How self sufficient are you ? Honestly ?

[Rob-D]

What's wrong with homemade sand gravel charcoal filtering thru 2 staggered 5 gal buckets total cost less than $10.00 and if you feel unsafe with that boil it after filtering.
I will post a link to a gentleman who has posted why sand/charcoal is not recommended for water purification.
Homemade water filter using materials from Walmart and other giant retailers - Survivalist Forum
look for the posts by stephpd but here is some of the pointers.

And though the folks that sell biosand filters would like you to believe that you can shortcut the laws of physics. In that they would like you to believe that you can get quality water out of a very small slow sand filter.

There's a reason they aren't used in this country and it has to do with not making even clear water. It may or may not kill bacteria and viruses. But without an extensive lab you have no way of knowing.

Best bet would be to stock up on a lifetime of filters before TSHTF. Ceramic filters are readily available, clean the water sufficiently and aren't very expensive. There downside is they have a limited use of only a few thousand gallons.

Abetter bet would be to purchase a few membrane filters. They cost a bit more but can filter far more water and to a lower turbidity. Sawyer makes several moidels to choose from. BUt thier basic filters break down to the .1 and .02 micron filters. They fit in the palm of your hand and can filter at least a million gallons if they don't get broken. And the .1 costs less then $50.

That one filter a couple buckets and a couple pounds of calcium hypochlorite would make water for you and your family for the rest of your life. And not cost more then $100 today.


Boiling will kill bacteria and viruses but not much else.Lots of bad things can still be in boiled water.

I first started making water 35 years ago in the Navy. It was a two stage evaporator (distiller). And it not only took lots of fuel to make the steam used but also lots of electricity to run pumps to have a steady and rather limited supply. It was also the cleanest water I've ever made and we still disinfected the water with bromine. Chlorine being a bad thing around a steel ship and the subsequent corrosion.

And there were times when they just wouldn't make clean water, like when we got near land. Seems the water near land was too polluted to make distilled water. On occasion we'd pull into port and would draw a sample of the water provided at the pier and they'd not have any measurable levels of chlorine and we couldn't hook up. Then we'd have to anchor out to continue to make water and take fairies to shuttle folks back and forth.
Same for your idea of just using sand and charcoal. I know that doesn't work because I have to shut down the filter plant when I loose the coagulant. I constantly monitor and test the water I make and I know this won't fly.

And in the last 3 days I've personally made over 30 million gallons of potable water far below the Federal standards. In the last 5 years I've made over 5 billion gallons of potable water. So I think I know what it takes to make water by pouring it through sand and charcoal.

At a minimum you'll need some way to make a floc in a drum. Decant the water from the middle portion and then use that water in a sand filter. But you'll still need to disinfect it too. That can be done by SODIS in small batches.

You'll also need a way to somehow backwash the filter on a regular basis. And waste the floc that settles too. As well as any scum that floats in the drum.

All said and done and you'll still be spending more then the $100 for the two things I recommend. Properly cared for the Sawyer can make at least 1 million gallons of water. Not forever, but well more then a family needs in a lifetime.

Thanks for the info. I use a two filter systems with UV (last in the line) run off my PV. I haven't had the water tested lately but it's pretty good. I could go to a three or four filter system before the UV but I haven't had any problems and our water taste very good. We do keep squeeze bottles around for our BOB.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Don't forget about a water enema in the case where water is too nasty to drink. That was a survival technique I first heard about regarding a family trying to survive in a life boat. Apparently the water was contaminated with a variety of nasty things, but the mother was a nurse, and it occurred to here to do enemas instead of drinking the water.

Yes ,I also saw that on the man and woman survival show they were out to sea and when he became dehydrated they used that method to rehydrate him seemed to work for them .


but I'm also talking about questionable water not down right polluted and I would boil any water without knowing it's source and I would love to have the luxury of having a class one water filter in my back pocket , but lets be realistic not everyone will have that luxury and any type of gravel to sand to charcoal to sand filtering would be VERY beneficial to whoever needed it ! but if you can afford the expensive filters and carry one with you. great !:duh:

 

[EE_Bota]

Yes ,I also saw that on the man and woman survival show they were out to sea and when he became dehydrated they used that method to rehydrate him seemed to work for them .


but I'm also talking about questionable water not down right polluted and I would boil any water without knowing it's source and I would love to have the luxury of having a class one water filter in my back pocket , but lets be realistic not everyone will have that luxury and any type of gravel to sand to charcoal to sand filtering would be VERY beneficial to whoever needed it ! but if you can afford the expensive filters and carry one with you. great !:duh:

My filter was around $100, and it's not so great. I keep it in my largest backpack. I keep 5 bottles of water in the kitchen. If I ever have to leave a cartoon like image of myself in the side door as I scram, I'll be carrying that pack, and those 5 bottles of water.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

My filter was around $100, and it's not so great. I keep it in my largest backpack. I keep 5 bottles of water in the kitchen. If I ever have to leave a cartoon like image of myself in the side door as I scram, I'll be carrying that pack, and those 5 bottles of water.

I have a question for everyone who talks of having a bug out bag ,Where are you bugging out to? ,and if you waited till you needed to grab a bag and run don't you think you waited too long ? and what resources could you expect to find somewhere else ?:confused3:

 

[crash325]

Something to think about.

Propane Refrigerator (Propane / 110V ) Sears outlet has 1 for $577.49 - About 1/2 price. Looking at several different models they use about 1 to 1.5 gallons a week. 250 Gallon tank would last over 6 months.

On the local Craig's list a guy is selling "Food Grade" water totes in 200 to 275 gallon. They have a heavy steel wire frame. Some are brand new and some have been used. Prices start a little over $100. 1 or 2 of those mounted several feet off the ground and you have a good water supply for a long time. A cup of bleach in the tank when filling and the water will stay good for months. Local small water co. uses a gallon of bleach in a 3000 gallon tank once a month, the water is fine, not bad tasting. County tests the water once a month. Totes need to be painted black, if sun light shines in water will grow bad things.

An old fashion Out House will save lots & lots of water.

Me = lots of plans & 2 few $$$$

 

[Egon]

On self sufficiency there are some folks in the world that do qualify. The no contact Tribes living in Amazonian hinterlands.:thumbsup:

 

[Soundguy]

To have an understanding of Maslow's Hierarchy you must of had some type of medical training as many have never heard of it !

medical training? ..or any college? we went over maslow in general psych1 1st year I was in college..

 

[Rob-D]

I have a question for everyone who talks of having a bug out bag ,Where are you bugging out to? ,and if you waited till you needed to grab a bag and run don't you think you waited too long ? and what resources could you expect to find somewhere else ?:confused3:

BOBs are emergency items, everyone should have one with essential survival ingredients. They are not meant to keep you alive indefinitely but they could help you get out of an area like NOLA that's in trouble. A BOB could help you walk away from an area to a safe place. It's not perfect but it could increase your chances of survival.

 

[Rob-D]

On self sufficiency there are some folks in the world that do qualify. The no contact Tribes living in Amazonian hinterlands.:thumbsup:

That would be the ǃKung tribe.

ǃKung people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Historically, the ǃKung lived in semi-permanent camps of about 10-30 people usually located around a water body. Once the water and resources around the village were depleted, the band would relocate to a more resource-rich area. They lived a hunting and gathering lifestyle with the men responsible for providing meat, making tools, and maintaining a supply of poison-tipped arrows and spears. The women provided most of the food by spending between two and three days per week foraging for roots, nuts and berries in the Kalahari Desert.[1] As a hunter-gatherer society, they were highly dependent on each other for survival. Hoarding and "stingeing" (being stingy) were frowned upon, and the !Kung's emphasis was on collective wealth for the tribe, rather than on individual wealth."

Sound like any political ideaology? How about communism?

 

[EE_Bota]

That would be the ǃKung tribe.

ǃKung people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Historically, the ǃKung lived in semi-permanent camps of about 10-30 people usually located around a water body. Once the water and resources around the village were depleted, the band would relocate to a more resource-rich area. They lived a hunting and gathering lifestyle with the men responsible for providing meat, making tools, and maintaining a supply of poison-tipped arrows and spears. The women provided most of the food by spending between two and three days per week foraging for roots, nuts and berries in the Kalahari Desert.[1] As a hunter-gatherer society, they were highly dependent on each other for survival. Hoarding and "stingeing" (being stingy) were frowned upon, and the !Kung's emphasis was on collective wealth for the tribe, rather than on individual wealth."

Sound like any political ideaology? How about communism?

I see Communism defined very loosely where is seems to work, but very precisely when meant to deny failure someplace else. There are far more people in my family and far more of my family at our Thanksgiving than the size of their camps. We frown on being stingy with other family members, but don't consider ourselves communists.