lets discuss preps for disasters

[Egon]

If'n clean water is a need one of these will work quite well.

The Best Backpacking Water Filter and Treatment Systems | OutdoorGearLab

 

[TnAndy]

I think a lot of you are over-worrying about storing gasoline and water. While it is a real problem, it can be virtually eliminated by rotating your stock and using a filter/water separator.
Anyone remember these?
View attachment 455367

Yeah, my gas (300gal) and diesel tanks (250gal) used to be on stands like that, then I built a shed to store them in. In another location, I store 15-55gal drums of gas/diesel + dozen 100lb propane tanks. The tanks run into a filter with a water drain, and then into hose/nozzle.

 

[TnAndy]

You can survive several months without food, only several days without clean water. Drinking water that'll make you sick is even worse. Gallon jugs are good , but tend to leak, especially if sat on concrete. Also you don't want to eat if you don't have clean water to drink. Water heaters and water bobs for bathtub can be a good emergency water source. 55 gal food grade barrels and 275 gal cage totes are better. Lexingtoncontainer.com is a good place to see what's available.
As far as fuel we have 1000 gal propane, 300 gal non ethanol gas & 100 gal diesel on hand. These are used constantly and replenished at about 50%. Gas/ propane generators, Agm battery banks & solar panels are always at the ready JIC.

I like propane. We keep 3 five hundred gallon tanks, two always kept in reserve, plus dozen 100lb bottles (23gal ea). Plenty of fuel, as above. Grid electric is backed up by 11kw solar with AGM battery bank.

Water, we have two sources. A gravity fed spring that we've used for 30+ years, with 3,000 gallons of storage. A drilled well with submersible pump as a backup to the spring.

Both feed into a utility room in the basement. By switching valves, we can run off either. Recently put a booster pump on the spring line as the gravity feed only gives 25psi (which we lived with for 30 years). Now the house pressure is 55-75psi....a vast improvement. Ran the lines so we can still bypass the pump and use the gravity spring directly as well.

Everything runs thru a screen filter, then a 5 micron whole house filter, then a UV sterilizer light.

 

[TnAndy]

While I was down in the basement, took a shot of our 'in house' firewood storage. Got about 4 cords inside right now, which will more than do the winter, and likely leave a cord or so to start next winter.

Outside, got 3 of these 4 cord sheds filled for the next year or two.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The BIGGEST issue is always, not knowing when services might be restored. You may have all manner of supplies, but to what extent do you use or ration them?

Even people that are off grid, need medication and other such necessities. Things you can only get when the world is running properly. I think first and foremost of the Elderly and their meds, but it seems more and more children nowadays require medication. Inhalers come immediately to mind.

 

[k0ua]

I like propane. We keep 3 five hundred gallon tanks, two always kept in reserve, plus dozen 100lb bottles (23gal ea). Plenty of fuel, as above. Grid electric is backed up by 11kw solar with AGM battery bank.

Water, we have two sources. A gravity fed spring that we've used for 30+ years, with 3,000 gallons of storage. A drilled well with submersible pump as a backup to the spring.

Both feed into a utility room in the basement. By switching valves, we can run off either. Recently put a booster pump on the spring line as the gravity feed only gives 25psi (which we lived with for 30 years). Now the house pressure is 55-75psi....a vast improvement. Ran the lines so we can still bypass the pump and use the gravity spring directly as well.

Everything runs thru a screen filter, then a 5 micron whole house filter, then a UV sterilizer light.

Man, that is a nice setup.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have a similar spring fed well, that would feed the house by gravity, but always wrestled with the time and cost associated with burying a line a few hundred feet to connect to it.

 

[TnAndy]

Man, that is a nice setup.

Thanks....took me several days of head scratching to come up with something Rube Goldberg would be proud of....I hate plumbing with a passion....ahahahaaaaaa

 

[TnAndy]

I have a similar spring fed well, that would feed the house by gravity, but always wrestled with the time and cost associated with burying a line a few hundred feet to connect to it.

My spring is 1300' from the house. The storage tanks are about 100' below the spring. Ran two lines down from the storage, one for supply off the tank bottoms, and one off the tank top to take the overflow....spring feeds the tanks constantly. The overflow runs to a fish pond, and the overflow from it drops into another fish pond, which supply us with catfish.

We've run literally miles of pipe around the place, supplying buildings, greenhouses, animal feeding areas, and so on......so much that I made a map of buried water/electrical lines on large sketch paper with photos of critical points that now runs 5 pages. Told my wife if I die and she sells the place, the map is $5,000 extra if they buy it now, and $10,000 if they want it later !

 

[Industrial Toys]

I haven't eaten catfish in ages. I used to buy it almost weekly. I was thinking of installing a solar panel and a small pump to fill a pressure tank, inside the concrete tiles, below the frost line. The discharge from the well, fills a pond as well. Too bad digging around here is such a problem given the abundant rocks.

I guess I just convinced myself that at least I have access to drinking water in a worst case scenereo, even though hardly convenient, as it sits now.