Water Purification
Turn contaminated water into saleable quality with the correct treatment order.
Evidence: Community Reported · Scope: Steam Demo; exact build varies by mechanic · Source review: 2026-10-11
Remove the contaminants you measured, then verify the result with a fresh test. No single treatment removes every contaminant.
Treatment order
- Test the source and write down quality, volume, visible color, and contamination.
- For low-quality or rat-poop contamination, player reports commonly start with HydraTech Micro Purifier, then use a filter container, ultraviolet treatment, or purification tablets as appropriate.
- Run the treatment without relying on the old label.
- Retest after every machine, transfer or split; liquid precision can change between builds.
- Only then label the container and place it in the display case.
Check the treatment item description
In-game descriptions · Demo 25382790 · reviewed 2026-10-11. Availability and full gameplay effects still need verification.
| Item | In-game description |
|---|---|
| Water Purification Tablet | Eliminate large amount of microbial contaminants and partially reduce chemical contaminants. No effect against other types of contaminants. |
| Water Filter | Slightly improves water purity when used inside a filter system. Ineffective above a certain threshold. |
| Water Pitcher | Holds a water filter to strip some contaminants from the water poured through it. |
| HydraTech Micro Water Purifier | Use on a water container to bring its contents up to Basewater purity, whatever's in it. It will use 1 durability per 100ml. |
| Advanced Water Filter | Will recover 50 durability at the start of each day. |
| UV Lamp | Can be used on a water container. |
| Bottle of Water Purification Tablets | A small bottle of tablets used to purify water. |
| Hydroreed Filter | Remove certain type of contaminants when used inside a filter system |
3. Purification
Water on the station can contains multiple types of contaminants. Each method of purification is effective against only certain types of contaminants.
If repeated attempts do not improve the water's purity, your chosen purification method cannot remove the remaining contaminants in the water.
Filter contaminants and durability
Water Filter: When installed inside a pitcher, it filters water as it is poured in. It removes impurities, microplastics, and organic waste. Filters have limited durability.
Why basic filters wear out on Gutterflow
Purifying Gutterflow using basic purification methods is not recommended, as it rapidly degrades Water Filter durability.
Containers and volume
A 750ml bottle is practical for early treatment and a 6000ml jug for bulk sales. Check volume after filling, pouring and splitting; container state can change the buyer category.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a filter fixes every contaminant.
- Trusting a source label after processing.
- Mixing experimental water with sale stock.
- Using a premium-buyer tactic from an older version without testing buyer detection.
Equipment by contaminant
| Tool | Reported action | Practical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Water test strip | Water concentration | Single use; testing kit holds ten |
| AquaScan | Water and individual contaminant volumes/concentrations | Reusable; does not purify |
| Kotton fabric in pitcher | Removes plant matter and insoluble debris | 1000 durability; 2 durability per ml |
| Water filter in pitcher | Removes physical contamination, organic waste, minerals and microbes | 400 durability; does not remove residual heavy metals or chemicals |
| UV light | Converts microbes into water | Use before filtering to retain volume |
| Purification tablet | Chlorine acts on microbes and sufficiently concentrated chemicals | Adds 15ml; leave 15ml free capacity |
| HydraTech Micro Purifier | Brings sub-98% water toward 98% while preserving contaminant ratios | Finite durability; not identical to Water Purifier machine |
| Water Purifier machine | Converts individual contaminants over multiple nights | Final purity is not verified; retest in your current build |
Choose the chain from the source
- Source High-quality water: UV if available, then a fitted filter pitcher; test whether it remains High-quality or becomes Pure.
- Basewater input: UV then filter can produce High-quality water, depending on initial composition.
- Ghostwater: UV or tablet, then filter; output may be Basewater or High-quality depending on composition.
- Rustwater: UV and filtering usually leave Ghostwater. HydraTech first can provide a Basewater starting point for further treatment.
- Gutterflow: ordinary filtering may still leave unsaleable or low-tier water. Evaluate HydraTech or a machine before buying large batches.
Processed water is not a fresh source of the same named quality. Running the same filter again cannot remove heavy metals it never handled. Test its composition with AquaScan and switch the treatment to the remaining contaminants.
Machine treatment and retesting
Use the machine as a measured, multi-night process: scan the container before and after each run, record the build and module bonuses, and keep the result as a test observation until the current Demo confirms the contaminant-specific output.
The rat-feces workflow
For a small isolated batch, leave room for rat feces, add it, apply HydraTech, use UV and Kotton where available, then filter and retest. This can change contaminant proportions and reduce stubborn metals or chemicals, but volume, composition and filter wear affect results. Keep experimental water separate and compare with AquaScan.
Example observations are not a formula
Community screenshots show individual purification runs, including a low-purity mixture followed by HydraTech and a filter pitcher. Those readings are useful test-log examples only. They do not establish a fixed recipe, residual percentage, or guaranteed final water grade for the current Demo.
Water treatment equipment
Check the actual tool’s name, tooltip and capacity when using these equipment illustrations.
| Crop | English identification | Role |
|---|---|---|
 | Water bottle pictured as 450ml | Starting batch; needs more headroom for added material |
 | Jug of Water | Holds the mixture |
 | Rat feces | Changes the reported mixture composition |
 | HydraTech Micro Water Purifier | First treatment in the example |
 | Water Pitcher with filter | Removes remaining filterable material |
Sources
Fan-made guide. Not affiliated with Questing Goose Studio or tinyBuild. Community values retain their source and version conditions; a source-review date does not indicate a new gameplay test.