Alternative Ideas # 2

Okiepan

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So how is your water supply ? Do you rely on public services for water ? Do you have a well ? Back up power ? Filtration systems ? Y'all get the gest of the questions , Back up plans , Remember Livestock and Crops need water as well as people .
 

flowerbug

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So how is your water supply ? Do you rely on public services for water ? Do you have a well ? Back up power ? Filtration systems ? Y'all get the gest of the questions , Back up plans , Remember Livestock and Crops need water as well as people .

we have a deep well, power to the pump is via the power company so it is not 100% reliable but for the times when the power goes out i have the routine established where i harvest all available water from the pressure tank so we have drinking water and water to flush the toilets for a few days. our last power outage we could have used an extra bucket of water so i now have an extra bucket in the garage full of water that we can use. also we normally have gallon jugs of water in storage and on hand for various purposes that can be used for drinking water

we also have constantly running ditches from two directions going through our lot so we won't ever be without running water of some kind, it's just a matter of if i want to go out with a bucket in the middle of rotten weather to get water or not. same for the gardens. they can usually go a few days without water and then the power will be back on. if it turned out to be a longer term issue i could easily set up a shallow well and some kind of arrangement to get water to where i wanted it. i also have various features around where i collect run-off and some of those end up with pretty clean water so that could be used for gardens or even filtered and treated a bit for drinking if it really has to be.
 

frustratedearthmother

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We also have a private well, generators, a pond (next door) and giant totes that we keep full. Also - we get 55 inches of rain a year in a normal year - that's not counting hurricanes! There's ALWAYS water around, lol. We've had one drought that I remember from years ago. Our well is deep and we had no problems - but some neighbors with shallow wells were in trouble. I am one of those folks who keeps at least 50 gallons of fresh water at all times. I change it out occasionally.

What I really should invest in is a good filtration system. Any ideas/suggestions?
 

Okiepan

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Filtration systems are based on your needs , I can only suggest items that I have knowledge of , Portawell, Berkey , Charcoal , sand , Straw , Iodine , chlorine etc I would suggest just to research your needs for the storage you have , For electric wells back up power or manual buckets, Again based on your needs people and Livestock are two different areas
 

Trying2keepitReal

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we have a well and a generator as well. I save bottles of water in the cellar as well, and then change them out every 9-12 months (give it to the garden or animals).

My goal this year is a rain barrel-though it is hit or miss around here with rain. I have also thought/looked into canning quarts or liters of water.

We do have a river down the road that has public access that we could haul from and purify/boil.
 

flowerbug

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We also have a private well, generators, a pond (next door) and giant totes that we keep full. Also - we get 55 inches of rain a year in a normal year - that's not counting hurricanes! There's ALWAYS water around, lol. We've had one drought that I remember from years ago. Our well is deep and we had no problems - but some neighbors with shallow wells were in trouble. I am one of those folks who keeps at least 50 gallons of fresh water at all times. I change it out occasionally.

What I really should invest in is a good filtration system. Any ideas/suggestions?

the cleanest water is the easiest to deal with for further use so if you can set up a barrel to collect water off the roof that is usually the easiest way to go. screen it to keep mosquitoes and bits of debris out of it and then you can draw off water from a bit above the bottom and that is ok enough for garden or animal use. if you need a lot more capacity then that would involve a larger cistern and i'm not really into that kind of space usage as it gets big rather quickly and with big that means you need to know your soil and footings where you'd put the tank and how to maintain it after installation. with a simple rain barrel the maintanance is easy. every once in a while when it gets low you just empty it, tip it and hose out the gunk that's built up on the bottom and then put it back where you had it. all done. :)

taking that to safe drinking water can be as easy as dropping an iodine pill into the water or a whole nother layer of filtering or going as far as RO systems but i think that's major overkill.
 

Mini Horses

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Deep well. Generator. Hand dug well with bucket and rivers nearby. Plenty of rain barrels which stay pretty full, water exchanged to garden periodically.

Now, most of us have seed!!! Situations you're igniting will require seeds. Those of us with birds and dairy...we're in decent shape. Plus most on here freeze, can, dehydrate to preserve food harvests.

Save your seed. :lol:
 

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