Did you know you don't have to boil water to make it to safe to drink? With a WAPI you can make water safe to drink without boiling it! Check out the steps below to learn how.
Make Your Own Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI)
Have you ever heard of a WAPI?
A WAPI (Water Pasteurization Indicator) a simple tool that uses a ball of wax to indicate when your water reaches the perfect temperature for pasteurization. These tools are mainly used in solar cooking but are a fantastic addition to your bug out bag, especially if you live in areas where firewood is few and far between and you may not be able to wait for your water to boil.
(Did you know that it takes twice as much energy to raise the temperature of your water from 200 degrees to 212 degrees as it does to bring your water from freezing to 200?)
You can purchase these online for around $9.00 or you could make your own with a few common household items.
What you'll need to make your own WAPI:
- 1 clear plastic straw
- Super glue
- Needle
- Lighter
- Fishing line
- A metal washer
- Beeswax
- Eyedropper
How to make your WAPI:
Step 1: Squeeze a bead of super glue into the end of your straw about ½ inch down the straw.
Step 2: Pinch it flat.
Step 3: Heat the tip of the pin with the lighter and poke a hole in the flattened end.
Step 4: Melt your wax.
Step 5: Fill your syringe or eyedropper with the melted wax and quickly drip it into the open end of the straw until you have a pool of wax about ¼ of an inch tall.
Step 6: Seal the remaining open end of the straw with super glue.
Step 7: Push the fishing line through the hole made earlier insert it through the washer and tie a loop to secure it together.
Step 8: Test it by submerging it in water to make sure it doesn’t leak.
That’s all you need to do to create your own WAPI.
Note: Pure beeswax melts at around 149 degrees Fahrenheit so place the WAPI in the water and once the wax melts it should be safe to drink. This should only be used in a survival situation, if you question whether or not the water is safe, always leave it longer.
These are the basic instructions to build a rudimentary WAPI. If you'd like to build a better WAPI that will last a lifetime, check out this short video below:
This is just one way to make sure that your water is safe to drink. How do you get fresh water in the wild?
