Worst Case Scenario Disaster Pack (1 Viewer)

[BMAN]

Glad I happened upon this thread. Would like to add a little something here regarding hydration. We all know how important hydration is. Please keep in mind that those of us who are desert dwellers may need a lot more water, than those in less arid climates, to stay above ground. The rule of thumb I've heard way too many times is "one gallon per person per day". That rule will get you dead here. A person in the summer months in the desert can easily loose a gallon of water per hour to sweating alone. Please remember, when you feel thirsty, you're body is already one to two quarts low. STAY HYDRATED!!!!

That said, I'd like to point you all towards a form of water purification that is sooo easy, anyone, even your small children can figure it out. It's called SODIS (SOlar DISinfection). I know that many of you believe that the chemicals in plastic water bottles are more evil than good and that the bottles break down and leach bad juju into the water they contain, but I suggest that they can be more beneficial than you might think. And, I will also suggest that the leaching of "poisons" from the bottles has less ill-effect on our bodies than the actual water that comes in them.

Please check out some SODIS information here: http://www.sodis.ch/files/SODIS_pamphlet_e.pdf

and here: http://www.sodis.ch/Text2002/T-TheMethod.htm

And do a Google search for more info. It's a proccess that's saving thousands everyday, and maybe it could help save you someday.

 

[Bogo]

Water storage idea for home.

Get a couple food grade plastic barrels and store them in the corner of the garage. Another option is to use steel drums with food grade plastic liners. Steel drums being less likely to get punctured when struck by flying debris when your house gets ripped apart. Stainless steel drums are available, but expensive.

Now, here is an idea for a more automated storage for the home. Get a well pressure tank and a check valve. On the cold water inlet to your house install the check valve just after the water meter. This is to prevent water from leaving your system when the municipal water supply fails. Somewhere after the check valve and in your cold water system add the pressure tank. If you can get a pressure tank that has an inlet and outlet, then plumb it inline. I recommend diaphragm style tanks. I'm going to be installing something similar due to pressure drops on my rural water supply. When the cattle are drinking I get significant pressure changes. The cattle warters have 1" inlet valves and when they open up pressure in the house drops allot.

 

[Bogo]

SODIS reminded me of Solar Distill. The basic design has a source water reservoir, boiling tubes, condenser tube, and clean water reservoir. The condenser tube needs to be in the shade with good air flow. It helps allot to enclose the boiling tubes in a glass faced shallow box and paint them and the insides of the box black to better absorb heat. It also helps to make the boiling tubes easy to clean out as junk will get left behind when you boil the water in them. The condenser tube needs to be long, and not have any places where water will pool in it. If you want dimensions, etc. I suggest googling.

 

[mj1015]

Water storage idea for home.



Now, here is an idea for a more automated storage for the home. Get a well pressure tank and a check valve. On the cold water inlet to your house install the check valve just after the water meter. This is to prevent water from leaving your system when the municipal water supply fails. Somewhere after the check valve and in your cold water system add the pressure tank. If you can get a pressure tank that has an inlet and outlet, then plumb it inline. I recommend diaphragm style tanks. I'm going to be installing something similar due to pressure drops on my rural water supply. When the cattle are drinking I get significant pressure changes. The cattle warters have 1" inlet valves and when they open up pressure in the house drops allot.

We ran pretty much this same system with the addition of a pump at our house in Sarajevo and it worked pretty well. The city water would only be on sporadically, but when it was on it filled the storage tanks.

 

[carboncycles]

surprised that i didnt see anyone mention glow or chemsticks

 

[1911]

 

[Helipilot]

Some really good ideas and suggestions here...Thanks @1911
and @johnsnowkornar for the resurrection.