Since we can go longer without food than water, let’s start with how much we need to stock up on. Covering in this blog, water storage, BPA alternatives to ditch the plastic and home water filtration.
“The human body needs a lot of water to function correctly, and a person may only survive a few days without it. Many other factors, such as a person’s activity levels and their environment, also play an essential role …” great article continues on here about the importance of water for our bodies: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325174.php
Sure, we can go without a lot of water for a few days, and I know many of you are already shouting “tequila”, “just buy beer” LOL, but how much should you be stockpiling? For consumption? A gallon per day, per person for 3 days at the bare minimum. Two weeks would be ideal and that is not factoring in the water you might need for cooking! If you read the article from Medical News Today linked above, you might want to reconsider adding in more than usual to your prep list and find a place to store it now, so that it’s one last thing you need to go out and purchase later. A little at a time every time you shop at the beginning of hurricane season and you’ll be set. Why wait until the last minute for something so vitally important?
Don’t forget your pets! Shop for them too. I know that’s a no brainer but sadly it needs to be included for a small handful of the population.
Now, I know many of you are concerned about buying plastic bottles and what it does to the environment, are also worried about drinking water from a container made with BPA … for my family, we ditched plastic bottles some time ago. Sure we keep a few in the freezer in case we have a power outage and need frozen water to help keep the food cold/frozen, but for daily use? Not any more.
I wish I had an alternative water storage concept that worked for all. I’ve never tried this one nor do I have the other sizes but I like that it is BPA FREE and Food Grade Plastic!
15 Gallon Heavy Duty Plastic Water Storage Tank – Wise Survival Gear – $69.99
from: Legacy Food Storage
Before I get into water filtration at home, which greatly reduces the need to buy plastic water jugs, I’m going to show you that being environmentally conscious can also be pretty! I do not personally own one of these either but have given them as gifts and they were a BIG hit! (Clicking on the image “should” take you to where I got them). One recipient told me she even drinks more water using the decanter with a gemstone vial because it’s just so fancy feeling. AWE! More water consumption is such a good thing for our health it made me feel so good!
And LOOOOKIE at the stunning – I mean absolutely GORGEOUS vials to put inside with gemstones of your choice? They have several to choose from.
Inspiration Gemstone Vials – Lapis Lazuli/Rutilated Quartz
They’d truly make an AMAZING gift. For myself, I’d probably just want one of those adorable personal water bottles Vitality Gem Water Bottle 16.9 fl. oz. – Emerald/Clear Quartz
Yes, I am totally hinting for what to get Just Jenn, mi familia, 😂 I do use glass bottles with a shock-resistant cover but they are nowhere NEAR as fun and as the bottles with the pretty gemstones. IJS I want to drink my home filtered water in fancy glass bottles LOL
I normally would not offer suggestions on this I have not at least personally tried, but if I had the room for this, would so totally get us a few because if our personal little well (cistern) ran dry, I wouldn’t want to end up needed to use pool water.
WHAT? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUSLY THINKING OF USING POOL WATER, JUST JENN?!?!?! No …. however, I’m just going to post a link to another blog on the subject: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/hydration-for-the-apocalypse-how-to-store-water-for-long-term-emergencies/
I really don’t have an issue using water from a NON-salt water pool in an emergency. I’d simply run the water through basic filters like colanders and coffee filters … treat it with the stuff we use to clean the raw fruits and veggies which also kills bacteria in water (you know, for overkill) like Microdyn, and then run that water through my Berkey since it will remove residual chlorine AND the Microdyn leaving my family with CLEAN potable water.
What is a Berkey? Well, it is a counter-top gravity-fed water filtration system I’ve been using for two’ish years so that my family no longer needs to buy bottled water which reduces our plastic use … goooooood for the planet, food for my family as it removes practically everything but salt. Plus, it brings my family’s water drinking cost consumption down to about two cents per glass. WIN-WIN
We originally started with the Big Berkey shown below
Big Berkey Water Filter 2 Gal with 2 BB9 Black Berkey Filters
But we go through so much water between pets, coffee, cooking and everyday consumption, we went up to the Crown because we realized just how quickly we go through 6 gallons of water.
We never bothered with the add-on fluoride filters, because where we live they do not put fluoride in the water. Nope. They put it in our salt and stuff instead.
Crown Berkey Water Filter Basic 6 Gal Berkey Filter with 2 BB9 Black Berkey Filter Elements
from: Berkey Filters USA
I thought I had a picture of the Berkey on my counter, it’s actually very attractive, but all I could find was Little Bit photo bombing when I was in the middle of making cucumber, lemon and mint infused water. SO FRESHING! Totally raises the PH too, for those needing a natural way to make the water more alkaline that prefer not to use sodium bicarbonate.
Here is a bit more of what I am using for my family. Totally worth looking in to … or at least learning about. When the power goes out, and if your generator fails … a counter-top gravity-fed water filter will come in handy for those using whole house filtration systems.
I hope this isn’t coming across as a sales pitch … I just really love the Berkey enough to share it with you. I’ll be editing this most likely later as it was written in a hurry (it was getting lengthy and I didn’t include all of the things that the Berkey removes that may be lurking in your water supply no matter what your source is) and I’m sure there are a ton of accidental grammatical errors and some spelling ones, but I trust you speak typo LOL.
xoxo,
Just Jenn
( just a station manager for a hobby radio station in Cabo San Lucas https://livecaboradio.com/ )
Just trying to ensure everyone is prepared for anything.
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Stainless Steel Drip Water Filter System – High Capacity Filtration – $329.00The Legacy gravity drip water filter system is made ofstainless steel and is the perfect solution for emergency water filtration, daily countertop use, or outdoor activities. Because it requires no electricity or pump, it is the ideal high capacity filtration solution for your emergency supply. Includes 2, replaceable, high capacity filters with a 1200-gallon capacity each (2400 gallons total). Replacement & expansion filters available. |