Are water purification tablets way past their date still usable or should I buy new ones? My tablets expired in 2017, and I just found them while updating my edc pouch.
Posted by Whooptidooh@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I don’t have a problem with buying some new ones (or that I didn’t need them in the mean time), but throwing them away while they’re still in unopened blister packs seems wasteful. ..Unles they’re no longer safe to use of course.
fordprefect85@reddit
I know someone still using tablets left over from the 70s and 80s without issue. For how cheap they are I guess it's up to you.
fort_pain@reddit
A little late to the party but I found some today that were manufactured 11/1990
BallsOutKrunked@reddit
Use bleach. 1 teaspoon into a 5 gallon jug. Shake it up, then leave the cap off for the chlorine to vent. I lived in developing nations and it works. It's also the un standard.
Whooptidooh@reddit (OP)
Just for that reason I also bought a few bottles of bleach that I keep in my basement. Good to know that works 👍
OkAdvertising8760@reddit
liquid bleach also goes bad after a couple years. not sure about bleach powder.
Whooptidooh@reddit (OP)
TIL! That stuff has probably gone bad by now, then. Will dispose of it asap. :)
DwarvenRedshirt@reddit
It depends on what type of chemicals are used in the pill and how you stored them. Regular chlorine variants, I’d go a couple years just doubling up the dose. 10-20 years, I wouldn’t expect them to be effective. Iodine crystals will last for years, but you can’t easily get them any more unfortunately.
Whooptidooh@reddit (OP)
They’re from the brand Oasis, and it states it contains 17 mg Troclosene sodium in it. I’ve always had them away from sunlight in a pouch, and out of the heat as much as possible.
DwarvenRedshirt@reddit
It’s a chlorine type disinfectant that has a shelf life of 5 years. You can probably go beyond that a couple years depending on storage. It breaks down into chlorine in water, so if you don’t smell much/any chlorine after using it, put more in. I would just buy fresh ones at 5 years for my main BOB. When you need it to work, you really need it to work. You don’t want the runs in a tense situation because you cheaped out. Although, to be honest, I use filters in my preps, not tablets.
beaverhacker@reddit
The smell associated with chlorine is actually a product of it reacting with impurities (such as sweat and urine in swimmingpool water). I don't know much about water purification but I do know that smell is not a good indication.
Small_Assignment4918@reddit
Do you have a reference for this fact, because I have used chlorine in the lab and it smells like chlorine! Never pissed in any of my flasks. This sounds like bs.
beaverhacker@reddit
https://poolonomics.com/chloramines/