# How much Alum



## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Heading out for a flatwater kayak trip next weekend, Potash to Spanish Bottom. I did this trip in the spring and carried my drinking & cooking water, but another person in my group did the alum/settle/filter thing. I'm bringing a small collapsible bucket & filter as a back up. I don't remember how much alum my friend used for the small bucket on the spring trip. Stupid Guide Tricks had info on amounts to use, but that website has disappeared. So....How much alum per 1-1.5 gallons of river water?

Thanks


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

One of the small 1" tall spice jars will be more than enough for your length trip. It just takes a sprinkle, and you can watch it work. If the water isn't clear in 15 minutes, add a little more.


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## oarboatman (Jul 20, 2006)

You can also make a supersaturated solution by heating water to its boiling point then adding alumin powder until it starts to precipitate out. A mini nalgene bottle should be more than enough. When you're ready to use, Pour about one oz in your bucket.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

asleep.at.the.oars said:


> One of the small 1" tall spice jars will be more than enough for your length trip. It just takes a sprinkle, and you can watch it work. If the water isn't clear in 15 minutes, add a little more.



And be sure to mix it in when added.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

So, maybe 1/8 tsp or less for a one gallon bucket? I do remember that my friend stirred the water with a stick as he was sprinkling in the alum.


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

That sounds like a small amount, so yes. I've never measured... And it depends on how much sediment is in the water you're trying to flocculate. Be careful with your filter hose, it's easy to stir up the sediment again as you filter. I use a second bucket and decant off the clear water leaving the muck behind before purifying. And, since the Colorado is not exactly pristine headwaters, I would bleach after filtering, since viruses (Hep A, Norwalk, etc) aren't filtered, and E Coli often isn't depending on the filter.


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## twmartin (Apr 3, 2007)

Sleepy:

Isn't the idea to sterilize after de-sedimienting and before filtering so that the filter might remove the chlorox taste? I have an MSR filter with a charcoal core that is supposed to remove some of that taste. I have yet to use Alum as I have successfully carried water on all of my trips.

If this is wrong, please advise.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

twmartin said:


> Sleepy:
> 
> Isn't the idea to sterilize after de-sedimienting and before filtering so that the filter might remove the chlorox taste? I have an MSR filter with a charcoal core that is supposed to remove some of that taste. I have yet to use Alum as I have successfully carried water on all of my trips.
> 
> If this is wrong, please advise.


Would boiling kill the nasties? I could filter then designate that water for cooking and coffee. Would an MSR filter with the ceramic cartridge remove the bleach taste if you bleach after settling with alum, before filtering?.


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

Just leaving the container open works to let the bleach off-gas too. Boiling kills everything, so if you're boiling you don't need to filter or bleach. I've found that filters let the taste through, but the time filtering probably lets the bleach evaporate on its own. Maybe I just haven't tried the right filter yet though... I've never used a charcoal one. We were using a ceramic filter when a side creek full of juniper bushes flashed, and our water tasted like trees for the last few days of the trip.


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## Oc1paddler (Sep 6, 2005)

We have done it several different ways but have found this way to work much better than sprinkling it straight in to the bucket and uses less Alum.
Mix aprox. a teaspoon of Alum in a cup of water. 
Pour the solution in to the bucket of water you are trying to settle. 
Wait and hour or so and gentle scoop or pour off your clear water.
This works for a 5 gallon bucket of water. Before using this method we used way more Alum trying to get the water to settle. Not sure why mixing it in a small amount of water works better than stirring it straight in to the bucket but it does.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Hmmm.... when we used it on a mid-spring Deso trip I would sprinkle about a teaspoon into the bucket and swirl it around and 15 minutes later it was pretty much clear. It still had some color to it, but no sediment on the top 3/4 of the bucket.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

Oc1paddler said:


> We have done it several different ways but have found this way to work much better than sprinkling it straight in to the bucket and uses less Alum.
> Mix aprox. a teaspoon of Alum in a cup of water.
> Pour the solution in to the bucket of water you are trying to settle.
> Wait and hour or so and gentle scoop or pour off your clear water.
> This works for a 5 gallon bucket of water. Before using this method we used way more Alum trying to get the water to settle. Not sure why mixing it in a small amount of water works better than stirring it straight in to the bucket but it does.


I have also found that method to be very effective and you can just make up a batch in a small water bottle shaking heavily and add a few small amount to each bucket let settle for about 30 minutes and just keep the remainder in the bottle for the next round. I forgot to mention before but has since brought up is the need to decant your good water off the top prior to filtering. Depending on how much sediment you have and how carefully your can pour off the 'clean' water determines what you get but normally you lose less than a quarter of the water.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> Hmmm.... when we used it on a mid-spring Deso trip I would sprinkle about a teaspoon into the bucket and swirl it around and 15 minutes later it was pretty much clear. It still had some color to it, but no sediment on the top 3/4 of the bucket.


You can get by with a lot less than that even on the Grand when it is really muddy. As Oc1 just mentioned mixing with water also reduces the amount it takes it seems to do the job. It may still have a little color but that's what you're filter is for.


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## grumpyrafter (Mar 15, 2010)

This is what they say on the Big Ditch...

Water Purification 
All water consumed or used for cooking should be purified. Research on the Colorado River and its tributaries indicate that increased sediment from flooding or other causes may pose a high risk to river users. The following water purification steps should be followed: 
A. 
Use the main course of the Colorado River to collect water unless the river is quite cloudy from sediment. 
B. 
Use side streams as a water source when the main river is laden with sediment and the side stream is running clear. Avoid the following tributaries because of inconsistent water quality: Paria River, Little Colorado River, Bright Angel Creek, 
Garden Creek, Hermit Creek, Elves Chasm, Tapeats Creek, Deer Creek, Havasu Creek, and Diamond Creek. 
C. 
Cloudy, sediment-laden water must be cleared before disinfecting. Settle overnight or use flocculating procedures (1 teaspoon alum per 5 gallons of water for drinking water). Decant the clear water into another container. 
On the basis of a recent literature review, the Center for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that water be rendered microbiologically safe for drinking by bringing it to a rolling boil for 1 minute; this will inactivate all major waterborne bacterial pathogens and waterborne protozoa. 
Secondly, portable filters having a nominal pore size of 0.2 microns or less may also be used to remove bacteria and protozoan cysts. To assure removal of viruses, a disinfectant must be used in addition to the filter; current recommendations are 2 drops of chlorine per gallon after filtering. Settled water will extend filter life. Decant the clarified portion of settled water, filter, and disinfect with a product labeled for drinking water. Use the disinfectant according to the instructions on the label.


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

If you have the time and two containers, let the silted water settle in one of them for even as little as a half hour. Then decant the top, partially clarified, water off into the second container. Adding the alum now will produce improved results more quickly, as there will be far less sediment for the alum to adhere to.

And ditto on the supersaturated solution method mentioned above. Very efficient and convenient.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips


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## crispy (May 20, 2004)

*P&G PUR packets*

I have tried these, which are a little pricey and hard to find in small quantities, but are very convenient and seem to work well. certainly easier than alum + filter in my experience 

0:45 to 1:45 is where the magic happens in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOM1OyRRi7w


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