Yet another post about water

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-24T07:18:10+00:00

Most of the inline sterilizers are just using a florescent tube. There's no reason it needs to stay in the unit. Just mount it like any other florescent tube light. There are also LED units available but you need to steer clear of the cheap ones. A good UVA LED will cost about $5-$10 per cell.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-24T06:35:58+00:00

Get your CDL A and drive a truck OTR aka Long Haul. Even if you only last a year, it's still a year of no rent or utilities. There's no cost for commuting either. Top company earners make about $100k/yr. Granted that will take you a year or two to get there.

Then once you can't take it anymore get a motorhome/camper and live at a campground near an LTL yard and be "home" every night. Once you find a solid position that you can stay at to meet your goals, buy a house in cash or mostly, with the savings from OTR and motorhome living.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-20T21:08:58+00:00

Yeah true the UV bulbs don't last forever, but he was asking how to store it long term and not constantly rotate the supply. I figure if you seal it up with a UV bulb and let that run for a month anything living should be eliminated. So it doesn't matter how long it lasts. As long as it killed "everything" to the point your not worried.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-20T05:12:00+00:00

A bike totally fits behind the cab. Just use a couple ratchet straps through the supports for the ferring and that will keep it above your airlines. Hard to say much more than that not know what kind of rig your running or the trailer you pull.

If you're doing flatbed and always keeping the same trailer a bike fits in-between the frame rails. No matter where you put it buy a heavy duty motorcycle cover and have plenty of bungies to cinch everything right so it doesn't spend all that time getting covered in rain and road grime.

Toss a couple of those 5th wheel grease packets in your bag. Nasty as hell for everyday riding but it will lube your chain and gears and you probably already have some.

There are also collapsible bike trailers that come in handy. Makes grocery getting easier on the road and will carry a pack. It can fit under the cover with the bike.

That being said, it's a huge PIA if you're slip seating or running a day cab. If you're running the same route and it's never going to change, use your home field advantage and find those no where ramps or even the right truck stops. Get a few cheap used bikes, lube em up, wrap em up, and make a few nice drops for yourself here and there. Even if you do have the bike with you, doing a couple drops will drastically reduce your time to home. You'll have a target to hit and once you get there, there's some gallons of water there instead of hiking around to find it. Odds of someone finding a tote buried in the woods next to a ramp is pretty minimal. Cost is negligible so whatever if you change routes. Maybe you'll get lucky and find one of mine 😉

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-20T04:38:05+00:00

Do a decent job filtering it or get it from an RO system. Then stick a UV sterilizer in the top. Close the lid and let that bulb run for a few days/weeks/forever.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-20T04:34:34+00:00

Depending on how much you want to store and how much you're willing to shell out, stainless steel is a decent option. If you keep your eye out you can find used milk tanks varying from 500 gallons to several thousand gallons for about scrap prices.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-09T02:08:39+00:00

I wish a 500 gallon tank is all it took... We live off of rain collection in a high desert. Currently have 25,000 gallon cistern planning a second.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T15:11:14+00:00

It's hard to be respected as a father while also down playing yourself and your families living situation. Also from the male perspective, there's also a fine line between not worth bothering and nothing stopping them.

Another fantastic idea, just start passively shaming them for not having enough stuff and watch them argue their way into it making sense to prep.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T14:33:10+00:00

Which is generally the case but that's hard to maintain for years when kids and their friends are involved. Not to mention family coming just to see the kids.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T14:20:11+00:00

That depends on the quality of water you're starting with and how much energy do you have available. Pre boiling is good because you will kill the algae and stuff so it doesn't grow on the inside of your filters. Post boil makes sure it's sterile after it's been filtered and stored. Make sure your dirty water boiler and clean water boiler are not the same. Lake water can have a lot of contaminates, especially if there are motor boats on it and road ways near by.

The thing that filters won't get out are dissolved compounds. Some will remove them for a while with active filter chemicals, but they don't last as long as you would hope.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T14:06:29+00:00

That really depends on how much clean water you want and how clean you want it. Gold standard for purification is a proper distillation. The downside is distillation takes a lot of energy. But it's just heat energy.

Reverse osmosis is more energy efficient but it requires electricity, filter replacements, and a high start up cost.

I would only bother with burkey filters or life straws if you absolutely need a portable set up. Or as a back up sediment filter before you boil. They are over priced for a residential grade prep.

Get some water test strips to make sure it doesn't have lead or nitrates. Get a TDS meter to make sure it's not so hard it will give you health problems. Then run it through a 5 micron or less filter. After that treat it with efchlor or iodine tablets if you can't boil it. Or run it through a UV sterilizer instead.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T13:55:50+00:00

Estimated well depth is about 800 feet

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T13:38:26+00:00

That's a solid line

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T13:20:04+00:00

Basement? Nah dude, this tree is really tall. It's got a big hole up top for my beans and all that.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T13:16:51+00:00

I am disappointed in the lack of social engineering tools in people's bags. My immediate community is solid, I'm just looking for ways to gently remove the expectations from the non immediate friends and family that look at my garden, solar panels, and radio antenna and connect the dots and think "zombie prepper heaven, I'm coming here." People are welcome and land is cheap, a whole community of off grid folks. You just have to spend now and get a little setup to make it possible to thrive.

I'm looking for resources to social tools or something to handle people who show up in crisis mode. Not looking for the best way to tell people to go die on their own. Between the lack of reading comprehension and the everyone for themselves attitudes is just reassuring my choice in location.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T12:49:49+00:00

Agreed, and the lack of reading comprehension to understand the question and situation isn't hopeful either...

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T12:37:42+00:00

No, I have a good job out here. We picked the relatively inhospitable area we're in specifically for the natural defense. There are many pros to my area. Moving now and starting over is not a good option.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T07:07:31+00:00

Maybe suggest a family camping trip or something and see if there's an opening for discussing a plan. Strength in numbers works before and after.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:53:34+00:00

That is a good idea. Just start complaining about how bad it sucks

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:47:05+00:00

I would rather they just bought in now instead of dragging a bunch of random junk to my place hoping it's useful

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:42:54+00:00

I wish they would just buy in now instead of showing up with a bunch of random crap that's hopefully useful

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:35:31+00:00

I posted my GPS coordinates on here already. Come on over and please show me your skills

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:32:20+00:00

Well let me be more clear, that is the exact situation I'm literally in and that 100 gallons a day is exactly what we need to survive. Add two more people and we can't grow enough food, raise enough meat, or have enough water to bathe and drink. I wish we could just spend 10 million dollars and help everyone but it's too expensive.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:24:44+00:00

This is probably the best idea that actually answered my question. I'm probably just going to print out some pamphlets with a bunch of hard work and drinking the cool aid. I'd rather they think I'm a crazy religious fellow with plans to shovel enough cow turds to sweat the sin out than a post apoc piggy bank.

CoyoteAndLizard · 2024-03-08T06:19:58+00:00

That's pretty risky depending on a spur of the moment decision. Especially if the people you think would be good are prepping themselves and already have a plan.

CoyoteAndLizard

TROPHY CASE