Can you boil and drink snow
In this brief guide, we will answer the question, “Can you boil and drink snow?” We will also discuss the factors: What are the main reasons to boil and drink snow? What is the best procedure to boil and drink snow? What are the alternative methods to purify snow other than boiling?
Can you boil and drink snow?
Yes, you can boil and drink snow without further treatment. That is generally safe and effective except that some exceptions and certain precautions must be considered. If otherwise, you will end up with an upset stomach, vomiting, or diarrhoea.
As we all know even though snow is white, the water that results from its melting is not as clean as you might think.
The reason behind this is that the air is usually contaminated by not only smoke, dust, and pollen grains, but also other impurities that make the water forming the snow unsafe to drink without purification.
What are the main reasons to boil and drink water?
Boiling snow to drink its water is considered an emergency measure by both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in response to freezing that occurs during the winter season in some countries in the world.
During this period, water becomes unavailable to people because it transforms from liquid to solid form and freezes in the pipes, that’s why boiling snow to drink water will be the final resort.
What is the best procedure to boil and drink snow?
Here is an easy step-by-step guide and instructions you can follow if boiling snow is your last resort to drinkable water so that you can save yourself from the risk of being contaminated by all the possible impurities and microorganisms which might be found in the snow.
- Pick your snow from a clean spot where there is no obvious discoloration and avoid picking it up from spots located under twigs, leaves, and sticks as well as away from visible trails of people and animals.
- Use a large clean spoon to scoop and collect the snow
- Pour a small amount of water into a boiling pot and start boiling over the fire.
- Gradually start adding small amounts of snow by stirring evenly until they are well melted then add more snow
- Repeat the previous step of the process until you have enough amount of water as needed
- Wait until the boiling water cools down
- Enjoy drinking pure water.
Tip: Carefully or your intended use As you melt the snow over the fire, Pay attention during the snow boiling process that the water will not evaporate, or else the pot will burn and give the melted water a nasty taste.
For more detailed guidance, please check the link here here
What are the alternative methods to purify snow other than boiling?
Let us face it, we all like to save both money and fuel, and for some reason, our stove may fail sometimes for some reason or another, or we are low on fuel. This is a real dilemma, especially in winter. How can we face this emergency and yet be able to melt snow in order to get enough water to drink?
Do not panic because we will guide you in this section to some alternative methods you can use when you face such a problem so that you will be capable of purifying snowmelt and getting drinkable water.
We will not let you wait much longer, here are the two alternative methods or substitutes to snow boiling.
Method1: Usage of Chlorine Dioxide Tablets
Chlorine dioxide tablets can be used to purify water by adding an average of one tablet for each litre. Besides, not only do these tablets purify water but also kill both viruses and bacteria within 15 minutes to 4 hours based on the type of bacteria.
Tip: You can accelerate the water purification process by simply adding Chlorine dioxide tablets to lukewarm water.
Method 2: Usage of Ultraviolet Light Purification
Ultraviolet light is another efficient way to purify snowmelt without boiling by disinfecting bacteria from the water, in other words, it destroys them but does not remove them thus they are still present in your snow-melted water but they are harmless.
Therefore we can say that the ultraviolet light purification method is not only faster than the first method (chlorine dioxide tablets)but it also does not cause any change to the taste of water.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we have addressed the query, “Can you boil and drink snow?” We have also discussed the factors: What are the main reasons to boil and drink snow? What is the best procedure to boil and drink snow? What are the alternative methods to purify snow other than boiling?
Hope you found this blog useful. If you have any questions, please let us know.
