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While the last posting was about a year ago, I've been back reading older threads/pages of the past, mostly looking for something/info on something I might have missed in the final stages of prepping for SHTF, grid down.
Here is food for thought:
1) as long as all we have to do is turn a tap, we WILL use/continue using MORE water than we might need.
Having to haul water will make one think twice about it's usage, just like a drought might.
2) the theme of this thread is, and is true that a gallon of water a day is true...but as noted several times, only for consumption/drinking for hydration. Your needs, the level of heat or activity and amount one swears MIGHT require more than a gallon. Typically in summer, I drink 1-2 gallons. During winter, a gallon might work, but typically a gallon and a half (dry heat)
3) we, here, mostly because every employers handbook seems to start with "all employees should show up to work clean and freshly showered", have gotten so used to at least a daily shower.
That kills the good "flora and fauna" on your skin that actually protects your skin from bad things trying to breach it.
While I will shower..even 2 or 3 times a day in summer, depending on how much I've sweated (I sweat, I don't"perspire ", it can drop off me on a hot day, even being sedentary), but in winter, hot showers also dry your skin more, so what do we do? Reach for a moisturizer.
Showering in cooler water, and every other day or third day can lend to solving that problem.
When our shower spigot pull-up blocker broke, and being high heating season, TRY getting a heating/plumbing guy to come.. they'll go first to those with no heat...you get shoved further down the line as "not crucial ".
So we used a 3 gallon bucket, and a sm- med plastic bowl to shower with: fill the bucket with as hot as you want, use bowl to our water over you, first to wet and soap (no running water). If necessary refill bucket to rinse.
Makes one realize how little water is actually needed to get clean, even after a couple days.
A 5 gal bucket, used cautiously, is really all one needs, and pouring water over one to get wet or rinse ISN'T the most frugal use of said water!
Even a "solar shower" (black plastic bag hung up in sun to warm/heat water) is only 5 gallons.
Makes you think of all that water wasted just showering!!
5 gallons, say 3-4 x week (15-20 gallons)or up to 80 gals/m for ONE person to get clean is less than ONE shower in same time frame!
One can always use a quart or less, to wet a cloth and wash/freshen pits and crotch or wash dirt off from toiling, if one gets stinky as an "in between". No need to waste 150 +gals every day (or more!).
4) we have chlorinated city water ($92/3 months, we never use the minimum allowed water.. even with daily showers, so that is the lowest bill we can get), but while it's the best in the area, drawn from underground wells, I don't care for the taste. Maybe the chlorine. So I buy cheap "filtered drinking water" in a 3 gallon box. I save the bottles when empty, fill from tap, mark as "chlorinated water" and date, and store in basement. Each summer, rotate put by watering plants and refill/redate.
Also have water purifier set, water purification tabs, and UV "pen" to clean/sterilize water from the nearby creek, or the nearby river said creek flows into. Creek is short trudge, river about 1.4 miles away though.
So, we'll get by.
5) minimum dishes, small camping plates, etc and restricted us of, including reuse of, paper/styrofoam plates helps reduce water needed for dishes. Two small buckets, maybe a qt/liter of water to wash, and another qt/liter to rinse can get dishes done, especially right away after use. Only a dab of soap needed.
Reuse this water (unless greasy) can be reused as gray water..to water plants, to flush toilet (be careful here...if pumps not working due to grid down, might back up on you)
6) laundry: like daily showers, we are taught "wear once (even if only for a couple hours) and Ross in laundry. Did you know?: You CAN wear something for more than just one day before washing? Really? You didn't know that? (Many do know). And instead of loading up the washer (which, BTW, how are you running with grid down? Generator? Waste of fuel that might better be allocated for something better!
Hand wash items in a bucket, rinse in another bucket, hang on clothes drying rack. Done.
Lol, heck, unless you've...uh, um...soiled yourself, even underwear can be worn more than one day (gasp!!)
7) overall, try to reduce and find out how little water you can use for OTHER than drinking/hydration. You might just surprise yourself.
8) just make sure you hydrate often and enough...FIRST.
Oh, and in "olden days" urine, yes urine was used to wash clothes..the amonia in it was a great cleaner!
(Food for thought!)
4) we have chlorinated city water ($92/3 months, we never use the minimum allowed water.. even with daily showers, so that is the lowest bill we can get), but while it's the best in the area, drawn from underground wells, I don't care for the taste. Maybe the chlorine. So I buy cheap "filtered drinking water" in a 3 gallon box. I save the bottles when empty, fill from tap, mark as "chlorinated water" and date, and store in basement. Each summer, rotate put by watering plants and refill/redate.
Also have water purifier set, water purification tabs, and UV "pen" to clean/sterilize water from the nearby creek, or the nearby river said creek flows into. Creek is short trudge, river about 1.4 miles away though.
So, we'll get by.
...
I agree with almost everything you wrote, but I have a few questions and comments on this paragraph.
My first question is your "purifier set." Can you elaborate more?
I have coffee filters for a pre-filter (settling tank planned as a pre-pre-filter), and "ceramic dome" filters for the main filter. For drinking, plan to use some chemical treatment (Iodine or chlorine).
Second, I have seen a lot of "UV pens" for sterilization.
I have never seen one that worked, in a practical way.
How does yours work?
Physiological water requirements-- We have an obligate need to replace ~500cc each day to compensate for unavoidable losses in urine, bowel movements, perspiration and respiration....More if living/acting in warmer, drier enivironments. Most of us will do just fine with 1500-2000cc/d (~2 qts)...
...because our food is ~70% water, you don't have to drink anywhere near that 2 qts. (personally, I have a cup of coffee and a glass of milk each day as my only beverages-- more of course on very hot days when doing hard work. I'm in good health.)
The Saturday Night Bath was a concept put forward as an advertizing gimmick by the makers of bath tubs at the turn of the last century....Intact skin is amazingly good at keeping the bugs out. No real medical need to bathe regularly.
Even chlorinated, flouridated municiple water is loaded with bacteria, mostly non-pathogens. A notable exception is Pseudomonas, which is why those with lung probems requiring home O2 & CPAP machines are told not to use tap water for cleaning the apparatus.
Me and my friends were hanging out at my grandmother's house. We started talking about what we would not want to live without - TV, central heat and air conditioning. We asked my grandmother and she said 'running water in the house'. Growing up, she had to bring buckets of water several times a day from a well to the house. She said it got old real fast.
During hurricane season we were told to keep at least 5 gallons per day per person; enough for at least a week. We stored as much as we had containers for! It goes fast. We froze as much as our freezer would hold.
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