger/surv/bleach.txt

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 10, 1999.

Ken, what is the source for your info on dry bleach? Are you in the dry bleach business?

-- Barb (awaltrip@telepath.com), June 10, 1999.

So sorry, folks; I stand corrected. I should have read the clorox posting more carefully.

-- malcolm drake (jumpoff@echoweb.net), June 10, 1999.


Barb, I wrote that bleach article at least 10 years ago, so no I don't remember the source. The 2 drops of 5.25% bleach per clear quart and 4 drops per cloudy quart is standard stuff, can be found on page 71 of NWSS which was research with your tax dollars. On another thread I discourged people from using iodine tintcure because some times it is old and concentrated (also more allergy potential) but here's the scoop on 2% iodine tincture. 5 drops per clear quart and 10 drops per cloudy quart. As in the chlorine let stand 30 minutes if room temperature, longer if cool.

Oh, no, I don't sell bleach. I do sell LPs though. Anybody want an original Beatles on the Parlophone label?

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 10, 1999.


QUESTION: Can the chlorine-purified water be run through a Brita water filter without damaging or reducing its lifespan? ------------------------- QUESTION: What does the Clorox (sodium hypochlorite) degrade into, Chlorine gas and Sodium Chloride?

-- Dave Johnson (Dave@GI.com), June 11, 1999.

DJ - 1. Yes it can, after all your tap water is chlorinated. Any reactive polutant will load up the activated charcoal and reduce its lifespan. 2. Yes.

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), June 11, 1999.

Dave, bleach also reacts with organic compounds found in almost all city water, and many other water supplies, to form carcinogens. I don't know the exact chemical formulae; besides, there are probably lots of different compounds.

-- malcolm drake (jumpoff@echoweb.net), June 11, 1999.

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