Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Sometime in the early afternoon, a water main in our neighborhood broke. It's midnight now, and we still do not have water.

Suddenly, those 55 gallon food-grade drums I was thinking of buying seem like a REALLY good idea.

Without water, your life span is limited to DAYS.

Be prepared...

I can't wait to live out in the country with my own well.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

We went through that off and on all last fall, as they replaced water mains in our neighborhood. Of course, there was never any warning. My husband and I just smiled at each other broke out the storage water.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Its like florida during the hurricanes. Youll be hard pressed to find a veteran floridian without at least a weeks worth of water at all times...and thats on the low end.

For those afraid of "fema camps" the quickest way for them to have the masses beg to be round up is to cut of water to a town. Theyll be beggin in days

For other scenarios, all it takes is the water municipality to be disrupted for just a few days for panicks and some serious issues to arise.

always have water stored up...always.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

2 1500gal tanks, spring fed + well. What's a 'water main' ? :D

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Don't know about you, Andy, but I think they were just confused. They didn't mean "water main". They meant "main water".

My main water source is our well.

If that goes bad, 2 springs feed the pond below the house 24/7.

I hope I cleared that up for you... :tongue_ma:

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Sounds like you got one Andy!:clap2:

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Water is always my first criteria when I'm looking at property. Fortunately, there's lots of good property available in Oregon with good water sources.

Some recent favorites:

http://www.wolfnw.com/John%20Day%20River%20Ranch.html

http://www.wolfnw.com/Kuhn%20Ridge%20Ranch.html


Too rich for my blood!

http://www.wallowamountainproperties...3294/gal1.html

http://www.landsalelistings.com/1563

Ah, much better on price!

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Source:

Lloyd's cool water-saving invention runs hot

By Peter Morley

March 19, 2008 12:00am


A DARLING Downs resident has invented a valve that stops the average household losing 16,000 litres of water down the drain.

Lloyd Linson-Smith's Enviro Save device diverts and saves cold water that flows from domestic taps before hot water arrives.

It has won a segment on the ABC's New Inventors television program, has been described as the breakthrough of century, and is now in commercial production.

The $198 valve can be fitted to plumbing systems in new homes or retro fitted to older style houses for $475.

Mr Linson-Smith, 77, got the idea after he moved from Brisbane to Oakey, where his new home was supplied by tanks.

"We used to save the cold water in buckets for use in the garden but then my wife said, 'Okay smart arse, you have spent a lifetime as a tool and light machinery manufacturer so you should be able find an easier way to save our precious water'," he said.

"So I came up with the idea of a brass valve that is installed in the hot water pipeline just before the kitchen sink," he said.

"The cold water ahead of the arrival of the hot water is identified by a thermal element and bypasses the sink.

"The tap handle is the trigger for a process where potable cold water is returned to tanks."

Retro fitting was more expensive because it also required a tank and a pressure-reducing valve to save the cold water, which was fed back into the distribution system.

�

But Mr Linson-Smith said: "When a three-person house can save 40 litres a day or 16,000 litres a year it does not take long to get the investment back.

Support for the valve is increasing, with the Toowoomba City Council announcing a $200 rebate for everyone who installs Mr Linson-Smith's system.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Source: http://thespec.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/359108

'Water wars' with U.S. in our future: experts

April 24, 2008
The Canadian Press
Toronto (Apr 24, 2008)

Parched U.S. states could start "water wars" in the years ahead and fight for access to Great Lakes resources as they become more desperate to meet growing needs, Canadian and American experts said yesterday at a water conference.

Southwestern U.S. states are already concerned about dwindling water resources, and the impacts of climate change are exacerbating their problems, said Environment Canada's Linda Mortsch, who worked on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.

Water issues that are currently emerging will develop into bitter conflicts in the not too distant future when those dry states become increasingly desperate, said Milton Clark, a senior health and science adviser for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"We will, in fact, get into major water wars," Clark said. "You will see water wars coming in every way, shape or form. In the U.S., there are some leading politicians who have said the Great Lakes do, in fact, belong (to everyone) and all water should be nationalized -- and this certainly is a concern."

Earlier this month, Ohio Lt.-Gov. Lee Fisher made headlines when he told an economic development summit the Great Lakes region may be less than a decade away from selling water to other U.S. states in need.

"I think it's fair to say that we're going to see in the next decade states and other countries looking for ways to get access to our fresh water supply, and we're going to have to make some tough decisions about whether we want that to happen and, if so, how," Fisher said.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Why so little water ?

I keep 500,000,000,000 gallons stored in my lake just for emergencies ...





.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Yea, having a well is a true blessing for sure, but just remember to get a hand pump for it also. If the power is off, or like happened to me a few years ago, the pressure switch craps out...on a Sunday afternoon...with no replacement on hand...right after I got done mowing the weeds on the back of the property to keep them down and was filthy...you're out of luck.

Paid a guy $89.00!!! to replace it.

A Simple Pump is in my future.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

I'm on county water with an old well on the property that was disconnected years ago. I'm thinking about replacing the pump with a dc pump or an SQ Series soft start 120 volt pump my inverter can handle. All I would need then would be a couple solar panels and a battery to run the whole rig.

I don't want the water district telling me I can't water my gardens.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

You own one of the Finger lakes in NY? Canandaigua?

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

another interesting well pump ...


http://www.frontier.net/~ohare/simplesoundpump.GIF

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

oops too many zeros , loose a few ... only fifty acres.

My dam's 28 foot tall at the center, 30" spill tube.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

These are the pumps I've been looking at forthe past couple of years http://www.simplepump.com/

They make both hand and motorized versions that may be right up your alley.

http://www.simplepump.com/images/left_column_pumps.gif

Frankly I don't know a whole lot about pumps, but with this one at least (the hand powered one), you can tie it into your water line in such a manner that if the power or electric pump fails, you can pressurize the moderating tank to have regular household water.

I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on it with the tax check when it comes.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Damn pesky zeros. The government seems to have trouble with them too!:wink:

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

This is another of our fall back positions too. I've got a pond that I think (from a friends cyphering) should hold about 89,000 gallons. Right now all I have are a couple of Katadyn Pocket Purifiers, but having a Big Berkey would really make this option viable.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

I have been looking at these too. Just remember that the down rods cost almost as much as the pump head. I am also figuring it is going to cost me about $250 to have a well company pull my existing pump and lines.

All in all I am figuring about 1400 bucks.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Oh yea, I priced it out I guess last year and you're right, it's not cheap, that's why I've yet to purchase it. :D We'd basically only use it during power outages which are infrequent here and SHTF situations, so it's been easy to relegate to the back burner ('course I said the same thing about getting a kero heater as a backup till we froze our butts off one Christmas morning when the boiler took a dump :D)

From everything I've read about this particular pump though, it seem like a high quality, one time purchase and while the well's 150 ft., we'd only have to go down about 35 ft. I'm just toying with the idea of maybe going with the solar option as I have an 85w panel and couple of inverters hanging around doing nothing already. I could just add another panel or two and batteries. We'll see.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

After that I drink right out of my sprinkler system.....


(btw, I'm well water, not canal.)

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

I use an outback 2kw inverter to run a regular submersible well pump. depth is only 65 feet, but it would work as well at 200 i am pretty sure.
In my case I use a 120/240 volt transformer because the inverter only makes 120 volts, and when I installed the well pump, i used a 240 volt model.
When the sun is up the house runs on solar panels, when the (battery ) system voltage goes below the 24.6 volt set point, it automatically switches over to GRID power, if such is available.
If for whatever reason grid power fails, then we go in conservation mode, which entails me following the kids and wife around the house, switching lights, computers, stereo equipment, and various electronic devices and chargers off. and limiting laundry loads and shower LENGTH.
With conservation, the batteries will run critical loads for 3 or 4 days. With some sun, this will increase.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

So EyeofLiberty,

Have you got your water back yet?

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Watch what happens to Las Vegas over the next couple years. My predicition is that by 2014, Las Vegas will be a crumbling ghost town. Anyone out there want to make a bet? :wink:

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

Yes, it was on when I got up this morning at 5:00. But still, the feeling of vulnerability is very instructive. Nothing like a "situation" to make you think about your preparations.

Re: Mini TSHTF in my neighborhood - We have no water
 

theres always a bet goin . as for the year 2014 ? what are the odds?