In 20 ys of watching TB2K, I have seen only one Prepper who understands the chokepoint in prepping.

mistaken1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Drinkable water.

The electric grid goes down and by the end of the week, thirst for a majority of the population.

By the end of the month, death.

And there is no Plan B.

Odd how nobody ever mentions that. Every farm I know has an electric submersible pump. No power, no water. Only one has the original hand pump still in place But it has not been used since the early 1950's, so..............

And check the towns with a water tower. Most of them get the water up into that tower using electric pumps.

Everybody preps against starving to death. Not going to happen if TS really HTF. You will die of thirst first.

Humans survived many centuries without electric pumps.

Just because people do not discuss things does not mean people are not thinking about things.
 

dogmanan

Inactive
This info may deserve it's own thread in the Prep section in the future, but I'll drop it here for now.

This 28 page service bulletin covers how to use pool shock to cleanse pools, disinfect water (treatment plant down to individual use), cleanse equipment, agricultural uses, house disinfection after flooding, etc.
This is worthy of downloading and saving in multiple locations. It's the real deal on how to use calcium hypochlorite (powdered bleach AKA pool shock).


https://www.westlake.com/safety_gui...t 73 Service Bulletin approved 02-14-2014.pdf <---------------------- Service Bulletin link

It was written and EPA approved in 2014 by the company that sells this pool shock: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F44CVMQ

This was written by one company but applies to all roughly 70% calcium hypochlorite-only pool shock. You don't have to buy the 50 pound bucket for $128 (amazon link above) for the use instructions to apply. It would be a nice start for a small improvised water treatment plant though.

Thank you very much for posting this, I have bee looking for something like it and have printed out a copy of it.
 

Dobbin

Faithful Steed
Owner has my pond - and not 25 feet from the edge his well with electric power pump. The well is a "surface well" which can be pulled with a regular kitchen "pitcher pump" which Owner has around here somewhere.

I know Owner feels some reassurance - pulling from the pond MIGHT be hazardous given a nuclear contamination event - but that 25 feet of purification (water table) keeps his surface well clean as the day it was drilled, and for the foreseeable future.

There is another well a short distance away which was the "colonial well" (often referred to as such in conversation) which the children were warned to stay away from. Now, Owner has this mostly filled with rocks to prevent someone falling in. When we get a lot of rain the colonial well will show water above the rocks now perhaps 6 feet down.

Oh, and lest I forget the building where the water pumping "Hot Air Engine" used to be and used to have a water tower on top. Now tower removed and the building used to store garden sundries. Owner wishes the hot air engine hadn't gone away in a WWII scrap drive.

Dobbin
 

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Were I you, I'd get a borewell drilled anyway. There are plans available online for a dip-bucket system that can be used in drilled wells when power isn't available.

Not going to happen (DH here) the cost is way to much. Way to much, for something that "might" happen. We have as DW said around 1000 gals. on site, which is renewable through rain. Berkey and other items to make anything we drink/use safe. A spring fed pond, no one knows about, that's factual.

And if worse comes to worse, I can clean out the old well on my neighbors property, which is vacant. OR better yet dig one on my own place in about 3-5 days.

I have a peach tree on the place and can "wish" one in. All the old well diggers I know could do about 10 feet a day, and all the dug wells around here go 30-35 feet. And if it gets that bad, we won't be by ourselves here at the home stead. So there will be plenty of hands on deck to help out. Have all the material to make a windlass, and even extra pulley's made for that purpose. And plenty of rope. Ya know the same way our grandfathers did it.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have found that rainwater has a sorta scum/film? so that when I use the Berkey, it requires cleaning/replacement more often

Yes, of course. We filter our water through a couple of sources, before it ever goes into the Berkey. Paper filtering, then boiling, first. We also have replacement parts on hand for the Berkey.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
1/2 teaspoon of Clorox bleach per ten gallons of drinking water. A good prepper friend (he's been ready since the mid '60s) said STAY ON YOUR PROPERTY. Wouldn't be long before anybody moving out there will be considered a threat and/or fair game.

People have no concept of private property these days.

We have 90 days of water at all times. Enough for full use without saving any. Granted we would conserve so it would last a bit longer.
 

Troke

On TB every waking moment
One thing to keep in mind. When I was playing the Arctic Warfare Game over 60 yrs yrs ago (Good Grief!), we were constantly hammered about avoiding dehydration. Arctic air has low humidity, the lungs use up lots of water to humidify it and you lose moisture that way. And oddly enough, you might not feel much thirst at first.

At some point in there, your thought processes will start to scramble. Irrational thinking in the arctic is fatal. The problem occurs much more quickly and worse with dehydration than it does with starvation. And of course, you don't know it.

So you have this nice little pond. If it is known, I don't think you have a chance of defending it. You could mow them down and there would be others right behind them totally oblivious as to what happened to the ones in front.

As for all of you all hot for a Civil War, better be careful what you wish for. I guarantee it will not turn out how you expect.
 

school marm

Senior Member
Humans survived many centuries without electric pumps.

Just because people do not discuss things does not mean people are not thinking about things.

Agreed. Water's just not something we get really into talking about. We gotta have it. It's gotta be clean. How much is there to say about this or that filter? And how we get water is going to be very location specific.

I just find other topics more interesting to talk about.
 

StarGazer

Contributing Member
MSR SE200 Chlorine Maker for Global Health and Emergency Water Treatment

Storing 'dried bleach' aka pool shock presents long term corrosion problems. The material breaks down and releases Chlorine gas, which is highly corrosive. I have a melting ammo can to prove it.
Ready made bleach has a relatively short shelf life (6 months to a year) after which it rapidly loses potency.

The above referenced equipment allows one to make their own chlorine solution for water pruification using just water, table salt and a source of 12V electricity. (Car battery, solar panels, etc)
 

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
So you have this nice little pond. If it is known, I don't think you have a chance of defending it. You could mow them down and there would be others right behind them totally oblivious as to what happened to the ones in front.

As for all of you all hot for a Civil War, better be careful what you wish for. I guarantee it will not turn out how you expect.

If that is a reference to what I said, (you didn't direct that comment to anyone in particular) than I assure you it is an unknown. The reason I can say that is, those who knew of it's existence have either moved, or died. Those who have moved in, don't trek the woods, on private property. When I say moved, it's in the hundreds of miles.

Also I would caution you on one item: Once you start painting everything as a no win situation, people will get the idea, why bother, you won't win, so stop prepping.

Even with Dennis' comments on all the folks in the city, ravaging the country side, is, or could be, very wrong. There's actually more food in the city than in the country. There's also more people fighting for that food. Warehouses, grocery stores, food stored in restaurants, way more homes to raid, dumpsters, etc. Imagine in the country a house every quarter mile, and compare that to the city, with a house/building/apartment every 200 ft. It will be a while before they get to the country, and then the population doing so will be way down. There's 40,000 people in the nearest big town, I don't fore see 40,000 people walking down my street, that I have to defend against. Of course I could be wrong.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Agreed. Water's just not something we get really into talking about. We gotta have it. It's gotta be clean. How much is there to say about this or that filter? And how we get water is going to be very location specific.

I just find other topics more interesting to talk about.

I agree. The benefit I see, though, in talking about this from time to time, is for the new comers here who need to learn the basics.
 

West

Senior
If that is a reference to what I said, (you didn't direct that comment to anyone in particular) than I assure you it is an unknown. The reason I can say that is, those who knew of it's existence have either moved, or died. Those who have moved in, don't trek the woods, on private property. When I say moved, it's in the hundreds of miles.

Also I would caution you on one item: Once you start painting everything as a no win situation, people will get the idea, why bother, you won't win, so stop prepping.

Even with Dennis' comments on all the folks in the city, ravaging the country side, is, or could be, very wrong. There's actually more food in the city than in the country. There's also more people fighting for that food. Warehouses, grocery stores, food stored in restaurants, way more homes to raid, dumpsters, etc. Imagine in the country a house every quarter mile, and compare that to the city, with a house/building/apartment every 200 ft. It will be a while before they get to the country, and then the population doing so will be way down. There's 40,000 people in the nearest big town, I don't fore see 40,000 people walking down my street, that I have to defend against. Of course I could be wrong.

All we can do is at least take out one or more zombies before we are over ran. This way it's less for the next neighbor to deal with.

My problem is going to be people who don't trespass and ask for water down at the drive. I'll do my best to provide, why I have saved hundreds of Gatorade plastic bottles.

That being said I'll have no problem cutting the heads off of zombies and putting them on fence post down the road to our place as warnings....
 

Bardou

Veteran Member
Some folks simply do not broadcast the extent of their preps. OPSEC, have you ever heard of it?

I'm sure you heard the term "loose lips sink ships." To share in prepping is different than telling what and all you have. We all can thank Ed Yourdon for allowing this place to exist 20+ years later.
 

Luddite

Veteran Member
It will be a while before they get to the country, and then the population doing so will be way down. There's 40,000 people in the nearest big town, I don't fore see 40,000 people walking down my street, that I have to defend against. Of course I could be wrong.

The hordes aren't near the threat that some career .guv minion will be. Whatever their official capacity, or intentions, you can be sure they'll be amongst the fattest and most hydrated in any situation. They will be shocked if you wouldn't gladly relinquish your private property or your sweat because they have deemed it necessary for you to do so.

Thinking it is futile to resist them would be a horrible thing for humanity, always has been. Gentle resistance and disagreement would always be preferred. How has that been working for us so far?
 

dogmanan

Inactive
MSR SE200 Chlorine Maker for Global Health and Emergency Water Treatment

Storing 'dried bleach' aka pool shock presents long term corrosion problems. The material breaks down and releases Chlorine gas, which is highly corrosive. I have a melting ammo can to prove it.
Ready made bleach has a relatively short shelf life (6 months to a year) after which it rapidly loses potency.

The above referenced equipment allows one to make their own chlorine solution for water pruification using just water, table salt and a source of 12V electricity. (Car battery, solar panels, etc)


WOW looks very interesting, when I get some spare money I will buy one.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Ready made bleach has a relatively short shelf life (6 months to a year) after which it rapidly loses potency.

I hate to admit it, but I learned that the hard way. Bought several gallons for storage that didn't get used for about 2 years. Popped the lid on a gallon jug to use for cleaning purposes, and it didn't even have a smell. No cleaning power at all. I lost all that money, because I didn't know this fact. That was in my early beginner prepping days. Live and learn.
 

1911user

Veteran Member
MSR SE200 Chlorine Maker for Global Health and Emergency Water Treatment

Storing 'dried bleach' aka pool shock presents long term corrosion problems. The material breaks down and releases Chlorine gas, which is highly corrosive. I have a melting ammo can to prove it.
Ready made bleach has a relatively short shelf life (6 months to a year) after which it rapidly loses potency.

The above referenced equipment allows one to make their own chlorine solution for water pruification using just water, table salt and a source of 12V electricity. (Car battery, solar panels, etc)

There is only a corrosion problem if you store it in a metal container or the original plastic bottle inside a metal container. There are warnings on the pool shock package about how to safely store it.

EDIT: pure calcium hypochlorite is a useful yet strong chemical sold almost everywhere. Be careful and knowledgeable about storage. It could be very handy to have in the future. I wasn't kidding about the possibility of an improvised water treatment micro-facility. It could be a lifesaver for a group of a few families.
 
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Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Just remember filters won't necessarily get everything. Surface water should be considered suspect for chemicals, e. coli, and worse if there are people/animals dying and decaying near it. Even rain catchment systems can fall victim to this sort of thing since we won't know what is in the atmosphere at the time of rainfall. Even municipal sources might be problematic if there is a bioterror incident. Stored water is your first line of defense. This could include a covered and secured cistern. But cover it with more than a screen because diseases that thrive due to mosquitos will re-proliferate without bug spray to control them. I have a healthy bat population out in the swamp but as Troke mentioned, that has its drawbacks.

Designate potable and non-potable water sources. Don't use water sources/containers that livestock (or wild) animals use as a watering hole. Too much fecal runoff in it unless you are trying to make manure tea. Keep an eye on the surface of water you plan on using and if it has some kind of oil or fuel slick on the surface find the source of the contamination and stop it even if that means calling the county and state people to make it happen. That's potentially your life-giving resource someone else is contaminating. Have no mercy.

Know what plants are growing in or near your water source. Some of that stuff is poisonous to humans to the point of death.

If you are going to have to carry water for any distance start practicing now. Water is heavy. Very heavy. And simply saying I'll put containers in a wagon or wheelbarrow isn't realistic without figuring out which containers and how stable they are going to be and how many you can realistically push for any given distance without dumping the entire kit and caboodle.

That's my two cents based on experience during hurricanes and extended power outages. YMMV
 

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
And for those of us who suffer a certain amount of paranoia. If neighbors can see it, hear it, or smell it … they are going to become you bestest buddies, so long as you give them their fair share.

Equipment? Two is one and one is none. Especially if jealous people would break something in the midst of their own greed and potential theft.
 

Stanb999

Inactive
Zombie horde... Simply isn't how it works.

What actually happens when a situation occurs is the cities get locked down and a curfew is put in place. They will seal neighborhood by neighborhood if needed. Then life sustaining rations will be provided for those who will stand in line to get them. Life sustaining rations do not have the energy for walking. They will get the rations and return to their homes. After a few weeks most simply will not have the energy resources to leave. Why do you think folks stay in refugee camps? You really think they are so different than you? They aren't they stay because they use all the energy they had standing in line for the next days bread.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Kathy in FL said:
If you are going to have to carry water for any distance start practicing now. Water is heavy. Very heavy. And simply saying I'll put containers in a wagon or wheelbarrow isn't realistic without figuring out which containers and how stable they are going to be and how many you can realistically push for any given distance without dumping the entire kit and caboodle.

Everyone should known their own limitations, especially as we get older. I know that what DH and myself thought was possible back in our younger days, isn't really a reality today, because of our age and health. Reality says that we both can still pull a wagon with containers full of water on a smooth level road, but to do it going uphill in rocky and steep terrain is out of the question now. We all need to be ready to adjust as our limitations change. That goes for any survival technique.
 

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
If Troke thinks he's only ever seen ONE person in these past 20 years that understands the necessity of water in a SHTF situation, he's off his meds again.
 
One thing to keep in mind. When I was playing the Arctic Warfare Game over 60 yrs yrs ago (Good Grief!), we were constantly hammered about avoiding dehydration. Arctic air has low humidity, the lungs use up lots of water to humidify it and you lose moisture that way. And oddly enough, you might not feel much thirst at first.

At some point in there, your thought processes will start to scramble. Irrational thinking in the arctic is fatal. The problem occurs much more quickly and worse with dehydration than it does with starvation. And of course, you don't know it.

So you have this nice little pond. If it is known, I don't think you have a chance of defending it. You could mow them down and there would be others right behind them totally oblivious as to what happened to the ones in front.

As for all of you all hot for a Civil War, better be careful what you wish for. I guarantee it will not turn out how you expect.

Your comment about drinking enough water for the environment that you are in, even if you do not feel thirsty, is an important point.

When I used to ski, at altitudes in the 10K FT+ ranges, it was imperative that one carry on their person a good sized water bottle, and remember to take a few sips every 20 minutes, or so.

Very important.

One of our newbie skiers ignored the advice, and ended up "getting loopy" at 12K ft - was a bit of a chore getting them to hold still and drink water, and, getting them down off of the mountain - semi-non-cooperative, needed to be man-handled a bit. Once at the bottom of the ski slope (9.5K ft), they regained their formerly sane composure, with nearly non-stop mea culpas.


intothegoodnight
 
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dogmanan

Inactive
Well for me to transport water I will use a dolly and a 35 gallon barrel tied tight to dolly with a lid that will make it easy to move water to my house, the barrel I will use is air tight when I put the lid on it..
 

Double_A

TB Fanatic
One more thing. The word gets out that you have water, it won't matter how much AK-47 ammo you got, it won't be enough.

These people will be a lot worse than a starving mob.

For those aware, looking around to see who is never in Line at the water truck with empty buckets is a good indicator who may have water. So....send the kids out to stand in line and get water needed or not.
 

L.A.B.

Goodness before greatness.
Yep a different environment, hot desert, age 23 at the time. Too busy ridge scrambling to dismount the plywood backpack I made for prospecting. I had a full gallon of water in it. Putting off drinking for several hours, as soon as I took my first gulp my head pounded with my heartbeat, I got dizzy, and proceeded to sit down to rest. Sipping water for about 20 minutes before I got back up for the rest of the down mountain solo journey.

After that trip to The Palen Mountains CA I kept my canteen handier, and carried salt.

Anybody worth his salt who talks water logistics knows why in hot traversed terrain.
 
One drilled well powered by solar. Two shallow wells, powered by bucket.
The rain falls on the good and th bad alike.

The Troke is right though: three days without water and 90% are fooked.

Gonna be a problem for a liberal shithole under siege.
No food
No water
No ‘lectricity
Not a single luxury
 

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
MSR SE200 Chlorine Maker for Global Health and Emergency Water Treatment

Storing 'dried bleach' aka pool shock presents long term corrosion problems. The material breaks down and releases Chlorine gas, which is highly corrosive. I have a melting ammo can to prove it.
Ready made bleach has a relatively short shelf life (6 months to a year) after which it rapidly loses potency.

The above referenced equipment allows one to make their own chlorine solution for water pruification using just water, table salt and a source of 12V electricity. (Car battery, solar panels, etc)

That thing is $250!!!
Somebody needs to figure out how it works and publish or post here.
What strength salt in the water, is it just straight 12v, any current limiting?
 

JF&P

Deceased
Partially due to my long participation here at TB2K my home purchase back in 2011 was made with water in mind.

Water was and is the driving force behind my residence/bug out location choice...I've got a creek with 24/7/365 fresh water flowing through my property....

Has TROKE not been paying attention????


LOL
 

hiwall

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well for me to transport water I will use a dolly and a 35 gallon barrel tied tight to dolly with a lid that will make it easy to move water to my house, the barrel I will use is air tight when I put the lid on it..

You are obviously stronger than me. I would not want to move 300 lbs around and likely uphill.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Well for me to transport water I will use a dolly and a 35 gallon barrel tied tight to dolly with a lid that will make it easy to move water to my house, the barrel I will use is air tight when I put the lid on it..

You *really* might want to try this before you need it. 30 gallons of water weighs around 250#. Most "dolly" wheels are small, and meant for rolling on smooth surfaces. Depending on how big/wide the dolly is, it may be fine, or very tippy and unstable.

Is the path you are planning on using smoothly paved? Level? I'm not being critical, but I suspect you might be underestimating how "easy'" this job might be, even in good weather.

Summerthyme
 

dogmanan

Inactive
You *really* might want to try this before you need it. 30 gallons of water weighs around 250#. Most "dolly" wheels are small, and meant for rolling on smooth surfaces. Depending on how big/wide the dolly is, it may be fine, or very tippy and unstable.

Is the path you are planning on using smoothly paved? Level? I'm not being critical, but I suspect you might be underestimating how "easy'" this job might be, even in good weather.

Summerthyme

That's ok , I like that you and others are pointing out every thing that you all are, it makes me think.

I have three different dolly's and one has big wide tall tires on it that I put on it just for this purpose.

One day when I thought of using them to haul the 35 gallon barrel around full of water, I went and got one and tied it on the dolly with the regular skinny wheels on it and with the weight of the full barrel it would just sink down in to the dirt and was almost in possible to move, so I went and baught some wide taller tires for one of the dolly's and it worked good then.

In most cases stuff I talk about I have already tried, because some times we all come up with ideas and they sound good in are head but when you go and put them to use they don't always work, so I always try to try out some of the ideas I come up with just to see if they work.

But that 's just me, I like to be prepared and have little to know suprises, so I try a lot of things I think up and a lot of things I read on here, that to me is what being a prepper is all about, not just buying all kinds of stuff, but trying all the stuff and the ideas you think up and the stuff you read about to see if indeed they work.. .
 

Bumblepuff

Veteran Member
If Troke thinks he's only ever seen ONE person in these past 20 years that
understands the necessity of water in a SHTF situation, he's off his meds again.

d43160eee4b57289f8745d23d0d1e586.jpg


"Of course water is important if the shit hits the fan. First, you gotta turn off the
fan. Don't forget to unplug it so you won't get electrocuted. Use a garden hose to
spray water onto the fan blades before the shit dries, cause it's a real hassle to pry
dried turds off using chopsticks when you gotta reach through fan grilles on some
models. I recommend wearing gloves when doing this, but if you can't afford a pair,
don't scratch yourself or dig for boogers afterward. Don't ask me how I know this."
 

Bps1691

Veteran Member
Went through my stash of saved documents and thought a few links here might be helpful:

How to get water from a drilled well when the power is off
https://www.thefreelibrary.com/How+...rilled+well+when+the+power+is+off.-a053545263

How To Get Well Water Without Electricity
http://www.offthegridnews.com/how-to-2/how-to-get-well-water-without-electricity/print/

Make your own deep well bucket
https://preparednessadvice.com/well/make-your-own-deep-well-bucket/

Bad Backcountry Water: Giardia, Crypto, Bacteria, Viruses
http://www.backpacking-guide.com/bad-backcountry-water.html

Drive your own freshwater well
https://www.backwoodshome.com/drive-your-own-freshwater-well/

Ultimate Guide To Solar Water Distillers: How To Make A Solar Still 101
http://all-about-water-filters.com/ultimate-guide-to-solar-water-distillation/

Disaster Preparedness and Purifying Water
https://www.clorox.com/how-to/disin...leanup/disaster-preparedness-purifying-water/

Purifying Water
https://chemicalbiological.net/water.htm

Hydration for the Apocalypse: How to Store Water for Long-Term Emergencies
https://www.artofmanliness.com/arti...how-to-store-water-for-long-term-emergencies/

Home Made Berkey Water Filter
http://www.alpharubicon.com/kids/homemadeberkeydaire.htm

And everybody ought to have this one:

FM 21-76 US ARMY SURVIVAL MANUAL
(free PDF download)
https://thesurvivalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/FM_21-76-US-army-survival-manual.pdf

…. Chapter 6 is on water

We've followed the rules of three since before Y2K. We have our own well, a generator to power pump for short-term, and other forms for water.

Water supply's stored to handle:

- 5 gal jugs for two weeks
- Water Bob to be filled up before power goes out or off of the generator if out for medium or long term
- 5 gal jugs for an additional 2 months

Purification

- Multiple water filters (sawyers for bobs, home made Berkley type bucket filter with spare filters)
- Materials to build a sand/rock filter system (for long term)
- Large kettle and fire ring to boil larger amounts of water (for long term)
- Pure Clorox rotated as per schedule
- Pool treatment (as a just in case, nothing better)

- Water barrels under all downspouts (to be used for flushing and non-potable usage)

I hated it when we finally got rid of our 18 foot diameter above ground pool because that took out a potential water source and made me switch thinking to a mile plus jaunt to the river with a game cart and plastic barrels (and yes we have three good pump type syphons and tubing stored to fill from the river)

So as far as the original posters fear that no one is ready, I think he'd find that most who frequent this site and ones like it are still concerned about and appreciate the three day rule of water and survival.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Bps1691 said:
I hated it when we finally got rid of our 18 foot diameter above ground pool because that took out a potential water source

I hear ya. We did the same with our 15 x 30 above ground pool. Wasn't thinking of using it as a water source at the time. We just wanted a larger garden spot for growing more of our own food. I could kick myself for doing that now.
 
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