Does Boiling Always Make Water Safe To Drink? 

We boil our tap water for 15 minutes and then store it in glass. And of course we pray over it and give it thanks.

Good info. Safer than filtering IMO.

Thank you Paul Kirtley for all the educational information.

This water was boiled for safety.

Informative video Paul and very concise and clear.

I just want to say thank you for all the helpful information. My grandparents lived to be 90 years old. They drink out of creeks and other not so clean water sources.. i know times are different with pollution and all but people make this to complicatied . Boil the water.. If you can't have a fire use other means like life straw etc.. Thanks for sharing..God bless.

This video was very helpful. Thank you for the content. I have always wanted to be sure the water is safe for drinking, but now with your video I can definitely know when it is safe.

Paul Kirtley, Excellent and straight forward advice on this subject, it is one of those survival necessities that has often played on my mind, So thank you for this video, i will be sure to follow more of your videos, take care Adapt to Prevail, as i say!

Hi Paul, Fan of yours from the states. Great video, the only thing I would add is that ALL enteric pathogens are killed by the time water has reached a rolling boil, and many of them die en route to boil. Certainly couldn't hurt to boil for a minute or two, but for most backcountry outings in the US and UK it isn't necessary. I'm a medical provider here and actually had to consult my wilderness medicine text when a patient asked me this!

Indeed, as mentioned in the main water articles on my blog.

Hello Paul , another good video very well done , lots of good information thanks for sharing , I do enjoy your blog as well . Cheers atb Martin

great video paul . thanks for sharing .

Paul, good comprehensive advice! Thanks

Thank You for your outstanding advice and clear explanation!

thank you for spending time for huma nsi

I sincerely thank you.

Just what i wanted to know. Thanks

Great video and information

Gracias for the outstanding and important information...

As long as there are no pesticides i filter with the sawyer mini then boil well. If i am really in doubt i drop some tabs in. Good video.

I've got a rain barrel and this helps.

Thanks for the video! Straight to the point! :D

Milbank bags and other filtering devices are great for removing dirt, leaves, bugs or other tiny turbidity and then boil. You can get sick even if you boil if there is alot of dirt or debri as the bacteria can hide inside the particles that insulates them from the heat. Turbidity can also cause gut irritation leading to diarrhea which can be dangerous in a survival situation.

Very good informative video, You gave me enough confidence to drink tropical Queensland swamp water forafter prelonged boiling. I filtered it through primitive charcoal filter as it wasn't clear, water colour was still tea like even after boiling (due to tea trees in the swamp). The taste was a bit bitter but I did not get sick at all and If it was a survival situation I'd be happy to drink litres of this water. Thank to the video

Great video brother, thank you.

Good clear advice thanks. But does this work for pesticides that get into the streams from farmers fields?

Hello Paul,, thanks for the video. I live in the Las Vegas and we have a ponds for wild life spread around the area. But mostly its just nasty deserts out here. I am concerned about taking water from these ponds for a portable shower container. What do you think>>>??

To all those concerned about chemicals in the water: You could distill it, this would make sure the chemicals are either in the residue or broken down by hydrolysis. Of course if you chose to camp next to the effluent pipe of a chemical factory you may want to check if they produce any volatile chemicals, they could end up in your distillate. So you should throw away the first 20% of the distilled water to be sure. Then effectively, your distillate remaining is as good as rain water. I suggest to camp next to a brewery effluent pipe, chances are you get a few % alcohol in your water which helps keep it sterile and will allow you to chill out and stop asking such questions. Next time, we’ll discuss what to do when you chose to camp in Tchernobyl😉

Thank you for the useful info🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

Good video Paul! Don't forget my knots request!

Firstly Paul, your video work is a tremendous blessing to all outdoor minded folks, so thank you sir. Secondly I have two questions: 1) If I filter the water with a Katadyn Hiker filter, do I also need to boil? 2) If boiling + filtering are suggested, in which order? (boil, then filter? or vice versa?) Again, I have enjoyed the videos a lot since finding your channel as your production quality and knowledge are first rate - keep up the great work young man!

Wish I watched this before I went out last weekend and relied on filtering alone. Been off work with an upset tummy all week. ATB, Josh

Thanks a lot big brother

Another informative video Paul, thanks. Since boiling doesn't remove or negate chemical contamination in water (such as fertiliser or pesticides in run-off from farmland making its way into rivers and streams), may I ask you this question; when you are 'out and about' in the UK, is this a worry for you and if so, what do you personally do to deal with the possibility of chemical contamination in water from 'natural' sources? Thanks in advance.

ok, thanks for sharing. We must check health ministry's website now. I was hoping you would take some not flowing water out of the creek, boil it and drink it on camera to prove your point. :)

What about flood water? Do you think using a Milbank bag (or other particulate filter) than boiling the water would be enough or would it be best to use a water filter after boiling?

Thanks for the simple to the point video 👍 I have recently purchased a Sawer water filter, would it be good practise to also boil the water after using it?

Thanks! to u too

Hi Paul, very good video. I have a question will boiling the water for longer than a minute affect anything?

Hey, I use a kettle to heat water for my coffee because it improves the taste. I’m a yank and I understood the reference!

Thank you

I have stainless steel pots such as the Zebra bush pot like yours, I hear some say that boiling your water in the same pots you cook food in will leave a food taste in your water, is this true and how much of a problem is it? or is it more likely with aluminum cookware?

If it’s higher up it can be clean enough to drink fresh though? In the Scottish mountains for example?

2km is roughly 6000ft for the weird folk.

Thanks

Hi, I’m from Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana, as a fellow human being of your kind, we recommend to not boil your water

what about if the stream runs through farmland? in the south of the UK its mainly arable fields that get sprayed with all sorts of fertiliser and pesticides, will boiling remove the toxicity from these?

Good advice Paul but what about heavy metals. I know about around industrial and mining sites but how far away from these places do you need to be to be safe? Appreciate your hard work. atb Opal

You don’t have to strain it somehow afterwards?

Nice and nice

Hi paul just quik question is boiling botle water any good ? also about distill water ? some people sai it pure crystalize water but it take everthing out . also some people sain do not drink distill water so my question is that i ask to everyone it wat water sould we all drink ?

What about over 3 or 4k meters?

Hey Is it safe to drink boiled rain water?

I have a pond on my property; and I am going to try to start drinking from it. I have sheep, goats, chickens, and turkeys; and they like to drink from it, even though I provide tap water for them. Interestingly, one time I did a water test on various sources of water: my pond, water from the tap, and bottled spring water. The electronic tester tests for man made contaminants and pollution. The results surprised me. My pond was near perfect, did not register any pollutants at all. The next best was the spring water; but it was not much better than the tap water, if my memory serves me right. I was shocked. So, in the back of mind, I've been wanting to try getting my water from the pond. The pond also has the perfect PH level, naturally. Amazing!!!

funny i just boil my water for 2 minutes at home on a gas stove its easy and safe.

Does that also include sodium flouride ? Or would I need a reverse osmosis filteration system

So the answer is yes?

How long should I boil water if I'm outside with a campfire and I just get some disgusting brown water from a swamp.

Generally boiling does make water safe; however, there are microorganisms that can resist boiling, so if you really want to clean something, then you need to "autoclave" the item. Autoclaving is the use of pressurized steam to break down a microorganisms outer coating, such as some Mycobacterium; i.e. TB, or others that require massive use of disinfectants. But yes in most cases, boiling does get rid of maybe some 80% of the more common microorganisms.

if you had ONE crusader set, and couldn't stop to boil your water, would you be concerned with contaminating your water bottle with creek water? would you collect the water in your bottle and later on, boil in the cup & pour the boiling water into your plastic bottle to sterilize the bottle for drinking? I have been considering carrying a second bottle for water collection to keep my drinking bottle clean.

What about metals like mercury?

The underground water in our area seems soapy, what does it contain, is it safe to drink after boiling ?

Yesterday (12/28/18) just as an experiment in case of emergency, I collected rain water just in a bucket. Can this rain water simply be boiled, cooled then consumed? I'm looking for an extremely simple way to drink rain water if need be. Please respond. Thank you and have a Happy New Year :-)

During coronavirus pandemic this video may just come in handy. I have a 5 acre pond behind my house. Wife and kids drink a lot of water. Bottled wat has become a bit scarce these last couple weeks. May have to boil some water.

So what if I just take a literal pitcher of sewage poop water and boil it. Would it still be safe to drink?

Filter & boil

can I boil tap water to purify to drink it I drink alot of bottle water in a couple days im out and dont really want to get more right yet

Boiling water kills bacterial. But die bouncing also kill heavy metals or things like arsenic and others?

If there are heavy metals in the water???

If boiling water is enough - why on market is so many water filters, purification tabs etc? It is better to filter and boil or really boil is enough ?

Hi Paul, what is Turbidity please?

I've heard if you can see crayfish in the water it is usually safe to drink, is that correct or no?

hello can i ask, if its also safe to drink boiled water for drinking, from deep wells in rice pantation areas used with fertilizers for rice? thank u very much

My man.

One thing to point out - boiling won't help if the water is contaminated with things like metals like lead, mercury nitrates etc.

What about contamination from lead. Will boiling help with lead

73C, and the bugs are dead. This is below the boiling point of water over 8 000 m. ☆ bring it to the boil,and the rest is a waste of fuel.

Ok

What about stagnant water? Is all stagnant water still safe after 1 minute of boiling?

Does anyone know if this actually kills bacillus endospores? And if not, is it still safe to consume?

My family does this anyways.

must admit i did not know water boils at a lower tempature at altitude cheers for sharing atb paul

Does Boiling well water in the microwave make it Potable

no offense I think most people would know that boiling water will kill living organisms but you forget to mention chemicals how about chemicals what do you do about that ?

boiling water is never save to drink :)

Always filter first!!!

ok so boiling gets rid of pathogens and bacteria, but what about chemical or iradiated water say shtf senario. I also seen a vid where someone dug a hole next to a creek and let the ground water seep into the hole than drank, is that safe. lastly, drinking straight from cut vines where mother nature is the filter. thanx in advance

Better to live where the water is less contaminated. 😀😎 Born in Europe, but grew up and lived most of my life in the third world. Drank out of rivers and streams most of you wouldn't swim in. Never been sick, nothing like childhood immunity. You and your kids are too clean and overprotected, I feel sorry for them. The stream at the bottom of my garden has less than 50ppm and no pathogens

What about chemical agents (pesticides, fertilizers) that may have run off from a farm or factory upstream? Boil AND filter?

How to purify tap water?

Don‘t go the path with two values.I don‘t care what the C DC advises. Take 4-5 Minutes in every case. I‘m around many Mountains. Time is no issue compared to the trouble. In Europe 4-5 Minutes is enough. In Region which you don‘t know make the 10 Minutes rule the Standard.

Will boiling kill harmful chemical toxins produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and do commonly available water filters (like those typically used for backpacking) remove the blue-green algae and its chemical toxins? Many thanks.

What about water that might be polluted with man made chemicals like gasoline or pesticide run off?

Boil it and filter it after it cools down.

Water collected from a clean stream would also be the ideal habitat of microscopic invertebrates (water fleas) I remember doing many surveys and every sample would have these things, they're not harmful but I'm a bit disgusted to know this. lol. I suppose it's not different than knowing our eyeballs have organisms swimming on the surface and that cheese and dust are full of mites, not to mention clothes and bedding. Sorry!! =]

Worth mentioning boiling water won't get rid of any chemicals in the water so be sure you get your water from a non industrial area.

Boiling doesn't necessarily take care of possible chemicals or toxins

life straw

No water was harmed during the making of this video

As the question is asked, 'Does Boiling Always Make Water Safe To Drink?', the answer should have been NO!! Since boiling removes nothing from the water, all the pathogenes, organisms, chemicals, metals and 'dirt' are still in the water. Boiling sterilizes; or at least it sterilizes it enough that organisms that might harm us are killed or rendered unable to reproduce. But boiling does nothing to treat chemicals or metals in the water. So if the source is contaminated, you've just told people that boiling makes that source safe to use. Of course we can't tell if such things exist in the source, but this is one reason we encourage people to 'know the source and what's upstream'. The farther we are from mankind's things, the less chance there is of such contaminants in a source, but the question wasn't asked 'if I'm FAR away from cities and farms does boiling...' You did answer the question in as far as 'if organisms are the only concern', addressing boiling times and altitude. But I'm less then impressed that the claim was, catagorically, boiling does makes water safe to drink. And for those reading, not directed towards the author, there is a difference between purifying and sterizing; they are not interchangable and shouldn't be reinforced as if they are. To my knowledge, there are only two manufacturers that are recognized as having the ability to 'purify' water with their 'water systems' (filter pores as small as 0.02 microns or less), that can be carried in a backpack or on person. Everything else either sterizes (by chemical, UV light or heat) or just filters (removing most material, be it organisms or debris; measured in microns; but typically not including viruses) in as far as 'backpackable' water systems.