A Fatal Flaw In my Preps....

**Winnie** · 01-30-2010, 05:47 PM

And it's my own stupid fault! Water or the lack thereof if bugging in. I feel a right idiot. I knew I had a combi boiler, hence no water tank. But did I realise what impact it would have? not until yesterday when I noticed a huge icicle hanging from the outdoor hosepipe. Sooo going to order some water containers and fill them up! Oh and when funds permit, a few water butts for the garden too.

**crashdive123** · 01-30-2010, 06:59 PM

Every new event that we face teaches us something about how we've prepared.

**2dumb2kwit** · 01-30-2010, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Winnie

And it's my own stupid fault! Water or the lack thereof if bugging in. I feel a right idiot. I knew I had a combi boiler, hence no water tank. But did I realise what impact it would have? not until yesterday when I noticed a huge icicle hanging from the outdoor hosepipe. Sooo going to order some water containers and fill them up! Oh and when funds permit, a few water butts for the garden too.

Butts in the garden????

Is that like "boots in the field"?

LOL

**Rick** · 01-30-2010, 08:02 PM

Hokey Smokes!!!!! Those things are cheap over there. They are about $150 here.

http://www.waterbutts.com/

**Winnie** · 01-31-2010, 05:25 AM

Exctly my point, Rick. Stuff is scary expensive over here, so I have to prioritise very carefully and save money for each item as I go. I try hard not to complain about the cost of things over here. Have a look at the cost of some camping/bushcraft items. That'll really scare you!

**SARKY** · 01-31-2010, 10:50 PM

Winnie, check these out.
www.incaseof.ca/supertanker.htm

**Winnie** · 02-01-2010, 05:31 AM

Thanks Sarky, but only available in U.S or Canada.

**Sourdough** · 02-01-2010, 06:40 AM

Do the restaurants in your world have Anso (sp) fire suppression systems over the grill....? If so out back will be dozens of blue 55 gal. plastic barrels. They are generally free, and wash out easy. The fire suppression foam is non-toxic. I picked up about 15 barrels from the Eagle River Lions Club in exchange for a $25.00 donation.

**Rick** · 02-01-2010, 07:41 AM

Sourdough - Are you talking about Ansul? They are pretty common in restaurants. They have a lot of stuff they use but many of their MSD sheets say this...

"Eye Contact:Flush with large amounts of water.If irritation persists, seek medical attention.
Skin Contact:Wash thoroughly with soap and water.If irritation persists, seek medical attention.
Inhalation:Move to fresh air.Seek medical attention if discomfort continues.
Ingestion:If patient is conscious, give large quantities of water and induce vomiting.Seek medical attention. "

I truly don't know anything about the stuff. It's just on their fact data sheet which can be found here:

https://www.ansul.com/en/support/msds.asp

**wareagle69** · 02-01-2010, 08:15 AM

winnie, is your town on a gravity fed system?ie water tower or a pressure fed system, small buildings in the area that house the pumps? in the balckout of 03 the city i lived in at the time was pressure fed and i still was able to get water for the first 24 hrs so as soon as i got home i filled every available container i had, tub included for extra above what i had stored, the only thing i bought on the way home was allot of ice beating out those trying to get some later, hence the reason for carrying lots of small bills

**Winnie** · 02-01-2010, 09:23 AM

Do you know WE I'm not entirely sure. All of the U.K's water is ground water, either from underground aquefers or reservoirs. Our water is fed from a reservoir about 30 miles away, so I'm presuming it's pressure. There are water authorities that control water distribution in a regional area, but the whole of the British distribution system is interconnected. I remember water from our area being pumped to another, because their supply was low. I'll have to investigate.

**Sourdough** · 02-01-2010, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

Sourdough - Are you talking about Ansul? They are pretty common in restaurants. They have a lot of stuff they use but many of their MSD sheets say this...]

YES, My understanding is that it is Soap, and the same foam used on runways, for gear-up landings, and by fire companies. That it is soap, and that the main ingredient in soap is pigs blood. Anyway I have washed dozens of those barrels and used them for everything, Gasoline, Diesel, Water. I talked face to face with the Ansul Supplier in Anchorage about this.

**Old GI** · 02-01-2010, 12:52 PM

Loss of power will create havoc on a common water system versus a well. One of the first announcements made is for all to boil water (if you're lucky enough to have pressure). We have just a well now out on the prairie, but in Florida, we had both well and "commercial" water; glad we had whole home gegenrator for the well during I hurricanes. Also, commercial sewer system use "lift stations" and they need power; guess what, no back up electric, what a mess!!! Currently, I'm still in the planning stages for power source for well.

**Winnie** · 02-01-2010, 01:17 PM

I do have a major restriction in that I'm not allowed to drive. I am in negotiations with a takeaway fish and chip shop for his empty oil buckets. Would they be any good?

**Rick** · 02-01-2010, 02:42 PM

You should be able to use anything that's had food materials in it as long as the materials haven't rotted, molded, etc inside but container and the food stuff isn't capable of going rancid, like milk.

**hunter63** · 02-07-2010, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Winnie

I do have a major restriction in that I'm not allowed to drive. I am in negotiations with a takeaway fish and chip shop for his empty oil buckets. Would they be any good?

In my scrounges I turned up several 5 gal cooking oil jugs, thought it would be good to store water in.
Well, I gotta tell ya, I tried just about everything to get them cleaned out, but using any water from them, always had a "oily" feel and taste.