Category: Water Storage & Filters

Letter Re: Grateful for SurvivalBlog in Australia

Dear James,   I read much of your blog site and started to get prepared two years ago when the financial crisis first hit.  Now, while staying dry enough, I am surrounded by flooded towns and washed out roads and bridges.  So much of what you have written is of value here right now.  I thought you would appreciate an on-the spot report.  Now my friends are scrambling and I don’t look like such a fool.      We in Jandowae have potable water but our nearest neighbouring town, Dalby was trucking in a million litres a day.  Even locally …


Letter Re: Intestinal Parasites and Water Filtration

Hi James, I thought I would pass this one along: Intestinal Parasites May Be Causing Your Energy Slump. This article talks about intestinal parasites, many of which are found in our drinking water, and their effects on chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This is one good reason for people to start using their Berkey filters on a regular basis and also start cleansing their bodies of these parasites. I have my filter in the closet, but after reading this I think I will put it on the counter and start using it to filter my tap water. I …


Letter Re: A Well Pump Failure Dry Run

Jim,   In the event that your readers are not aware of a well pump protection device known as the Pumptec, this is a very simple device that you cannot afford to be without.  The Pumptec senses sudden changes in amperage draw from the well pump and will automatically shut the power off to the well pump in the event the well runs dry or other conditions cause a high or sudden change in current draw.  Here is more information on the Pumptec, and some more maker information.    A real nice feature about this device is that it comes equipped …


Letter Re: Taking the Plunge and Buying a Rural Retreat

James,   I may be a little late to the party, but I have spent a considerable time lately worrying about what to do if this economy of ours crashes.  I started thinking about what I would do if TSHTF. I had no answer. I have read about lot of peoples concern over solar flares, and 2012 scenarios, and while they may happen, I am more convinced of the coming collapse of the dollar and the global economy. I think this is much more of a probability and certainly less speculative that the other fears—at least at the moment. So, …


A Well Pump Failure Dry Run, by Major Dad

My wife and I woke up on Christmas morning to discover that we had no running water in our Alaskan home.  When we checked out the problem, we discovered that the pump to our well was not functioning.  Waking up to find we had fuses blown and mud in the water lines is always great news, especially on Christmas morning.  It seems that some recent small earthquakes in our area had messed with our water table, and where once we had water, now we have silt, sand and mud.  Of course, all of this comes to light on Christmas Day when all the stores and businesses were closed.  So we got to spend …


No Matter Where You Live, The Most Important Thing Is, by E-Grandma

America, Australia, Europe or Antarctica. No Matter Where You Live, The Most Important Thing Is… Water?  Food?  Firearms?  A good Bug-out Location, or reliable vehicle to get to it?  There are probably as many answers to the important question of  what the most important thing to have in a survival situation as there are those who would call themselves Survivalists.  Go to any internet board which purports to be survivalist-related, and you will see many conversations telling the new and scared Survivalist- wannabe what they need to have in order to make it past the pole shift, the imminent crash …


Letter Re: California’s Water Filter Ban

Mr. Rawles, My name is Christian and I live in California. I have been reading SurvivalBlog for some time now. I am currently serving in the National Guard. I was wondering if you knew why California does not allow Big Berkey filters and most ceramic filters to be shipped to California. Do you have recommendations for another one? As you well know, California is in a grave financial situation–one that could have catastrophic consequences. Prepping in California has been a way of life because of earthquakes, and recently wildfires. Thank You. Sincerely, – Christian R. JWR Replies: Your question went …


Water is Life, by Damon S.

If you have to bug out, bug in, or even just hang out in the Superdome with the other hurricane survivors, you can go for 10 days or more without food.  It will be unpleasant, you will feel ill, unhappy, and desperate.  You will, however, live if you get a reliable supply of food within a few weeks of your TEOTWAWKI event. Water, however, is a different story.  It’s not just something you use to bathe, wash your car, or do the dishes.  It is, literally, the elixir of life.  You will die if you go four, maybe five days …


Budget Survival: The Ins and Outs, by J. Lewis

Where to Begin First, take into account how many mouths you have to feed, what resources you currently have available and what resources will be available if SHTF in your current location.  Figure out a monthly budget that includes money coming in, bills going out, and what you have left over.  This will give you an idea of where you can trim the fat. (We will cover more on this later.)  Next, take an inventory of you already have that will be useful if SHTF, such as lighters, matches, wool clothing or blankets, canned food.  If you have camping gear, …


The Disappearance of the Anasazi Explained, by Ben F.

Staring at the “Arrival: Imminent” message flashing on the screen of my Garmin Etrex, I stumbled into the canyon below the Banister Ruins cliff dwellings in Grand Gulch Utah at about midnight. I couldn’t be sure where I was, because darkness obscured the familiar landmark of the ruins. I dropped the 50-lb pack with 10 days of freeze-dried foods and other paraphernalia, marked the spot on the e-Trex GPS, and then tried to follow the shifting arrow to the spring that was supposed to be there.     Instead, I would confront an 800-year-old secret for which my technology would be no …


Letter Re: Question on Shelf Life of Water Stored in Bottles

Good Afternoon, Having purchased the The “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, you asked for some feedback. I think the most concise way to put it is that I started out with a list of around 95 questions about preparedness. And that list was growing at the rate of about one question a day. After reading the binder and listening to the audio CD, I am left with precisely one question. The “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course is worth every dime as far as I’m concerned. There is one more “preppie” (no pun intended) spending about $10 a week …


Survival Through Adaptation, by Jason G.

Regardless of what you may or may not believe about evolution, it’s hard to argue that the organisms best able to adapt to changes in their environment are generally the ones that survive.  While organisms with less intelligence do this over generations, we humans were gifted with the ability to think and adapt on the fly.  Sometimes this is not a good thing when we are manipulating currency on the fly or making decisions that can adversely affect our survival.  But dealing with those circumstances with adaptive ability is the other edge of said sword. After TSHTF neither I, nor …


Letter Re: From Beginner to Fully Stocked Prepper

Jim: This was a great article, but I have one technical question that I’m sure others do as well: the author advises using pool shock to create bleach, and then to use that bleach to disinfect water. But what amount of pool shock creates a standard gallon of bleach? Thanks, Dan. JWR Replies: This letter in the SurvivalBlog archives describes how one 50 pound bucket of hydrated Sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione “Pool Shock” can be used to treat up to four million gallons of pre-filtered water.


Beer Brewing Basics, by Doctus

“Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”” – Benjamin Franklin, 1779 letter to André Morellet Beer has been a coveted drink from time immemorial.  It has witnessed the rise and fall of many great nations.  It has been the start of relationships and the ruin of marriages.  It is full of memories and yet causes selective amnesia.  Beer is ingrained in us and in a certain sense is a part of …


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

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It’s easy to see that the world may be heading for more trouble, and we need to prepare for hard times ahead.  But it can be daunting to decide what to do, what to stock, and when to get it. I’ve been working at this a while, and I’ve figured out a simple balance in what to buy, and when to buy it, that I think will help other Preppers move ahead with confidence. You could call it my 100/1,000/10,000 system, and I hope it helps you get going, and get to a place where you feel more prepared for …