Water Collector in Escape from Tarkov: Levels, Costs, Filters and Crafts

The Water Collector is a three-level hideout module. It does two things: it raises how fast your character regains hydration between raids, and it unlocks crafting of drinks, culminating in the Canister with purified water at level 3. It does not produce free water on its own; every level needs the right craft started, and level 3 only runs while a water filter is installed.

Values follow the official wiki's Hideout and Crafts pages as they stood at the end of October 2026, after patch 1.3.0.

Levels and costs

Level	Needs	Build time	Hydration bonus
1	3 Duct tape, 5 Screw nuts, 5 Bolts, 4 Corrugated hose	Instant	+6 WP/hr
2	2 Toolset, 6 Corrugated hose, 2 Electric motor, 5 KEKTAPE duct tape, Attention skill level 3, Workbench level 1	2 hours	+12 WP/hr (+18 in total)
3	20,000 roubles, 1 Ratchet wrench, 2 Pliers Elite (both found in raid), 10 Shustrilo sealing foam, Generator level 3, Heating level 2	16 hours	+18 WP/hr (+36 in total), plus 1 extra water filter slot

Level 3 is the first level with a rouble cost and with found-in-raid items, and it depends on two other modules. The hideout modules glossary lists the modules it connects to.

What the bonus is worth

Outside a raid your character passively regains 1 hydration per minute, or 60 per hour, according to the wiki's health-system page. At level 3 the Water Collector adds 36 per hour, so hydration returns about 60 percent faster than the base rate (36 divided by 60, a calculation from the wiki values). Drinks restore hydration at once, so the module's value is free passive recovery between raids.

Hydration also has a hard floor. The wiki says dehydration starts 50 seconds after hydration reaches 0, and then costs 1 health point per working body part every 15 seconds.

Crafts

Module level	Input	Output	Time
1	Bottle of water at 1/60 durability	Bottle of water at 60/60	20 min
2	1 Silicone tube + 1 Pack of Grand juice	2 Emergency Water Ration	30 min
2	1 Aquapeps water purification tablets + 5 Bottle of water	5 Aquamari water bottle with filter	1 hour
3	1 Water filter (66/100 durability)	1 Canister with purified water	5 h 25 min

What the outputs restore, from the item pages: Bottle of water +60 hydration, Emergency Water Ration +50 hydration and +5 energy, Aquamari bottle +100 hydration and +20 energy, Canister +100 hydration and +25 energy. On a Seasonal character the Crafts page says all crafting times are halved.

The water filter

The level 3 module needs a filter to run at all. The standard Water filter lasts 8 hours, 12 minutes and 25 seconds; the newer Everclear two-stage water filter (2x2, 4.5 kg, wiki page from October 2026) lasts 32 hours, 49 minutes and 40 seconds and also runs the module. For the standard filter the wiki gives the formula as 4.92 minutes per point of durability, so a filter at 66 durability runs about 5 h 25 min, which matches the canister craft above. Removing an expiring filter from the module used to cause error 228, which patch 1.0.5.0 (25 May 2026) fixed. Water filters also spawn as loot in the room behind the Customs dorm room 206 key.

What needs it

• Booze Generator level 1 requires Water Collector level 3 and Nutrition Unit level 3. Its moonshine is one of the payments covered on the Scav Case Moonshine page.
• Metabolism skill. Since 29 October 2026 skill points come from the amount of hydration or energy restored, not the act of drinking, and the wiki says they are only granted when you consume in a raid.

Common mistakes

• Treating level 1 as a source of drinking water. Its listed craft refills a bottle that is already in your stash.
• Starting the level 3 build without Generator level 3 and Heating level 2.
• Forgetting the filter at level 3. The wiki notes the module needs one to run.
• Expecting the bonus to help in a raid. It applies to passive recovery outside raids.

Related terms

• Rest Space: the module for health and energy recovery.
• Air Filtering Unit: another module that needs a consumable filter.
• Meds and barter items glossary: provisions and household barters.
• Hideout modules glossary: all modules in short.

FAQ

What does the Water Collector do in Tarkov?

It increases hydration regeneration outside raids by up to 36 per hour in total at level 3 and unlocks drink crafts, the best being the Canister with purified water.

Does the Water Collector need a filter?

Level 3 does. A standard Water filter lasts 8 hours, 12 minutes and 25 seconds, an Everclear two-stage filter about 32 hours 50 minutes, and the level 3 module has one extra filter slot.

What do I need for level 3?

20,000 roubles, a Ratchet wrench and 2 Pliers Elite found in raid, 10 Shustrilo sealing foam, Generator level 3 and Heating level 2.

Is it different in PvE or on Seasonal characters?

The wiki lists one table for all modes. The only difference it notes is that Seasonal characters craft at half the time.