Water Purification Clorox Bleach Method

[411man]

FYI

http://www.i4at.org/surv/bleach.htm

Emergency Water Purification
The following is the text from a full page ad by Clorox .


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Boiling Is Best
Short of using a very high-quality water filter, this is the most reliable method for killing microbes and parasites. Bring water to a rolling boil and keep it simmering for at least several minutes. Add one minute of boiling to the initial 10 minutes for every 1,000 feet above sea level. Cover the pot to shorten boiling time and conserve fuel.

Liquid Clorox Bleach

In an emergency, think of this (one gallon of Regular Clorox Bleach) as 3,800 gallons of drinking water.

When the tap water stops flowing, Regular Clorox Bleach isn't just a laundry-aid, it's a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you'll have something to drink.

It's the same in any natural disaster. As the shock wears off and the days wear on, the biggest demand is for drinking water. Time after time, relief crews hand out free Clorox Bleach with simple instructions: use it to kill bacteria in your water and you'll have purified water to drink. Here's how: (Store these directions with your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach.)

First let water stand until particles settle. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add Regular Clorox Bleach per the chart.* Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again. Keep an eyedropper taped to your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops. See chart* suggestions for storage bottle replacement.

Don't pour purified water into contaminated containers. To sanitize water jugs first, see instructions** at right.

Without water and electricity, even everyday tasks are tough. In lieu of steaming hot water, sanitize dishes with a little Clorox Bleach. Just follow the directions below to keep dishes clean.

Whether you use Clorox Bleach in an emergency or for everyday chores, it's always an environmentally sound choice. After its work is done, Clorox Bleach breaks down to little more than salt and water, which is good news anytime.

*Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification

2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water

8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water

1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water

If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.

(Only use Regular Clorox Bleach (not Fresh Scent or Lemon Fresh). To insure that Clorox Bleach is at its full strength, replace your storage bottle every three months.)

**(Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution)

Mix 1 tablespoon Regular Clorox Bleach with one gallon of water. Always wash and rinse items first, then let each item soak in Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution for 2 minutes. Drain and air dry.

[411man]

Because of the shelf life limitations of Liquid Bleach here is an alternative method for Bleach treatment of water.

Calcium Hypochlorite

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/better-than-bleach-use-calcium-hypochlorite-to-disinfect-water/

Better than Bleach: Use Calcium Hypochlorite to Disinfect Water
More Articles Related to Water
Gets past the bleach storage problem
Many ourdoorsmen, survivalists, and households preparing for emergency disasters rely upon common household bleach as a disinfecting agent to make water safe to drink.

Bleach will destroy most (but NOT all!) disease causing organisms (boiling water to make it safe to drink is always the best method).

What is not well known is Calcium Hypochlorite is far better for chemically disinfecting water.

Old Way: Using Bleach to Disinfect Water
I cringe to think how many people have expired bleach in their disaster emergency kits that will be used for treating polluted water.Those of us who have emergency preparedness stocks of survival food and survival gear often keep a gallon or two of unscented household bleach on hand for making safe drinking water in large quantities. Bleach is often the chemical of choice because it is commonly available and frequently mentioned when discussing the how-to’s of drinking water.


calcium hypochlorite - bleachTypical fresh household chlorine bleach has about 5.35% chlorine content (be sure to read the label). To use household bleach for disinfecting water:

Add two drops of bleach per quart or liter of water.
Stir it well.
Let the mixture stand for a half hour before drinking.
If the water is cloudy with suspended particles:

First filter the water as best you can.
Double the amount of bleach you add to the water.
Why Using Bleach to Disinfect Contaminated Water is a Problem
A little known problem with long term storage of bleach in your disaster emergency supply cache is that it degrades over time. Consulting a Chlorox bleach representative produced this statement:

“We recommend storing our bleach at room temperatures. It can be stored for about 6 months at temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After this time, bleach will be begin to degrade at a rate of 20% each year until totally degraded to salt and water. Storing at temperatures much higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit could cause the bleach to lose its effectiveness and degrade more rapidly. However, if you require 6% sodium hypochlorite, you should change your supply every 3 months.”

I cringe to think how many people have expired bleach in their disaster emergency kits that will be used for treating polluted water. Even what are considered reliable sources of information such as the EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA will show you how to use bleach to disinfect water but will leave out this exceedingly important piece of information.

This is why I created Survival Topics – to give you the real information you need to survive.

So if bleach is unreliable for long term storage in emergency preparedness kits then what other commonly available chemical methods of disinfecting water are there? As it turns out a better solution is easily available.

Use Calcium Hypochlorite for Disinfect Water
A 1-pound pag of calcium hypochlorite in granular form will treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking waterCalcium hypochlorite is one of the best chemical disinfectants for water, better than household bleach by far. It destroys a variety of disease causing organisms including bacteria, yeast, fungus, spores, and viruses.

Calcium Hypochlorite is widely available for use as swimming pool chlorine tablets or white powder that is much more stable than chlorine. This is often known as “pool shock”.

How to Disinfect Water Using Calcium Hypochlorite
Using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water is a two step process.

To make a stock of chlorine solution (do not drink this!) dissolve 1 heaping teaspoon (about one-quarter of an ounce) of high-test (78%) granular calcium hypochlorite for each two gallons (eight liters) of water.
To disinfect water add one part of the chlorine solution to 100 parts water to be treated.
Let the mixture sit for at least one-half hour before drinking.
Be sure to obtain the dry granular calcium hypochlorite since once it is made into a liquid solution it will begin to degrade and eventually become useless as a disinfecting agent. This also means you should make your treated drinking water in small batches, for example enough for a few weeks at a time at most.

Another plus for using calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water for emergency use is that a little goes a very long way. A 1-pound pag of calcium hypochlorite in granular form typically costs only a few $US dollars and can be obtained in any swimming pool supply section of your hardware store or online. This amount will treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water, which is enough for a family of four for some six or seven years at a gallon per day per person!

Calcium hypochlorite will store for a long period of time and remain effective as a chemical drinking water treatment. So get rid of the household bleach and buy a can of Calcium hypochlorite for your disaster emergency water disinfection needs. It lasts far longer and treats far more water than the traditional chlorine bleach water disinfection treatment.

More Survival Topics on Page 21

End quote.

[MerKWorK]

Your 100% right about the demand of clean drinking water. I have never thought of bleach. We horde bottled water here in our house, great if stationary, but trying to transport enough water or a small family for extended periods of time would be difficult. It's like water purifier in bulk. Maybe Cosco could just switch the label to read like that and we would be in business. Great advice, will look into it further!

[411man]

Shelf Life for Calcium Hypochlorite



http://safetycenter.navy.mil/afloat/articles/submarine/hthchanges.htm

Changes for Calcium Hypochlorite
There have been some changes to Calcium Hypochlorite from 2 years ago that we, at the Safety Center, are just now finding out about. Apparently, it is no longer a Type II hazardous material and is NOW a Type I hazardous material. What does that mean? It means its shelf life can no longer be extended. Type II materials are extendable and Type I is not, due to stability properties in its chemistry composition. Additionally, the shelf life is now 24 months versus 36 months.
During the next monthly inspection of your calcium hypochlorite lockers, check the status of the calcium hypochlorite and be sure to order new material as needed.

Listed below is the data received from the CHRIMP (Consolidated Hazardous Material Reutilization and Inventory Management Program) experts:

6810-00-255-0471, Calcium hypochlorite, Technical Shelf Life M (24 Months (Type I Non-Extendable)

Item used to be shelf-life (SL) Type II material until June 2001 under shelf-life code (SLC) 7 (36 Months). The SLC of this material was changed effective 01067 (8Mar2001) but it took three months to validate all federal automated systems. The SL was changed from type II, SLC 7 to type I, SLC M (24 months) based on quality data gathered from test results and technical information concerning stability of the product for storage.

Additional NSN's involved in SL change from type II, SLC 7 to type I, SLC M, which are managed by DSCR (S9G):

6810 00-238-8115
6810 00-255-0471
6810 01-065-2410
6810 01-358-4336
6810 01-368-3566
Furthermore, FSC will be changed to 6840 because these items require an EPA registration number and EPA label.

As a result of the above changes HTH is consistently found to be expired. Additionally HTH is consistently improperly stored. The HTH box is required to be white with red letters stating "HAZARDOUS MATERIAL - CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE." It must have three holes drilled in the bottom of the box to ensure adequate ventilation. The bottles are required to be stored in sealed plastic or zip-lock bags. The box should never be stowed in an area where it could come in contact with paint, solvent, oils, grease, or combustible materials or where temperatures could exceed 100 degrees. Additionally, this locker is required to be inspected monthly by the MDR. All of the requirements for HTH can be found in COMNAVSUBFORINST 6000.2A and NSTM 670-5.5.

[411man]

Is it safe to use Calcium Hypochlorite to treat water?

MSDS for CaCl2O2

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/C0418.htm

COMMENTS Welcome.