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Long Term Report: KlearWater Water Treatment
Jennifer
Koles
July
17, 2006
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KlearWater
Product
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Measuring
Spoon and Storage
Container
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Product
Stored in Container
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Reviewer
Information
Name: Jennifer Koles
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight:
140 lb (64 kg)
Email
address: jennksnowy at yahoo dot com
City,
State, and Country: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Backpacking
Background
I started taking overnight backpacking trips last year in the
Uinta Mountain Range in Utah. I
found myself taking entirely too much gear. I am finding out slowly how
to minimize my needs and not require extra luxuries. My previous
outdoor experiences consisted of 4-wheel-drive camping in primitive
areas and day hiking. I use a four season convertible tent or
a three season tent for my shelter. I plan to take more trips,
increase my duration, and reduce my two to three day pack weight (food
and water included) from 26 lb (12 kg).
Product
Information
The
KlearWater Water Treatment comes packaged in a transparent plastic cylindrical container. The
container is used for storing the water treatment and for mixing small
amounts of the chemical with water, such as preparing a mouth rinse.
The container contains a small spoon to measure 1 ml (0.03 fl oz) of
the product.
Manufacturer:
XiniX Corporation
Year
of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer’s
Website: http://www.klearwater.com
Listed
Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
Weight
as Delivered: 3.10 oz (88 g) including container and spoon;
container 0.40 oz (11 g); bottle including full amount of
water treatment 2.70 oz (77 g)
Fluid
Amount: 1 oz
(30 ml)
MSRP: $12.95 US currency
(obtained from the manufacturer by email)
Dimensions
of container: 3.35 in x 1.38 in (8.5 cm x 3.5 cm)
Warranty:
"Seller warrants that product conforms to chemical description. No
other warranties are expressed or implied, including warranties for a
particular purpose or use."
Ingredients:
Active Chlorine Dioxide 0.15% and Inert Ingredients 99.85% (de-ionized
water)
Product
Description
Manufacturer Description Obtained from Website:
KlearWater contains only pure, active
Chlorine Dioxide suspended in de-ionized water. This active formula
allows it to work quickly to eliminate bacteria and viruses. KlearWater
does not require messy mixing of chemicals or waiting for tablets to
dissolve as with other Chlorine Dioxide products. KlearWater is ready
to use directly from the bottle, it’s convenient, fast acting
and economical.
Additional product
information is located in my Initial Report.
Directions
(noted by
the manufacturer):
Instructions on paper insert:
Oral rinse: Mix 1 ml (0.03 fl oz) with 1
oz (30 ml) of water, immediately rinse mouth for 30+ seconds.
Hand Wash: Apply 1 ml (0.03 fl oz) to
hands, rub hands together to wet thoroughly, air dry. KlearWater may be
diluted with an equal amount of water if desired.
Surface Cleaner: Mix 1 ml (0.03 fl oz)
with 1 oz (30 ml) water, thoroughly wet surface air dry.
Emergency Wound Wash: Use 1 ml (0.03 fl
oz), rinse affected area immediately. KlearWater may be diluted with an
equal amount of water if desired.
Instructions on bottle:
Fill cap to band (1ml) (0.03 fl
oz). Pour contents of cap into 1 liter (1 qt) of water. Mix and wait 15
minutes to drink. For cloudy or suspect water, add 2 ml (0.07 fl oz)
per liter (qt) and wait 30 min.
Manufacturer did note on an enclosed
letter that the cap does not have a band at the 1 ml (0.03 fl oz)
level. The total capacity of the cap is 2 ml (0.07 fl oz). Label
instructions will be changed on all KlearWater production in the future
to update the information on use.
Field
Usage
Additional field usage can be found in my Field Report.
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The product was primarily tested in the Utah Wasatch
Mountain
Range in elevations between 9,000-10,000 ft (2700-3000 m). The testing
occurred at streams, creeks, and lakes. The water temperature was
in the 40 F-50 F (4 C-10 C) range in these locations. The water was
clear with some particles of dirt. There was some cloudy water in
this location to test. The weather in this location was dry,
sunny to partly cloudy, and daytime temperatures ranged from 65 F to 90
F (18 C to 32 C). The night temperatures ranges from below
freezing to approximately 55 F (13 C).
- Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah:
The elevation in this area is 10,600 ft (3231 m). The
temperatures during the day were 58 F-65 F (14 C-18 C). The nighttime
temperature was in the upper 30's F(-1 C).The water temperature in this region was approximately 55 F-60 F (13 C-16 C).
The water in this region was muddy due to recent flash flooding. I
filtered the water first with a coffee filter and a bandanna to remove
the mud and dirt particles. I was able to remove most of the mud and
dirt prior to using KlearWater.
|
KlearWater in Measuring Spoon-
There is a Slight Yellow Color in the
Spoon |
Testing
Performance
Additional testing results can be found in my Field Report.
| Tested
Performance Areas During the Long Term Reporting Phase |
Results |
| Testing in various water
temperatures above 50 F (10 C). |
The product was used in cloudy water from a trusted water source. I did use
2 ml (0.07 fl oz) per liter (qt) and I waited 30 minutes prior to
drinking the water. The product was also tested in water temperatures
above 50 F (10 C). There were no adverse reactions during this testing
period when the product was tested in muddy water filtered with a
coffee filter and a bandanna, clear water, or cloudy water. |
| How long does the product hold its
effectiveness? |
The product did lose effectiveness after being
exposed to room temperature air for 2 1/2 hours. The liquid
became clear in color indicating it was no longer effective. This was
tested in filtered sunlight. The product was also exposed to air in
a temperature reading of 101 F. The product lost effectiveness after
approximately 1 1/2 hours. This was tested in direct sunlight.
I
do store KlearWater in the refrigerator when not in the field. None of
the bottles that have been stored in this manner have lost
effectiveness during the four month testing period.
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| What is the effectiveness when used as a wound wash?
Does it burn the cut or wound? Is there a reaction when the chemical
comes in contact with the wound (fizzing, bubbles, and increased
redness)? |
I fell while hiking and scraped my hand. The skin on my hand was torn
off and there was some blood oozing from my hand. I treated the
wound with the KlearWater product. There was no increased redness near
the area of the wound. I used
1 ml (0.03 fl
oz) of KlearWater and I rinsed the area immediately with clean water.
When the KlearWater came into contact with the skin there was a few
second delay and then it started to burn. The burning subsided in
approximately 2 minutes after being rinsed with clean water. There was
no fizzing or bubbles noted on the wound when the product was applied.
The wound did not become infected and it healed in a normal amount of
time. |
| Does the container allow for
easy pouring (any drips or spills)? |
The
bottle
is cumbersome for pouring into the measuring spoon. The spoon
is
small measuring 1 ml (0.03 fl oz) of liquid. The opening of
the
bottle is 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter. Sometimes
when I
poured the product into the spoon it would spill over the edge onto the
ground. I
had
less
difficulty pouring into the cap when measuring 2 ml (0.07 fl oz) of the
product for for treating larger quantities of water.
I did place some KlearWater in a 2 fl oz (59 ml) sized contact lens
solution bottle with a dropper type opening. This type of container
worked well for dispensing the product into the measuring spoon. The
product did not spill using this type of container. I would have liked
to use a smaller container, but I did not have one available to use. |
Summary
I love to use the KlearWater Water Treatment on solo backpacking trips.
It is lightweight and has less volume compared to a filter and treats
the water quickly. For backpacking trips involving more than one person
a filter has been used during the testing period. I did not
experience any adverse reactions while using this product in the
backcountry during the testing period.
I did find it much easier to dispense the product into the measuring
spoon with a bottle that has a dropper style opening. This prevented
spilling and overfilling of the measuring spoon. If the product is
spilled onto clothing the fabric does become discolored.
I like the versatility of the product that it can be used as a water
treatment, wound wash, hand and surface sanitizer, and an oral rinse.
I will continue to use this product as my main form of water treatment
while solo backpacking. Hopefully I can convince others in my
backpacking group to use this product instead of filter treatment.
Things I Like
- The product is lightweight and can be easily stored in a
pocket
- Cleans water quickly
- Experienced no adverse reactions from using the product
- Easy to use-no mixing involved
Things
I do not Like
- The opening of the bottle allows the product to drip and
spill
down the sides of the bottle when pouring the product into the
measuring spoon or the cap.
- The remaining odor on my hands when used as a hand wash.
- The small measuring spoon.
- The cap does not indicate a 1 ml (0.03 fl oz) fill line. According to the manufacturer this is a supplier defect. They
did
not indicate if this will be changed in the future. The
manufacturer did indicate that the product labeling will be changed to
reflect this change in the cap.
Remarks
Thank
you KlearWater, XiniX and Backpack Gear Test
for providing me with the opportunity to test
the KlearWater Water Treatment.
Read more reviews of KlearWater gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Estrella
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