How do I get water in Probably Stolen?
Pour a Sealed Water Ration into a container for 750 ml of Basewater, buy bottled water, connect the store's Water Faucet, or use a Water Neon Sign to attract customers who sell water.
How to Get Water in Probably Stolen
To get water in Probably Stolen, pour a Sealed Water Ration into a container, buy bottled water, connect the store's empty Water Faucet to a water line, or put a Water Neon Sign in your display case so customers come in to sell you water. Then test it before you drink or sell it: a Water Testing Strip tells you how pure it is, and only Basewater (98%) and better is safe to drink.
How to get water in Probably Stolen
For what the game is and every guide we publish, start at the Probably Stolen guide hub.
- Quick water: a Sealed Water Ration gives 750 ml of Basewater, the Small one 375 ml.
- Test it: a Water Testing Strip shows the purity; an AquaScan also lists what is in the water.
- Clean it: tablets kill microbes, a filter in a Water Pitcher strips impurities, and a HydraTech Micro Water Purifier lifts any water to Basewater.
- Sell it carefully: passing off Ghostwater as Basewater is a common scam, and selling a lot of it is a crime.
Probably Stolen water at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Where to get water | Sealed Water Rations, bottled water, a connected Water Faucet, or customers who sell water. Source: Item descriptions in the demo's files; the faucet connection is from the developers' August 2026 patch notes. |
| Purity grades | Six, from Pure Water (99.9% and up) down to Gutterflow (under 90%). Source: The in-game Water Trading Manual. |
| Safe to drink | Basewater (98%) and better. Source: The in-game Water Trading Manual. |
| Testing | Water Testing Strip; an AquaScan also shows the contaminants. Source: The in-game Water Trading Manual and item descriptions. |
| Purification Tablets | Remove a large amount of microbes and some chemical contamination. Source: Item description. |
| Water Filter | In a Water Pitcher, removes impurities, microplastics and organic waste; wears out. Source: The in-game Water Trading Manual and item description. |
| HydraTech Micro Water Purifier | Brings a container up to Basewater; uses 1 durability per 100 ml. Source: Item description. |
| Mislabeled water | Ghostwater sold as Basewater is a common scam; selling a large volume is a crime. Source: The in-game Water Trading Manual. |
Where to get water in Probably Stolen
There is no single water supply at the start. You put together water from several sources, and most of it needs testing before you use it.
Sealed Water Rations. The easiest clean water. A Sealed Water Ration (Standard) poured into a liquid container gives 750 ml of Basewater, and the Small ration 375 ml. Basewater is the lowest grade that is safe to drink.
Bottled water. Bottles come in Micro, Small, Standard and Large sizes, plus a Bottle of Spring Water described as "supposedly drawn from a natural spring on a distant planet". Check bottles like any other water: the manual warns that water sold on the station may not be labelled correctly, on purpose or not.
The Water Faucet. Your store has a Water Faucet, but it starts dry; its description reads "No water... Maybe someone can help connect it to a water line?" In the developers' August 6, 2026 Playtest patch notes, Gutterflow on Tap and Rustwater on Tap appear as Wild Network upgrades, and the demo's files track a separate purity for tap Gutterflow and tap Rustwater each day. Going by the upgrade names, tap water is Gutterflow or Rustwater, the two lowest grades, so it needs work before you can drink or sell it as anything better. A Water Drain next to it lets you pour away water you don't want.
Customers who sell water. Place a Water Neon Sign in your display case and it attracts customers willing to sell you water. What they bring is whatever they say it is, so test it before you pay a premium.
Machines. For larger amounts, the manual says reaching high purity takes "a dedicated Water Purifier with properly installed Modules". Players also run a Moisture Farm to produce water. Player reports on how much each machine makes and how pure it gets disagree, so we don't give numbers here.
Starting as a Water Merchant. If you pick the Water Merchant start, you begin with the Water Trading Manual, water testing and purification equipment, and extra storage for water containers. The start's description sums up the trade: clean water is scarce on the station, and there is money in controlling the tap. The free demo lets you pick this start.
Probably Stolen water grades and how to test them
The Water Trading Manual grades water by purity:
- Pure Water, 99.9% and up: safe to drink. Hard to get even on the Upper Levels and used mostly in hospitals and laboratories.
- High-Quality, 99% to 99.9%: safe to drink; the standard on the Upper Levels.
- Basewater, 98% to 99%: safe to drink; the standard on the Lower Levels, fine short-term but linked to chronic disease over time.
- Ghostwater, 96% to 98%: drink only if you have to. Mostly used in farming and industry.
- Rustwater, 90% to 96%: unsafe and risky to drink.
- Gutterflow, under 90%: highly toxic. The manual's warning: seek immediate medical attention if you drink it.
What you can see by eye. Rustwater and Gutterflow have a visible colour, so you can spot them without a test. Ghostwater looks the same as better water, which is exactly why it is used to cheat buyers.
How to test. A Water Testing Strip is the cheap, easy way to read a sample's purity. A Water Testing Kit is a small bottle of colour strips. An AquaScan reads the purity accurately and also lists the contaminants it detects, which is the quickest way to see what your purification still has to remove.
Probably Stolen water purification: what each item removes
Water on the station carries several kinds of contamination, and each purification method works only on some of them. The manual's rule of thumb: if repeating a method stops improving the purity, that method can't remove what is left, so switch to a different one rather than running the same one again.
The game tracks three kinds of contamination in liquids: chemical contaminant, physical contaminant and organic waste. For a chemical contaminant, tablets only reduce it partly and the Water Filter's description doesn't list it.
- Water Purification Tablet: removes a large amount of microbial contamination and partly reduces chemical contamination. No effect on anything else.
- Water Filter (in a Water Pitcher): filters water as you pour it into the pitcher, removing impurities, microplastics and organic waste. It wears down with use and stops helping above a certain purity.
- Advanced Water Filter: works the same way and recovers 50 durability at the start of each day.
- Tablets and a filter together: the manual says this should give Ghostwater or even Basewater, depending on how pure the water was to begin with.
- HydraTech Micro Water Purifier: use it on a water container to bring the contents up to Basewater, whatever is in it. It uses 1 durability for every 100 ml.
- Hydroreed: a growing Hydroreed purifies the water it sits in. A Hydroreed Filter in a filter system removes a certain type of contaminant, and a Hydroreed Filter hydroponic module lets you harvest the stems as filters.
- Water Purifier with modules: the manual's route to purities above what tablets and filters reach.
- UV Lamp: the game's own description only says it "can be used on a water container". Players report that it kills microbes and gives no message when you use it.
Don't use basic methods on Gutterflow. The manual warns that purifying Gutterflow with tablets and filters wears out filter durability quickly.
Why Kotton Fabric does nothing. Kotton Fabric is a chemistry tool for straining large particles out of liquids; its description says it is "far too coarse for water purification". Putting it in a pitcher won't filter water and won't use up its durability.
Why tap water stays dirty. Players purifying faucet water report heavy metals and chemical contamination left over after tablets and filters. That matches the manual: tablets only partly reduce chemicals and the filter lists nothing for them, so tap water needs a HydraTech purifier or a Water Purifier with modules.
Radioactive and hazardous waste is a different problem with its own rules; see our guide to getting rid of radioactive waste.
Probably Stolen water trading: who buys what
The Steam page puts it plainly: water brings liability, and it must be tested and filtered. The Water Trading Manual describes who you are selling to:
- Scavengers are usually too poor to carry a Water Testing Kit.
- Lower Levels citizens and scavengers usually won't buy High-Quality or Pure Water.
- Tourists and Upper Level citizens often don't bother to test what they buy.
- Customers who want a lot of water usually carry a Water Testing Kit.
The common scam, and the risk. Selling Ghostwater labelled as Basewater is a common scam in the Lower Levels, and selling a large volume of mislabeled Ghostwater is a crime. Rustwater and Gutterflow are hard to mislabel because their colour gives them away. A customer who tests the water and finds it doesn't match the label can call you out on the spot. The penalties behind that aren't in the files we've read, so plan as if a big buyer will test.
Spring Water. The developers' September 18, 2026 patch notes, the version the current demo runs, say the Tier 3 water buyer accepts Spring Water.
Who uses each grade. Pure Water goes to hospitals and laboratories, High-Quality is the Upper Level standard, Basewater is the Lower Level standard, and Ghostwater is used in farming and industry.
Version notes and limits
This page describes the free demo before the update the developers announced for October 19, 2026. Four things are still open: what the UV Lamp removes in the game's own rules, what happens when you are caught selling mislabeled water, how the fridge can be upgraded, and whether the demo update or the full release on October 28 changes any of the water rules.
The October 19 demo update triggers a recheck of the manual and item descriptions on this page, and the full release triggers a recheck of everything. A changed description or a confirmed penalty is added with the date it was checked.
Probably Stolen water FAQ
How do I know if water is safe to drink?
Test it with a Water Testing Strip. Basewater (98% to 99%) and better is safe; Ghostwater only if necessary; Rustwater and Gutterflow are unsafe.
What is Ghostwater?
Water at 96% to 98% purity. It looks like better water but is not safe to drink unfiltered, which is why selling it as Basewater is a common scam.
What do Purification Tablets remove?
A large amount of microbial contamination and part of the chemical contamination. They do nothing for other contaminants.
What does a Water Filter remove?
Used in a Water Pitcher, it removes impurities, microplastics and organic waste as you pour. It wears out, and stops helping above a certain purity.
Does filtering water twice help?
Not once the filter has done its job. The manual says that if repeating a method stops raising the purity, that method can't remove what is left.
What does the HydraTech Micro Water Purifier do?
It brings the water in a container up to Basewater, whatever was in it, using 1 durability per 100 ml.
Why doesn't Kotton Fabric filter water?
Its description says it is far too coarse for water purification; it is a chemistry tool for straining large particles.
What does the UV Lamp do?
The game only says it can be used on a water container. Players report it kills microbes and shows no message when used.
Why is my tap water still contaminated after purifying?
Tablets only partly reduce chemical contamination and filters don't list it at all. Use a HydraTech purifier or a Water Purifier with modules.
Who buys High-Quality or Pure Water?
The Water Trading Manual says Lower Levels citizens and scavengers usually won't buy them; Pure Water is mostly used in hospitals and laboratories, and High-Quality is the Upper Level standard.
Can I put water in the fridge?
Spring Water can go in the fridge, according to the developers' September 14, 2026 patch notes.
Sources and version history for this guide: Probably Stolen sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.