Friday's Thoughts and Other Stuff (Water)

Dear Preppers and Survivalists,

“Thirst” (ca 1967)

photograph by

Ion Chibzii

How Much
Most folks already know that you and your family need about one gallon of water per day per person to survive.

So, ... That works out to four gallons of water per day for a family of four. Eight gallons for a family of eight, and 12 gallons for a group of ... Twelve.

Needless to say, don't forget any animals, like chickens, cats, dogs, donkeys (Spartan got two, last month), horses, and any other critters that you and your family are responsible to protect.

Two Women Washing Clothes (ca unk)

source

Stewart Photograph Collection

Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Not Enough
What most folks don't know, when it comes to water, is how much water they really use. According to planning models, an average person will use 100 gallons of water for such things as brushing their teeth, washing their body, washing dishes, running the clothes washer, and other tasks.

So, ...

How To Catch Rainwater,

From a hillside schematic (ca 2008)

illustration by

KVDP

Storing More
One way of storing more water is to get more containers. My favorite low-cost container is the 2-liter plastic pop (soda) bottle with screw cap that you can get from friends and family. All they have to do is save the empty container for you.

Another method is purchase bigger containers, like 30 or 55 gallon plastic barrels. You know, the ones with two small holes in the top.

The, to me, ultimate method is constructing a water catchment system to harvest rain water. The captured rain is, almost, automatically stored in a 500, 1000, or 5000 gallon tank for your family to use, during the 'good' times and the 'bad.'


New or Used
Some folks say to stay away from containers that have had soda (pop) in them.

Me?

I understand their concern, but if you and your family rinse the containers, it shouldn't be a big concern.

Just remember, ...


Nope, Nada, Not Going To
Never use a container, for food or water, that has had oil, grease, poisonous or other dangerous chemicals, like diesel, gasoline, and kerosene, stored in the container.


To Bed
It's way past my bedtime, so you're lucky that I had to wash clothes, tonight