Probably Stolen water purification and water grades

Updated 2026-11-01

Probably Stolen has six water grades, from Gutterflow to Pure Water, and water must be tested and filtered before it is sold. A Moisture Farm produces Pure Water overnight when connected to a container and an energy source, according to the the probablystolenwiki.com fan site. Probably Stolen water purification starts with identifying the batch and matching treatment to the contaminants described in the guides. Probably Stolen water purification also involves testing the treated batch again before relabeling it.

Illustration for a Probably Stolen guide: Three glass bottles of water in graded clarity on a lab bench; muted palette with one pale amber accent. — Illustration

Probably Stolen water grades and their purification steps

The reported grades run from Rustwater, Gutterflow, Ghostwater, Basewater, High-Quality Water, to Pure Water, from dirtiest to cleanest in one guide. Six grades appear in total, and purity is given for Basewater, High-Quality Water, and Pure Water. The guides do not give one purification step per grade. The HydraTech Micro Water Purifier is the only step tied to a grade, and the treatment tables below list the other steps on their own rows.

Gutterflow and Rustwater swap places between guides, so their order at the dirty end is not settled. Ghostwater, Basewater, High-Quality Water, and Pure Water follow them in every listing.

Name	Type	How to get or where	Effect or use	Notes
Gutterflow	Water grade	Gutterflow On Tap, a Wild Network unlock	—	Its order against Rustwater is not settled between guides.
Rustwater	Water grade	Rustwater On Tap, a Wild Network unlock	—	Its order against Gutterflow is not settled between guides.
Ghostwater	Water grade	—	Below 98% purity	Water below 98% is not safe drinking water.
Basewater	Water grade	Moisture Farm at a 50% quality bonus	Starts at 98% purity	HydraTech Micro Water Purifier brings water below 98% up to this grade.
High-Quality Water	Water grade	Moisture Farm at a 100% quality bonus	Starts at 99% purity	HydraTech cannot raise water to this grade.
Pure Water	Water grade	Moisture Farm at a 150% quality bonus	99.9% purity	Needs the right equipment, inputs and customers; a higher grade is not automatically more profitable.

How to test water before and after treatment

Water testing identifies impurities or checks the grade, and the batch should be tested again after treatment. A fan wiki water guide says water must be tested and filtered for trading but does not explain how, while the Steam store page says it must be tested and filtered before it is sold.

An AquaScan detects impurities, while a Water Testing Strip checks water grade. After treatment, test the batch again because purification does not update the bottle label; relabel the bottle to match its tested grade. The Probably Stolen water merchant guide gives the testing tools and retest instruction, and the Steam store page states the test and filter requirement for selling. Probably Stolen water purification ends with the retest, not the treatment step.

Use an AquaScan to detect impurities or a Water Testing Strip to check the water grade.
Treat the water according to its contaminants.
Test the batch again after treatment.
Relabel the bottle to match the grade shown by the test.

Name	Type	How to get or where	Effect or use	Notes
AquaScan	Testing tool	—	Detects impurities in water	Test before you price, because a visitor's label may be wrong.
Water Testing Strip	Testing tool	—	Checks the water grade	A clear appearance does not prove the grade.

Water purifier probably stolen: treatment sequence

Probably Stolen water purification depends on the contaminants in each batch. A treatment sequence described by one fan guide removes microbes first, runs water through the overnight Water Purifier for chemicals and heavy metals, and finishes with a pitcher filter. Other guidance lists a filtered pitcher, purification tablets, a UV Lamp, and a HydraTech Micro Water Purifier as treatment options that depend on the contaminants. The exact sequence should follow the contaminant information in the guides, since the sources describe more than one way to treat water.

For microbial contamination, the guides name purification tablets or a UV Lamp. Tablets are also described as addressing some chemical contamination, while a water filter handles organic waste and physical contaminants in another guide. The overnight machine is associated with heavy metals and chemicals, so treatment choice depends on what the batch contains. No single device is named for every contaminant.

The overnight Water Purifier and the Moisture Farm are separate: the machine treats chemical and heavy-metal contaminants overnight, while the farm makes Pure Water overnight when connected to a container and an energy source.

Check impurities or grade with the available testing tool.
Use a purification tablet or UV Lamp for microbes; tablets may also address some chemical contamination.
Use the overnight Water Purifier for chemicals and heavy metals.
Finish with a pitcher filter in the sequence described by the fan guide, then retest and relabel the batch.

Name	Type	How to get or where	Effect or use	Notes
Water Pitcher + Water Filter	Treatment tool	—	Removes impurities, microplastics and organic waste when water is poured through the pitcher	Uses durability and misses other contaminants; the fan guide's sequence ends with a pitcher filter.
Water Purification Tablet	Treatment tool	—	Removes many microbial contaminants and some chemical contaminants	No effect on other contaminant types.
UV Lamp	Treatment tool	—	Treats microorganisms	Not a general-purpose filter.
HydraTech Micro Water Purifier	Treatment tool	—	Brings water below 98% up to Basewater	Costs 1 durability per 100 ml of mixture, rounded up, so a 750 ml batch needs 8; cannot raise water to High-Quality Water.
Water Purifier	Machine	Purchase; base value 250 credits	Removes contaminants overnight from a water container with energy, larger particles first	Performance sets the nightly budget; quality sets the purity cap, 99% at zero quality and 100% at a 200% bonus.

What the commissary and Moisture Farm provide

The commissary sells Sealed Water Ration (Standard), the only water item the fan wiki page lists there. The same page says a Moisture Farm produces Pure Water overnight when connected to a container and an energy source.

The farm needs a connected container and an energy source to run, and its result is Pure Water made overnight. Selling still requires the batch to be tested and filtered first, so in Probably Stolen water purification, production and sale preparation are separate steps.

Name	Type	How to get or where	Effect or use	Notes
Moisture Farm	Machine	Purchase; base value 350 credits	Makes Pure Water overnight into an attached container, 6150 ml a day on a modified unit	Needs a container and an energy source; base energy is 4/Day, and the modified unit shows 12/Day. It starts from 850 mL before Performance and shared air.
Sealed Water Ration (Standard)	Water item	Commissary, 30 Tokens; 4 in stock at the time of the screenshot	—	Tokens are a currency separate from Credits; the sources name no other ration grade.

Water unlocks, the vending machine and the Water Merchant job

Water Trading, Gutterflow On Tap and Rustwater On Tap are unlocked on the Wild Network in that order. Starting from none, their base costs total 900 Credits before discounts, containers and treatment. Playtest Patch 48.3.10 adds the Water trading guide and the Retired Water Merchant upgrade, and the wiki gives neither their costs nor their effects.

A water vending machine accepts only Basewater, High-Quality Water and Pure Water. Water Merchant is one of the starting scenarios and a job you can master later in a run; the Steam store page says water brings liability and must be tested and filtered first.

Name	Type	How to get or where	Effect or use	Notes
Water Trading	Wild Network unlock	Base cost 300 Credits; first in the order	—	Gutterflow On Tap comes after it; the Water trading guide is a separate item.
Gutterflow On Tap	Wild Network unlock	Base cost 250 Credits; after Water Trading	Continuous tap source of Gutterflow water	Tap purity changes daily, so test each day's water.
Rustwater On Tap	Wild Network unlock	Base cost 350 Credits; after Gutterflow On Tap	Continuous tap source of Rustwater water	With the micro purifier, costs the same durability per volume as Gutterflow.
Retired Water Merchant	Wild Network upgrade	Playtest Patch 48.3.10 (open playtest)	—	Not the Water Trade starting scenario when starting a new game.
Water trading guide	Guide	Bought from Dr. Jackson, per Playtest Patch 48.3.10	—	The patch note does not give its cost or what it teaches.
Water Merchant	Starting scenario and extra job	Choose at the start, or master during a run	Tests, filters and resells water	Water brings liability, as the Steam store page puts it.
Water vending machine	Machine	—	Sells Basewater, High-Quality Water and Pure Water	Price gets +10% plus retail markup, but no event modifier.

Our take on reading the water guidance

Treat grade, contamination, and bottle labeling as three separate checks in Probably Stolen water purification. The grade list has six entries and purity figures for three of them, and the treatment depends on which contaminants are present. No guide gives every grade one fixed upgrade step, so do not assume one exists.

In practice, Probably Stolen water purification is a loop: identify the impurities or grade, treat for the contaminants found, then test the batch again and relabel it to the tested grade.

Frequently asked questions

How many water grades are there in Probably Stolen water purification?

The game has six water grades: Rustwater, Gutterflow, Ghostwater, Basewater, High-Quality Water, and Pure Water. Gutterflow and Rustwater swap places between guides; the other four grades follow them in the same order.

How do I test water in Probably Stolen water purification?

Use an AquaScan to detect impurities or a Water Testing Strip to check the water grade. Test the batch again after treatment, because purification does not update the bottle label, then relabel it to match the tested grade.

What purification method should I use for microbes?

Use a purification tablet or UV Lamp to remove microbes. One guide also says tablets can address some chemical contamination, so the treatment choice depends on the contaminants in the water.

How do I remove chemicals and heavy metals from water?

Use the Water Purifier machine overnight for chemical and heavy-metal contaminants. The described sequence then finishes with a pitcher filter, and the batch should be tested again after treatment.

Does the Moisture Farm produce Pure Water?

Yes, a Moisture Farm produces Pure Water overnight when connected to a container and an energy source. The production note does not replace the separate instruction to test and filter water before selling it.

What water does the commissary sell?

The commissary sells Sealed Water Ration (Standard), the only water item the cited fan wiki page lists there. The page does not list any other water grade for sale at the commissary.

Why should I retest and relabel a treated bottle?

Retesting shows the treated batch’s grade, and the bottle label does not update when the water is purified. Relabel the bottle to match its tested grade; that final check is part of the Probably Stolen water purification process.