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OK....our NH home has a stream and lake close by so a good filter would keep us in potable water for a long time. In florida,however,there is no fresh water anywhere near us.Any thoughts on drinking filtered water from the pool? Wonder if the chlorine would be dangerous.
Outside of the hot water tank and toilet tanks I don't see any other way except to store large amounts of bottled water if we had a SHTF incident.
Google plastic water cisterns. You can get them in any size from 50 gallons to over 1,000 gallons. We have 2 of the larger ones (more cost-effective that way) and if you install them on a bed of sand, they will not crack. They are approved for drinking water.
Filling the cistern is either gradual (rainwater catchment from downspouts) or immediate (fill it from your well, if you have one). You have a pool, so I assume you know that there are water trucking companies that will sell fresh water. As it comes in the truck, it has no salt in it.
Unless you are near the coast with salt intrusion, there is water about 20 feet under your feet, pumpable with a hand wellhead. The aquifers in Florida are insanely high compared to the rest of the country, and just about any driven well will provide water for irrigation. It will likely be high in tannins (those brown stains you see on buildings with nearby sprinklers, and possibly sulfur if you are near a swamp. A reverse osmosis filter with pre-filtering will remove much of that, as would distillation.
Do NOT drink pool water. Pool water is a mix of chemicals including cyanuric acid, baking soda, chlorine, algicides and other stabilizers. I would drink properly filtered toilet water before drinking pool water.
Storage of water in Florida is a problem because of the sun and heat. Those make for great growth conditions for algae and mosquito larvae and all sorts of goodies. Plastic outgasses at an increased rate in heat.
You may or may not be allowed to drive a well, but that is the most reliable source. Rainwater catchment is possible but seasonal.
Having lived through a few hurricanes in Florida, the standard SHTF situation never affected the water supply. Electricity and power for AC, however...
Filling the cistern is either gradual (rainwater catchment from downspouts) or immediate (fill it from your well, if you have one). You have a pool, so I assume you know that there are water trucking companies that will sell fresh water. As it comes in the truck, it has no salt in it.
I seriously doubt, in a SHTF scenario, where a person is considering having to drink pool water, that water trucks will be making deliveries to people's private houses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samiamnh
OK....our NH home has a stream and lake close by so a good filter would keep us in potable water for a long time. In florida,however,there is no fresh water anywhere near us.Any thoughts on drinking filtered water from the pool? Wonder if the chlorine would be dangerous.
Outside of the hot water tank and toilet tanks I don't see any other way except to store large amounts of bottled water if we had a SHTF incident.
As harry mentioned, proper prepping would be to have a usable sub surface source. Although a well may not provide "bottle quality" water, it's a whole lot better than pool water. On option we instruct clients is that when water stops, you can still open a faucet and pump out the lines. Bet there is over several thousand gallons from your house to the last main line check valve location. If you have a hydrant nearby and power is off, opening the cap and siphoning out the standing water is another option. The main issue isn't so much water availability (think outside the box), but filtration and storage.
Pool water is a viable last resort but the sun will burn off the chlorine soon enough but bacteria and other not so nice nasties will flourish in that environment. You also have all the ancillary chemicals and additives in the water to deal with. If worst comes to worst, have a sturdy secure pool cover available to keep out as much contaminates and use that water for non consumption purposes. Afterall, how much water is actually consumed versus utilized for other needs?
I seriously doubt, in a SHTF scenario, where a person is considering having to drink pool water, that water trucks will be making deliveries to people's private houses.
I was thinking that he would do this before SHTF. Isn't that the whole point of prepping??
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rabrrita
On option we instruct clients is that when water stops, you can still open a faucet and pump out the lines.
What the heck is this "agency" you speak of, where you advise "clients"?? You may not be able to name names, but in the interest of full disclosure, you should reveal whether public or private, and if public, the state, local, or federal agency. Otherwise, the advice you give may be coming from a private, profit-making source, and you may be a salesman / mouthpiece for that that source. 'Fess up!
Florida? Dig a well with a mechanical (manual labor) pump.
As stated, there are options for collecting & storing water.
You could probably hand dig a well in Florida.
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