Just had a thought and don’t know if it’s been covered. If the SHTF, water supply will be cut off without electricity. I already have a Stilton key to open hydrants and public water supplies; but, what about water lines into the home?
How would you drain the lines to capture the water? My main valve is in the basement, below ground level. I also have a ball valve on my hot water heater to capture 75 gallons.
Hope you don’t mind, I have absconded with your topic.
We have a whole house generator, that gets fuel from the propane tank. It should last long enough to be able to drain water. We have both well water and city water. But as you pointed out, without electricity we really won’t have any of those.
I wanted property with a water source. Unfortunately big acreage was hard to find around here. So we had to settle. There’s a creek about a mile away, that’s an option. Could use some horses or mules though, will probably end up going back to the old ways of using animal power.
Have a couple water filters, when is the type you use what’s a super pale. Another is the more expensive kind that I got from the LDS store website. Couple hundred dollars+ I think
You reminded me, I have a couple 40 gallon barrels of water in The Smokehouse. Not really a Smokehouse house that’s just what they called it when we bought the place, doesn’t smell smokey at all and I think it doesn’t have enough ventilation.
Do you know if I need to empty and refill those water barrels? They’re just the blue plastic kind. I wonder how long the water in them will stay good.
To drain your house lines, put containers under all the faucets and turn them on. Same process as winterizing a house.
That sort of depends on your situation.
If you’re stuck in the city with a bunch of other desparate, thirsty people you might be in trouble.
I have a ~half million gallons pond in my front yard and a creek down the hill.
When I was a little kid there was a cistern at my grandparents house that had a hand pump. Want a drink? Three cranks on the handle and there it is.
If your water table is high enough or if your geology permits it, you can have a shallow well dug and an old fashioned hand pump on it. I think your local well people can drill a test hole for you and check it. Not sure what that costs but if you think SHTF is moderately possible it might be worth a few phone calls.
When our electric goes off, that first thing I do is put buckets or pitchers under the faucets and drain the lines. That’s in case someone forgets and flushes the toilets.
We actually have 4 toilets, so if we had to restrict flushes to one a day or so—could last a while. Plus it only takes about 2 gallons to get a good flush—we have that in rain barrels and swimming pool if push comes to shove.
Interestingly, with the exception of one major storm, we have never had to use more than the water we drained from the faucets—several gallons—could have collected more, but usually don’t need it.
We have drained our water heater before—that had a spout at the bottom and was pretty easy to drain.
Have you seen those bath tub bobs—plastic container that fits right inside the bathtub.