# From Mud to Drinking Water?



## MikeG (Mar 6, 2004)

Has anyone tried this stuff? Seems like it has a lot of potential, particularly as a backup or pre-filter step.


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## theusualsuspect (Apr 11, 2014)

Someone on here is probably a chemist or has a degree or something but seems like a flocculant with bleach. Would be convenient as it is in single use packets but seems the same thing people do with alum and bleach.


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## MikeG (Mar 6, 2004)

theusualsuspect said:


> Someone on here is probably a chemist or has a degree or something but seems like a flocculant with bleach. Would be convenient as it is in single use packets but seems the same thing people do with alum and bleach.


Yup, coagulant too, then flocculent then bleach. Same idea, just designed for release of the bleach after the flocculation. I love the idea of the simplicity of not needing to do all the steps. Just curious if anyone has tried these. In the video, and some others, the settling seems to happen way faster than with alum- I guess that is the coagulation part.


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## villagelightsmith (Feb 17, 2016)

(Bill Gates economy on this stuff in many lands.)
If I spend _$10 Grand_ on a boat and gear, and somebody steals it, and sells it for _5 cents on the dollar_ ($500) to feed their drug habit, that is not a bargain. If that trailer & boat were to go up in an uninsured fire it would be the same to me. NOW ... If I must earn wages of $50,000 [to pay rent and taxes and another used truck] to throw off _another $10 G,_ I have been thrown into a form of ... slavery... for what? ... a month? a year? two years? to pay for it; to buy a crippled 'someone' a few more grams of death ... that is _not_ a bargain. (If this is too abstract for you, I apologize for taking your 60 seconds to read and ponder. It might take more, before we're done.) Read on before you say I'm totally wrong. 
This is the "bargain," the economy of fire, destruction and theft at every level. (And for moneys squandered, I might suggest, most taxes.)

If, on the other hand, I can spend (or charitably give) a nickel (5 cents) and you or someone else can get a dollar's worth of good out of it, _I have found a 20:1 bargain._ The fact that it is _you_ who reaps the benefit of my largess is (or may be) irrelevant to those who are by nature, generous. _That, to me, is a bargain._ It is good economy. If Bill Gates does that with Million$, I would, in my heart, cheer him on. _Go Get Em, Bill! Sic'em!

My words are only an experiment in thought, in life. Some will say it better. Please help me do so. Be generous and wise when it is land _you_ own that comes under the eviro's and despoiler's attention._


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## MikeG (Mar 6, 2004)

VillagelightSmith I think you are trying to say that you have not tried the product. For what it's worth, Bill Gates has nothing to do with this product, just a pawn in the video. He is more into Malaria. This product was made by Proctor and Gamble and, as far as I can tell, was motivated by doing the right thing. I don't think they are asking for money or donations. My purpose, on the other hand, is entirely selfish. I want to take this product that was created to address a real third world problem and see if it might be convenient for my first world problem of not wanting to be bothered with extra steps during my month-long vacations. I'll give it a try and see how it goes.


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## villagelightsmith (Feb 17, 2016)

MikeG said:


> VillagelightSmith I think you are trying to say that you have not tried the product. For what it's worth, Bill Gates has nothing to do with this product, just a pawn in the video. He is more into Malaria. This product was made by Proctor and Gamble and, as far as I can tell, was motivated by doing the right thing. I don't think they are asking for money or donations. My purpose, on the other hand, is entirely selfish. I want to take this product that was created to address a real third world problem and see if it might be convenient for my first world problem of not wanting to be bothered with extra steps during my month-long vacations. I'll give it a try and see how it goes.


Right on all counts, Mike! And I will be anticipating user reports on this stuff ... both for my own use and for solving issues elsewhere as we are able. Have you ever seen the stinking 'sewers' people draw their food and water from in the poor parts of Asia? 
As for Bill G, he has the gift of Giving. He wants his dollars to be used effectively and efficiently, to get the most good from them for somebody else. No, he was only a "prop" in this sketch, but his ideas are interesting. And his work on Malaria is most laudable. Good drinking water, I am told, is the most cost effective gift we can give many peoples.
I too have picked up the occasional parasitic microbe and carried it around for a couple of years. Ma-aa-an, that first healthy dump (after it was gone) was SO good! And it feels just as good to an aborigine as it does to a Wall Street lawyer!
As for helping financially, that's good too. "A soldier doesn't go to war at his own expense." That's why people contribute ... to help a good thing. No one person can do it all.
All the best ... Jerry


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## theusualsuspect (Apr 11, 2014)

I’m intrigued and found some on Amazon. Thanks for posting!


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## 76763 (Jul 16, 2018)

I looked into this product based on your post, Mike. Turns out it has been around since 2014 or so under the Pur brand name? News to me, fwiw. I'd like to try it, probably a good thing to have for a first aid/survival kit or when you float rivers with spotty water sources (I use an IK and schlepping multiple gallons of water isn't always feasible). But some limited online research didn't turn up a source for buying just a few packets. I'll keep looking, I'm intrigued.

-Tom


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

I'm going to purchase a batch of these P&G packets and try them out. I have personally used the Lifestraw, hand pump devices( at different places) and Sawyer Mini water filter from water on the South Platte river by Brighton Colorado, they work ok, water still tastes a little funky. I have also used Iodine tablets in the past a few times from rivers and streams, they take longer to work, like 45 minutes or so. When I receive the P&G packets and find the time to drive to the South Platte river, I will give them a try. I like the convenience of the little packets.


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## Will Amette (Jan 28, 2017)

I'm sure everyone realizes, but it should be stressed that, just like our ceramic or paper filters (pumped or gravity based), this product will make water biologically safe (bacteria, protozoa, virus). It will NOT make it chemically pure. If your water source has chemical contamination, you still can't drink it. Chose your source water appropriately!

It probably does actually reduce some chemical contamination if the contaminants are bound to the sediment that settles, but not dissolved contaminants. It's still a pretty neat option, and I'd use it.


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

Will, that is a very valid point, thank you. I should of mentioned that too. Good catch, chemicals are a whole and different animal, that these filters or compounds will not guard against, for safe consumption.


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