How to Use UV to Sanitize Water
Purchase a UV light pen., Filter the water., Turn on the light pen., Submerge the pen and stir., Dry the bottle threads before drinking.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Purchase a UV light pen.
Ultraviolet light pens for water sterilization can be found online or at your local outdoor store.
There are a few different models to choose from depending on what you are looking for.
Things to consider are the amount of water you need to sterilize and the weight of the device.
If you are using the UV light pen as your main sterilization while backpacking, make sure you have a secondary system (purification tablets or drops) in case the UV pen fails or runs out of battery power. -
Step 2: Filter the water.
Before using a UV light pen, you must ensure that your water is clear and free of particulate matter.
This can easily be done by pouring the water through a piece of cloth such as a bandana.
This will collect the dirt and result in clear water.This step does no sterilization other than removing dirt from the water.
It still must be sterilized with the UV light.
In an emergency, you can double the treatment time to sterilize cloudy water. , Turning on the pen will depend on the specific model that you own, but it will likely be a button or switch.
Different buttons will designate the amount of water you are purifying.
There will be settings specific to half of a liter and one liter.
It is not recommended to purify more than one liter of water at a time.Once the pen is on, you can place it in the water bottle. , Submerge the lamp of the pen in the water and stir it around.
The agitation of the water is important to ensure complete inactivation of any microorganisms present.
If you do not see light coming from the lamp, the pen has not been properly activated is or is not working.Always carry a backup water purification system in case one fails.
Keep the pen submerged until the light goes off.
The pen has a timer based on the amount of water you are purifying and will shut off automatically. , If you obtained the water from a stream, any microorganisms from that stream will still be in the water remaining on the threads of the bottle.
The UV light pen will not sterilize these organisms, but if you simply dry the bottle off before drinking, you will be fine.Use a clean, dry cloth to dry off the bottle. -
Step 3: Turn on the light pen.
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Step 4: Submerge the pen and stir.
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Step 5: Dry the bottle threads before drinking.
Detailed Guide
Ultraviolet light pens for water sterilization can be found online or at your local outdoor store.
There are a few different models to choose from depending on what you are looking for.
Things to consider are the amount of water you need to sterilize and the weight of the device.
If you are using the UV light pen as your main sterilization while backpacking, make sure you have a secondary system (purification tablets or drops) in case the UV pen fails or runs out of battery power.
Before using a UV light pen, you must ensure that your water is clear and free of particulate matter.
This can easily be done by pouring the water through a piece of cloth such as a bandana.
This will collect the dirt and result in clear water.This step does no sterilization other than removing dirt from the water.
It still must be sterilized with the UV light.
In an emergency, you can double the treatment time to sterilize cloudy water. , Turning on the pen will depend on the specific model that you own, but it will likely be a button or switch.
Different buttons will designate the amount of water you are purifying.
There will be settings specific to half of a liter and one liter.
It is not recommended to purify more than one liter of water at a time.Once the pen is on, you can place it in the water bottle. , Submerge the lamp of the pen in the water and stir it around.
The agitation of the water is important to ensure complete inactivation of any microorganisms present.
If you do not see light coming from the lamp, the pen has not been properly activated is or is not working.Always carry a backup water purification system in case one fails.
Keep the pen submerged until the light goes off.
The pen has a timer based on the amount of water you are purifying and will shut off automatically. , If you obtained the water from a stream, any microorganisms from that stream will still be in the water remaining on the threads of the bottle.
The UV light pen will not sterilize these organisms, but if you simply dry the bottle off before drinking, you will be fine.Use a clean, dry cloth to dry off the bottle.
About the Author
Charles Sanchez
Experienced content creator specializing in home improvement guides and tutorials.
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