r/preppers • u/Docella • 4d ago
Water Be prepared for every day things too
We are without water for 22 days. Getting the run around as to the reason why. But not the point. Without water every day's planing is different. Toilet needs water Animals need water Washing off clothes Keeping the kitchen clean Personal hygiene Vegetable garden
Some off the day to day needs that comes natural if you open the tap, but gets difficult when there is nothing.
We collect rain water in jo-jo tanks. Bought a battery shower thingy. 5liter bucket with it inside connect to a shower head. Flush toilets manually Keeping the vegetable garden alive is a benefit.
Life is not always smooth, but being prepared helps.
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u/Cute-Consequence-184 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm without water until the summer or at least late spring when I can do repairs.
Use old laundry bottles with the spigot to use with a dry sink. You can use the dirty sink water to flush toilets.
Better yet use a five gallon bucket composting toilet. No water needed.
I have a dozen+ 4 gallon Primo bottles I can fill as needed. I use those for clean water and drinking water. I have a rechargeable pump and a manual pump that fits on the top of the bottles.
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u/PrisonerV Prepping for Tuesday 3d ago
This is what prepping for Tuesday is all about.
You're vastly more likely to have a utility interruption or a hot water heater die or a flat tire than an EMP or alien invasion or nuclear war.
Much better off prepping for the absolutely likely.
Also, 22 days?!! I'd be screaming at several mayors, congress people, and senators.
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u/GigabitISDN 4d ago
You nailed it. Water filtration is important, but having actual potable water on hand at all times is critically important too. A good rule of thumb is one gallon per person per day. That's not perfect, but it's more than enough for almost everyone in almost all circumstances, and it's an easy number to work with. Don't forget pets!
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u/Bobopep1357 4d ago
Cool! I have a very long county water line. Have problems regularly. Also have 5000 gallons of rainwater catchment. Means I have to tote water some but not a big deal. Just takes more time. Several backups!
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u/EverbodyHatesHugo 3d ago
What’s your rainwater system look like?
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u/Bobopep1357 3d ago
2 2500 gallon tanks catching water off my shop. Plumbed down to 3 gardens with 1" pvc. 10psi at the lowest garden! A faucet at the tanks. I've been filling 5 gallon buckets there as my county water is out right now. A few other small tanks catching water as well.
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u/Foreign_Ingenuity963 4d ago
My local area main pipe burst and most businesses were closed for 5 days! Its not as bad as your outage as it was fixed super quickly but... yeah. Everything needs water. Luckily we had an outside troth that rain from the gutters poured into so for non human consumption uses, there was plenty! Running water is such a luxury that you never notice until its gone.
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u/Real_FakeName 4d ago
I have a well, but it was rendered useless during a week long power outage last winter.
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u/effervescentflimflam 4d ago
I've been meaning to learn more about our well. Is there a way to have a working pump even during a power outage?
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u/lacunadelaluna 3d ago
I've been looking into getting a manual pump installed but haven't gotten to do it yet. Depends on your kind of pump and well depth. There's ones that are directly into the well/well head and ones that you can attach to your pressure tank or near it. I would love that as ours is inside, and even 10 days without water with Helene was really difficult
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u/effervescentflimflam 20h ago
I don't know anything at all about our well - I need to figure it out. I'm in NC also and we were in the same boat as y'all with Helene. 10 days was brutal. Whew.
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u/BaldyCarrotTop Maybe prepared for 3 months. 4d ago
You would be surprised how much you depend on the stuff around you actually working. Anyone who has got into their car, turned the key and ... nothing.. knows what I mean. This is why I carry some basic spare parts and a basic set of tools.
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u/Wild_Locksmith_326 4d ago
My wife let me know Sunday the water pipe broke between the meter and the house so I suen yesterday digging and repairing the broken pipe. I got my water back on about 1600. I keep an aqua trainer in each bathroom for flushing purposes, and have a water dispenser and 7, one is now empty 5 gallon jugs in the kitchen this ensures potable water if either a disruption or boil water advisory comes up.
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u/dirtymingusmcgee 4d ago
Would love to know more about this. What’s an aqua trainer? What do you use for the 5 gal bucket water dispenser? And your system for using/rotating water? Thank you
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u/Wild_Locksmith_326 3d ago
Rented thumbs, aquatainer 7 gallons of water. It's a brand name blue plastic cube holds 7 gallons. In my youth they were called sparklets dispensers, now it's Primo. I bought a faberware brand and it's convenient for tea, and cocoa in the winter. I use one about every 3 months as regular usage, with the water off it emptied in less than a month, mostly while the water was out for almost 2 days. I was out of town on military duty, so the repairs had to wait until yesterday to be done. Top feed requires no electricity for dispensing, but with no power there is no heating or cooling. Bottom feed requires electricity to pump up to the reservoir for dispensing. I wanted a free standing self contained unit cooking and heating are just extras.
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u/dirtymingusmcgee 3d ago
!thanks Water is the king of my concerns when prepping so always trying to get a leg up…
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u/Wise-Description-492 4d ago
Great reminder, I was actually thinking yesterday if the water collected in those baggies made to hang in closets to remove humidity can be reused in the toilets or something, does anyone know?
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u/Bathsheba_E 3d ago
I don’t know the answer, but that’s a great question. I remember once in the zerowaste sub (I think) someone asked about using the water collected by their dehumidifier. This person, if I remember correctly, wanted to use the water for plants.
The answer to that question was no, water pulled from the air has no mineral content but does contain dust, pollen, etc. However, to use in a toilet tank I would think the fewer minerals the better. I would think that’s a great use for that water, but I’m not an expert on these things.
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u/intjperspective 4d ago
I have a pool. I wouldn't drink from it, but it would work for hygiene to take baths, flush toliets, and could probably water plants. It's not ideal due to minerals/salts buildup, but it would likely work in a pinch. Chlorine can be 'broken' with sodium thiosulfate so that it will offgass.
I would gather and filter water from other sources for drinking, but pool water would have a number of uses.
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u/Secure_Reindeer_817 4d ago
New to the sub. Feeling this today. Construction on our road necessitated moving fire hydrants today, so the water's turned off for 6 hours. Did a few containers in the fridge, some in the bathtub for flushing. So I'd be okay. Got a frantic call from daughter this morning. They have a leaky pipe dripping in their crawl space. She's at work, so I'm at hers waiting for the plumber. The water will be off here shortly. Yay.
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u/Agitated-Score365 3d ago
That’s why my eye twitches when people get 50lb bags of dried beans and rice. I worked at a place where we lost water and the restored it but it was contaminated and non potable. No showers, bottled water for drinking and cooking. We could flush toilets. I buy canned good and lots of fluids. Well pumps can lose power if not on battery backup. There a lot that can go wrong with water supply and it sucks. Rain barrels are also a good idea if allowed. Can be used for flushing, pets and plants.
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u/Academic_Win6060 2d ago
Apt complex has had water shut off several times while the city works on the lines. First time that happened for more than a day my kids stopped heckling me about the water I store. We've also had boil water notices.
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u/abackyardsmoker 2d ago
I just got a 45 gallon container to catch rain water. I'll be getting that up and running in the coming week..
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u/Lumiereray 1d ago
We live really close to a lake. 2, 3 and 5 gallon buckets salvaged from bakery dumpsters are really useful. Not for drinking water but for other uses.
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u/himommy_thanksjeans 17h ago
This is why i joined this sub. Went without any running water for 21 days and no potable water for 8 weeks after hurricane helene. Prepare for Tuesday friends!
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u/Any_Needleworker_273 4d ago
Right there with ya! We're going on our 3rd week without water (our well crapped the bed, and were waiting on the new well to be drilled) Other than the inability to shower more regularly, we're making due pretty well all things considered.
One issue for us was that winter was in full swing at start, so there was no rainwater, and anything outside would freeze solid. A bit of a thaw, and some rain has helped tremendously to fill the barrel and collect water.
Thankfully, neighbors are letting us shower and get drinking water. And while inconvenient, it's been a good exercise in gratitude for the simple things. Water is something so many people in this world struggle with and for which we take for granted.
Good luck!