does anyone know the validity of bleach in purifying water? i recently added a small bottle of "ice drops" breath freshener filled with bleach (75 drops to be exact) to my PSK. the bottle is about 1 1/4"x1/2" i have heard that 1 or two drops will purify one quart,and i heard elsewhere that 16 drops will purify one gallon

I think your measurements are about right, but I would be concerned about long-term storage of bleach inside that sort of container.<br><br>I would stick with purification tablets, I think the storage and safety considerations are simpler.

See Doug's article on water purification regarding bleach.

On most brands there is instructions on the side of the container.

Bleach is not my first line of defense for water purification, but I can conceive a situation where it might be the only option. What I can't find is a definitive answer as to the proper dosage. Doug recommends six drops per gallon--so you know that has to be in the ballpark, but others, (including Fema) recommend 16 drops per gallon (one drop per cup) and others recommend up to 32 drops per gallon for "dirty" water. Does anyone know at what point the bleach could actually become poisonous--doing more harm than good? On the other end, does anyone know the minimum effective dosage(with some certainty that the water is properly purified)? It is surprising that there is such a wide range of suggested dosage regarding a process that has been around forever. Come on you chemistry guys....give us a break--and a clue! <br><br>take care,<br><br>Robb<br><br>If not now, when? If not us, who?

To purify water that could be biologically contaminated, first strain visibly dirty water through a cloth. Use standard household chlorine bleach with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite as its only active ingredient, add 2 drops/qt (32 oz) or 1/2 teaspoon/5gal, double for cloudy water, stir, wait 30 minutes, a distinct taste or odor of chlorine should remain, if not, treat again and wait 15 minutes, repeat as necessary. The remaining taste or odor of chlorine is a sign of safety: if it is absent, the bleach may have lost effectiveness in storage (storage time is at least 2 years). Remember to loosen the cap of the water storage container and shake some treated water into the threads immediately after dosing to sanitize that area and prevent cross-contamination.

Remember that colder water tempuratures will slow down the reaction so it may take longer to purify (i.e., mountain stream, melted snow, etc.) Also, the concentration of sodium hypochlorite may differ from brand to brand. Check the label. The chart I have lists the following dosage per gallon:<br><br>1% 40 drops<br>4 - 6% 8 drops<br>7 - 10% 4 drops<br><br>But I also must caution that I never used chlorine bleach personally.

Thanks guys....but Willie, you said:<br><br>"But I also must caution that I never used chlorine bleach personally."<br><br>How do you get the white shirts clean?<br><br><br>

[censored] in place of white. <br><br>Similarly, I'd just go ahead and pack Potable Aqua. The knowledge of bleach dosage is good to have in a contingency, but appears to be elusive!

Depends. Chlorine is a good way to extend the shelf life of munincipal water, expecially when coupled with cool dark storage. We keep a 55 gallon drum in the cold storage room for each person in the family and although we refresh the water annually, it would be safe to assume it could go 5 years (at least). The total amount of water is the reason I use it, not the size of the storage containers - that's a lot of otherwise expensive processes or chemicals to ensure the water is not growing cooties in storage. Bleach is cheap. <br><br>I use iodine tablets otherwise. (Or simply drink the water - it depends on where I am.)<br><br>Chlorine (bleach) will even kill the tough bugs - eventually. The hard bodied stuff like crytosporodium take forever to get knocked out - well, a really long time, anyway. Not practical for immediate consumption, but if one can wait 24 - 48 hours... it's certainly better than no treatment.<br><br>Mostly just another good bit of info to keep tucked away just in case, IMHO.