We have a Pur water purifier which needs a replacement filter every so often. When we recently went to our local camping store, where the purifier was bought, to buy a new filter, we were told they are no longer allowed to sell these. There are plenty of stocks we were told, but they are not allowed to sell them, or the purifiers. However they cannot or will not say why, or whether this is a permanent or temporary state of affairs. They also refused to tell us how or where to contact the makers of the product! They say a similar ban applies to the Sweetwater brand purifier. Does anyone know anything about why the purifier & filter are banned, &/or where to contact the manufacturer, or any other relevant information? First, understand that there is a difference between a FILTER and a PURIFIER. The former filters out bacteria and protozoa but not viruses. The latter filters out bacteria and protozoa and kills the viruses chemically. (OK, the latter may also kill any remnant bacteria and protozoa as well.)
I asked Pur what was going on (by email). Summarised, the answer was as follows: There is nothing the matter with the basic (Hiker) filter, and it has NOT been withdrawn. The carbon post-filter used sometimes with the iodine (Voyager) insert was found to be TOO effective. It took all the iodine out of the water before it had killed the bugs and wogs. OK, this seems a very reasonable explanation. If correct, it would seem that someone in Australia, probably the distributor, has got the wrong message and is taking action by himself. My understanding from Pur is that the basic non-iodised filter is still for sale, and the iodine insert may also be still for sale, but the carbon post-filter has been withdrawn while they sort out the quality control on the carbon material. Frankly, I would never use a carbon post-filter with an iodine insert for this very reason. The iodine needs to act for 5-30 minutes (depending on temperature) to get the required kill efficiency. The amount left in the water is extremely small anyhow. Yes, you can SMELL it, but I defy you to taste it.
A water purifier is very different from a water filter. Figure out what you need. A purifier may be a desalinizer, such as a reverse osmosis membrane that removes salt from sea water. these will be more expensize to buy and keep up (replace membrane cartridges).
I’m interested on buying an API tap water purifier - deionizer, for use to my Discus-arium My tap water comes with pH=7.3, N03=25ppm, KH=4dH, GH=10dH and i wonder how much of that could absorb (if i got the picture right)? When will the catridge need replacement? Also any pros and cons would help me make up my mind. If API is referring to the Aquarium Pharm one, then it will absorb all that stuff. I just purchased it and it works great. By the way, if you pay more than $30 for it, you are getting ripped off (One lfs near my house sells it for 77Plus they sell the replacement cartridges by the 3 pack if you choose so you can save some more $$. Here’s another interesting site if you are chemistry inclined (will show you how to recharge the cartridges):
A few weeks ago I hiked almost 18 miles with 3 friends. We visited the Shining Rock Forest and also Cold Mountain, in the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. It was an aggressive hike given the changes in elevation, the weather, and the lack of water sources (our PUR Hiker purifiers came in handy). It was a grueling hike, but was as remote a place as I’ve found on the east coast, other than my hike in Maine. You could see the Smokey Mountains all around you. We camped out at Stone Mountain and I believe it’s elevation is 6,000 feet. The map we had from Shining Rock to Stone Mountain was terrible, so make sure that you have the best map possible for this trip or you can end up in Tennessee, rather than at Stone Mountain in North Carolina. I used a Peak 1 Puma external frame pack and it held up quite well. As usual, you find out how well you packed as you’re about half way through your hike (I brought too much food, could’ve cut about 2-3 lbs). Two of my buddies had just purchased Kelty Breeze internal frame packs from Campmor for $29.99 and they were phenomenal (your sleeping bag has to be in a stuff sack to work in one of these). Once I returned to civilization, I bought one ( they’re still on sale)! They were day packs, but you can get two days out of them, we did! There were lots of scenic views and we had a black bear come through our camp twice that evening. We were lucky that we hung our food and trash over a ravine! Be assured, you must have a water purifier for this trip! We also used Platypus canteens for the first time on this trip and we all agreed, there’s no other option for carrying water on a hike like this! Using the bite valve option proved most effective! Most of the hikers that we met on this trip were very experienced and one group was training for a hike in the Grand Canyon in a few months. If you’ve never gone on a Hike this remote, go with someone who has! It would be easy to get hurt and / or lost in the Pisgah National Forest. I figured that I’d let people know about this trip and the fine equipment that we tested. We’re all looking for good boots for the next trip (too many blisters).
Water, water everywhere, but is it safe to drink? David Rubien, Special to The Chronicle. Next time you crinkle your nose up at that glass of water you just drew from your kitchen tap, consider this: It could be a lot worse. You could be living in Santa Barbara, whose tap water Julia Child once said “turns my Chinese tea into mud.” At least it wouldn’t hurt you. For that to happen, pick your average underdeveloped foreign metropolis. Even that does not present the worst case scenario, though, because the water can generally be made safe by boiling. There are places in the world where running water doesn’t exist and people have to hike miles to find it.
Advanced Water Treatment System: The best for your family
I have used the purifier for quite a while on a saltwater fish tank and a reef tank and have been pleased with the results. I work part time at a fish specialty store and have run basic tests on purified water and RO water and for the most part they tend to be fairly equal. The biggest seller for me was that since I have to have such a large volume of water to do water changes (usually 100gal/week) I can use the purifier to make this in a few hours, where my RO unit takes days to make this much… I can sacrifice a little quality for speed, and have noticed no difference in the tanks.
5- Stage Filtration Process:
She who must be obeyed decreed that we had to have a drinking water filter tap by the main one – that was 8 months ago.
