Building a Backyard Water Treatment Plant, by J.S.M.

…Why not just keep a few bottles of Clorox around instead of this dangerous dry chlorine?” Understand that liquid bleach has a short shelf life. It loses its efficacy at an unacceptable rate, and within a year or two your bleach will be useless. You cannot rely on weak bleach to disinfect your water. With unknown potency, you will be playing a guessing game with ratios, and over time you will effectively have no bleach at all. Consider the following: Currently, a one pound bag of pool shock costs about $5.00 or less. This one pound bag of pool shock has an unlimited shelf life, if it is stored properly. A one pound bag of pool shock will make 128 gallons of stock chlorine solution, the equivalent of 128 gallons of bleach. This 128 gallons of stock chlorine solution will disinfect 12,800 gallons of contaminated water. If you factor in…




Home Water Storage on a Budget, by KC Seven

…out of a garden hose… The following is my way to sanitize a used container and not necessarily The way sanitizing is to be done. Please check the ever credible internet for a method that suites you. Here’s how I do it: Disclaimer: When I use the term Bleach in this article I am referring to 5.25% or 8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite or what is commonly known as regular or plain household bleach. DO NOT use the Scented bleaches, High Efficiency bleach, Splash-Less Bleach or any other intended for laundry purposes or those intended for commercial or industrial use! Do not sanitize with bleach if you are allergic to chlorine bleach. And, of course: “…your mileage may vary, see dealer for details, batteries not included, some assembly required.” 1.) Wash: using dish detergent and warm water. Warning, do not use hot water as temps over 110 degrees tend to stretch, disfigure…




Letter Re: Purifying Water with Bleach

Mr. Rawles, I’ve received and read the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course package. It made me think twice about a few things, since I do most of my prepping at Costco. I notice that someone has already mentioned the vitamin thing. Thanks for the tip about bear liver! I also noticed that you recommended having bleach on hand, and in the storage life section, bleach is listed as having an indefinite shelf life. I’m sure you already know that is not the case. Regular liquid bleach is not stable, it breaks down gradually and eventually becomes just salt water over a period of 2 years, it’s still usable at 1 year but you must use twice as much. We think dry swimming pool shock is better than liquid bleach because calcium hypochlorite will store in dry form nearly indefinitely (10 years), whereas liquid chlorine bleach loses half of it’s…




Letter Re: Chlorine Bleach and Its Uses

…mixed to make almost 1,400 liters of standard bleach solution.  [Which is enough to treat many thousands of gallons of water!] A one-pound box makes just under 165 gallons. You must be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN to get the pool shock that only contains Calcium Chlorite.  The other types of Chlorine, Tri-Chlor and Di-Chlor are not suitable for this. Be advised that this stuff is a powerful oxidizer, and should be stored in dry container, sealed away from moisture.  It can also catch fire violently if put in contact with brake fluid and similar substances, so be careful.  But the increased shelf life and mess-free storage, in my opinion, outweigh any negatives. – JN JWR Replies: I concur wholeheartedly that bleach is important to store for family preparedness. One important proviso: You want to buy only plain bleach–not bleach with scent or any other additives that could be poisonous. Be sure to check…




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

…if I was force to break my self quarantine. 10% bleach solution, fast acting (wet and let dry) Sources, house hold bleach, calcium hypochlorinate (pool shock, dirt cheap) Suggest a extra strong mix as pool shock comes medium to high concentrations (55 to 75%). Better to be too strong than not strong enough. One level tablespoon per one gallon, and dilute with 9 gallons of water will make a 10%, or stronger bleach solution. One pound makes 320 gallons of 10% + solution. $3.50/lbs. Sanifect-128, 1 oz per gallon, makes 32 gallons, slow acting (10 minutes). Pleasant to use, but expensive compared to bleach. Shop around. This one is $86.00 for 32 oz. of concentrate. lmddisastersurvivalkits(dot)com/sanifect-123.html **** Plus, this comment. = “A note about bleach. The chlorine in bleach solutions off gases fairly quick. To guarantee a high enough concentration to kill virus and bacteria reliably, store in a closed…




Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Swimming Pool Chlorine for Treating Drinking Water

Mr. Rawles, I want to buy some pool chlorine crystals for long term storage. Holly Deyo’s book had a formula for purifying large amounts of water with this product, but how would I make a chlorine bleach substitute that could be used to purify smaller quantities of water or as laundry bleach? Is there an amount in grains or grams that could be used to make up, say, five gallons at a time? I know store bought laundry bleach like Clorox has a limited shelf life, so I wanted to be able to make [my own hypochlorite solution.] Thank you for any information you could provide. – CG in North Carolina JWR Replies: Calcium hypochlorite is available from any swimming pool supply company. A granular (dry powder) “pool shock” product that lists only Calcium Hypochlorite as the active ingredient should be safe to use for water purification. The problem with…




Letter Re: Dry Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) Bleach for Disinfecting Water

…I had some liquid chlorine bleach stored. It actually eroded out through the bottom of the plastic container. It dripped down and ate through steel mess trays underneath. Eroded completely. I remembered that chlorine is an oxidizer, and will do damage – duh ! – to organic material … hence it’s value as an antibacterial/anti-parasitic treatment. Cleaning up the dried bleach was irritating to eyes and airways. Again – duh ! – as terrorists in Baghdad have made evident. Fortunately other gear was inside contractor bags/plastic crates, and damage was minimal. But, the lesson learned was great. And contractor bags are worth every penny. They are in all our fannies, bags, and packs CERT protocols call for isolating / separating potentially caustic/toxic/flammable chemicals. Good advice. Pool shock beats the h**l outta liquid chlorine bleach. Better advice. Check your stocks / gear / supplies regularly – best advice. Thanks, – MurrDoc…




Do-It-Yourself Water Filtration, by Robert B.

Introduction: I’ve maintained a salt water reef tank for more than 10 years. The following is a improvised method that I used to process water to the point where it was acceptable for use with coral and salt water fish [before it is salinated] . Coral and salt water fish are very sensitive to toxic chemicals, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, and ammonia in some cases just  .02-20 PPM would be deadly to salt water animals, so filtration quality was key.  Improvised Water Filter Water Filtration and Storage On the run filtration Building a Water Filter Collection and Storage On the run filtration Collect water and run through several layers of cloth; then treat water with the following process: Add 8-9 drops of plain bleach per gallon. Shake up container, and let sit for 30 minutes Open container and smell for bleach. If the water does not have a light smell of bleach,…




Letter Re: Caustic Chlorine Troubles, and Using Dry Chlorine for Water Treatment

Dear Jim: As you know, ordinary chlorine bleach is an item with a multitude of potential uses in survival situations. In addition to its common use in the laundry to brighten our whites, it can also purify drinking water and serve as a general disinfectant to sanitize food preparation areas and control the spread of disease causing bacteria. Liquid chlorine bleach, however, is inconvenient to store. Only about 5.25% – 7.5% of each eight pound gallon is active sodium (or calcium) hypochlorite; the rest is just water. Yet because of the potency of its active ingredient, and the flimsiness of typical plastic bleach bottles, it poses a constant risk to everything stored near it. One potential solution is to store concentrated dry chlorine granules; commonly available as swimming pool shock treatment. Available in a wide variety of sizes, swimming pool shock treatment typically contains from 50% – 60% active calcium…




From Beginning Prepper, to Fully-Stocked Retreat: What to Buy, and When, by Scott in Wisconsin

…the 100 level preparation, save it.  When you refill that little bottle with filtered water, and add pool shock, you have a bottle of great disinfecting bleach. Each one of those 1,000 pint bottles of chlorine bleach can be added to 12 gallons of filtered water.  Let it sit 30 minutes, and you have 12 gallons of safe drinkable water. So your one pound of Pool Shock will disinfect 12,000 gallons of water. I actually have 7 pounds of Pool Shock set aside.  If things really fall apart, I plan to sell/barter pint bottles of bleach to others who are less prepared for long-term troubles.  Since I have enough Shock set aside for 7,000 bottles of bleach, I should have a nice little business, and I’ll save lives at the same time.  (I’ll never run out of bottles to put the bleach in, because the “price” of a new bottle…




Prepper Primer for Your Non-prepper Loved Ones, by T.S. – Part 2

…using standard household bleach or (2) using pool shock. To use household bleach (make sure it has no additives that make it smell like “mountain air” or “fresh grass”, those labels mean the bleach will harm you), add four drops per quart or liter, eight drops per half gallon, 16 drops per gallon (or four liters). Then stir the water, and let it stand for 30 minutes. You must be able to smell the chlorine after 30 minutes; if you cannot, repeat the steps above and let stand for 15 more minutes. If you still cannot smell chlorine, then the bleach lost its strength and you cannot use it. Double the dose for cloudy water.[2] The problem with household liquid bleach is that it looses strength really fast, within months. Therefore, we have two pounds of calcium hypochlorite powder (Pool Shock) in the garage. To use this, add 0.23 oz…




How the Average American Can Prepare for the Coming Collapse, by R.M.

…your canteens or Nalgene bottles from lakes and streams.  These are two examples of great filters for in house and on the go (bug out) use, but there are other ways to filter your water for cheaper.  The Common container of bleach (original non-fragrance) is an old standby for water purification.  Use ¼ teaspoon per gallon of water, or a full teaspoon per 4 gallons of water.  This is a cheap purifier and should leave avery slight bleach smell, this only means that it has done its job, but may not taste like it’s from the Brita.  Another more economical solution is to use “Pool Shock” a common ingredient to make pools safe to swim in and available from any pool care store, online or in your town depending on your environment.  Make sure that calcium hypochlorite is the only active ingredient in the product and at 65% with no…




Some Home Chemistry Tricks of the Trade, by RPM

…the pool tablets into a fine powder, or use already powdered bleach and with a clean funnel add one cup to the Saniflush mix.  QUICKLY cork the jug as the chlorine gas is immediately released!  The gas will bubble up into the lye water creating bleach.  As this is “meatball “ chemistry, it will be a lot stronger that your regular store bleach. Now you have some “building blocks“ to play with.  With your lye, you can now make soap if you have the animal fat.  You can also experiment with a form of biodiesel with the lye, alcohol and old cooking oils.  Then, there is an important item you can make easily.  Take one part bleach and one part alcohol and simmer in an open container, such as an old pot.  No cover will be needed but be careful of the fumes.  This should be done in the open…




Making Water Safe to Drink, by Paratrooper John

…the most accessible method of disinfection for a typical family since it is such a common product in our homes.  The bleach must not have additives such as scents, cleaners or be the “colorsafe” type. About 1/8th teaspoon can be added to a gallon of water.  (16 drops if you have dropper.) After stirring let it sit for at least 30 minutes.  Smell the solution to get a general idea if it was done correctly.  There should be a slight chlorine smell similar to a swimming pool.  If you do not smell the chlorine then you can repeat the procedure.  If it still does not work the second time around then the bleach is probably not effective anymore.  Bleach does not have a particular long shelf life especially after opening the container.  “MrJmfitch” created a video of the bleach technique:  Chlorine Bleach Disinfection Iodine tincture solution is a handy item…




Prepare or Die, by J. Britely

…no cooking is possible.  Other stoves are suggested below under food.  To sterilize water with bleach use 2 drops of plain unscented bleach per quart of water (or 8 drops per gallon or 1‚ÅÑ4 tsp per 2 gallons).  If you don’t have a dropper you can wet a paper towel and then drip it (wear gloves).  Let the water sit for 20 minutes and then smell it.  If it smells like chorine then its good to go.  If it doesn’t, repeat with the same amount of bleach.  If that doesn’t work try to find other water.  (Really bad water or salt water requires a still.)  Bleach is cheap but does not last forever – rotate.  Dry Calcium Hypochlorite {sold as “pool shock” bleach) stores much better than liquid bleach but requires an additional step of mixing a solution. (It provides a very inexpensive long term solution to water treatment). There…