How long will Aqua Mira be effective for after mixing? I e-mailed McNett about it and their response was basically to follow the directions and put it in five minutes after mixing.

Now, I've been premixing it in the morning so I don't have to wait for the chemicals to mix when I get to a water source. Is this safe? Is it like Klearwater where if it is still yellow it is still effective?

Just so you know, I havn't had any illness since I started using this technique.

Roy

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aquamira_mcnett.html

i don't have it in front of me, but i believe it needs to sit for 20min. the solution needs to sit for 5min before adding to water.
if no one replies before i get home, i'll check, and repost it.

Edited by ppereira007 on 07/06/2006 14:18:15 MDT.

I tried premixing my aqua mira one day on my weeklong trip, & the mixture completely off-gased after 3 hours in a vial. So I went back to following the directions!

directions for use:
5)Shake to mix. Let stand 15 min. If water is very cold, cloudy or tinted let stand 30 min.

Paulo, the question was how long the mixed solution would be effective, not how long to wait for the solution to become effective.

How long will Aqua Mira be effective for after mixing

doh! sry, need to learn how to read

Hi, yeah sorry should have phrased the question better. How long before AM becomes unsafe to use after being mixed?

Cat that is an interesting experience. I have used mine premixed in a BPL mini dropper bottle and haven't had that happen... yet at least. Mine is usally stored for no more than a day....stays that bright yellow color the whole time. It does change the inside color of the dropper bottle to yellow as well. I wonder if the type of container has something to do with it.

Roy

If you pre-mix, why not use KlearWater no-mix treatment, Also found in the Cooking/Water section.

It comes in a brown bottle and is susceptible to light. I put into the micro droppers and keep wrapped in a bandanna until ready to use.

Chlorine dioxide has a half-life of 93 minutes per http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3028767&dopt=Abstract

Thus, in about 4.5 hours you only have 12.5% of the disinfectant!

The following MSDS contains some information that may be of interest in the stablity section: http://www.pureline.com/images/msds_sheets/PureLine%20MSDS%20-%20Chlorine%20Dioxide%200071504.pdf

I agree-- why risk getting sick over waiting a few minutes for the chemicals to mix? If you are in such a hurry, you might consider tablets like the Katadyn Micropur MP-1. I'm using Aqua Mira and carrying a few packets of the Katadyn tablets in my first aid kit for survival back up.

Thanks for all the comments. I read the last few last week before I went on a 5 day trip and swithced back to using as directed. Thanks for the heads up... sounds like I was really lucky I didn't pick up any ailments.

Over the past week I've been thinking about switching back over to a gravity filter. Here's why... I drink about 6 liters (or more) of water a over the course a day (I sweat heavily) AM you have to mix 5 min and wait 15-30 to drink your water. That adds up to alot of time that could be spent hiking instead and carrying two pounds for at least a half hour at a time. Now, I don't usually have much time when I go backpacking, so to get a decent milage I can't spend too much time sniffing the flowers(besides I like the hike). I havn't quitle worked it out all the way but I think a gravity filter may save me time and some weight. Any thoughts?

Roy

Edited by oiboyroi on 07/15/2006 16:56:32 MDT.

I'm not sure that you would save time with a gravity filter. I'm an AM user, but one of my hiking partners uses a gravity filter, and it's fairly slow - I'd guess it takes about an hour to filter 4 liters, although it depends a lot on the source of the water. There is also a certain amount of time spent in attaching the various hoses and stringing the thing up.

I think that the most efficient method would be to use klearwater and a spare two liter platypus reservoir - scoop up the water, dump in the klearwater, continue with the hike, and in 30 minutes the water is ready to drink.

The biggest problem with klearwater is that the container treats so little water - 8 gallons, I think - meaning that one container would last you five days.

Andrew wrote:
>I'm not sure that you would save time with a gravity filter...I think that the most efficient method would be to use klearwater and a spare two liter platypus reservoir


Roy,

That's why I'm using a UV Aquastar sterilizer. By zapping the water (1.5 minutes per liter, drinkable immediately) as needed, I'm carrying the UV Aquastar at 3.5 oz (including battery) but _not_ carrying 2.2 pounds per liter of water for 30 minutes at a time, or longer. Quite a weight and time savings.

The UV Aquastar kills protozoans, cysts, bacteria and viruses, and maybe doesn't kill tapeworms. Fortunately, tapeworms and their eggs should be easily filterable with a paper coffee filter. (Does anybody know if Aqua Mira kills hydatid tapeworms?)

Roy:

In lieu of saving time by premixing a whole batch in the morning and risk deteorioration of effectiveness, maybe you can save time by NOT waiting the full five minutes.

While I've never felt the need to "rush" and will wait the full 5 minutes, I've read 'somewhere' that the A.M. mixture becomes effective as soon as it turns yellow. That usually happens within 2-3 minutes.

Hopefully, other users can chime in about this...

Edited by ben2world on 07/16/2006 08:16:15 MDT.

Douglas - I too have an Aquastar, but had problems using it with COLD glacier fed river water. I wrote Aquastar, and they suggested using their new rechargeable lithium batteries, so I purchased them. Will give it a test next weekend - just got back from a week camping with a boy scout troop.

I asked the question of McNett, the makers of Aquamira whether it could be premixed before a trip. Here's their reply by email:

Dear Scott,

Thank you for your email and question regarding our AquaMira Water Treatment.

The two solutions must be mixed at the time of use. The ClO2 solution that is created by mixing the two liquids is not stable over long periods of time and will not be effective if mixed in advance of your trip. The website www.backpacinglight.com has a selection of smaller dropper bottles.

You may be interested to learn that we have created a tablet form of AquaMira that is currently going through the EPA registration process. This new product is expected to be available by the end of this year.

Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Kind Regards,

Customer Service

McNett Corporation

Edited by waterloggedwellies on 08/01/2006 19:21:18 MDT.