How To Boil Water Without Electricity (+5 Methods)

How to boil water without electricity (+5 methods)

In this brief guide, we will address the question, “How to boil water without electricity?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to disinfect water in plastic containers.

How to boil water without electricity?

You can use the following approaches to boil water without electricity.

Place it on top of a candle flame
Use a barbecue grill pitt
Make your own fire by burning wood
Put it on top of a gas stove
Camp Stove.
Using a Solar Cooker.
Using a Rocket Stove

Owing to the recent advancements in kitchen and household appliances, many of us have forgotten how and when to use traditional methods for cooking. No electricity? No problem.

There are several ways in which you can boil water without electricity. Let’s discuss them one by one.

Gas stove

Things just get a little tricky when it comes to a gas stove, because it is constantly heating the container, and your temperature can be way above the boiling point. To avoid this, you can use a food thermometer and maintain the flame when the temperature is around 212F, which is the boiling point of water.

Well, the rest is really simple. Just choose a pan that comes with a lid. Add water and turn on your gas stove. Now the question is what should be the temperature and for how long should you maintain this boil. This all depends on what this water is going to do for you – whether you want to add it in a dish, or just cool it down for drinking purposes.

The key to maintaining a boil is to use plenty of water. This way, more time will be needed to heat the water and it will ensure maximum heat provision evenly. If the water is too less, it will boil in less time and the boil will not be maintained – it will heat quickly, and it will dissipate heat quickly. Similarly, if you do not maintain the boil long enough, the water will not be free from all life forms.

Make your own stove

You can do this by aligning some bricks and using wood as a source of fire. Just like the old fireplaces that used wood for combustion. This will transfer heat to the pan that you are using, and the water can easily be boiled. You can use any heat conducting material for this purpose, and then ignite wood at the bottom. But remember, this can get messy!

It is best if you have a food thermometer to monitor the temperature of the pan, since you can not maintain a steady temperature in the absence of a stove. Even if you don’t have a food thermometer, you can still check the temperature by being aware of the steps of boiling. You can read about the stages of boiling here.

Putting a lid on top will facilitate the boiling process and your water will boil considerably quicker and maintain the boil for a longer duration than without the lid. Either this, or you can just make a small campfire.

Gas cylinders

Well, you have an electric stove and the electricity is out. To add more to your misery, you don’t even have access to raw wood or you don’t want that kind of mess in your home or in the backyard. What will you do then?

Simple, just use a gas cylinder. Gas cylinders are easily available in the market, and with slight modification, they can be used like a stove. These cylinders can be portable for your adventure and camping time. Moreover, they can also be used in areas where there is lack of electricity or gas. They are easy to refill, and you can buy the combustion source like methane or butane of your choice.

All other dynamics of your boiling process will remain the same – use a food thermometer, otherwise read the steps of boiling here.

Gas heaters

If you have one of those old gas heaters in your apartment, then you can also use that to your benefit. In the absence of electricity, there will still be has, right? So when you are out of electricity and want to boil water, just put a pot of water on top of the gas heater. Gas heaters are made of conductive material that will transfer heat one the pot is placed above the heater.

For quicker results, cover the top of your pot with a lid. This will help you boil the water in less time.

Boiling using plastic bottles.

I won’t be talking exactly about boiling water in a plastic bottle, because that is just crazy! However, we will talk about ways to disinfect water, which is the main purpose of boiling.

SODIS

Boiling with plastic bottles? Yes! It is quite possible and perfectly safe. This method, also known as solar disinfection method, was developed in the early 1980s as an inexpensive way for disinfecting water. Also referred to as SODIS, this method utilizes sunlight to kill the harmful pathogens that may be present in your water. This is the most reliable method when it comes to disinfecting water in plastic containers.

In SODIS, water inside the bottle is exposed to natural sunlight for a day, or 2 in case of overcast conditions. The rays from the sun kill the harmful organisms inside water, which can then be consumed later on. An important thing to note is that this technique is only effective when water is in small quantities – 2 or 3 litres at maximum.

However, the water will not be as hot as with a fuel source. This method was developed particularly for third world areas, but it can be used in times of need. Also remember that this is a lengthy and time consuming process that literally takes days, so it might not be your best option, but it can definitely be your last resort.

Conclusion

In this brief guide we will address the question, “How to boil water without electricity?” as well as other questions pertaining to the subject at hand like how to disinfect water in plastic containers.