Fill a Bottle and Boil Tainted Drinking Water
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Fill a drinking bottle before your next supply run, and keep untreated water separate from it. In Project Zomboid’s unmodded PC single-player game, a nearby working sink is a useful first stop. You do not need a river expedition while water is available in your shelter.
Fill one container and check it
Right-click the water source and choose its fill interaction, selecting the container you want. Water from environmental sources such as lakes and rivers, and collected rainwater, can be tainted and cause sickness when consumed. Read the contents before drinking. PZwiki Water
Use a known-empty drinking bottle and let the filling action finish. Then inspect the amount inside. If you moved away or cancelled the action, check again before leaving; queuing a refill is not the same as completing it.
The fluid system supports mixtures, so a familiar bottle shape does not tell you what is inside. Check its actual contents, especially when picking up a container you have not used before. The Indie Stone: fluid system
Carry the bottle for your short trip and keep a separate reserve at home. Choose a particular container for drinking water and another for collection. That makes the next refill easier to follow when several pots and bottles are lying together.
Set up a small boiling station
Use an ordinary metal Cooking Pot for the tainted water. It can hold water and purify tainted water, and it can collect rain when placed outside. Pots are heavier than bottles, so use the pot for preparation and a bottle for carrying your finished water. PZwiki Cooking Pot
Have the pot, a working powered household oven and an empty drinking bottle ready in your checked shelter. Keep the exit clear before starting. If you have no working heat source, use known drinkable supplies while arranging one.
This process is for water collected from a water source. Start with water or tainted water in the pot, rather than an unknown fluid mixture.
Wait for the tainted warning to disappear
Move the pot into the oven’s inventory and switch the oven on using its controls. Heat the water until the tainted indication disappears from the container. Simply making the pot hot is not the completion check. PZwiki Water, PZwiki Survival Guide
Stay nearby and inspect the pot while it heats. When the warning is gone, switch the oven off. Use the container’s transfer or pour interaction to move the finished water into your empty bottle. Check the destination contents and amount before carrying it away. Keep any untreated water apart from the water you just prepared.
Plan the next refill
The piped supply can shut off, so avoid making endless tap water part of your plan. Check fixtures for remaining stored water when supply stops, and use the amount actually available. PZwiki Water
Before leaving, check your bottle, confirm the oven is off and leave your reserve easy to find. If an injury interrupts the trip, deal with the bleeding wound before resuming the search. Refill while you still have options instead of waiting until the bottle is empty.