5 ways of getting clean water on the road

Whether you’re travelling for a few days, a few weeks or for as long as you see fit, finding clean water is a must. There are plenty of options for obtaining H2O when you need it, but those options may vary depending on where you are in the world. Let’s take a look at the ways to get clean water on the road.

Keep it clean

Whether you use one of these five water sources below or you make use of them all, once the water is purified and on board it might be stored for days at mild temperatures before use. So it’s vital that you clean your water supply before you drink or shower in it. 

There are two microbes in particular that can thrive in your on-board water tanks. Legionella can make you deathly ill and sulphate-reducing bacteria can render your water unpalatable. With the Alde AquaClear UV-C, you can eliminate these microbes and any others. Fitted between your fresh water tank and your boiler, it disinfects the water as it passes through the system, using ultraviolet LEDs and carbon filters to remove any contaminants. For more information about how it works, click here.

Supermarkets

The most obvious option. You can usually buy water in any quantity from a supermarket, but it can be expensive to buy multi-pack after multi-pack whilst on your travels, not to mention it’s no good for the environment if we stock up on countless plastic bottles!

Plenty of supermarkets will have water fountains near their bathrooms for you to fill your bottles and tanks, but this can be time-consuming and awkward, and there’s no way to tell ahead of time if the supermarket you’re heading to has a water fountain. Realistically, supermarkets will always have water – you may just have to pay a little more for a decent supply of it.

Gyms

Every gym worth its salt will have several water fountains for you to use, as well as showers for you to wash in. However, this may depend on having a membership to that particular gym – if you can find the nearest branch of the gym you use, you’ll be able to walk in and use their facilities. If not, all is not lost – a lot of gyms offer free trials or guest passes, so it’s worth checking out those options, particularly for a one-off stop. 

Campsites

Campsites will have everything a camper needs. Caravan and motorhome sites will also have drinking water taps that you can hook to your vehicle to fill any larger water receptacles directly, which will save a lot of time and effort.

Rest stops

On long journeys, you’ll pass plenty of rest stops. Some will be picturesque, others will be typical service stations with coffee shops, restaurants and other amenities. Wherever you are, though, a designated rest area will have drinking water available for you to use, usually free of charge. Take advantage of these and fill up your tank.

Lakes, rivers and streams

If you want to take the purists route, then you can use mother nature as your water source. If you’re travelling in the mountains or hills, you’ll find plenty of relatively clean streams – of course, taking water from an urban river or canal is certainly not recommended. Please remember that even if you’re taking water from fresh water sources, you must purify it using a multistage water filtration system or watermaker – even if it looks clean, there could easily be contaminants lurking in there.

Remember that it’s important that you take the necessary steps to ensure your water supply is clean and readily available. 

If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

*Photo by Melina Kiefer on Unsplash