Category: Water Storage & Filters

Leter Re: A Few Thoughts on Water Storage

Editor, After reading a recent article on SurvivalBlog about keeping stored water clean, I thought I’d mention my experience with that. While living in the Colorado mountains, my water source was from a short stream running from a spring. This filtered water was pumped into a 1,000-gallon tank in my basement. All surface water is subject to some contamination, but in all the years it was used it never gave me any problems. I finally had it tested, and the bacteria count was some 50 times what was allowed. After that test, I figured I was living on borrowed time …


Letter Re: A Few Thoughts on Water Storage

Hugh, NP’s post on water storage was excellent. I live in southeast Washington and have been working on the water storage issue for a while now. My water comes from two sources– city water and gravity-fed irrigation that comes out of the Columbia River. I’ve been toying with the idea of burying an underground water tank in my backyard and connecting my city water directly to the tank on one end and piping it to the house on the other. It would work much like a toilet tank; as I used my water, a valve would open and refill the …


A Few Thoughts on Water Storage, by N.P.

Dear HJL, The referenced article was pretty complete and detailed; I just want to add a couple of details. First, when I fill my storage tank with the intent of leaving it unattended and unused for a long period of time, I usually dose the water to about 7 PPM Chlorine. Then I check it every time I visit my distant retreat, supplementing the chlorine dose if the reading gets to 2 PPM or less. Levels at and above 7 PPM are dangerous to your health but draining the right amount of water and adding untreated water to the tank …


Letter Re: A Few Thoughts on Water Storage

Hugh, I reuse polyethelene 2.5-gallon theatrical fog fluid tanks for water storage. The fog fluid is a glycol, and the tank will smell for a while. I first rinse the tanks to get all the gross product residues out. I then begin a leaching process by filling the tank with very hot water and let it sit until cool. I then repeat the process multiple times until there is no smell. I do two more leachings after that. Another point that I thought was missed is biofilms. These, like slimes, adhear to the walls and are almost impossible to get …


A Few Thoughts on Water Storage, by N.P.

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I’d like to discuss a few ideas about water storage and describe what I’ve decided to do in our situation. My background, since most of this is my opinion, is that I work as the chemist (meaning I manage the water treatment systems) in a large power plant, hold the highest drinking water license possible in the state where I live, and am a degreed microbiologist. I’ve dealt with various water treatment systems for awhile. I don’t claim to know everything, but I do think that I’ve learned some things, and I hope to pass along a few ideas and …


Systematic Efforts by the U.S. Forest Service to Take Control of Private Water Rights, by W.W.

Jamal Utah I am writing today to inform the readers of this blog about systematic efforts by the U.S. Forest Service (“F.S.”) to take control of private water rights. Recently, this blog made mention of efforts to institute the “public trust doctrine” in California. In Colorado, we have been fighting ballot initiatives concerning the public trust doctrine for years. While the public trust doctrine issue is increasingly concerning, I am writing today about what I feel is a potentially even greater threat to private water rights. In the last few years the U.S. Forest Service has been quietly revising its …


Two Letters Re: Toledo Water Crisis

Hugh, The WHO article you mentioned says there’s another way to purify water tainted with microcystins, and it’s one of my favorite water purification methods because it can also be used as a wound cleanse, an antiseptic solution, an anti-fungal treatment for the hands and feet, a cholera disinfectant, a treatment for canker sores, a fire starter, and even a snow marker for an emergency signal. On top of all that, it’s less expensive per pound than calcium hypochlorite. What is this wonder chemical? Potassium Permanganate (KMNO4) 98% 1lbPotassium Permanganate, also called “permanganate of potash” or “Condy’s crystals.” Read more …


Letter: SHTF Water-Related Questions

Jim I keep hundreds of coffee filters at my house and quite a few in the BOB to extend the life of the Katadyn ceramic water filter when it comes down to that. Could a reusable gold-screen coffee filter basket be deployed to pre-filter water in a survival situation (with possibly other applications I’m not thinking of yet)? I have one I no longer use but nothing goes in the BOB unless it will serve well. My wife tolerates a giant stash of coffee filters because I use them every day, but she is less tolerant of salt accumulation, whether …


Home Brewing for SHTF, by C.K.

(Preface by HJL: SurvivalBlog neither condones nor condemns alcohol consumption. However, we stand by a biblical perspective that takes a strong stance against drunkenness. There are serious issues that must be weighed in regards to alcohol consumption and commerce, and each reader should measure them carefully to know whether home brewing is for you or not.) What is home brewing? I am not talking about brewing your favorite cup of coffee or tea; I am referring to the growing hobby of brewing beer, wine, and other spirits at home. There are many advantages of brewing in SHTF. However, like other …


Letter Re: Gravity Fed Water Systems

Editor, A good and useful post by J.S. I always appreciate articles by those who have lived and used what they are proposing. As an irrigation contractor I built and used a homemade water system for a couple of decades in the Colorado mountains and can offer a few further ideas. For an infiltration gallery, I dug a small trench under the spring/small stream I had on the property and placed in the bottom 10′ of 4″ perforated flexible plastic drain pipe that came with a mesh “sock” around it. This pipe is used in French darins and the like. …


Gravity Fed Water Systems, by J.S.

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Gravity systems are simple but very complex at the same time. Having lived on spring water that was fed by gravity for over 50 years, I have some experience in making these systems work and easy to maintain. I hope that my simple overview will help you design, build, and enjoy a gravity-fed system, too. There are four basic elements to a gravity water system: source, intake, sediment removal, and storage. Of course, you may have to deal with some troubleshooting down the road as well. Source The source can be any supply of free water. Spring, creeks, lakes, rivers …


Letter Re: The Water Solution

I liked the article and the follow up comments noting the sanitary issue raised. My plan is to drill a hole in the bottom of the right side of the water closet tank and put a separate filler valve supplied by water from the catchment system via a separate pipe. I have an abrasive edged hole saw and am about to go test it out on some decommissioned 5-gallon flushers. It’ll be interesting to see if I can successfully drill porcelain. I think this solves the sanitary issues of hooking up a catchment supplied system in a useful way, saving …


Letter Re: The Water Solution

HJL, I enjoyed the water article by EG. I own a farm and spend a great deal of time moving water around for irrigation purposes, and, yes, water is very heavy and difficult to move. I would like to give the folks some short hand for water. First, when burying water lines, go large. The smallest line I will install is two inches, when moving water over a couple hundred feet, because there is viscosity friction that builds up inside the the pipe wall the farther you go. It costs the same amount to dig the hole and the same …


The Water Solution, by E.G.

I am writing this article because most of my friends are still living in major U.S. cities and I feel that this information could be very valuable to them. In a grid down situation, one of the most important items to have on hand is a quantity of stored water. According to the Rule of 3’s, in an extreme situation, you cannot survive three minutes without air, three hours without shelter, three days without water, and three weeks without food. I went off grid in October of last year, and I have learned a lot. I live on top of …


Letter: Clorox Changed Formula

Hi Hugh, Is the new Clorox Concentrated, splash-less bleach still recommended for purifying water? I can’t find the Clorox I bought for years. It seems all bleach is now concentrated. I am reading the blog this morning and people talking about bleaching their water (as we are taught to do). Well, it just occurred to me that the 3-pack Clorox that I bought from Sam’s Club awhile ago has not been doing the job it normally does. Yes, I know that they now have lemon and lavender, but I stay away from those. What I bought was the new “concentrated” …