Food and Water Storage containers

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Wheeler44]

Dang I'm glad I don't live in the city...

In reality 1 gal per day and you're good to go......Making a gallon of water should be in everybody's skillset.....Pretty easy on a day like today.
W44

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Wheeler44]

Good idea on "making" water. We didn't mention suspending plastic sheets over the lawn, weighting them at one place, and catching the dripping water from the underside. They will also catch water when it rains...

or dig a shallow hole, put a cup in it, put the plastic sheet over it. place a pebble on the sheeting over the cup..................Condensation runs into the cup.....When your "water generator" slows down, add leafy greens and continue....

Sham-wow and the windows in a car....

Not to mention the numerous ways to purify water for drinking....

Dyin' of thirst anywhere west of the Cascades is a Darwin thing....

W44

On a related note..The Haida and other natives here(regionally) stored water on their canoes in bentwood boxes....And used the thigh bone of a heron for a straw ......Note; additional bonus survivor points if you learn how to make a bentwood box before your next "personal emergency"...

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Wheeler44]

If from danger you are trapped on your own city lot - bugging in if you will - gonna have to get creative.

$.02

Creativity is good in any situation....

Scenario (I hate scenarios); Disaster strikes......almost all cities are gravity feed....there is an enormous amount of water between my house and the reservoir, so it's as pure as it ever is..for a while.

Steps to take;
1. fill bath tub, sinks, washing machine and any containers (pots, pans, buckets, tubs, plastic bags in boxes for support .etc...)This is "utility water" cleaning, sanitation..source for drinking water after purification.

2. Shut off water supply to home.

3. shut off water supply to hot water tank (this is your 50 + gals drinking water so keep it "bled" and well maintained before your next "personal emergency")..

4. locate the lowest part of the supply side plumbing in your house' this is where you will tap into the "reserve" that you have stored in your plumbing.

5..MOST IMPORTANT STEP>>>>>make sure that those around you are following these safety rules(Appleseed reference)....In other words, make sure that your neighbor has plenty and he won't want yours...Help him enough and he might just have your back someday...

Regardless...in the event of any emergency large or small..we all fare better if we help each other out..Usually we end up exiting the situation quicker and in a better manner...

W44....

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Wheeler44]

You can dip from a drilled well, but you need something long and thin and hollow. I could dip with two lengths of 20' 1" pvc pipe glued together and a hole drilled about 10' up from the bottom with the bottom capped. My static level is 29'.

Then you can start the siphon with water that you dip.....or add another 20' and just pump it out...

Now that we've settled water in the city, on a well and while mobile...What's next????

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[HenryJ]

My plan for water is to use the pump in the well. I am set up with a manual transfer switch and generator. True that the generator needs fuel, but I have a fair supply of that. Long enough that I can seek other sources should supplies run low.
The transfer switch was my first step to going off the grid. That is still a way off, but I am getting there with baby steps.
I am not the most prepared, but better than most that I know.

 

[Wheeler44]

Staying dry and warm. No good to have food and water if you die of hypothermia.

Yep

Warm can come from shelter and clothing. Heat isn't an essential unless stored food requires cooking. (A big no-no in my book.)

My book is different.......I plan on livin' the next day as the last...I like my food warm..(well, warm food warm..cold food cold..)...And is there anything more comforting than a warm beverage????

Cooking is almost easier than water...........I mean, primitive man figured it out......

Another side note: the same natives that used bentwood boxes to store water used the same boxes to cook food.....yep, they'd throw hot rocks off of the fire into that box of water and ....bingo....hot water....Anybody got their extra bonus survival points yet????

W44

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Wheeler44]

My plan for water is to use the pump in the well. I am set up with a manual transfer switch and generator. True that the generator needs fuel, but I have a fair supply of that. Long enough that I can seek other sources should supplies run low.
The transfer switch was my first step to going off the grid. That is still a way off, but I am getting there with baby steps.
I am not the most prepared, but better than most that I know.

Imho, as long as you have a well, you can at least dip from it. I'd figure that out now and get the parts because they'll be very cheap now but maybe entirely unavailable later.

Probably even cheaper (at least now) is to buy an old, cast iron hand pump from an antique store.....I've seen 'em for less than $20.00... usually it just takes a leather or two and some leather lube............Let's see...leather...leather lube ( lard).Hmmmm.. I should know where to where to find those.

 

[jdub75]

for 4-gal buckets for cheap/free, also check your local donut joint. That delicious bavarian creme comes in those.

 

[Wheeler44]

That delicious bavarian creme comes in those.

That reminds me....I need bucket of that bavarian cream for my bug out bag....MMMmmmm filled donuts on the run..

Beer and wine making supply houses have new..unused...buckets and jugs....when you wash plastic buckets use a soft cloth and mild detergent...abrasive cleaners leave scratches in the soft plastic...those scratches give bacteria a place to hide during chemical disinfection...

W44

 

[Gunner3456]

Edited by Gunner3456

 

[Arkarayne]

It's one thing to prepare for the worst.
It's one thing to hope for the best.
It's a wise man (or woman) who does both.

I used to live in florida, preparing for disaster was just a good idea.

 

[Just Jim]

In the meantime..... Guys if you want water and you don't want to pack it (8lbs to the gal) then let it come to you. Buy a palstic 55 gallon barrel and set it below your downspout of your roof. Run a pipe with a charcol filter system between the barrel and the gutter. When it rains you will have clean water and plenty of it.

Drill a hole near the top of the barell for overflow and pipe that into other barrels as needed. By haveing the first barell higher than the rest you will have flow to each. You can find barrells from soft drink makers.

Use what god gives you.

jj

 

[Arkarayne]

I like to get free buckets from restaurants and bakeries. Big bakeries such a Costco go through tons of them.

FWIW, the following is a list of FDA recycle symbols. 2 is what food grade buckets are made of, and 5 is what Tupperware is made of. That doesn't mean that a bucket with one of those symbols is safe, especially if it has had toxic chemicals stored in it. It also doesn't say what type of mold release was used.

I'm a believer that Home Depot white buckets and lids can be scrubbed and used, but don't take my word for it. They have the 2 (HDPE plastic) symbol, same as restaurant buckets.

You can line with mylar, which is said to be safe.

Here's a list of symbols, denoting the type of plastic. I still prefer free buckets and lids from bakeries and restaurants.

$.02

Found my handy-dandy Pocket Ref, (which EVERYBODY should have at least one of.) and found the meanings of each symbol.

1 - Polyethylene Terephthalate - Soda, juice, detergent bottles. Supposed to have that chemical in it that if it seeps into the liquid (after heating up generally) it's bad for you. BSA i think it was.

2 - High Density Polyethylene - Milk, detergent, oils, bleach bottles and water jugs. I think it doesn't have BSA in it but don't quote me. Generally considered food-safe plastic. (if meant for food.)

3 - PolyVinyl Chloride - Food wrap, veggie oil and window cleaner bottles.

4 - LOW Density Polyethylene - plastic and other bags. grocery bags, etc.

5 - Polypropylene - Refrigerated containers, some bags, bottle tops, yogurt tubs, straws. I would assume these plastics would be food-safe too.

6 - Polystyrene - throwaway utinsils, meat/protective packaging, egg cartons, take-out food containers. Your standard one-use stuff.

so, IMO, and like Gunner said, 2 and 5 marked containers are "Safe" if meant for food, IMO 6's are one-use "safe", and 1's might be a good idea to avoid using. The rest are at your disgresion. again, don't quote me. but, you can at least narrow your searches to those types.

 

[coctailer]

This thread needs to be back on track or it will be trashed.

There is some good info in here, and it would suck to lose it.

Please stop all bickering. Everyone.