Post by ogeezer on Jan 10, 2007 7:18:31 GMT -6
If you live in a town or city, the loss of power to homes and businesses probably will not immediately affect your water pressure, but it could affect the purification process or allow reverse seepage of contaminants into the lines. If, instead, your water comes from an electrically-powered home water pump, your water stops flowing the moment the power does. Either way, with the loss of power comes the loss of water (or, at least, clean water). Water that is free of bacteria and contaminants is so crucial to our survival that it should be a special concern in your preparations.
The easiest way to guarantee quality water is to store it right now. The important question is: how much? Both Red Cross and FEMA suggest a minimum of one gallon per day per person. This is an absolute minimum, and covers only your real drinking and cooking needs; bathing is out of the question.
The typical American currently uses around 70 gallons a day, taking a nice long hot shower, flushing the toilet several times, washing a load of laundry, letting the water run while brushing teeth, and for cooking and drinking.
In a short-term emergency situation, only drinking and cooking water is crucial, but if that short-term incident drags out to weeks or months, daily consumption would rise to include bathing and clothes washing. And this presumes that the family has prepared a sanitary “outhouse,” so flushing isn’t needed. In that case, 5-10 gallons per day per person would be a more reasonable amount, with a weekly communal bath becoming the routine.
One to three-gallon jugs, direct from the supermarket, run about 60 cents to $2; these store easily under cabinets and counters. A few tucked into the freezer will help keep things cold if the power goes off. You can also store water inexpensively in large, covered plastic trash cans; they hold 36 to 55 gallons each. Refresh the water every two weeks, so it will be ready in case the power goes off. Stock tanks used as swimming pools—a 12-foot wide, 36-inch deep galvanized tank holds 2500 gallons and costs about $350—also make excellent above-ground holding tanks. Buy a pool cover, as well, to keep bugs out.
Farm supply stores often sell water tanks made of heavy grade plastic. These can be partially buried underground to keep water cooler and less susceptible to mold and bacteria. These run about $1 per gallon of holding capacity, so a 350-gallon tank new will cost $350. Plan to filter and purify the water before use.
Collecting water can be done by hand with 5-gallon plastic buckets if you live near a river or stream (it must be filtered and purified before use). Extreme care must be taken to avoid water from waterways downstream of municipal waste treatment plants due to increased incidence of fecal matter that might be present in the water.
You can also divert rainwater off your roof, through the rain gutters and downspouts into plastic trashcans. For people in the Midwest, Northwest, or East Coast, rainfall is adequate to make this your primary backup water source. West Coast, high desert, and mountain areas, though, won’t have sufficient rainfall to make this a reliable source but a little is always better than none at all; here, water storage must employ covered underground tanks to prevent evaporation.
A drilled well with an electric pump can be retrofitted with a plastic hand-pump for about $400 - $600. These systems sit side-by-side with your electric pump down the same well-shaft, and can be put to use any time the power is off. Typical delivery is about 2 gallons per minute, and pumping strength varies from 11 to 20 pounds—a good but not exhausting workout.
A windmill powered water well is another source of water, though finding a dependable contractor is often the most difficult part. Adapting a livestock trough windmill is a viable alternative, requiring only a diverted valve to direct water to the house periodically to meet needs.
Water can be purified inexpensively. Easy ways to do this include:
Bleach is effective against both cholera and typhoid and has kept American water supplies safe for decades. The chlorine taste can be easily removed with a charcoal filter system (such as Brita Pitcher or Pur brands for home use, about $30).
British Berkefeld water filters, along with various other brands, are more expensive ($150-$250), but can filter and purify water indefinitely. Both eliminate bacteria, contaminants, and off-flavors. A Big Berkey are reliable for gravity-fed systems for four or five years. When shopping for filters, if they only offer better taste they won’t protect you from bacterial contaminants.
Noah Water System’s travel companion will work great in case of a power outage, or your water supply becomes undrinkable. The Trekker is a portable water purificationn unit. With the Trekker you can get water from any river, lake, or pond. It’s small enough to carry like a briefcase.
The easiest way to guarantee quality water is to store it right now. The important question is: how much? Both Red Cross and FEMA suggest a minimum of one gallon per day per person. This is an absolute minimum, and covers only your real drinking and cooking needs; bathing is out of the question.
The typical American currently uses around 70 gallons a day, taking a nice long hot shower, flushing the toilet several times, washing a load of laundry, letting the water run while brushing teeth, and for cooking and drinking.
In a short-term emergency situation, only drinking and cooking water is crucial, but if that short-term incident drags out to weeks or months, daily consumption would rise to include bathing and clothes washing. And this presumes that the family has prepared a sanitary “outhouse,” so flushing isn’t needed. In that case, 5-10 gallons per day per person would be a more reasonable amount, with a weekly communal bath becoming the routine.
One to three-gallon jugs, direct from the supermarket, run about 60 cents to $2; these store easily under cabinets and counters. A few tucked into the freezer will help keep things cold if the power goes off. You can also store water inexpensively in large, covered plastic trash cans; they hold 36 to 55 gallons each. Refresh the water every two weeks, so it will be ready in case the power goes off. Stock tanks used as swimming pools—a 12-foot wide, 36-inch deep galvanized tank holds 2500 gallons and costs about $350—also make excellent above-ground holding tanks. Buy a pool cover, as well, to keep bugs out.
Farm supply stores often sell water tanks made of heavy grade plastic. These can be partially buried underground to keep water cooler and less susceptible to mold and bacteria. These run about $1 per gallon of holding capacity, so a 350-gallon tank new will cost $350. Plan to filter and purify the water before use.
Collecting water can be done by hand with 5-gallon plastic buckets if you live near a river or stream (it must be filtered and purified before use). Extreme care must be taken to avoid water from waterways downstream of municipal waste treatment plants due to increased incidence of fecal matter that might be present in the water.
You can also divert rainwater off your roof, through the rain gutters and downspouts into plastic trashcans. For people in the Midwest, Northwest, or East Coast, rainfall is adequate to make this your primary backup water source. West Coast, high desert, and mountain areas, though, won’t have sufficient rainfall to make this a reliable source but a little is always better than none at all; here, water storage must employ covered underground tanks to prevent evaporation.
A drilled well with an electric pump can be retrofitted with a plastic hand-pump for about $400 - $600. These systems sit side-by-side with your electric pump down the same well-shaft, and can be put to use any time the power is off. Typical delivery is about 2 gallons per minute, and pumping strength varies from 11 to 20 pounds—a good but not exhausting workout.
A windmill powered water well is another source of water, though finding a dependable contractor is often the most difficult part. Adapting a livestock trough windmill is a viable alternative, requiring only a diverted valve to direct water to the house periodically to meet needs.
Water can be purified inexpensively. Easy ways to do this include:
- Fifteen drops of bleach (plain unscented) per gallon of water costs less than 1 penny.
- Twenty minutes of a hard, rolling boil will, too.
- A ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide (3%) per gallon will also destroy bacteria.
- Military service personnel operating in the field also employ Halazone tablets dropped into canteens to render water consumable and which kills most harmful bacteria found in water.
Bleach is effective against both cholera and typhoid and has kept American water supplies safe for decades. The chlorine taste can be easily removed with a charcoal filter system (such as Brita Pitcher or Pur brands for home use, about $30).
British Berkefeld water filters, along with various other brands, are more expensive ($150-$250), but can filter and purify water indefinitely. Both eliminate bacteria, contaminants, and off-flavors. A Big Berkey are reliable for gravity-fed systems for four or five years. When shopping for filters, if they only offer better taste they won’t protect you from bacterial contaminants.
Noah Water System’s travel companion will work great in case of a power outage, or your water supply becomes undrinkable. The Trekker is a portable water purificationn unit. With the Trekker you can get water from any river, lake, or pond. It’s small enough to carry like a briefcase.