lightest technique to improve water taste?

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

I am looking for the lightest solution to improve water taste to combine with UV purifier.

Any tips?

[Michael Davis]

Check this recent thread. It made me change my treatment procedure.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=13903&disable_pagination=1

I have ordered the GSI coffee filter to use on a wide mouth Nalgene soft sided canteen and will put a small bag, made of noseeum netting, filled with charcoal in the coffee filter. After filling the canteen to the brim (important), I'll remove the coffee filter, use the Steripen Adventurer and finally, wash my hands and the outside of the canteen with hand sanitizer.

It's the interaction of ideas in threads like the one referenced above, that make this site amazingly good!

[Jason Brinkman]

To improve taste, you pretty much need to filter through carbon. There is no portable ozone system that I am aware of yet.

Aquamira makes the Frontier Pro Filter that weighs less than 2 ounces. I have one, but haven't needed to use it yet. It uses coconut shell carbon to absorb chemicals, odors and improve the taste of the filtered water. Best part is you can screw it right on top of a water bottle or put it on the end of a hydration bladder hose.

[Whoa! Pics came in bigger than lifesize!]

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Jason

> Aquamira makes the Frontier Pro Filter that weighs less than 2 ounces.
Caution. They claim it removes protozoa (Giardia, Crypto, etc) but very carefully do not claim any removal of bacteria. Of course it does not remove viruses. Its use is therefore rather limited.

Cheers

[Jason Brinkman]

Thanks Roger. I should be more careful to make sure that my posts read completely. I was only recommending the Frontier Pro as a method to improve taste, not to make water safe to drink.

I was specifically responding to Huzefa's question about improving taste after the use of a UV purifier. The Frontier will also improve taste after the use of chemical treatments like chlorine dioxide.

I agree, it is NOT a very safe alternative as a primary filtration method.

[Dustin F]

You can combine the frontier for taste, with a sawyer inline for around 4 ounces. You can use these with a platy, no worries about batteries or wide mouths. Still weighs less than a Steripen setup with or without chemical backup.

Im personally trying to figure in a tube with a charcoal filled cavity to obsolete the frontier pro but havent come up with anything efficient just yet.

If I can find a fitting ( charcoal chamber ) that would work inline with the sawyers input, that would be just right for me. In theory it should work, Im just wondering if it will impede flow to a near standstill.

[Ken Helwig]

I have an Aqua Mira Frontier too. What I have done is treat it with Aqua Mira chemicals then use the Frontier to improve the taste. I have problems with AM for some reason, especially the taste. Using the Frontier in conjunction with the chemical treatment kills any harsh taste.

Though I think that I will stay with my Steripen and GSI coffee filter set up. Weighs in at a total 8 ounces.

[Ken Helwig]

Michael, glad you used my idea. Let me know how it works out for you!

[Michael Davis]

Ken,

I will report back. It's too hot in Florida to hike now but I'm going to New Hampshire in 6 weeks and will test it thoroughly!

[Jon Rhoderick]

if you have a flexible bottle with a nalgene (2.25 inch opening) bottle, throw a squirt bottle top along with a Bota of Boulder filter on the thing and get low profile hydration.

[EndoftheTrail]

Similar with Jason and Ken –

I too just recently converted to using a combo method of first purifying the water with Micropur — then filtering out sediments, chemicals and bad taste with the 2oz. AquaMira Frontier Pro.

[Mike Barney]

If weight is the only criteria, then you'd be hard pressed to beat a solar still. A 1m ^2 sheet of 1/2 mil plastic and a small plastic or paper cup is an ounce. What you effectively get is is distilled water, so you may not need the UV. On the other hand, you do need a sunny area and time.

[Jason Brinkman]

Ha! Never would have thought of the solar still! But wouldn't you need something to dig with? Or are you going to claw a giant hole in the earth with your bare hands?

Perhaps we should revise to say the lightest 'practical' technique to improve water taste'?

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

Michael, I like your idea but I would like to carry atleast 2litres of water. And 2ltr Platy weights just an ounce!

Here is my plan based on some modification of other ideas: open my home filter and take out some carbon – make a mesh lid filled with carbon to use with 500 ml plastic cup – hold the lid over the cup and dip it into water source – remove the lid and squeeze the cup a bit so it is filled to the rim – uv purify it – pour the clean water into the 2ltr platy.

[John S.]

Sometimes hot water (after boiling) can be made to taste better by aerating it (agitating the water)? I read that somewhere, but do not know if it's true or not.

I'd add tang to mask a chlorine taste, if that bothers you.

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

John, now thats a really good idea!

[EndoftheTrail]

Most mountain streams taste pretty good actually — even if they might contain biological baddies.

IMHO, funky water tastes funky for a reason (a dead skunk slightly upstream, heavy algae, assorted chemicals, etc.). It's one thing to add sugary kool aid powder to mask the taste of iodine or chlorine — chemicals that you yourself added for water treatment — but quite another to mask bad taste caused by who-knows-what!

If funky water is a possibility, take a filter with a carbon element that will adsorb the chemicals, etc. in addition to treating or blocking biological baddies.

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

Ben, you have a point.

I just remebered that Bill Fornshell has made a Cuben Amigo H2O Water Filter.

Cuben Water Bag – 0.54oz
Hose's etc – 2.07oz
Modified Hiker Pro Filter – 3.0oz
==========================
Total Weight – 5.61oz

But thats a 1.5 gallon bag. What I need is a .5litre bag to fill the 500ml cup. The problem with mesh/charcoal lid is that there isnt enough contact time. Remove the filter. Also you dont need that long tubing. Instead fill activated carbon directly in the tubing and close the end with mesh.

I think the whole filter can be made under an ounce.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Potable Aqua sold iodine tabs and also another bottle of Vitamin C tabs to remove the iodine taste.

If vitamin C can remove the taste of iodine it can likely improve the taste of most water.

Eric

[Roger Caffin]

> If vitamin C can remove the taste of iodine it can likely improve the taste of most water.

Not so. I think it is a particular chemistry reaction between the iodine and the ascorbic acid.

[Michael Davis]

Huzefa,

Wow! I like the idea of putting carbon in the gravity filter tube! Now that's what I call, "thinking outside the filter."

[Huzefa @ Blue Bolt Gear]

Thanks Michael. Glad you liked the idea.

[Yoyo]

What is the minimum diameter of pore size needed to remove bacteria? Why doesn't AquaMira incorporate this minimum?

I'd like to come with the lightest gravity filter solution for my water needs. I've been using an MSR Sweetwater with good results, but heavy at 13.5 oz or so. I was looking at the Platypus Clean Stream system but I'm not sure if it has the carbon.

Can someone tell me how exactly they would set up the AquaMira in a gravity system that would get rid of all the baddies?

[Rick Dreher]

Hi David,

IIRC somewhere around 0.2 micron is considered effective against the majority of bacteria (I don't recall what log reduction one gets at that level). Since Aqua Mira seems not to have published a pore size spec, we have to presume they're not in the ballpark. The flow at 0.2 micron would be quite slow and would probably render the AM bottle-top concept unworkable, at least not without upsizing it a lot.

If you're interested in filtration plus carbon treatment,I'd look at combining the Platy/MSR element with a DIY carbon unit, downstream. It'd be fairly simple to cobble one together.

[Franco Darioli]

The "removes 99.9% of…" description on the Frontier specs indicates a 3 micron pore size.(read the PDF : "a word about filter ratings" on their site) Note that Aqua Mira recommends to use it in conjunction with their drops or pills.
Franco

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