April 14, 2018

  • How to install a well and/or well point
  • Different types of wells and the cost
  • Review of water purification methods and filters
  • BYO BOB (Bring your own Bug Out Bag) or Get Home Bag to display and share ideas
  • Things to carry in your car/truck

Water – and lots of it – is about as important as it gets.
While water storage is important as a buffer, it is not practical as anything more than that. We just use too much of it to store for the long term – although a swimming pool goes a long way.

We’re going to cover 3 areas here:
Putting in a well
Getting water out of that well
Alternatives to a well

2 kinds of wells: Shallow and Deep
Shallow uses ground water
Deep uses the aquifer

  • Shallow MUST be treated by using a good water filter or chemical or other means.
  • Shallow depends on rain to recharge.
  • Shallow is a maximum of about 28 feet, but 20 – 25 is a more practical depth
  • Shallow usually uses a suction pump where the pumping is done from ground level and pulled up. The pump is working against both gravity and atmospheric pressure.
  • Pump must be primed

 

  • Deep is pure and generally needs no treatment
  • Deep in West Volusia is about 75 feet to the aquifer
  • Deep uses a piston pump where the pumping is done from below the water level and pushed up.
  • No priming is needed

 

  • Another Option: Cisterns with a Berkey filter
  • A swimming pool can be used as a cistern. Not ideal, but most things aren’t.
  • 2017 – received 65 inches of rain at my house
  • If you are able to catch and save 90% of the rain on a 2000 square ft. roof, you will have 72,930 gallons of water per year, which is 200 gallons per day.
  • My 12×24 steel roof shed would provide 9,750 gallons, or 26 gallons per day.
  • Use a sand filter to remove any larger contaminants, then pour it through a Berkey filter. The double filtering is mainly to extend the life of the Berkey filter.

The restored house at Blue Springs in Orange City is supplied by a cistern even though it is located only steps away from the Blue Springs run.

 

  • Without electricity to pump water, do you have the means to store and move that water?
  • Buckets
  • Wagon to carry larger amounts of water
  • Water to your garden
  • Garden hose with manual pump / siphon
  • 5 gallon water containers (max. portable size)
  • 55 gallon water barrels from various prep dealers
  • Recycled juice barrels available locally from Craig’s List, etc.
  • Designs to dump the first several gallons washed off the roof before routing into storage barrel

Big Berkey Water Filter Demonstration

BOB/GHB (Bug Out Bag / Get Home Bag)

“Show and Tell” as members display and describe their kits.

Maxpedition Falcon II – Top view – Total weight, including water = 19.8 pounds

Side view 1

Side view 2 showing dump pouch.

Group 1

Vortex monocular, toilet paper, sweat band

Mosquito head net, knife, oven bag, energy drink, Chap-stick, water bottles with cup, note pad, butane lighter, gloves, first aid kit.

Latex gloves, Iodine tabs, Neosporin, pill vial with pain meds, splinter tweezers, nail clippers

Freeze dried packets, Lifeboat rations, cook stove, nylon poncho, Mylar sleeping bags, cap

 

5.11 Tactical Rush MOAB 6 bag. Total weight with ammo and water = 9.6 pounds

Opened bag with ASP collapsible baton. Not shown – pouch with filled 9mm magazines.

Vortex monocular, container with energy bar, toilet paper, Israeli bandage, band-aid kit, sweat band, cap, fire starters, water bottle.

Knife, pen, notepad, bag with gloves, ear plugs, face protection, Chap-stick, spare batteries, whistle, compass, DEET, poncho, Butane lighter, spoon, 550 cord, Sawyer water filter kit, Flash drive with docs, pill vial with pain meds, mini-multi-tool, handcuff key.