Creek water

[Barms 98]

If you have a creek/brook on your property would you consider that suffice for long term water needs? I'm just guessing when people say they have water for a couple of days or a week that's for the luxury of coffee and cooking etc. after that runs out you don't think about coffee you think for survival. If you had a creek or brook on your property would that suffice? (let's just assume that water source doesn get tainted)

 

I haven't sent much time thinking about what filter or pills I could use if it resorted to creek water. But i was just thinking in general if you have water nearby do you have an advantage?

[GRIZ 3,369]

You could use a creek for water supply. The amount of decon it would require would depend on what it ran through and the wildlife in the area.

[vladtepes 1,060]

I would not drink straight from the creek... as long as it is treated I think its a great source....

 

wouldnt boiling it (think still) get it good to go.. 

[Norseman 2]

Get a sawyer squeezable water filter and you're good to go. Have some extra pouches though.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Heavyopp 167]

There's a decent brook less that 700 feet from my home --  I always consider that my alternate water source

 

If it turns out that I need to use that for drinking water it will get boiled then go thru a T shirt then a berkey filter -- T shirt 1st to keep the large particles from the berkey

[MedicYeti 96]

Water needs to be cleaned and decontaminated. Running water like a creek of river is cleaner then standing water so cleaned isn't as big an issue.

I have a pond on my property. I have 5 gallon buckets, some with ceramic filters that drain into the other buckets. The "clean" water is clear of impurities but not bacteria. The second step is to boil, bleach or add tabs to the water to make it safe to drink. I have the items needed to do any of the 3.

Its a good idea to know what is up stream from your collection point. In a natural disaster insecticides that are supposed to stay out of streams and rivers may find themselves floating down stream, sewage plants can over flow and your up river neighbors may be pooping in the water.

[CMJeepster 2,778]

.... it will get boiled then go thru a... filter...

This.

[Night Prowler 0]

The one problem I see with boiling and using creek water as a long term solution is it takes a large amount of energy to do. In a long term survival situation conservation of resources will be critical.

Say your boiling water using wood. Just to cut and split wood your going to eat more and drink more water.

Chlorine is easy to store and a little goes a long way. Maybe some type of solar still setup would be a way to collect clean water.

[Heavyopp 167]

The one problem I see with boiling and using creek water as a long term solution is it takes a large amount of energy to do. In a long term survival situation conservation of resources will be critical.

 

 

Very true -- a huge amount of energy --  also gives your position away with smoke

 

There are a few swimming pools on border properties --  The residents will leave if it comes down to it, if they don't leave, they'll be needing me in some way -- they'll pay with water  -- but you still can't drink pool water directly --  could probably get away with a good filtering and not need to boil

 

How much drinking water do you have stored right now??   

 

Say water goes bad tonight -- How long can you last?

 

I have 6 - 5 gallon MWC filled, on hand always -- I swap them out yearly -- they get 2 drops of bleach per gallon of water when I put them up

 

That's emergency water only -- all other sources are depleted before I touch the MWC's --  I'd probably even be into boil, and filter from pools or the brook while using the stored water

[WP22 1,558]

Depending on the soil type and depth of the water table in your area, consider DYI well drilling and hook a hand pump to it.

[Heavyopp 167]

Depending on the soil type and depth of the water table in your area, consider DYI well drilling and hook a hand pump to it.

 

At work, the neighbors had to have some test holes drilled -- dry cleaning fluid contamination --  Anyway, was talking to the guys doing the drilling -- contaminated water was at 15 feet

[GRIZ 3,369]

N

The one problem I see with boiling and using creek water as a long term solution is it takes a large amount of energy to do. In a long term survival situation conservation of resources will be critical. Say your boiling water using wood. Just to cut and split wood your going to eat more and drink more water. Chlorine is easy to store and a little goes a long way. Maybe some type of solar still setup would be a way to collect clean water.

If the water is clear and free of chemicals you can purify it just by exposing it to sunlight. UVA will kill most bad things in the water after six hours. Use clear bottles and just let them sit in sun. Don't use bottles over 2 liters as anything bigger lessens the penetration of  the UVA. The only thing requiring more exposure is cryptosoridium. That requires 10 hours exposure.

 

You can use a homemade sand and charcoal filter before exposure to sunlight. This will remove a lot of the bacteria and viruses and some of the chemicals.

 

Neither of these methods requires any energy resources. The UV exposure will work when its colder as its the UV and not the heat that kills all the bugs.

[rightisright 3]

http://www.amazon.com/EcoZoom-Versa-Rocket-Stove-Charcoal/dp/B005GQZ4O0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387737643&sr=8-2&keywords=rocket+stove

 

I have one of these.  A few twigs will boil a gallon of water in about 10 minutes. 

[RecessedFilter 222]

Any backpacking water filter will work well for filtering. They can be bought for under $100, around $100 and a little more for the really nice ones. I like Katahdin. Most ceramic/charcoal filters range in how many gallons they filter until replacement, but you always want to stock up on filters.

[maintenanceguy 510]

household bleach can be used to purify water - no energy expended.

[Heavyopp 167]

household bleach can be used to purify water - no energy expended.

 

Household bleach has a rather short shelf life --  

[Night Prowler 0]

Household bleach has a rather short shelf life --

I guess some pool chlorine tablets and a test kit might be a good thing to have on hand.

Since our water is so clean here a filter for removing pollutants would probably also be good.

[maintenanceguy 510]

Household bleach has a rather short shelf life --  

Shelf life of bleach is at least 6 months.  Beyond that it still has disinfecting properties but the actual amount of clorine does decline over time.   If I need to disinfect water for more than 6 months, I should have followed plan B long ago.

[Newtonian 453]

http://www.amazon.com/EcoZoom-Versa-Rocket-Stove-Charcoal/dp/B005GQZ4O0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387737643&sr=8-2&keywords=rocket+stove

 

I have one of these.  A few twigs will boil a gallon of water in about 10 minutes. 

That's impossible. You need the same amount of fuel to heat the unit, the container, and the water as you would with any other stove. This one may be more efficient, but it does not negate the laws of physics.

[Heavyopp 167]

Shelf life of bleach is at least 6 months.  Beyond that it still has disinfecting properties but the actual amount of clorine does decline over time.   If I need to disinfect water for more than 6 months, I should have followed plan B long ago.

I'm not sure exactly what the shelf life of bleach actually is, but I don't think it's much more than 6 months --  I do know there is a summer and winter blend from the factory -- Temp must have something to do with it --  Your plan relies on a constant fresh supply of bleach coming into your house -- it's just not a put on the shelf and have it when you need it thing

 

I do have a couple of bags of pool shock in my supplies -- I can make fresh bleach --  The pool shock stores indefinitely as long as it's dry

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

You need to have a decent supply of stored water, probably enough to last at least a few weeks; and then multiple ways to purify additional water:  chlorine bleach, boiling, solar disinfection, tablets, filters, etc.

 

Good to learn how to do this now, as the internet might not be available when you need it.

[Newtonian 453]

How about pond water? Any suggestions? We have a spring-fed pond within 100 feet of our property. 

[ChrisJM981 924]

How about pond water? Any suggestions? We have a spring-fed pond within 100 feet of our property. 

How much you want to spend? Katadyn Pocket Water Filter. Good for 13,000 gallons. That's enough water for 4 people at 2 gallons a day for 4 years.

[rightisright 3]

That's impossible. You need the same amount of fuel to heat the unit, the container, and the water as you would with any other stove. This one may be more efficient, but it does not negate the laws of physics.

 

 

You do realize you completely contradicted yourself in sentences 2 and 3, right?  Yes, it is MUCH more efficient ordinary wood stoves.  Very little energy is wasted.  Do yourself a favor and google some videos of "rocket stoves" before making ignorant proclamations. 

[Newtonian 453]

You do realize you completely contradicted yourself in sentences 2 and 3, right?  Yes, it is MUCH more efficient ordinary wood stoves.  Very little energy is wasted.  Do yourself a favor and google some videos of "rocket stoves" before making ignorant proclamations. 

I meant to say you need as much energy to heat one gallon of water to boiling, regardless of how you do it. How much fuel you need depends on the efficiencies of combustion and heat transfer. Can you really boil a gallon of water with "a few twigs in 10 minutes"? That would be amazing.

[Newtonian 453]

How much you want to spend? Katadyn Pocket Water Filter. Good for 13,000 gallons. That's enough water for 4 people at 2 gallons a day for 4 years.

I checked it out, thanks. But I couldn't find any specs: what is the log removal for viruses, bacteria? Reduction in turbidity? Couldn't find those anywhere on the Katadyn site.

[AlDente67 563]

I'm not sure exactly what the shelf life of bleach actually is, but I don't think it's much more than 6 months --  I do know there is a summer and winter blend from the factory -- Temp must have something to do with it --  Your plan relies on a constant fresh supply of bleach coming into your house -- it's just not a put on the shelf and have it when you need it thing

 

I do have a couple of bags of pool shock in my supplies -- I can make fresh bleach --  The pool shock stores indefinitely as long as it's dry

 

Another bleach option is the liquid chlorine some pool stores carry.  For under $20 for a 5-gallon container, you get a 12% strength as opposed to the 5.xx% that grocery store bleach contains.

So the shelf life will be stretched out quite a  bit if stored in a dark place until needed.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

I meant to say you need as much energy to heat one gallon of water to boiling, regardless of how you do it. How much fuel you need depends on the efficiencies of combustion and heat transfer. Can you really boil a gallon of water with "a few twigs in 10 minutes"? That would be amazing.

A calorie is a calorie, woodburing stoves are inherently more efficient then an open fire set up since you can control the rate of combustion. Can you use a few twigs.. absolutely not.. you have to heat up the stove which takes a good amount on energy which in turns heats the pot with water. ONCE the stove is hot, you can use much less fuel for cooking. Short term cooking a wood burning stove is very inefficient, long term they are extremely efficient.  It would better to boil small amounts of water on an open flame then a stove since it is a very quick cook time and large amounts of water on the stove, unless the stove is already hot.. which can double as a home heating device... it all depends on it's use... they can be very efficient or very inefficient.

[rightisright 3]

A calorie is a calorie, woodburing stoves are inherently more efficient then an open fire set up since you can control the rate of combustion. Can you use a few twigs.. absolutely not.. you have to heat up the stove which takes a good amount on energy which in turns heats the pot with water. ONCE the stove is hot, you can use much less fuel for cooking. Short term cooking a wood burning stove is very inefficient, long term they are extremely efficient.  It would better to boil small amounts of water on an open flame then a stove since it is a very quick cook time and large amounts of water on the stove, unless the stove is already hot.. which can double as a home heating device... it all depends on it's use... they can be very efficient or very inefficient.

Click the link I posted ...  I'm not talking about a home wood burning stove.

 

 

[Newtonian 453]

A calorie is a calorie, woodburing stoves are inherently more efficient then an open fire set up since you can control the rate of combustion. Can you use a few twigs.. absolutely not.. you have to heat up the stove which takes a good amount on energy which in turns heats the pot with water. ONCE the stove is hot, you can use much less fuel for cooking. Short term cooking a wood burning stove is very inefficient, long term they are extremely efficient.  It would better to boil small amounts of water on an open flame then a stove since it is a very quick cook time and large amounts of water on the stove, unless the stove is already hot.. which can double as a home heating device... it all depends on it's use... they can be very efficient or very inefficient.

Stated much better than I did. Thanks.