MSR Miox users

[optimator]

I picked one of these up today. Open box sale, so all I got was the unit. It didn't come with the test strips. What I need to know is what are the test strips for? What do they test, and do I really need them?

[BitBucket]

The MIOX safety test strips indicate whether a sufficant amount of 'oxidant solution' has been added to the untreated water.

[Hikes in Rain]

They test for the presence of nitrates, produced by coliform bacteria. Coliforms are indicator organisms, which live in the gut of warm-blooded animals, including humans, although they do also occur naturally. If coliforms are present, there's a good chance the water has been contaminated by excrement somewhere, and there could be more nasty organism there. (Could be a duck upstream, or an outhouse on the creek.) The disease organisms are more "delicate" than coliforms, and can't reproduce in the wild, plus it's much more expensive to test for them, so the choice of coliforms is a good conservative estimation of the quality of water you're about to drink.

The MIOX solution kills everything in it, given sufficient time. I think it's four hours for crypto? The test strips are an indicator that the indicator organisms have been killed, and thus the more virulent disease organisms as well. So, yes, they are indeed an indicator that a sufficient amount of oxident has been added.

That's probably WAY more than you wanted to know.:sun

[take-a-knee]

They test for the presence of nitrates, produced by coliform bacteria. Coliforms are indicator organisms, which live in the gut of warm-blooded animals, including humans, although they do also occur naturally. If coliforms are present, there's a good chance the water has been contaminated by excrement somewhere, and there could be more nasty organism there. (Could be a duck upstream, or an outhouse on the creek.) The disease organisms are more "delicate" than coliforms, and can't reproduce in the wild, plus it's much more expensive to test for them, so the choice of coliforms is a good conservative estimation of the quality of water you're about to drink.

The MIOX solution kills everything in it, given sufficient time. I think it's four hours for crypto? The test strips are an indicator that the indicator organisms have been killed, and thus the more virulent disease organisms as well. So, yes, they are indeed an indicator that a sufficient amount of oxident has been added.

That's probably WAY more than you wanted to know.:sun

Excellent post! Many thanks.

[Hikes in Rain]

Happy to help, thanks!

[optimator]

Happy to help, thanks!

Yes, thank you. Great post :banana I'll play around with it for awhile. I've been using a Katadyn Guide for my filter. I do like it, I just figured I'd try this to save some weight. I guess I'd better get some of the test strips before my next trip.

[Hikes in Rain]

I've used mine on my last two section hikes through the Smokies, and liked it very much. Disinfected nicely with no residual taste I could detect, and made a nice conversation starter to boot. I have tasted water out of a piped spring with and without treatment, no discernible difference. When I tried it at home, however, using chlorinated tap water, there was a decided "swimming pool" odor and taste, which was pretty objectionable! Here (http://stuff.silverorange.com/archive/2004/september/msrmioxpurifier) is a link to an extensive review of the unit, as well as a whole lot of Q&A between buyers and factory reps. It's got a lot of tips, too, that helped me learn to use it. For instance, I need to shake mine a couple of times to make sure I got enough brine in the solution. And here (http://www.msrgear.com/watertreatment/miox.asp) is a link to MSR's site for it, where you can download an instruction sheet if you didn't get one with the open box purchase. You should also be able to get the strips there. While I haven't tried it yet, you might be able to get the same thing at a good pharmacy. Nitrates in urine are an indicator of a uninary tract infection, and many pharmacies carry them.

[Hikes in Rain]

Oh yes, another thing I remembered. Since it's primarily a disinfection device, not a real "purifier" like a filter, it pays to be choosy about the source of water. The cleaner the source, the better.

[optimator]

HIR, thank's for the first link. I found this over there from a Miox rep..


Another clarification on the test strips -- they are measuring 4.0 to 5.0 ppm of free chlorine, + or - 0.5 ppm.I can get strips that test this EXACT measurement at a pool supply. 200 of them for less than $5!

[Hikes in Rain]

I scampered back to my gear room (which for some reason my wife insists on calling a guest room where I've taken over the closet). I still have some of the strips that came with mine years ago (I don't hike near as much as I'd like, darn it) and they're definitely nitrate strips. They must have changed at some point, and to be frank, I think I like the change, since you're directly measuring chlorine residual. And that price can't be beat! I think I'm going to toss my old strips and scurry down to the pool supply! This is Florida; there's one on every corner.

Great tip, thank you!