Water
How to get it – buy it, collect it
How to clean it – filter/UV
How to store it – dark, cool place
Water tips
Plan for 1 gallon per day per person just for drinking
Spring water is the best water to have. Should have total dissolved solids of less than or equal to 20 ppm. Neutral ph of
7 and temperature at collection should be less than or equal to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
You cannot live on distilled water, there aren’t enough minerals – can add trace mineral drops to repair.
Mineral water at 200 ppm is too mineral for long term consumption.
RO systems effectively produce distilled water.
Rainwater can be good solution if filtered.
Find springs at https://findaspring.com
Can get delivery from Hill Country Springs in 5 gallon jugs.
Cleaning water
TDS meter measures indicates the total dissolved solids of a solution, i.e. the concentration of dissolved solid particles
such as salts and minerals.
UV Light/handheld can kill protozoa in water.
Calcium hypochlorite/MMS – Calcium Hypoclorite. When calcium hypochlorite comes into contact with water, it
immediately becomes hypochlorous acid
Chlorine Dioxide Solution (CDS) is effectively a stand alone product, & unlike its MMS counterpart, DOES NOT require
any additional activation.
Life Straw systems: straws, pitchers, other filtration systems. Lifestraw.com
Berkey does not filter as much as they say. Use Berkefeld instead. Available on Amazon.
Can build a water filter/distiller with a bowl, clear plastic sheeting, and a pyramid of sticks.
Storing water
Dark cool storage needed.
Metal racks can hold 9-12 of the 5 gallon jugs.
Glass bottles can be stored longer than plastic. Glass for months, plastic about 6 weeks.
Need to rotate storage (first in first out).
Water Planning and Procurement Information
Plan for 1 gallon per day per person just for drinking. More will be needed for cooking, cleaning, pets, etc. Plan to have 30 days of water stored per person. Must be stored in a cool, dark place.
Spring water is the best water to have. Look for total dissolved solids (TDS) of salts and minerals of less than or equal to 20 ppm. Your water should have Neutral ph of 7 and temperature at collection should be less than or equal to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most of the Hill Country surface water (40-60 feet deep) is polluted due to urbanization. Go deeper for wells.
You cannot live on distilled water, there aren’t enough minerals – but you can add trace mineral drops to repair the water.
Mineral water at 200 ppm is too mineral for long term consumption.
RO systems effectively produce distilled water.
Rainwater can be a good solution if properly filtered. Harvesting enough rainwater in Texas during drought periods is difficult and most have to supplement with delivered water.
You can collect your own spring water. Find springs at https://findaspring.com
Can get spring water delivery from Hill Country Springs in 5 gallon jugs.
Condensation Systems can pull water from the air. Atmoshperic Water Harvesting info available at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.0c00130
Air conditioning drain valves produce 4-10 gallons of water per day, could be useful for watering plants, etc.
How to clean/filter water
There are several ways to filter and treat water to make it safe for consumption.
UV Light/handheld can kill protozoa in water. UV light is used in many commercial and industrial water filtration applications where the feedwater, or raw water, is subject to contamination by microorganisms. UV light can penetrate the cell walls of microorganisms, disrupting the cells so they’re prevented from replicating. As a result, the microorganisms can’t cause human infection or create damaging situations for manufactured products and/or processing equipment. Note UV water filtration should not be used as your only source of filtration, as it does not remove heavy metals or filter the microorganisms from the water. https://waterfilterguru.com/uv-water-purifier-systems/
Calcium hypochlorite – Calcium Hypoclorite. When calcium hypochlorite comes into contact with water, it immediately becomes hypochlorous acid. Also known as “pool shock” Calcium hypochlorite is a powerful oxidizing agent, particularly in the presence of water or at higher temperature as it decomposes to release oxygen and chlorine gases. Therefore, it is necessary to contain the solution until it is used.
Chlorine Dioxide Solution (MMS) is a two-part treatment solution. MMS (Chlorine Dioxide), called MMS as an acronym for “Miracle Mineral Solution” is a liquid solution made by combining equal parts of Sodium Chlorite and Hydrochloric Acid (or Citric Acid). Once you activate the MMS, it can then be applied in the required dose to the water. Find out more at https://Universalantidote.com. Chlorine Dioxide tablets also available on https://safrax.com for those who do not want to worry about the activation process.
CZ2 – one compound application. In the filtration process, zinc acts as an anode and copper as a cathode in an electrolytic cell. Ionic contaminants are removed by electron exchange (a redox reaction), in which they are converted to a more physiologically inert form.[2] This redox reaction generates an electric potential of about 300mV, which may be responsible for the partial antimicrobial effect, along with hydroxyl radicals that form during the process.[
Life Straw systems: straws, pitchers, other filtration systems. Glass and plastic pitchers are useful for everyday water filtration in the home. Straws are great to keep in your car or have in your camping/hiking kit. https://Lifestraw.com
Berkeys. A Gravity filter system. Tests have revealed that the Berkey filter does not filter as much as or as long as the company claims. Other filters are available to use with the Berkey container. Use Berkefeld instead. Has a better history of removing impurities for a longer period of time. Available on Amazon.
Iodine tablets – a super cheap way to kill bio hazards in water. An emergency disinfection of drinking water. Tablets available on Amazon or your camping store. Potable Aqua tablets require that you wait at least 30 min. before drinking the treated water.
R.O. Reverse Osmosis – filter membrane treatment of water removes minerals and contaminants. Basically produces a distilled water, so you may want to add some trace minerals. Can also add quality Redman or Himalayan salt to your water cup to re-mineralize the water.
H2Go – an electronic hand held device that uses salt to purify water. It will treat anywhere from 1 liter (1 quart)up to 20 liters (5 gallons) of water with just a couple of button clicks. It automatically calculates the correct dose for the volume selected, so there is no dosing to calculate. It keeps stored water safe to drink with a lifetime capacity of 60,000 to 124,000+ liters (24,000 to 32,000+ gallons), depending on the model selected. It is inexpensive to purchase and virtually free to operate, with no maintenance, no spare parts, and no consumables (other than common salt). https://aquaresearch.com/h2go-purifier/
MSR Mini Filters allow you to pump water out of a stream or water source. The filter treats the water via a carbon/ceramic filter. Allows portable water filtration. https://www.msrgear.com/water-treatment/filters-and-purifiers/
Gravity bags. 1-gallon and other size portable gravity water filter bag removes harmful bacteria such as E.coli and salmonella as well as parasites and microplastics, making it convenient for traveling, emergencies, and camping.It can filter a gallon of water in just 10 minutes and weighs less than 7 ounces. It usually contains two filters: a membrane microfilter and an activated-carbon and ion-exchange filter. These filters remove bio-contaminants and have varying capacities. Find at Lifestraw, Amazon, and camping stores.
Can build a home-made water filter/distiller with a bowl, a pan, clear plastic sheeting, and a pyramid of sticks. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/clean-dirty-water-with-the-sun-bring-science-home/
Read about Victor Shauberger’s theories about water structure and purification at https://www.gaia.com/article/viktor-schauberger-the-anti-gravity-water-wizard
Storing water
- Dark cool storage needed.
- Metal racks can hold 9-12 of the 5 gallon jugs.
- Glass bottles can be stored longer than plastic.
- Need to rotate storage (first in first out).