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Copper water bottles are a sleek alternative to regular bottles, boasting a lot of different health benefits. While most of these claims are unproven, some evidence suggests that water bottles made of real copper can kill bacteria.[1] If you’ve recently purchased a copper bottle of your own, try a few at-home tests to make sure it’s the real deal and not a knock-off. From looking at the color patterns of the metal to checking the bottle's sound, we’ll give you 9 ways to tell if you’ve got a pure copper bottle.

3

Measure it with a multimeter.

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  1. Test your own copper bottle with a multimeter to see if the resistance rating measures up. Calibrate your multimeter to “ohms”—this is the scientific unit that measures resistance, and is represented by the Greek letter omega. Adjust the multimeter to the lowest possible setting, and place both the red and black probe tips on your bottle. Then, check the resistance rating—if it reads as 1.7 x 10⁻⁸, you can be confident that your bottle is made with copper.[5]
    • You can purchase an ohmmeter at your local home improvement store.
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Warnings

  • Copper water bottles may look really cool, but they can potentially leak copper into whatever you’re drinking.[11] If a lot of copper leaks into your water, you might experience diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.[12]
  • Don’t leave your copper water bottle filled overnight, or fill it with an acidic drink, like orange juice. This increases the chance of copper leaking into your drink.[13]
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About This Article

Alvaro Mendoza, PhD
Co-authored by:
Metallurgist
This article was co-authored by Alvaro Mendoza, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Alvaro Mendoza, Ph.D., is a Metallurgist and the Owner of Mendoza Metallurgy in Portland, Oregon. With over 15 years of professional and research experience, Dr. Mendoza has worked in the aerospace industry in forging, casting, metal-making, and additive manufacturing primarily with nickel-based superalloys, titanium and steels. He currently runs a metallurgical consulting and education business that focuses on providing technical expertise to businesses of any size. He was recently featured on a podcast about why metallurgy matters. Dr. Mendoza received his B.S. and M.S. and Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering, focus on Metallurgy from the University of Florida. This article has been viewed 65,054 times.
25 votes - 84%
Co-authors: 8
Updated: September 26, 2023
Views: 65,054
Categories: Crafts
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 65,054 times.

Reader Success Stories

  • Harold B.

    Harold B.

    Sep 17

    "It helped me to identify what real copper is. Thanks very much."
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