Boiling Water in PZ: Ditch the Green Skull (No Zombie Flu)
How do you boil water in Project Zomboid? It's a simple question with life-or-death importance. To boil water in PZ, fill a cooking pot or kettle with tainted water, place it on a lit heat source (stove, fire), and heat it until the green skull "tainted" icon disappears â leaving safe, clean water.
This quick action can save you from a nasty illness when your character is parched. In vanilla Build 41 and Build 42 on PC, mastering water purification is a crucial survival skill once the taps run dry. Unlike zombie bites which are 100% fatal in vanilla gameplay, water-borne illness is completely preventable with proper preparation.
Below is an instant quick-start guide, followed by in-depth tips, advanced tricks, and tool breakdowns to keep your survivor hydrated and healthy. For more survival basics, check our first day survival guide.
Quick-Start Guide
- Collect Tainted Water in a Cooking Pot or Kettle from any source (river, rain barrel).
- Prepare a Heat Source - stove/oven or campfire with fuel.
- Light the Fire / Turn On the heat source (crucial step!).
- Heat the Water until the green skull icon disappears.
- Remove and Store the clean water in safe containers.
Need more details? Scroll down for the full guide.
Guide Contents
Why Boil Water? (Understanding "Tainted Water")
Tainted Water = Danger
Tainted water (marked with a green skull icon) can cause nausea and infection-like symptoms if consumed. Boiling purifies it, removing the green skull icon and making it safe to drink.
In Project Zomboid, all water is not created equal. There's "clean" water (safe to drink) and "tainted" water (unsafe water marked with a green skull icon in your inventory). Tainted water has a chance to make your character sick if consumed. This simulates contaminants â drinking it can cause nausea or even infection-like symptoms that impair your survival.
The game is merciful enough that your character will not automatically drink tainted water from bottles on their own, but if you manually drink it or use it in cooking, you're playing with fire (or rather, with dysentery).
So why boil water? Boiling is the primary way to purify tainted water in vanilla PZ. By heating water to boiling, you kill the imagined germs and the game flips it to "clean." You'll literally see the green skull icon vanish once the water is purified. Only then is it safe to drink or use.
If you skip boiling and gulp down river water or rain barrel water raw, you're likely to end up queasy â or dead. In short: boiled water = life, tainted water = trouble.
Warning
Tainted water is visibly marked with a green skull icon. Always check for this icon before drinking any collected water.
When the Water Shuts Off (Surviving the Thirst)
Early in the game, water is easy. Every house you enter has working faucets, sinks, bathtubs â an unlimited supply of clean water for a time. You can fill bottles freely and slake your thirst without worry. However, within 0â2 months (configurable) of game start, the inevitable happens: the water supply shuts off. Suddenly those taps run dry. No more easy clean water on demand.
After the shutoff, whatever water remains in pipes is all you get from homes (toilets, water heaters, and sinks will have a limited reserve you can collect). Once that's gone, you must find other sources:
Rainwater
With Carpentry skill (level 4) you can craft rain collector barrels that fill when it rains. This water is tainted and needs boiling.
Rivers & Lakes
Open water bodies like rivers, lakes, and ponds are infinite water sources, but water collected from them is tainted and requires boiling.
Wells & Pumps
Wells and water pumps in rural areas provide clean water in both Build 41 and recent Build 42 updates. A true lifesaver if you can find one!
Leftover Stashes
You might find bottled water, soda, or water dispensers. These are clean until used up, but will eventually be exhausted.
Build 42 Thirst Changes
Build 42 increased thirst rate - you'll need more water per day than in B41. The Thirsty trait is now "more punishing" with water consumption increasing "by a large amount." Plan accordingly!
Quick-Start: Boiling Water Step-by-Step
Collect Tainted Water in a Cooking Vessel
Find a Cooking Pot or Kettle (ideal vessels). Fill it with tainted water by right-clicking a water source (river, rain barrel) and choosing "Fill Cooking Pot". The pot/kettle can be in your inventory or held in hands.
No pot or kettle? See Containers section below for alternatives.
Prepare a Heat Source
You need something to heat the water. Options include a lit stove/oven (if you still have electricity or gas) or a Campfire. For a stove: put the pot in the stove's inventory slot. For a campfire: drop the pot into the campfire (campfire works like a container). Add fuel to your heat source (e.g. planks or twigs to a campfire) so it burns long enough.
Light the Fire / Turn On the Stove
This is crucial â many forget this! If using a campfire or antique stove, ignite it with a lighter or matches (and kindling). If using a modern oven, right-click it and choose "Turn On". Make sure the heat source is on before proceeding.
Tip: For campfires, light it after adding fuel but before placing your water container inside, to ensure the game registers the heating properly.
Heat the Water to Boiling
With the fire lit or stove on, let the water heat up. In-game, there's no special "boiling" animation, but over time the item's name will change from "Pot of Water (tainted)" to just "Pot of Water", and the green skull icon will vanish.
Build 41
Very quick (several in-game minutes)
Build 42
Takes longer â possibly hours of game time
You can use the fast-forward function (speeds up time) if you're safe, to avoid waiting in real-time.
Water is Clean â Remove and Store
Once purified, turn off the heat source (to conserve fuel and prevent accidents). Pour the now-clean water into safe containers for storage: fill up water bottles, pots, kettles, etc., as needed.
Your character will automatically drink from any clean water container in their inventory when thirsty, so keeping a bottle of boiled water on you is wise.
Common Boiling Pitfalls
- "I put a pot of water in the campfire, but it didn't purify." â You likely didn't light the fire first. Always ignite a campfire before or immediately after placing your pot.
- "I turned the oven on, but my water is still tainted." â Ensure the pot is actually inside the oven (in its inventory) and the oven is on long enough. In B42, purification takes significantly longer.
- "Can I boil water in a Microwave?" â No! Don't use microwaves for water. Microwaving water in PZ will start a fire in the microwave.
- "I only have bottles of river water, no pot." â You can't boil water inside a plastic bottle or a sealed bottle directly. You must pour that water into a cooking pot, kettle, or even an open bowl first.
A survivor filling a Cooking Pot with tainted water from a lake. Any water collected from the wilderness or rain is "tainted" (note the green skull icon) and must be boiled before drinking.
Long-Term Water Supply: Rain, Rivers, and Wells
Once the sinks run dry, boiling water becomes a continuous task. You'll need to secure sources of water to boil. Here's a comparison of water sources and their properties in different game versions:
Pro Survival: Plan a "Water Day"
In long games, it's wise to designate a "boil day" periodically. Much like one might do laundry on a schedule, do water purification runs: gather a ton of tainted water (fill all pots, kettles, buckets, etc.), then spend a day boiling it all and storing the clean water. This can be fuel-intensive, but it's efficient in terms of time management.
Heat Sources: From Stoves to Campfires
Microwave Warning
Do not use a microwave to purify water. Some players try to microwave a bowl or mug of water, but the game specifically causes microwaves to catch fire if you attempt to boil water that way.
Containers: What Can You Boil Water In?
Choosing the right container to boil water is just as important as the heat source. Not every container that holds water can be used to boil water. Here's a comparison:
Container Workflow
A common workflow: collect water in bottles from a river (all tainted), pour those bottles into one cooking pot at home (it will fill the pot), then boil the pot. After boiling, you can pour back into bottles for convenient storage and carrying.
Using Water Purification Tablets (Build 42 Only)
Build 42 introduced Water Purification Tablets as a new way to purify water without heat. These are essentially chemical tablets (think iodine or chlorine tablets used in camping).
Where to Find Tablets
- Pharmacies and drugstores
- Hospital supply rooms
- Bathroom medicine cabinets
- First aid kits (sometimes)
- Camping supply stores
How to Use Tablets
- Have at least one tablet in your inventory
- Have a container of tainted water (up to 1 liter/10 units)
- Right-click the water container and select "Purify with Water Tablets" (or similar)
- Alternatively, open crafting menu and find "Purify Water" recipe
- The tablet is consumed, and the water immediately becomes clean
Best Practice with Tablets
Reserve tablets for emergency situations when making a fire is impossible or dangerous. Save them for stealth scenarios, urban areas with high zombie activity, or when traveling light. For everyday water needs at your base, boiling is more sustainable.
Boiled Water for First Aid (Sterilizing Bandages)
Water isn't just for drinking. If you've ever had a nasty wound in PZ, you know about disinfecting. Normally, you use bottled disinfectant or alcohol (bourbon) to sterilize bandages. But there's another method: boiled water can sterilize bandages or rags too!
This is a gamechanger if you're low on whiskey or disinfectant, especially in longer runs where medical supplies get scarce.
Sterilizing Bandages with Boiled Water
- Boil water in a cooking pot (or any suitable container)
- Have clean bandages or ripped sheets ready (must be clean, not already dirty/bloody)
- With the water still hot, right-click the pot of clean hot water in your inventory
- Select "Sterilize Bandages" or "Disinfect Ripped Sheets" (if you have ripped sheets in inventory)
- This consumes some water and converts your bandages into Sterilized Bandages
- Apply these to wounds to greatly reduce infection chance
Important Note
Sterilized bandages will slowly lose their sterilization if left unused for a long time. Don't sterilize 100 bandages at once expecting to stash them forever â do it as needed.
Build 41 vs. Build 42: What's Different in Water Mechanics
Both B41 (the longstanding stable version) and B42 (in testing as of 2024â2025) require boiling water for safety, but there have been significant tweaks to the mechanics:
Patch History Highlights
- Dec 2021 (Build 41 Stable) â Tainted water mechanic introduced with green skull icon for unsafe water.
- Dec 2024 (Build 42 Unstable) â Major water balance pass: plumbed rain barrels made tainted, boiling times increased.
- Jan 2025 (Build 42.1) â Added Water Purification Tablets and "Purify Water" recipe.
- Mar 2025 (Build 42.5) â Fixed bugs: Saucepans can properly boil water, Wells and pumps provide clean water again.
Safety & Final Tips
Zombie Safety First
Don't boil water in a base full of zombies. Boiling takes time and can make noise (campfire crackling). Clear the area first. If you have to boil in a hostile area, barricade yourself or go upstairs.
Label Your Water Supplies
Keep tainted water containers separate from clean ones. Perhaps one cupboard is for "dirty water" to be boiled, and another for "clean water ready to drink." This prevents accidentally drinking something unsafe.
Fire Safety
Never leave a campfire unattended in or near your base. Always have an extinguisher or water nearby. For outdoor boiling, consider building a small roof (single tile) to protect your fire from rain.
Teamwork (Multiplayer)
In multiplayer, consider assigning someone the role of "Water Manager" who boils water for the group in bulk. They can set up a safe boiling station and keep the camp supplied. Share tasks for efficiency.
One Sentence Action Recap
Boil that water before you drink â every. single. time. It can mean the difference between a long survival story and "This is how you died."
Further Resources
Quick References
Best Containers
- Cooking Pot (25 units)
- Kettle (14 units)
- Saucepan (~5 units)
Best Heat Sources
- Stove/Oven (if power is on)
- Campfire (always available)
- Antique Wood Stove (if you find one)
Common Mistakes
- Not lighting the fire/stove first
- Trying to boil in plastic/glass bottles
- Using microwaves (causes fires)
- Not waiting long enough in B42
Related Topics
Guide Information
This guide is for Project Zomboid vanilla gameplay only. Game mechanics may change with future updates.