Guide to Using Portable Water Purifiers

Portable water purifiers filter a small amount of water at a time, and are generally used either in the home, or outdoors. Hiking, backpacking, camping, mountain climbing, and other outdoor activities bring with them the burden of lugging safe-to-drink water. The portable filtration system allows outdoor enthusiasts to use a carbon filter or other filter to clear lake or stream water of impurities.

Uses

A person who is camping or hiking needs a way to stay hydrated while outdoors, but it is very difficult for them to carry gallons of water with them. Even the safest looking and sweetest tasting water in a river or spring could still contain pollution or harmful bacteria. An outdoorsman need only carry a portable water filter and he can still have fresh water to drink. 

Types

There are a few different types of water purifiers on the market. One type only lasts a few days and is for emergency use, only. Another type has a carbon filter fitted on a water bottle and is made to be used with tap water. One other type is a pitcher with a carbon filter, also made to be used with tap water in the home. There are still more filters that comes with systems designed to filter lake and stream water to make it safe for drinking.

Filtration

Some of the technologies use electrolysis or ionic absorption to filter out impurities. When one is purchasing a portable water purifier, be certain to get one that will remove impurities smaller than one micron, otherwise, some harmful bacteria may be retained in the water. Also, the gravity fed water filters tend to be better than the forced-water ones, since the water filters slower through the gravity fed water filters.