Iodine for Water Treatment?
Published July 1, 2011 | 
Emily asks:
How long is it safe to use iodine water treatments? I’m going to be in a 3rd world country for about 6 weeks, and I plan on using an iodine treatment to clean my water; however, I’ve heard that iodine should only be used short term, not long term.
Are there severe health effects from using iodine for too long, and would it be safe to use iodine as a water treatment for 6 weeks? I would just boil the water, but I seriously doubt I’ll have access to a hot plate.
Hi Emily
Iodine use has risks to thyroid issues. Plus, it is not always effective against virus or parasites. What you should do is use the same type of equipment you use in camping. First, you need to filter the water to remove any ‘chunks’, because ‘chunks’ could impede disinfection. Then use a chlorine based disinfectant that won’t lead to any effects with prolonged use, as well it’s effective against more miro-organisms.
I go camping yearly, and I use Katadyn products, a filter and a chlorine dioxide tab system and it works great. I’ll link to both for you to check them out:
Filter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007U0…
Disinfectant tabs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IDX…
It’s probably a bit more expensive then iodine but considering your health, probably worth it I’d say. Please let me know how you make out regardless.
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Rotten Egg Smell in New Home
Published June 20, 2011 | Scott writes:
We purchased a home with well water. We noticed that the house had a distinct
rotten-egg smell after it sat for extended periods. As a part of the contract, we
requested the seller address the problem.They attempted to address the problem by placing a chlorinator after the pressure tank. This did not seem to solve the
problem. After the purchase, we took the next step which was to replace the anode in the hot water heater with an zinc-aluminum rod. This still didn’t solve the
problem. Then I installed a Big Blue set of filters in series – sediment filter
first followed by a carbon filter. We thought this took care of the problem, but
alas the problem has returned. I’m not sure if this is a season problem, stagnant
water problem, or what. The house is used rarely during the winter and on weekends during the summer. I’m not sure what step to take next. The next steps seems to be $$$ and so far the results have been disappointing. I should note that the smell seems to dissipate after several hours of water use. What next?
Hi Scott
Indeed rotten egg smell from water can be seasonal. However, chlorine
will readily oxidize hydrogen sulphide in the water producing non-odor
producing sulphates, so it makes me think that the smell isn’t actually
coming from your water.
The issue could be sewer gas escaping from one or more of your drains
(hydrogen sulpide, the cause of rotten egg smell, is commonly produced in
sewers and septic systems), perhaps due to a bad or non-existent water
trap. It could be on one or more of your drains.
Try taking some water you know does not smell like rotten eggs, and pour
it down the drains. If you get a whiff of rotten egg smell, the odor is
likely escaping from the drains.
If this is the case, a good plumber should be able to help ensure that
water traps stay full or perhaps find another plumbing related issue.
Please let me know how you make out.
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