I’m passionate about minivan camping but I also think that teardrop campers are simply adorable.

So when a friend told me about CoolTears.com and their free magazine I had to sign up.

Here’s the cover from the April 2013 issue of “Cool Tears and Tiny Campers”:

If you’d like to read the issue pictured above click here.

For back issues— and to subscribe to future issues— click here.

It’s a great magazine, and you can’t beat the price.

Enjoy!

-teardropenviouschelle

What happens when you take several things that I’ve written about, here, and put them together?

This!

Since the galley on this teardrop camper looked similar to a minivan hatch— and since I wanted to see one of these wonderfully inexpensive campers, in person— I drove to Teardrop Campers by Creative Renovations Group, in Canton, GA, and decided to try a Tail Veil and a teardrop together.

It worked wonderfully, without any modifications, and Brian and Jenn liked the idea so much that they’re going to offer a slight modification that will make it work even better.

Since the camper was parked on asphalt we used Tarp Bobs instead of stakes— but in windy conditions you should try to use stakes for added security.

I’m a diehard minivan camper, but there are times when it’s practical to tow along a little camper of some sort. I have long loved teardrops but was concerned that since they’re based on a 4’ x 8’ design that they might feel cramped.

Once two of us got inside, however, it quickly became clear that that was not the case. I think that most couples would feel more than comfortable sleeping in one of these teardrops.

I’m 5’11” and the redhead in the pic is 5’10” and we had room to spare. We could have even had a dog in there with us.

Here we are:

Brian and Jenn have started a Tumblr blog that not only provides information about their campers but also chronicles the build process.

Please check them out here:

http://teardropcampers.tumblr.com

If you’d like to read my original article on these teardrops please follow this link:

Teardrops on a Budget

If you’d like to read more about the Tail Veil then please follow these two links:

The Tail Veil

Tailgate Tent Comparison

And if you’d like to view our Table of Contents, please Click Here!

A quick, inexpensive and easy setup for a family of four would be the DAC Explorer 2 tailgate tent on the family minivan and the Tail Veil on your teardrop camper. If you put two kids on a cot in the Tail Veil— using the rain fly option— you could even sleep six!

I love versatility and camping on a budget. I hope you agree that this is a wonderful example of both!

-theresateardropinmyfuturechelle

I’m passionate about camping and love writing this blog.

I feel like things have really started to come together and I’m very proud of how it has turned out, so far.

The most gratifying part, however, is knowing that my words are connecting with my fellow enthusiasts!

Google Analytics has allowed me to watch how this site has grown and, thanks to YOU GUYS, we continue to grow exponentially.

We’re now getting over 1,300 unique visitors, every month— and a large percentage of those visitors return multiple times.

Because of that, we now show up on the first page of many Google searches— even though we’ve never done any advertising or promoting of this site.

That’s because of y’all— and you have my heartfelt thanks.

You’ve also been going to other sites and sharing what you’ve found here— and have been driving traffic back to this site.

A significant amount of traffic.

Thanks to those of you who have been spreading the word at “forums.chryslerminivan.net,” “popupportal.com” and “blog.caravancamperrv.com,” among others. You’ve really helped us grow!

I haven’t posted much, lately, but I’ve got lots of articles underway that aren’t quite ready to be published. I’m always on the lookout for great ideas but don’t like to post them until I feel like I’ve given them thorough treatment.

Once again, thanks for spending some of your very valuable time, here, and for helping to get the word out about minivancamper.info!

-Chelle

Let’s start with the disclaimer and then get down to business:

There is no substitute for getting a vehicle inspected by a professional mechanic. Any advice I offer here should be considered only as a pre-check before taking your prospective vehicle purchase to a knowledgeable mechanic.

There.

Now let’s get to the important stuff.

After you read this procedure use it to check out your own vehicle so that you can familiarize yourself with the process. You’ll want to be comfortable when you go car shopping.

First of all, you need to know that fluids are the life blood of every vehicle. They can tell you a great deal about a car’s condition.

Bring a large piece of cardboard with you when you go vehicle shopping. I’ll explain why, below.

Begin by checking the oil. Do this before you start the vehicle.

How does it look?

If it’s unusually thick and black then this vehicle may not have had regular oil changes. If it looks brand new then the owner may have just changed it to hide an engine problem.

I like to see oil that is at or near the proper level and that looks like it’s got a few miles on it.

Remove the radiator cap (be sure the engine is cool) and check the coolant. Bring a turkey baster or a $1.99 floating ball antifreeze tester from the auto parts store and extract some fluid out of the radiator. It can be various colors, depending on what type of fluid it takes (green, yellow, etc.) but it should NOT be brown or milky or have rust in it. Is the level near the top of the radiator? In most cars it should be.

Check the coolant overflow reservoir. Is the fluid between the “min” and “max” marks? If it’s well above the max line then the car might leak antifreeze and the owner compensates by adding extra so he or she doesn’t have to top it off as often. If it’s empty then that might also signal a possible leak.

Take the vehicle on a test drive that’s long enough to completely warm up the car. If the vehicle is already warmed up when you get there then you should be suspicious— it might be hard to start and they could be covering that up by pre-warming the car.

If the cold vehicle starts easily and warms up properly you should next check out the transmission. Does it shift easily or clunkily (new word— get over it!). A clunky transmission is getting ready to cost you some money.

Did the vehicle have a trailer hitch on it? Did you notice a huge boat or camper in the yard? It may have had a hard life— and the transmission pays the highest price when heavy loads are towed, so keep that in mind.

As you drive on a, preferably, deserted road, lightly grip the steering wheel with your fingers and gently depress the brakes. Does the car brake evenly and straight or does it pull to one side or the other? Does the brake pedal pulsate as you depress it? Does the pedal feel spongy or solid?

Does it pull to one side or the other even when you’re not braking? This could be a sign that it was in an accident. Be sure to do this test on a flat road. Roads that are very crowned will make the car naturally drift toward the side of the road even if there’s nothing wrong with it.

If the vehicle needs brakes you can either do them yourself (easy and cheap— but most people don’t realize that) or have them done (expensive— so figure that into the purchase price).

Return to where you started and pull the vehicle over the large piece of cardboard that you brought with you.

Pop the hood and check the date on the battery. If it’s 3 years old or older then you might need to plan on purchasing a new one in the next year or two.

Next, check the transmission fluid— with the vehicle running and fully warmed up. Make sure that the fluid looks clean and smells sweet (for automatic transmissions). Burnt smells signal danger to your wallet.

Also, if the transmission fluid looks brand new that should signal danger, as well. (They could be hiding problems.) As I said, before, I like to see fluids with some miles on them that still look nice and healthy.

If the car has a hitch, shifts unevenly and the transmission fluid has a slightly burnt smell then I can tell you that they’ve been doing some heavy towing and you should run the other way unless you’re getting such a good price that you can replace the transmission and stay on budget.

Check the brake fluid level in the small reservoir on or near the master cylinder. If the fluid is really low then it’s a pretty good sign that the brakes are heavily worn and the fluid level has gone down in order to compensate for the extra distance the pads or shoes have to travel in order to contact the rotors or drums. If the brake pedal was soft when you test drove the vehicle it could mean that there’s a fluid leak.

Sniff around inside the engine compartment. Does it smell like anything is burning? If you see thin smoke coming up out of the engine compartment you need to find the source.

Burning rubber produces black smoke and might indicate a misaligned belt or a driven device (a/c compressor, alternator, power steering pump, idler pulley, etc.) that is starting to seize. Burning rubber smells will usually be accompanied by unusual noises, so they’re normally not too difficult to isolate.

Blueish smoke is probably from an oil leak somewhere. It would behoove you to figure out where it’s coming from.

Transmission fluid oftentimes burns white— so check accordingly.

Once the water boils off, antifreeze burns in more of a nondescript color— but the sweet smell is unmistakable.

Next, pull the cardboard out from under the car. If anything has leaked onto it then it’s alerting you to a problem.

After things have had a chance to cool, flip the cardboard so that the clean side is up and then slide under the car for a visual check. Things get very hot, under there— especially the exhaust system— so give it enough time for things to be safe before you crawl underneath.

Next, check the functionality of EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING. That means cruise control, windshield wipers (on every speed), power seats (in every direction).

EVERYTHING.

Every button in every position.

Make sure that the heat/air conditioning properly changes the air flow from the windshield to the vents to the floor— and back again.

Check the rear air. The rear wipers. EVERYTHING.

Remember that all gadgets eventually break. The less gadgets you have the better off you are— especially with older vehicles.

If I had my druthers I would prefer my used car to have hand cranks on the windows and no options other than a/c and cruise control. (And stow-and-go seats, for minivans.)

If it’s a minivan check the automatic doors— several times, each.

Remember that most 4 cylinder engines have timing BELTS that have to be replaced every 60,000 to 85,000 miles (check the owner’s manual to be sure). Many cars have “interference” engine designs which means that if the belt breaks it will destroy the top end of your engine and you’ll need new valves, pushrods (if it’s not an overhead valve engine) and possibly camshaft(s).

Learn about your potential car before you purchase it. If it’s a 4 cylinder with an interference engine design you might regret it. If the car has more than 60,000 miles ask if the timing belt has been replaced and ask for the receipt.

Most 6 and 8 cylinder vehicles have timing CHAINS that last the life of the engine— but that’s not always the case. I’ve seen some 6 cylinder engines that had both timing belts AND chains.

Crazy stuff, I tell you.

Hopefully you’ve read reviews on the vehicle you’re getting ready to purchase and can pay particular attention to the weak points that you’ve read about. Perhaps the owner will have receipts to show that those weaknesses have been addressed.

Look at how many miles are on the car.

Vehicles don’t run forever and everything eventually wears out.

My personal experience (this is anecdotal, not scientific) is that most vehicles used to get the “100,000 mile blues.” After 100,000 miles the engine, transmission, power steering pump, alternator, a/c compressor, etc., would gradually start failing— one after the next.

In the past 15+ years I’ve noticed that quality has improved to the point where most vehicles don’t get “the blues” until around 150,000 miles or more. It will happen with every vehicle, eventually, however.

I repeat that that is my personal experience and should not be construed as scientific fact. I’ve owned and worked on many vehicles in my life, however, and this has been my observation. Once a car reaches a certain number of miles things tend to fail in succession.

Continuing our examination, check the tires for unusual wear patterns. I won’t cover every possibility, here, but if the vehicle ran smoothly on its test drive and the tires are wearing evenly then you probably don’t have to worry too much about it.

If the tires have unusual wear patterns or if they’re brand new then it could be a sign of problems. Take the vehicle on another test drive and have a friend drive behind you. Does the car drive straight down the road or does it “crab”— i.e., drive down the road at a slight angle?

Next, use your smart phone to get a Carfax on the vehicle. Ideally you’ll see that the car has been maintained regularly and factory service bulletins have been taken care of. That’s the sign of a conscientious owner.

If the car has been in a wreck or has been salvaged then you need to decide if the price is cheap enough to compensate for that, because either of those circumstances significantly decreases the value of a vehicle.

Next, let’s talk about price.

I’m a hard bargainer when I purchase vehicles. Many car salesmen make assumptions when they see a blonde woman looking at used cars— but they do so at their own peril.

You might not agree with how I purchase vehicles but I’ll share just in case there’s anything you can use. Most of the information, below, has been shared with me by people I know in the used car business:

When you go to Kelley Blue Book or any other car-price site, DON’T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO PRIVATE PARTY VALUE OR RETAIL VALUE.

The number you want to work from is the TRADE-IN value.

If you buy a vehicle for $9,000 and think you got a great deal because retail was $9,800— but trade-in is only $5,500— then you just gave away your money. If you traded the car in 5 minutes after you bought it you’d be throwing away $3,500.

When I buy from a private party I like to get the vehicle for NO MORE THAN the half-way point between trade-in and private party value. The closer you can get to trade-in, the better.

With car dealers you can be even more ruthless.

Here’s the way it works:

Most used car salesmen get a certain percentage commission or dollar amount on each car they sell. Every time they hit certain thresholds for number of cars sold, in a month, they start getting a higher commission— ON EVERY CAR THEY SOLD THAT MONTH.

If it’s the end of the month and they’re near the next threshold that will bump up their commissions on every car they sold that month they will GLADLY sell you a car for almost no profit— just to hit that magic number.

They may not REALIZE that they’ll gladly do it— but they will. You just need to help convince them.

If you purchase a car from a dealer you will likely hear every line in the book. A few might include:

1) That one is on special and it’s already marked down as low as we can go. (Liar!!!)
2) You can’t go by trade-in value because we pay our customers more than trade-in value on their vehicles. (If they actually did that they’d go out of business. No one pays more than their competitors for the same vehicles.)
3) I’ve got another family coming in to look at that car later today. (Call me if they decide not to buy it and we’ll talk some more.)
4) That price is only good for today. (Liar!!!)

Car dealers do a small amount of shining up, fluid changes, and systems checks before a car hits the lot, so I’ll usually use trade-in PLUS $500 as my starting point.

When they throw up their hands and say, “We can’t even do business with a number like that,” you should immediately walk out to your car.

They will chase after you— or call you the next day.

The ideal time to shop is on the SECOND TO LAST DAY of the month. That gives you the opportunity to walk out, let the salesman think about it (assuming that he doesn’t beat you to your car to try to change your mind), and have him call you to come back on the last day of the month.

If he tries to sway you by showing you an “invoice” you should know that the invoice usually has NOTHING to do with what they have into the vehicle. It’s a bogus piece of paper.

The General Manager has a spreadsheet on his computer that shows how much he actually paid for every vehicle on his lot, how much he’s paid for repairs and how much he’s paid for advertising on that vehicle.

I’m proud to say that I have gotten amazing prices on every single vehicle that I’ve ever purchased.

As an example:

We have a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country minivan that had 87,000 miles on it and the dealer had an “Internet Teaser” price of $10,999 on it, in 2009. The price was “non-negotiable.”

I came prepared with what the regional wholesale price of the vehicle was (provided by a friend in the car business, in Missouri) and played hardball.

I offered $7,500. He insisted that he had more than that into the vehicle.

We negotiated for two hours— on the second to last day of the month. Once they invest that much time into you they REALLY hate to lose the sale.

They eventually came down to $9,000— and I walked.

The next day they called and asked me to come back. I “reluctantly” agreed. (I knew they’d call and was ready when they did.)

After another 1-1/2 hours of negotiating, with the general manager yelling at me and showing me his spreadsheet that showed that he’d paid $7,100 for the car and had another $400 into it, he asked, “Do you think it’s fair that I don’t make a penny on that van? And after I pay the commission to the salesman I’ll lose money on it. Do you think that’s fair?”

I said, “I’ll pay $7,800 so you can cover your commission, but that’s it. Otherwise I’m walking. Oh— and I want a 7 day warranty instead of the “As is” warranty.”

He was very angry, but he signed off on it.

Two days later he had to replace the $600 servo motor that directed the air flow to the windshield/vents/floor. I was almost embarrassed to bring it to him.

Almost.

When it comes to buying a car from a dealer, the weak will be eaten. Only the strong come out in one piece.

Be fearless.

Think about how long it takes you to earn thousands of dollars.

In 1986 I bought a 13 month old GMC Safari from a dealer for $7,200. We had negotiated for 9 excruciating days. (The dealer was down the street from my place of employment, so it was easy for me to pop in during lunch and after work.)

I drove that van for 8 years and sold it for $5,000. Those were some cheap miles.

One of my friends negotiated a price of $20,000 ($2,000 off the sticker price) PLUS tax, tag and title on a used Mercury. She called and I asked her to leave until I could get there.

We returned the next day and, after several hours of negotiating, she drove it off the lot for $16,000— INCLUDING tax, tag and title.

Be fearless. You can win when you buy used cars.

So says Chelle.

-alwaysunderestimatedbycardealerschelle

I have written glowing reviews of both the Tail Veil and DAC Explorer 2 tailgate tents— which has caused a number of people to ask, “Which one should I buy?”

The answer isn’t a simple one because they’re both excellent tents with slightly different strengths and few, if any, weaknesses.

Personally, I’m glad we own both. There are circumstances when one is clearly a superior choice over the other and we like being able to choose the best tent for the job.

They’re reasonably priced so owning both is not inconceivable for many campers. And they each fold up very compactly— so it shouldn’t be a problem to take both with you.

But what if you can only buy one or the other? Which should you choose?

When the DAC Explorer 2 is a better choice:

1) If you’re driving cross-country and are only making quick stops each night the DAC Explorer 2 is slightly faster to set up (no stakes required) and a bit quicker to put away (due to its smaller size).

2) For similar reasons, even if you plan to stay at one campsite for several nights but will be doing a lot of touring around by car, each day, you will probably prefer to deal with the DAC Explorer 2.

3) If you need to use an air conditioner it’s much easier to do so with the DAC Explorer 2. While you could cool your minivan and Tail Veil in a similar way, you’d have much more space to air condition— which would require a larger, heavier window a/c unit.

4) If you’re camping in a muddy area you’ll be glad that the DAC Explorer 2 doesn’t touch the ground.

When the Tail Veil is a better choice:

1) If there are more than two in your party it’s much easier to sleep a few extra kids in the Tail Veil (when used with the rain fly option) than it is to suspend hammocks in the van or set up a separate tent.

2) If you like to spend a few days at each stop and will have time to enjoy the beauty of your campsite, the Tail Veil gives you a nice screened room to view it from.

3) If you like to watch your kid’s sporting event from the back of your minivan the Tail Veil can’t be beat.

4) If you have to use the potty several times, each night, the Tail Veil (with rain fly option) gives you a place to set it up so that you won’t have to leave your van.

Simply put, you can’t go wrong either way.

If one set of circumstances matches your situation more than the other then your choice might be more clear.

Otherwise, you have your choice between two fine tailgate tents.

Enjoy!

-lovesthembothchelle

Coleman Xtreme® Series Coolers

The Coleman company manufactures a line of high performance coolers that they claim will keep ice frozen for 5 or 6 days in 90°F ambient temperatures, depending on which model you purchase.

The cooler pictured, above, is the 58 quart Xtreme6 model that we own. It has since been renamed in the Coleman lineup as the “Ultimate Xtreme,” while the 5 day versions are now simply called the “Xtreme” models.

There’s both good and bad to these coolers but, overall, I think they’re well worth owning.

The Good:
• they actually do what they claim
• they’re available in a multitude of sizes
• the interior bottom actually slopes to the drain for easy water removal

The Bad:
• they have the dreaded cheap Coleman hinges that break easily. Fortunately they’re inexpensive, easy to replace and readily available wherever coolers are sold.
• the handles have a nasty habit of popping out of their anchor points at the most inopportune times, causing the cooler to fall on your toes. When this happens you will scream every dirty word you know and invent a few new ones, to boot.

Many owners remove the handles and replace them with rope handles. Simply run two ends of a short rope through each anchor point and knot. Problem solved.

So how good does this cooler work?

I usually travel with frozen meat— whole chickens, steaks, corned beef briskets, etc.

When we use our thermoelectric cooler all the meat is reasonably thawed by the third day of our trip.

The first time we traveled with our Xtreme6/Ultimate Xtreme cooler, however, all the meat was still frozen solid on the fifth day. I actually had to start thawing them in pots of water before I could cook any of it.

That’s what won me over.

The little bit extra that you’ll pay for this cooler will be quickly made up for by the ice that you won’t have to purchase.

It’s an ice miser.

This 58 quart cooler holds 75 cans of soda— over three cases— so it’s great for ballgames, as well.

For those who prefer to make their ice on-the-go, check out this post on portable icemakers. You can easily make enough ice— in your vehicle— to keep your cooler xtremely cold at all times.

Exterior Dimensions:
29 in. x14 in. x18 in.
(73.7 cm x35.6 cm x45.7 cm)

Interior Dimensions:
23.5 in. x9.5 in. x 13.5 in.
(59.7 cm x24.13 cm x34.3 cm)

Made in the USA

-thrillin’boutthechillin’chelle

Wouldn’t it be great to not have to worry about chasing after ice when you’re traveling?

And wouldn’t it be nice to be able to keep the contents of your cooler good and cold— and still have enough cubes left over for iced tea and other inexpensive beverages that you can make in the car?

Well, you can!

The trick is to find a countertop model icemaker that draws less than 200 watts.

Why is that number so important?

Many minivans have power ports (cigarette lighters, for you old timers) that are rated at 20 amps.

Since 20 amps x 12 volts = 240 watts, they can easily handle a 200 watt inverter— a commonly available device.

The most popular portable solar systems are rated in that range, as well, so that opens up another avenue for powering an ice making device.

There are quite a few icemakers that draw less than 200 watts— but many have received horrible reviews.

The best combination of price/performance/customer-satisfaction/power-draw that I’ve been able to find are the Igloo line of countertop icemakers.

A visit to the Walmart website reveals that 81% of the people who purchase Igloo countertop ice makers would recommend them to a friend.

The Igloo Ice101, Ice102 and Ice103 models all pull between 120 and 160 watts and produce more than a pound of ice per hour.

The best part is that they only cost $89-$119 dollars.

Our Coleman Xtreme6 Cooler keeps ice for six solid days. If we could make 3-5 pounds of ice per day we’d be able to maintain good food storage temperatures forever.

So the idea of carrying a countertop icemaker with us is very practical— especially since we stay on the go and wouldn’t have to worry about drawing down our battery.

If you tend to stay in one place for periods of time you should be sure that you’ll have access to electricity or that your portable power generation system can keep up with its power needs.

I would also suggest placing your cooler ice into zip lock bags so that you can reuse the water after the ice melts.

Water is not always easy to come by, so we should conserve wherever we can.

So let’s look at a few models:

The Igloo Ice102 Portable Countertop Ice Maker:

• 2.0 lbs capacity ice cube basket
• 3.1L capacity water reservoir
• up to 26lbs of ice every 24 hours
• no need to drain the melted ice as it drains back to the reservoir
• low noise (42dB)
• adjustable cube size
• power draw: 160W
• Model No.: ICE102C
• Dimensions: 17.1”L x 15”W x 17”H
• Walmart No.: 007425417
• Price: $99

The Igloo Ice101 Compact Countertop Icemaker:

• 26 lbs of ice in 24 hours
• a batch of ice in as little as 6 minutes
• 2 cube sizes
• basket holds 1.5 lbs of ice
• 2.3 quart reservoir
• electronic controls with LED indicators
• Dimensions: 13”L x 10”W x 13”H
• Model No.: ICE101-BLACK
• Walmart No.: 550803706
• Price: $89

Since these icemakers use compressors rather than thermoelectric systems they have much more cooling capacity. It’s important to remember, however, that all compressor devices are sensitive to low voltage. Since they will always attempt to pull the correct amount of power, low voltage will cause the amps to increase proportionally.

Higher amps mean higher temps— and you can burn out the compressor.

If you’re using long, light duty extension cords or are pulling power from someplace you haven’t been, before, you should test the voltage with a meter, first, to ensure that you’re supplying ALL your appliances with the correct voltage.

Especially those that have compressors— like your air conditioner.

-iceicebabychelle

Compact Cooking Solution

While most minivan campers will choose to use the de facto standard two burner Coleman camp stove— of either the propane or white gas variety— many others will easily meet their cooking needs with a single burner hiking stove.

They’re light, extremely compact and there are models available for a variety of fuels.

The folding Sterno stove, pictured above, is the one we have in our kit for when we’re traveling light.

It folds to just 1-1/2 inches thick and the carrying case— which holds the stove and enough Sterno for 5 hours of cooking— is about the size of a paper dinner plate.

It’s strong— and since it’s made of aluminum it won’t rust, either.

The kit, which includes two cans of Sterno fuel, is only around $15.

If you’re cooking for a family of four a hiking stove would probably be insufficient for your needs— but for two people heading out for a weekend, this could be a perfect way to prepare delicious camping cuisine.

Hiking stoves that burn alcohol are also an excellent compact and lightweight solution that merit investigation before you make a final purchase decision.

Happy cooking!

-campingchefchelle

If you’d like to send a note please click here!

All feedback is welcome and I’d love to hear what future topics you’d like for me to cover.

Don’t be a stranger!

-justfoundoutineverprovidedcontactinfo!chelle

When I embarked upon this project my goal was to come up with a recommendation for easily purifying water, long-term, without electricity— and without spending much money.

I assumed that since I’m an electrical engineer who easily “aced” chemistry in high school and college that I’d have the research done and the post written in under an hour.

I was so very wrong, however.

I’ve spent, literally, hundreds of hours poring over information from the CDC, WHO, various other government agencies, leading universities, research hospitals and manufacturers and pulled together enough information to easily write a 100 page book.

A book that no one would read.

The things that struck me most were:

1) it can be incredibly complex to produce perfectly clean water
2) I’m amazed at how much drinking water we waste.

You know you live in a nation of excess when most people water their yards with drinking water while, around the world, 3 children die every minute from impure drinking water.

I will never look at water the same way again.

I have done my best to reduce this article down to the barest amount of information and, at the end, I will tell you how I would easily and cheaply produce pure drinking water, long-term, should I ever need to.

“But Chelle— all I have to do is turn on the faucet and I can get all the pure water I want.”

Well, you obviously can’t take that faucet with you when you go camping— and if you’re ever the victim of a natural disaster like hurricane Katrina or hurricane Sandy you’ll be glad you read this article when the water coming out of the faucet is no longer safe to drink.

“I’ve heard that if you boil water it will always be safe to drink.”

That’s what I thought, too, but it’s not even close to being correct.

Boiling is a great STEP in the water purification process, but you won’t always have the resources to do so— and you’ll still have to do a few more things to make the water safe to drink. I’ll cover all that here, though.

So here’s the part where I have to post a disclaimer so that no one sues me and takes away my beloved 12 year old minivan:

I’m not an expert and do not represent myself to be an expert. Even though I’m smart, I don’t know everything. If you don’t believe me you can ask my spouse. Despite pulling this information from reliable and authoritative websites you should assume that by following my advice you could become ill, die, spontaneously combust— or worse. You should always do your own research before undertaking any activity that could impact your health. The procedure given, here, is merely the procedure that my family and I will follow in an emergency situation. If we die it will be solely my fault.

Now that the fun part is over, let’s begin by talking about all the stuff you might find in your water and what methods you can use to remove them. I’ve reduced categories that could each be its own chapter in a book all the way down to bullet points. If you want to know more I would encourage you to Google each heading and learn more:

Bacteria: boiling, chemical, microfiltration

Viruses: boiling, chemical, nanofiltration (although ultrafiltration can be reasonably effective)

Protozoa: boiling, microfiltration

Chemicals (i.e., herbicides, pesticides, etc.): activated carbon, nanofiltration

Suspended Solids: microfiltration, floc

Heavy Metals: activated carbon, distillation

Nitrates: ion exchange

The above list is thorough but not exhaustive. If you think of something that you feel strongly about me including in the list then please feel free to send me a note and I’ll include it.

You probably noticed that there’s no “one thing” that gets rid of everything— which means that you need to use a multi-step process.

Reverse Osmosis:

“What about reverse osmosis? If you’re such a chemistry hot shot you should have known that it will take care of pretty much everything. In fact, it will even turn salt water into fresh water. So why didn’t you mention that, huh, Chelle?”

Of course you’re correct. Reverse osmosis is the closest you can come to a one-step process that will produce pure drinking water (with a few small exceptions).

The reason I’m not including it is because most systems require electricity to operate, due to the high pressures required, and the membranes become clogged with impurities pretty quickly. If you were lucky enough to find a system that operated with a hand pump it would only work for a limited time unless you had plenty of replacement membranes.

Since it didn’t meet my criteria of “cheap, no electricity and long-term” I don’t consider it to be a viable solution in a long-term emergency or survival situation. If you get hold of a hand pumped reverse osmosis kit you should, by all means, use it as the final step in water purification. That will enable the membrane to have the longest life.

Boiling:

Boiling is a great way to kill anything that’s living in the water— especially protozoa, which include Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium, the two parasites most likely to give you diarrhea if you drink “bad” water.

Unfortunately, boiling does NOT remove anything that’s dissolved in the water— like heavy metals, pesticides, etc. And it doesn’t clarify the water. That means that if you boil swamp water, it’s still going to look like swamp water after you’re done.

If you boil water for 5 minutes you should pretty much kill anything that’s living in the water, with the possible exception of botulism spores. If you have reason to believe that they’re in the water, as well (not terribly common), you must boil the water at 240 degrees— which would only be achievable in a pressure cooker.

Filtration:

There are a dizzying number of filtration systems on the market for every conceivable application. I won’t bore you with the numbers (you can Google them, if you wish) but microfiltration systems have larger pores than ultrafiltration systems which have larger pores than nanofiltration systems.

Microfiltration is very effective for most contaminants but will not remove viruses. Viruses can be easily killed in other ways, however, and I will use microfiltration in conjunction with other methods to purify my water since microfiltration systems are the most readily available.

Filtration systems that use disposable cartridges are not acceptable, in my opinion, since they will eventually clog and have to be replaced. In a long-term situation this will not be practicable. For that reason, I feel that a cleanable ceramic filter cartridge is the best way to filter drinking water.

Ideally, a ceramic filter will be impregnated with silver so that it will prevent bacteria from colonizing in it.

Chemical Sanitizing:

Chlorine and Iodine are both excellent sanitizer/oxidizers and accomplish nearly everything that boiling accomplishes— with one notable exception. Protozoa envelop themselves in a protective cyst when they encounter harsh environments. This cyst is sufficient to protect them from chemical sanitation. The good news is that microfiltration easily removes protozoa, so chemical sanitation will be one of the steps I use to purify water in an emergency.

While unscented bleach is perfectly acceptable for sanitizing water, it has a limited shelf life before it starts losing its strength. So if you wish to sanitize with chlorine you should use a granulated chlorine like calcium hypochlorite.

Iodine is often used by backpackers, but many people are sensitive to iodine— and the metallic taste it imparts upon the water is awful.

Fortunately, once iodine has done its job you can easily neutralize it— and get rid of the bad taste— by adding ascorbic acid (vitamin C). If you left your vitamin C tablets at home you can simply add a powdered drink mix that includes it.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Service says that vitamin C can also be used to eliminate excess chlorine, as well.

UV Sterilizing:

There are a number of UV “pens” on the market that perform largely the same functions as boiling— including the killing of protozoa.

Some even use AA batteries— which means you can easily recharge them with a solar panel.

The reason I’m not recommending them, however, is because I found an uncomfortably large number of dissatisfied customers who relied solely upon their UV pen for sterilizing their water and were left hanging because it malfunctioned.

If someone comes out with a very reliable UV pen that uses rechargeable batteries then this could be an excellent option for killing bacteria, viruses and protozoa.

Coagulation and Flocculation:

Eeeeeewww!!! That sounds gross! But it’s actually really cool— and you’ll definitively want to use this to clarify your water.

Floccing consists of adding something to the water that causes all the little floaty things to come stick to it until it becomes large enough to float to the bottom.

It will turn dirty, swamp water into clear water and, besides removing those visible suspended solids, is even partially effective against bacteria, viruses, protozoa and heavy metals.

In a dire emergency you could possibly get by with just floccing and chemically sanitizing your water. (Steps 1-3, below.) While it’s not the perfect solution, it will drastically improve otherwise impure water.

The Centers for Disease Control worked with Procter and Gamble to come up with sachets that are distributed to third world countries that do nothing more than floc and chemically sanitize.

The reported cases of diarrhea— the most frequent cause of death since it severely dehydrates the victim— dropped drastically. You can read about it here.

“Where the heck would I buy flocculent? And is it expensive?”

It is EXTREMELY easy to buy! The two most common ones are aluminum sulfate (also called “alum”) and ferrous sulfate.

Alum can be purchased in the spice aisle of the grocery store, since it’s used for pickling and cooking— but it’s a little pricey, there. You should head to your local feed and seed or gardening supply store and buy a big 10 pound bag for next to nothing.

If you prefer to use ferrous sulfate you can buy that at any pharmacy or Walmart. It’s used as an iron supplement. Be sure to read the labels because you don’t want to buy the stuff that says, “65 mg which is the equivalent of…” That’s elemental iron. You want ferrous sulfate. It will just say “325 mg Ferrous Sulfate.” THAT’S the stuff that will floc your water for you.

Activated Carbon:

If you make charcoal in a certain way you’ll end up with activated carbon— which is WAY more absorbent than regular charcoal.

In fact, activated carbon is one of the most absorbent materials known to man.

If you run water through activated carbon you’ll be able to get rid of most of what’s dissolved in the water— those chemicals and heavy metals that you couldn’t filter or sanitize out. The longer the water stays in contact with the carbon the more stuff it will remove. We’ll be using this.

Distillation:

Distillation is a great way to purify water. It doesn’t get rid of everything— but it comes pretty durn close. I’m not going to use it in my treatment process because the faster methods require heat— but if you want to Google it and learn about things like solar distillation I would certainly encourage that.

Distillation is an excellent emergency technique for gathering water and you can supply yourself with enough to survive on with little more than a tarp cut into two pieces.

If you were going to do further reading I would probably suggest this, above anything else.

Ion Exchange:

Ion exchange is an excellent way to purify water— but I it’s not really practical in a survival setting. You might wish to read up on it just to be sure.

“But Chelle, how am I supposed to get rid of nitrates in the water?”

Nitrates are only dangerous to infants under the age of 6 months and to animals. Their digestive systems convert nitrates to nitrites.

Nitrites are bad because they attach themselves to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells in the same place where oxygen is supposed to attach. As a result, high levels of nitrites can cause “blue baby syndrome” which is oftentimes fatal. Babies and animals can, literally, suffocate.

Once a human passes the age of 6 months their bodies no longer convert nitrates to nitrites. Instead, the nitrates are simply absorbed and subsequently excreted.

Nitrates usually end up in drinking water from fertilizer run-off. If you live in an agricultural community where lots of fertilizers are used then you should be aware of this potential safety hazard.

Obviously, you would not want to get your drinking water from a golf course or similarly heavily fertilized area.

Ozone:

Ozone is an excellent sterilization technique but all the methods I’m aware of require electricity which did not meet the criteria I set for my survival water purification process.

That’s as much background information as I’m going to provide, here. Now it’s time to get specific as to how I would easily and inexpensively purify water, over a long period of time, without electricity:

Here’s the shopping list (Items should purchased BEFORE a disaster strikes and stored in one’s home or with one’s camping kit):

1) Four 5 gallon plastic buckets
2) Aluminum sulfate (Alum) or ferrous sulfate (from Walmart, the drug store, grocery or garden supply)
3) A few 1 pound bags of calcium hypochlorite (pool shock— from Walmart or your local pool supply)
4) Pool water test strips that measure chlorine and pH.
5) A bag of activated carbon (used for fish tanks, so head to your local dollar store or pet supply)
6) A 2 liter soda bottle
7) A woman’s trouser sock or pantyhose.
8) This ceramic microfilter. It’s the cheapest one I can find that appears to be reputable.

Everything on that list can be purchased for a total of approximately $75 and will provide you with a couple of years worth of clean, pure water.

Time to get to work:

I would start by finding the best water available. Running water is better than still water and ground water is better than running water. That’s your starting point.

Step One:

Pre-filter your water into 5 gallon bucket #1 by pouring it through a cotton tee shirt, bandana or coffee filter. That will get rid of the big stuff.

Step Two:

Add either aluminum sulfate (alum) or ferrous sulfate to the water, stir vigorously for not less than 30 and not more than 60 seconds, and wait for it to clear.

The trick is to add enough— without adding too much. The dirtier the water is, the more floccing agent you’ll need.

If you add too much you won’t really hurt anything, because the activated carbon will remove the excess aluminum or iron, but you want it to last as long as possible— so try to get it dialed in as close as possible.

So how do you know when you’ve added the right amount?

We’ll find out in step three.

Step Three:

Carefully pour or siphon the clear water into 5 gallon bucket #2, making sure you leave all the floc behind in the bottom of bucket #1.

[Note: If this is the first time you’re purifying water from this source, repeat step 2 to see if you produce any more floc and proceed back to this point, pouring the clear(er) water off, each time. Once you end up with clear water, add up the total amount of alum or ferrous sulfate you used and use that entire amount, all at once, in future batches. Once the water looks nice and clear (or as clear as you can get it) you should complete the rest of this five step procedure. If you’re having trouble producing floc you should try adding some baking soda. The reasons for doing so are complicated— so you’ll just have to take my word for it.]

Add enough calcium hypochlorite to bring the free chlorine level to between 3 and 5 ppm (parts per million). Use the pool test strips to verify this.

If the test strips happen to show that the pH is way low or way high you should tweak the water with some lemon juice or vinegar to lower it, or baking soda to raise it. Chlorine works best when the pH is near 7.

Allow the chlorine to work for at least 30 minutes. If you want to double that, so much the better.

If, at the end of the 30-60 minutes, the strips show that there’s no more chlorine in the water then that means that it all got used up in the sanitation process and you need to add more calcium hypochlorite to repeat the process. This will be a very rare occurrence, but it’s something you should know about.

You want there to be residual chlorine so that you know all the creepy crawlies have been killed and there was still a little chlorine left over.

Step Four:

Connect bucket Nos. 3 and 4 together using the microfilter that you purchased, above. There are instructions in the box, as well as a video available on the website.

Any bozo can do it in 10 minutes— although I would suggest doing this BEFORE disaster strikes.

Here is a pic that I snagged from AdvancedSurvivalGuide.com:

If you follow the directions you’ll end up with two 5 gallon buckets stacked on top of each other with your handy dandy $30 ceramic microfilter as the only path between the two.

The kit also includes a spigot that you can install in the bottom bucket to make it easier to get the clean water out.

But we’re not quite done, yet.

Step Five:

Cut the bottom off of a 2 liter soda bottle (the big end) and place a pantyhose leg or trouser sock in it in the same way that you’d put a bag in the kitchen trash can.

Fill the sock with activated carbon, drill a small hole in the cap of the soda bottle— and you’re ready to go.

Run water through until it looks clear, since new activated charcoal can have carbon dust in it.

The reason we’re using the cap with a small hole drilled in it instead of just letting it run through, quickly, is because we want the water to spend as much time in the activated charcoal as possible.

Don’t run the water through the carbon filter until you’re ready to drink it.

Why?

Because the activated carbon removes all the chlorine— which means that any new bacteria that happened to get into the water would be able to thrive.

I know that these five steps might sound a little overwhelming, but once you do it a few times it will be a piece of cake.

If your life is at stake you’ll be glad you have this knowledge.

Remember— do your own research. This is only how I would purify my water. It might not be the best way for YOU to purify YOUR water.

-stilltryingtohangontoher12yearoldminivanchelle

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