Posted on 12/10/2012 9:34:21 AM PST by Vigilanteman
With the downward spiral of society and the economy ensured by Obama's narrow reelection, I am now looking at gear to ensure, or at least greatly improve, my family's survival when TSHTF.
I have 3-4 months supply of food including canned goods, dried goods, MREs and stuff we use regularly. I have ammunition and firearms to protect it and a couple of alternative escape plans just in case. I also have a hand-crank radio and lighting to ensure communication and illumination. Last election season also helped us define which neighbors would be potential allies, most of them military veterans including a guy with a large front yard flagpole and kids who farm and potential looters, those who put out the rare Obama lawn signs in our neighborhood.
Next big worries are alternative fuel (we're looking into propane) and water. Especially water.
You can't store enough water. It is heavy, bulky and must be rotated frequently or you have to buy expensive canned or bottled water especially designed for long term storage. Everyone has some water in their water heater and the back of their toilet tanks which would be safe to use with just a capful or so of chlorine per gallon, but that would provide you with a few days worth of water at best.
We need to get something which could treat readily available unsafe water and turn it into safe water. When TSHTF, the last thing you want to deal with is an even minor intestinal ailment from drinking unsafe water which could develop into something fatal.
The featured product at the link looks more practical but I'm not sure I trust the distributor like I used to because they now sell occasional junk mixed in with their mostly practical stuff.
Freeper advice, especially from other Preppers, would be appreciated.
The FReeper who has a ton of information on this subject would be Kartographer.
This horrible condition is being set up by republicans in congress who will not do their duty and confront the liberals and their media head on.
This horrible condition is being set up by republicans in congress who will not do their duty and confront the liberals and their media head on.
We bought the Aqua Rain 404 filter.It’s an excellent ceramic filter system.
Ping
Unscented, pure household bleach can be used to disinfect water (although it will obviously not do anything about particulate matter). Household bleach does not have a very long shelf life, however, so consider storing a little bit of pool shock (granular calcium hypochlorite), which can be diluted to make chlorine bleach.
I recently bought a ceramic filter kit - works with two plastic buckets (Walmart has ones with lids). Haven’t put it tried it yet, but it was cheap & simple. As far as alternative fuel, I’m in the market for a diesel generator that I can use my home heating oil (solves the storage/rotation problem, at least).
s/b “put it together or tried it yet”
Lifrsaver bottles are about the size of a thermos, making them very portable. they come in two versions that deliver 4,000 - 6,000 liters of pure H2O in the most extreme conditions. Think Katrina water.
Berkey filters are about the size of an orange igloo and come in several configurations. They too deliver pure water but are not really practical for travel due to their size.
If you are stationary then get Berkey.
I myself have two Lifesaver bottles with an extra filter system for each. it’d be years before Ione the ability to make fresh water and I can take em anywhere.
I have a private well and a generator big enough to run it and heavy enough it’ll take a back how to remove it from it’s footings. Generator is currently setup for natural gas but I have the parts to switch it to propane or gasoline.
Still working on the 50 cal to defend it though. (of course I do have smaller options)
The best is the Berkey Water Filter system....
Pinging Kartographer to weigh in.
Problem with chlorine is that cistosporidium spores can live in a chlorine bottle. You must micron filter, not just chlorinate.
Cistosporidium is like gardia on steroids.
I don’t know how the Lifesaver bottle works, but with most portable filtration systems, the limiting factor is time more than volume. Time meaning that at XX months, regardless of how much water has gone through it, the filter media becomes bacteria laden.
Of course we missed the internet, but it had a good side too; getting away from it all for several months. I had to ride atv down to the school to email; which I did maybe once a week.
We had a 1000 gal fuel oil tank full, but only had maybe ten 5 gallon gas cans in the shed. Fuel is just as important as water I do believe.
Everything else, like food & supplies didn't seem too much of a problem; lived outta the garden too.
Until you've experienced an emergency, you can't imagine all the things you never even thought about, ha ha.
There are many filters that fit this description, with the Berkey filters being one of the most well-known. Others are significantly cheaper, but when you do the math on the cost of replaceable filter elements and their life expectancy, the Berkey starts to look like the best choice.
Alternatives to consider (in my mind) are: 1) Doulton, 2) Ceragrav, 3) Low cost ceramic water filter elements you can buy on eBay that can be attached to 5-gallon buckets.
I have the "Big Berkey" model at home and use it to filter all my drinking water.
Just don't be fooled by filters that require you to change the elements frequently - it drives the cost WAY up.
Also, I highly recommend that you research the use of calcium hypochlorite for chemical water purification. Just a few pounds of this can purify a family's water supply *FOR YEARS*. However, be aware that this is a volatile chemical that must be stored in appropriate containers and in appropriate locations away from food and other chemicals with which it may react.
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