Letter Re: Clarification on Calcium Hypochlorite for Water Purification

Hello James,
In reading your post on Tuesday May 16th on Water Purification, I have done some looking into this important topic. The link you provided from the EPA web site states below verbatim:
“Granular Calcium Hypochlorite. Add and dissolve one heaping teaspoon of high-test granular calcium hypochlorite (approximately 1/4 ounce) for each two gallons of water. The mixture will produce a stock chlorine solution of approximately 500 mg/L, since the calcium hypochlorite has an available chlorine equal to 70 percent of its weight. To disinfect water, add the chlorine solution in the ratio of one part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This is roughly equal to adding 1 pint (16 oz.) of stock chlorine to each 12.5 gallons of water to be disinfected. To remove any objectionable chlorine odor, aerate the water as described above.”
I stopped at the local pool supply store to inquire about what they would recommend for drinking water purification. I was brought to everything but Calcium Hypochlorite. I had to ask the employee if he could verify this because it is important that I not get the wrong item. He continued to say “…this is what you want…” I asked another employee that was not privy to my discussion, and she said,…. “…this here is what you want…” Again, not the product I was looking for. In fact out of four employees, I was shown four different products. The female clerk was very inquisitive and very insistent. I told her that I thought it had calcium in it and she became even more awkward. I felt as if I was to be added to some list just for wanting to purify my water. I left there with the wrong product and was asked for my name on the receipt, (I paid cash). I wanted to bring this up as my guess is that there are those who choose to do something “illegal” with this product and it makes it harder for normal law abiding folk like myself to purchase.
I stopped at the local Big Box lumber yard and they had Calcium Hypochlorite, (a.k.a. Pool Shock) it was concerning as it states 50% Calcium Hypochlorite and 50% Other Ingredients. Making it a 50% available Chlorine.
In common language, … is this adequate? It does not seem to be of the 70% goal you mentioned on your earlier post. I think there is an equation that we need that is missing. The EPA site states there is an available 70% chlorine based on weight. Is this to be constructed as true for ALL Calcium Hypochlorite being equal to this ratio? What about the 50% OTHER INGREDIENTS? To make things more confusing, they offered another brand of this that had 47% Calcium Hypochlorite.
Please help close the gap on this topic as it is such an important one. – The Wanderer

JWR Replies: The problem with most retail store employees these is that they are marginally qualified to run a cash register, but little else. To most of them pool water chemistry is an arcane art–not rational science. Don’t ask them chemistry questions!

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 other varieties is that they include other algaecide or fungicide chemicals that are probably not safe for human consumption. Ditto for using liquid bleach for the same purpose.ou want to buy Calcium Hypochlorite bleach. Do NOT buy bleach with fabric softeners, scents, et cetera. Keep in mind that bleach solutions break down and weaken with time (anticipate a 24 month shelf life), but that dry granular bleach stores indefinitely.

Re: > What about the 50% OTHER INGREDIENTS?

Those are most likely inert filler. But that may differ widely, depending on maker/brand. You’ll have to look at the label carefully. Be certain that there are no other chemicals, dyes, scents, et cetera before using any chlorine product for water purification!

Letter Re: Packing Priority and Vehicle Signs to Facilitate G.O.O.D.

I have read your blog as well as your book “Patriots” for a long time now, along with other web sites and articles. I find great information, some of which I must print out and save. I started an accordion folder with printouts, sorted by type, such as…food, shelter, skills, firepower, etc. Can’t leave these on a computer since retrieval without electricity would be impossible.
I believe the more probable catastrophe will be an economic one, possibly related to terrorist activities and have planned accordingly. I have my small retreat, eight acres in the North Georgia mountains, four acres in woods, the rest in farmable pasture land.One half acre in garden and fruit now, and another acre available prepared with little effort. I have a strong year round creek on one property line and a shallow well that gives plenty of water. I figure that if times get truly bad I can expect family nearby (as many as 15) to want to come stay with me. I cannot refuse them and am planning accordingly. I have drafted letters and e-mails to be sent last minute telling them what to expect. I tell them if they plan to come to proceed in the following manner:

1- Acquire all available cash, (savings, checking, stashed, mad money, etc)
2- Fill up one vehicle with gas. (Purchase, empty other car, lawnmower, etc)
3-Refill as much prescription drugs as they can afford, even using credit cards. Don’t worry about insurance, just pay the price.
4- Leaving just enough room for people, pack the car in this order of value:
a-Non perishable foods, spices, etc.
b-Medicines and medical devices
c-Arms and ammo, knives, axes, maintenance items,
d-Clothes, heavy duty everyday wearable, don’t forget out
of season clothes
e- Cooking and preserving items, dishes, pots, supplies
f-Any fuels and oils, kerosene, motor oil, charcoal. propane
g-Tools, battery operated items (radios)
h- Mattress (not box springs), linens, towels, etc.
i-Personal items, brushes, books, razor,
5- Have some means of communication, cell phone, C.B. or walkie-talkie for on the road.
Bottom line is: DON’T ARRIVE EMPTY HANDED. They won’t be turned away, but let them know something is expected.

I have rated each person as to capability to work and defend the homestead and expect each to do a fair share of any duty assigned. Some will be able to guard homestead, some would be of little use in that capacity, at least at first. Proper motivation and training can happen along the way.

One item that I have thought of that may not occur to others preparing is [purchasing a pair of ] magnetic [vehicle door] signs. I have several of these made up for my vehicle. One says simply— SOIL SURVEY. I have put this on the side of my truck while out scouting and placing caches and no one questions me walking about with notepad or digging tool. Best not to be seen, but sometimes hiding in plain sight is a good alternative. Other signs could include:

EMERGENCY TRANSPORT MAINTENANCE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
SURVEY
MAPPING DEPARTMENT
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
FORESTRY INSPECTION
EMVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

None of these are meant to infer any government or official capacity and if questioned, I intend to state that I am an independent contractor.The proper wording might even come in handy in a bug-out situation getting past a rookie roadblock operation.
Good luck and continued success with your endeavors. – PeacePipe in North Georgia

JWR Replies: Needless to say, folks, but never attempt to impersonate a government agent. The “private contractor” idea might work, especially if it is backed up with some business cards with your name the same job title. But honesty is the best policy. If your retreat is across state lines, then get your next driver’s license and vehicle registration in the state where you have your retreat property. There is no more compelling story–especially if it is substantiated by a state-issued driver’s license–than a truthful one: that you just want to get home. When the Schumer hits the fan, you will be referring to your second home–that you will doubtless want to make your full time residence.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I recently heard the following sad tale from a reader: “My retreat property in Oregon burned to the ground last year. I had a friend call and tell me he saw [footage of] my chimney on Fox News. Fortunately, I didn’t have much [stored] in the house, and my four forty-foot (CONEX) storage trailers came throughout without a scratch, praise God. Regarding our planned rebuilding, we anticipate purchasing a manufactured house, which has concrete board siding and a fiberglass composition tile roof, which is fairly fireproof, but not able to stop anything with any velocity. We anticipate going underground for the disappearance mode, as this location already has an 8’x8’x20′ concrete “root cellar” that the previous owner had built.”

By coincidence, the same day another SurvivalBlog reader mentioned a link that he saw in the latest Progressive Farmer magazine for www.metalroofs.com. They even make metal faux slates and metal faux shakes. My advice: If you have a shake or other combustible roof, replace it with a relatively fireproof roof!

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A reminder that Ready Made Resources is brokering the sale of a very hard to find upgraded P-10 self-contained underground NBC shelter.They are selling it on behalf of an acquaintance. When sold new, these shelters sell for $100,000 with all of the options included in this one, such as the 1,000 gallon water tank and Level 4 protective entry door. (Cutting torch and .308 bullet proof!) These very rarely come up for sale in used condition, so don’t miss this chance to buy one for only one-fourth of what it would cost to buy one new. It is being sold “on site”, so you would have to pay for hauling. (About $4,000 to the Midwest, or $6,000 to the West Coast.) Please mention that you saw it on SurvivalBlog for a nifty bonus.

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Reader SH mentioned this article from Field and Stream magazine about assembling do-it-yourself outdoor survival kits.

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By way of The Claire Files, comes a link to this Reuters wire article: Containers pile up as imports from China soar. I guess the only good news is that this glut has pushed the price of surplus CONEX containers dow. They have lots of uses around a retreat. I’ve seen them used as storage sheds, improvised houses, hay barns, wood sheds, and as underground blast shelters (at least in locales with well drained soil.)

 

Note From JWR:

The bidding in the the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a copy “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, ($149 retail) is currently bid at just $20. The course was donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. Please submit your bids via e-mail. This auction ends on September 15th

Letter Re: Camouflaged Swiss Bunkers

Dear Mr. Rawles,
Regarding your mention of Swiss mountain bunkers on August 1st, you might be interested to know that the Swiss photographer Christian Schwager published a book on camouflaged Swiss bunkers, and also had several exhibits including one in Zurich at the Swiss Museum of Design (Museum fuer Gestaltung). A lot of bunkers were nearer to the northern borders, so there was also a lot of urban camouflage. Since the bunker designs were [tailored] due to individual units, there is a lot of variation and a range of folk artistry (so to speak). Some photos were of high valleys with half a dozen farm buildings along a road, half of which were camouflaged bunkers and basically impossible to detect. Concrete walls up to a meter or more thick meant that the interior space in smaller bunkers was just about enough for the gun and little else. Some of these bunkers have been sold into private hands, so that is a level of security (if not comfort) that would be impossible to attain on a private budget.
A lot of Swiss regard their mandatory bomb shelters as good wine cellars, there are increasing moves towards gun control, and there is pressure to join the larger EU community – but underneath it all I think that the militia army and spirit of independence continue to maintain Swiss traditions. Just like in the US, there is a split between the large (for Switzerland) cities and the countryside (e.g. the mountain cantons), and the immigration of troublesome minorities is very much an issue. The difference is much stricter government control of immigration (i.e. identity documents required to work or obtain residence), and a policy of integration. Still, a country where citizens in uniform or plainclothes can carry a (real) assault rifle down the train platform without causing a panic is refreshing.
Appreciate your site and all the information you provide, Best Regards, – W.S.

Letter Re: Recommendations on Solar Battery Chargers?

Jim,
Could you maybe put the word out as to where to find a good reasonably priced solar panel for charging Ni-MH batteries? Thanks. – Gung Ho

JWR Replies: I recommend Ready Made Resources for solar battery chargers, although there are several other Internet vendors that sell comparable products. But I can vouch for RMR’s reliability and customer service. If you are on a budget RMR’s compact Universal Solar Charger at under $28 is the way to go. But this model charges just two batteries at a time. If you have a bigger budget, any of the Global Solar brand flexible amorphous panels (available in a variety of sizes between 12 and 55 watt output) would be a good choice. For continuous duty and outdoor installations, I would recommend only Monocrystalline panels, but an amorphous panel hung up in a sunny house window or spread out on a car dashboard will give you many years of service for typical battery charging use.

Letter Re: U.S. Military Surplus Backpack VHF Transceivers

Jim and Memsahib:
I talked with a fellow on 6 meters FM yesterday. He is a military radio collector. I wish that you could have heard this conversation. He collects everything, and has about every military radio. He said that he stopped buying more a few years ago because the prices got too high. After 9-11 prices skyrocketed. He also said the AN/PRC-77 is one of the radios to stay away from. The blow out their finals too easily. The older AN/PRC-25 is much better. Also that the new AN/PRC-168 are superior [in reliability to the AN/PRC-77.] Also, he said to look at the SEM-35. This is the German equivalent of our PRC-25 but made a bit better. Also, he said the government is now purposely pulling parts out of the AN/PRC-75s and AN/PRC-77s before selling them as surplus that they so they won’t work.

OBTW, I went to the ham radio flea market at De Anza [College, in Northern California] on Saturday. I saw a AN/PRC-25. Way cool! It will work from 30Mhz to 70Mhz. I love the controls; very
positive. The guy wanted $350, with two Ni-Cd battery packs. – Fred The Valmet-meister

Odds ‘n Sods:

The White House warns: a weak strain of Asian Avian Flu may already be in the U.S.

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SurvivalBlog reader MP dropped me a line and mentioned that Orson Scott Card, the author of the military sci-fi classic “Ender’s Game,” has posted the first five chapters for his newest book, “Empire.” From the description on Card’s web page: “The American Empire has grown too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point. The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone. The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side and militia foot soldiers on the other, devastating the cities and overrunning the countryside.”

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Money and Markets reports: Major Condo Development Company Predicts Collapse

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E-mail me your favorite quotes, and I’ll post them.

Note From JWR:

Today we present an article for Round 6 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, (normally $149) generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If you want a chance to win Round 6, start writing and e-mail us your article. Round 6 will end on September 30th. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

The Pros and Cons of Government Service in TEOTWAWKI, by Jeremy G.

In 1976 Ronald Reagan said “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.””

Why do so many of us agree with these words?
Is our innate distrust of an organization that’s takes our hard earned money and uses it to restrict our rights and freedoms because “we need to be protected from ourselves”? Is it that we have seen how government agencies perform in major disasters like hurricane Katrina and we fear that we would receive the same treatment in a SHTF scenario? Or is it that the government has the power and resources to make us do what they want (or at least they think they do)?

Many of us have prepared for our own and our families survival in the event of man made or natural disasters. If we can agree that we don’t want the government and their “helping” agencies taking control of our lives, possessions and freedoms when TSHTF, what can we do to prevent it? Jim Rawles has said on many occasions that we can vote with our feet and leave states or countries whose political leanings don’t match our own. On Election Day we have been casting our paper vote but that doesn’t seem to be working too well so what other options do we have?

To paraphrase Sun Tzu, you need to know your enemy and the best way to do that is from within his ranks.

Before you switch off, consider this: Who is more likely to be escorted to a refugee camp when stopped at a check point? a) a family in a 4×4 with cartons of food, guns, ammo, medicals supplies and civilian ID or b) a family in a 4×4 with red/blue beacons on the dash board, a Civil Defence/Fire Department/Sheriff Deputy/Search and Rescue/Crisis Management sticker on the doors and a matching ID card. If you act like you are supposed to be there and appear know what you are talking about you will probably be able to get through unmolested.

Being part of the government doesn’t necessarily mean being a governor, senator or even a full time employee. Jobs that might suit include:
Armed forces reserves
Emergency services (police, fire, and ambulance)
Local government (mayor, town council member)
Crisis Management teams
Search and Rescue

However: consider that you must be able to leave for your retreat without the additional problem of being recorded as a deserter. If you bugged out and it subsequently turned out to be a false alarm or the disaster ended, you don’t want “DESERTER” attached to your permanent record.

Benefits of working for the government include:
Job security
Good pay (or at least regular pay)
Free training (medical, rescue, risk management, emergency planning etc)
Access to various equipment & supplies
Networking with other agencies and government employees (knowing the local Sheriff and deputies by name can’t hurt)
More access to restricted areas (using lights & sirens when bugging out or even familiarization with areas the general populace aren’t aware of)
More likely to be left alone (attitude, knowledge and an ID to back it up can be a big advantage)
More information (emergency plans, strategies…maybe help develop them to create protected routes for yourself)

Besides these benefits you could corrupt the government by actually helping your fellow citizens. Many of the events we are preparing for are not necessarily instant TEOTWAWKI events and society is unlikely to crash over night. You can work from within the system to maximize freedoms and information sharing until it gets too bad and as a bonus you can be fairly sure that government employees will be paid for longer than private employees (even if the money becomes worthless.) If enough people with a survival mentality are in government jobs they will have the resources to guide the population into that way of thinking, for example, if a local council had five members who were survival oriented, there could conceivably be stores of water, food and medical supplies created instead of new statues; local tax incentives for home solar power and water; Appleseed shooting programs at the local gun club and many more programs that would help the community as a whole while leaving you and your family safer and better prepared.

A final word from Sun Tzu: “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

 

Letter Re: Australian Podcast on Peak Oil

Jim,
There’s an excellent, very recent Peak Oil multi-part podcast at the Australian ABC site listed below. I found it informative, and also a good way to brake the news to my wife. She’s a type A personality that works ALL the time, but she doesn’t particularly keep up with world events. (Yes, it’s my fault. I should’ve brought her into the fold long ago.) It brought her to tears. Now I feel bad because I didn’t expect that…but, it had to be done. Since she’s a survivor, and smarter than I am, it’ll be good to have her help in future events!

SurvivalBlog.com is a great web site too; thank you for all the information there. Regards, – C.M.

 

Comment About Fluoride Toothpaste in Preparedness Course

Jim,
Very nice job on the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course! I am enjoying it thoroughly. I feel as you do about Fluoride in toothpaste. It is extremely toxic. I believe a bottle of it ingested will send you to the hospital and possibly cause death. I found a better way; I put some baking soda on a moist tooth brush, and then pour a dab of food grade 3.5 percent hydrogen peroxide on it. Makes for a great cleaning! A word of caution though. The hydrogen peroxide you buy in the drug store has nasty stabilizers in it. I get food grade which comes at 36 percent strength rather than the 3.5 percent at the drug store, and then dilute it to the proper 3.5 percent strength. It is very important that family members don’t mistake this concentrated bottle for the drug store variety as it will burn skin! Be cautious when performing the dilution. Also, when diluting it the water should be filtered so there is no chlorine in it. Additionally, do not freeze it with thoughts of greater preservation since the hydrogen and oxygen will separate. Store with the caps somewhat loose due to gradual expansion of gas, but keep the bottle in a plastic bag, in a dark cool place. Like anything in life, handling food grade hydrogen peroxide requires personal responsibility. I urge folk to do their own responsible research on this and not accept my view “as gospel”. Also, as you research you will find there are also other great uses for hydrogen peroxide which Big Pharma would find to be a risk to their profitability. – B.F.

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader Alfie Omega mentioned this news story: Global Food Supply Near the Breaking Point. The story begins: “The world is now eating more food than farmers grow, pushing global grain stocks to their lowest level in 30 years. Rising population, water shortages, climate change, and the growing costs of fossil fuel-based fertilizers point to a calamitous shortfall in the world’s grain supplies in the near future, according to Canada’s National Farmers Union (NFU).”

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Four interesting pieces of economic analysis/commentary have recently been posted at Gold-Eagle.com: The Calm Before the Storm, by Aubie Baltin, Money and Power Lining Up at The Gold & Base Metal Window, by Ken Gerbino, The Dollar’s Survival Depends On Higher Interest Rate Policy, by Jay Taylor, and The Trend is Your Friend? Hardly, by Randolph Buss. Methinks the economic worm is about to turn. Be prepared. Invest in tangibles. Avoid debt. Pray hard.

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I just started reading a very interesting book on U.S. political demographics, titled “The Great Divide: Retro Versus Metro America“, by John Sperling. (2004, PoliPoint Press.) It studies the whole “red state/blue state” divide, in detail. (Economics, religion, gender, ethnic diversity, union membership, environmental issues, et cetera.) The book comes with a nifty CD-ROM. It is written from a liberal/progressive perspective, so I must admit that I am enjoying the raw data and at the maps more than I am the commentary. Parenthetically, a lot of what I’m seeing in the book’s data and maps squares nicely with my research for my upcoming “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” non-fiction book. Sperling’s collected demographic data supports my selections for retreat locales.