How does Puravai test for bacteria?

We use a full 5-15 day heterotrophic (HPC) tests for bacteria in our water, since we believe that slow-growing and dormant bacteria can fly under the radar for the first 48 hours of standard incubation.  Heterotrophic bacteria does not pose any health risks to the population at large, but is an indicator for water management criteria. All packaged water sold to the public must pass safety and purity testing.  Yet the presence of higher levels of heterotrophic bacteria could be an indication of other problems in the water.

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In 2003, the World Health Organization published an in depth study on Heterotrophic Plate Counts in drinking water and concluded the following...

What makes Puravai stand out in the emergency preparedness water market is our commitment to ZERO bacteria every time, not something all our competitors can say. 

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When it comes to something as important as emergency drinking water that might sit on a shelf for decades, Puravai takes NO chances.  

What is the shelf life of Puravai Emergency Drinking Water?

Because both the FDA and the USDA currently don't regulate long-term shelf life claims, several companies in our industry are making claims they just can't keep up to.  The fact is that if your water is bacteria free and the packaging on the outside can endure the stresses of time, your water can't go bad.  

Just look at the water packaged in soldered tin (not steel or aluminum) cans that were dipped in enamel during World War II.  Because the water was pressure cooked in the can (killing all the bacteria), and the can was seamless (bacteria couldn't get back into the water), the water is still bacteria free and good to drink even 50-70 years later.  

Because we are bacteria free and our bottles don't allow for bacteria to re-enter the water while in storage, we offer a 20-year guarantee that your Puravai water will remain pure and secure. We're also most likely the ONLY emergency water in the industry to actually pass an accelerated 20-year study where our bottled water was subjected to high levels of stress for lengthy periods time and still came out strong.  Each bottle is date and time stamped to help you keep track of when you bought it.

Does Puravai come with a warranty?

Yes. Puravai offers a 20 year warranty from the date of manufacture which covers the drinkability of your water as established by government standards and determined by an FDA certified lab. We also cover any manufacturer’s defects in materials and workmanship in the packaging of Puravai Water.  

We don't cover problems as a result of improper transportation or storage conditions, such as allowing the water to freeze (ice may form and damage the protection seals) and/or if the product is stored near chemicals, sharp objects, or other hazards that may compromise the integrity of Puravai bottles and the water inside.  

In the event the water, in its original container, is determined undrinkable by an FDA Certified laboratory, Puravai will replace, upon request, the entire batch of unopened water in the possession of the customer with drinkable water of equal or greater value.

Why do you use HDPE bottles rather than other packaging alternatives?

THERE ARE A VARIETY OF REASONS… here are a few…

Longest-Lasting

Thick HDPE bottles don't tear apart like pouches, or bend like cans, or crush and leak like boxes do, rather HDPE bottles can expand and contract with heat and cold, don't degrade easily at all, and can be stored for 100+ years without falling apart. Yet, after the product inside is consumed, HDPE can be recycled over and over and over. 

Thick-Skinned

This isn’t weakling packaging! It’s thick and sturdy and because of that you can preserve your water from the Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) which occurs with store-bought bottled water or even aluminum pop cans where the seals can go bad from a little bumping or bending.  If you leave store-bought bottled water on a shelf long-enough, for example, the water vaporizes through the pores of the bottle or the lid, and your water supply gets lower and lower. And, with pop cans, it doesn’t help that the carbon-dioxide or the nitrogen gas creates pressure from the inside out, causing the water to evaporate over time through bent seams or small holes that may form in the thin, unstable pop-tops.

FDA Approved 

HDPE is actually one of the safest plastics and is FDA approved for potable water. Because of its high density nature, you don’t have the plastic chemicals leaching into the water like you would from a cheap plastic. That’s why HDPE is used for long-term water-storage tanks, such as those 55-gallon storage drums we’re familiar with.

Doesn’t Rust

This almost goes without saying, but if you leave a steel can of water out long enough it can rust from from the outside in and from the inside out. All it takes is for water to work itself into the seams of a metal can over time, and eventually the water seeps out.

Less Weak Points

The more seams, the more weak points, and the more chances of your water escaping over time or becoming contaminated. For example… A metal can has seams at the bottom (a very bad place for a seam!) and on the top.  An aluminum pop can has seams around the top edge and a thin, weak, breakable indentation where it pops open. But, thick HDPE plastic bottles are seamless. There is only a hole at the top that is sealed by induction and then a tight lid keeps it all in place for decades without the unnecessary worry that water will eventually “seap” out of broken seams or weak points, like you find with pop cans.

Aluminum Free

There is a lot of debate on the internet about how unsafe aluminum may be in deodorant, cooking utensils, and even soda cans.  Some people claim that Alzheimer's may even be linked to all the aluminum we are exposed to these days.  

Water Proof

Because of the thickness and the density of the HDPE (“High-Density” Polyethylene), water doesn’t get out and water doesn’t get in!! Try soaking a can in water over time (especially salt water), and see what happens (not a good thing!).  Being water proof means that your emergency water is protected from the corroding effects of basement flooding or even something as simple as humidity in the air. 

BPA Free

Yes, importantly, it’s BPA Free. 

No Denting

When we were considering how to package Puravai, we met with some of the biggest and best packaging manufacturers in the world.  We learned that in order to keep our water safe, we needed a container that could be dropped or put in an emergency kit and not be compromised.  We considered cans, but we were told that the seams on cans can easily bend which would cause rusting in metal cans and evaporation from aluminum cans.  Because emergency situations are so unpredictable, we understood that one small dent on the seam and your water can be ruined for life (which is bad if you plan on staying alive in an emergency situation). Dents aren’t an issue with sturdy HDPE bottles like Puravai uses.

Doesn’t Tear

Thick HDPE plastic doesn’t tear, so it is safer to put in a 72-hour kit or let it roll around in a trunk or anything else. These bottles are tough!

Reusable in Emergency Situations

A very beautiful thing about our HDPE bottles is that each comes with a reusable cap. That means in an emergency, Puravai bottles can be used again and again, drinking from the bottles and then refilling them where needed, like a canteen. In fact, we make our bottles from the same materials the U.S. military uses to make their canteens.  This makes Puravai very unique in the prepackaged emergency water market.

Recyclable

HDPE plastics are one of the most recycled plastics in the world and can be used and reused again. Did you know that even your store-bought gallons of milk are made from HDPE?

It Can Float!

This is a big plus for emergency water, because you precious water supply is protected against flooding, rivers, lakes, or oceans. Emergency water that floats means an extra level of security in a variety of emergency situations and a great backup water supply for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy as they travel in the open waters.

How safe are your plastic bottles from chemical leaching?

First of all, our bottles are BPA free, but also HDPE is known as one of the most safe plastics for food and beverages in the world.  It's made of Type 2 plastic which neither contains bisphenol A nor phthalates. It is not known to contain any other harmful chemicals as well.  It's the same plastic used to make the big blue 55 gallon drums preppers use all over the world to store their water in and the same plastic the U.S. military uses with their canteens.   Yet, just like any other emergency storage water (including 55-gallon drums and canteens), don't store your bottles directly on concrete or near dangerous chemicals or fumes to avoid leaching and deterioration.

Why don't you use soda or steel cans to store your water?

Great question!  Both steel and aluminum cans are not made to last through the unpredictability of emergency situations. 

Steel cans rust from the inside out and the outside in and have seams on the bottom of the can where the water is most likely to leak out over time.  Plus, if you bump or dent any of the seams, you weaken the integrity of the can, and you may compromised your emergency water without even knowing it.  

Aluminum soda cans fortunately don't have seams at the bottom, but their biggest weak point is how thin the can is and how weak the seams on the lid are.  Soda manufactures have spent years at finding and developing the thinnest, cheapest way of putting their drinks into a can, so they can maximize profit - that is the aluminum soda can.  If these manufacturers were concerned about longevity, they would still be canning in tin cans like they used to during World War II or in thick HDPE plastic like we do, but that gets way too expensive and would cut into their profits.

Also, the tops of both steel and soda cans (where you drink from) aren't protected from the accumulation of dangerous toxins, chemicals, and particulates floating through the air during emergencies.  To make things worse, when soda cans "pop" open, the lid goes downward into the can, which can push these contaminants into your water even faster.  When you put your mouth to the top of the can and take a drink, the resulting possible diarrhea or vomiting can cause you to dehydrate faster than you can re-hydrate.  A good pre-packaged emergency water, on the other hand, uses lids or something else to protect the drinking area where the mouth comes in contact with the container. 

Another thing to consider is that the seams and pop tops of soda cans are weak points.  Soda cans sometimes "pop" open over time simply from heat and cold shifts.  Also, the CO2 or Nitrogen inside the can may even cause the thin seams of the can to expand over time because of all the pressure.  It's not uncommon to hear about soda cans that sometimes lose their pressure over just a few years of storage.  You've probably seen that happen, right?  Just do a simple Ebay search for "Unopened Soda Cans" and it's not uncommon to see 10-20 examples on any given day, such as this one...    (click here to see other examples)

What if the bottles freeze?

The beautiful thing about our bottles is that they are able to expand or contract in the heat or the cold and they go right back to where they were before.  We've put our bottles through numerous stress tests, including freezing, and though most of the bottles remain completely sealed after thawing, there were a few that formed micro holes in the induction seem.  So, we recommend not freezing the bottles, just in case.  Store in a location that never goes below 33 degrees Fahrenheit.