Living Simply Can Kill You

Cyngbaeld · #21 08/22/12, 02:08 PM

Only catch off a metal or sealed roof (sealed with polymeric coating). Use a roof washer. It is a little gadget you can make yourself that diverts the first few gallons away from the cistern then allows the cleaner water to flow thru. Check the earthship books for info on having a sand filter built into the bottom of the cistern and on water filtering systems.

jhambley · #22 08/22/12, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyngbaeld

Only catch off a metal or sealed roof (sealed with polymeric coating). Use a roof washer. It is a little gadget you can make yourself that diverts the first few gallons away from the cistern then allows the cleaner water to flow thru. Check the earthship books for info on having a sand filter built into the bottom of the cistern and on water filtering systems.

That just filters out the big chunks. It's the little things you can't see that kill you.

poorboy · #23 08/22/12, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhambley

That just filters out the big chunks. It's the little things you can't see that kill you.

Then just go ahead and pay the thousands and accept the water bill, Myself I know how to build a charcoal and sand filter that I have drank water from before without problems at an old mans house that lived well into his 90's and when my Aun't got the property she lived to mid 80's when her lifetime habit of 2 packs a day of cigs killed her..no body is going to live forever..

Danaus29 · #24 08/22/12, 02:40 PM

Gah! Never thought about coons climbing onto the roof!!!

Plec, plec, sput sput!

An inline sediment filter and an occasion gallon of bleach wouldn't hurt. Even a reverse osmosis system alone would work ok. But I would run any filtration or treatment system (except the sediment filter) on the cold water side only. You would have to keep the water heater hotter than usual to kill the bad buggies. Grandpa had his set somewhere between 180 and 200*F. Yes, hot water from the tap would burn you. You just had to be careful about it.

silverseeds · #25 08/22/12, 02:50 PM

A good sand filter for the daily water, and boil drinking water... Its all fine then.

nostawmama · #26 08/22/12, 03:06 PM

Another part of the problem would come from the fact that rainwater off the roof into a barrel is a very simple, not exactly expensive process. The people that are selling stuff for water purification can't make money if people aren't scared of what is in the water. And those companies are the ones that do a lot of research and write the articles.

Not that I don't believe in water impurities from an unsealed roof or atmospheric pollution or raccoon scat or bird droppings but it does make for finding unbiased information difficult. (Although that can apply to almost all information- everyone is biased one way or another)

Forerunner · #27 08/22/12, 03:18 PM

Perhaps, when living with the probability of some sort of infrastructure collapse, exercising the immune system should be as high a "prep" priority as any.

I have seen research indicating that chlorinated water has done the deed in re destroying the immune systems of the populace at large, rendering them largely helpless to otherwise common "bugs".

They recommend against running a marathon, right off the couch.....but yuh gotta start training somewhere.

nostawmama · #28 08/22/12, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forerunner

Perhaps, when living with the probability of some sort of infrastructure collapse, exercising the immune system should be as high a "prep" priority as any.

This has merit. Just might be very difficult to implement- would take a great deal of fortitude to knowingly ingest something that could very well make you sick. And for me it would be even harder doing the same for my children.

grandma12703 · #29 08/22/12, 03:35 PM

Just get a filtering system.

silverseeds · #30 08/22/12, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandma12703

Just get a filtering system.

Yep, setting up a sand filter is pretty easy. This is a biological filter as well as for debri. Adding low quality charcoal to it is easy as well. Low quality as in it doesnt last long, but its effective. You could drink it safely from there. If your concerned add in some boiling. This stuff isnt rocket science, and this is and old method, just not everyone used it, especially before people knew WHY sand filters worked. But sand filters are pretty ancient. and very effective.

emdeengee · #31 08/22/12, 03:45 PM

When I was young we drank water right from the rain barrel and from the mountain streams. No problems at all. Was water purer? No we were just lucky. It isn't just bacteria that you have to worry about but flukes and other parasites. Of course there is more chance of contamination in catchment water (lakes, ponds) or flowing water (streams, creeks) than in rainwater but birds and rodents can contaminate your roof (think anything that can fly and squirrels, mice, rats, racoons etc). And a lot of these metazoan pathogens can infiltrate through the skin (showers, baths) and mouth and cuts and scrapes. A few years ago my husband got Girardia (Beaver Fever) falling into a creek and as sick he was I would not wish on my worst enemy. The irony - his profession is water. If you are going to provide your own water learn to test it and always filter to the best standard that you can afford.

**Cabin Fever** · #32 08/22/12, 04:10 PM

I thought this thread was about "living simply." So far, the suggestions I've heard have been about sand filters, charcoal filters, boiling water, roof washers, etc. None of this sounds very "simple" to me. I'll stick with our simple, off grid, water system, thank you very much.....

Living Simply Can Kill You - Homesteading Questions

Usingmyrights · #33 08/22/12, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by where I want to

Only if you consider dying of miscellaneous infections not a probem water run off.

Theres precautions to take against infection. Chemicals are harder to get rid of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostawmama

I think that the forefathers also had more of an immunity to the most common of the bugs and such that are in the water. It is the same as the locals in developing nations being able to handle drinking straight from the stream but tourists will be stricken while ingesting no more than a sip!

I would have to agree with the posters about the chemicals on the shingles and the polluted atmosphere. Yuk!

I knew someone that would have their young son run all over the farm, go get the eggs with the chicken poo on them and not worry about washing his hands. She just called in innocculation.

silverseeds · #34 08/22/12, 04:23 PM

Sand filters are very low tech and simple actually. So is charcoal, (charcoal takes care of chems by the way, or most of them atleast) so is finding a bit of wood to boil some water with. Wells are great to, but if you dont already have one, its far from simple to just make one in most areas.

Usingmyrights · #35 08/22/12, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emdeengee

Of course there is more chance of contamination in standing water (streams, creek, lakes) than in rainwater.....

Streams, creeks, etc are not considered to be stagnant. Only standing water is. So lakes, puddles, rainbarrels, etc woukd be considered stagnant. A lake with a good consistant wind is better than one without.

backwoods · #36 08/22/12, 04:44 PM

Great book on the subject, "Rainwater Collection For the Mechanically Challenged" by Suzy Banks with Richard Heinichen. It's published by Tank Town. Tank Town - Rainwater Collection Since 1994!. We've had a rainwater catchment system, 2-2500 gal. tanks for potable water, roof washer, METAL roof, sediment filter, charcoal filter and then either the Kangan filter @ the sink, or the AquaRain filter (like Berkey) if it's specifically drinking water. We bathe, run dishwasher, clothes, you name it. Never a problem.

Forerunner · #37 08/22/12, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nostawmama

This has merit. Just might be very difficult to implement- would take a great deal of fortitude to knowingly ingest something that could very well make you sick. And for me it would be even harder doing the same for my children.

I wouldn't advocate drinking water of questionable purity as a first step, but rather eliminating chlorinated water.

big rockpile · #38 08/22/12, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyngbaeld

Only catch off a metal or sealed roof (sealed with polymeric coating). Use a roof washer. It is a little gadget you can make yourself that diverts the first few gallons away from the cistern then allows the cleaner water to flow thru. Check the earthship books for info on having a sand filter built into the bottom of the cistern and on water filtering systems.

Did this for years,Lady at county says oh you can't drink Rain Water it will make you sick.Well being years into it we figured if we were we would have already been.

Most had to watch was Smoke in Winter and Pollen in Spring.

big rockpile

nostawmama · #39 08/22/12, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forerunner

I wouldn't advocate drinking water of questionable purity as a first step, but rather eliminating chlorinated water.

And would never consider it as first step. But building an immunity has to start with exposure and that takes courage. Also in this day and age exposing my youngsters to anything but a vaccination for the purpose of immunity would cause all sorts of problems.

Curious to know what you would recommend as the step after switching to non-chlorinated water? We hope to be moving somewhere with a well soon.

Forerunner · #40 08/22/12, 06:08 PM

Good well water is far superior to roof catchment, no doubt.

I have a spring for drinking, and roof catchment for just about everything else.
I also have a pond that takes no ag-related runoff, and has been tested....crystal clear and just one strain of benign bacteria at the gravity hydrant that runs from that pond.
I drink that whenever.....and I'll drink the rain catchment water in the summer, when there's no creosote buildup on the roof....

Immunity conditioning can be enbraced on many levels, water being just one.
Gardening and weeding barefoot all summer has to be high on the list.

It is a dangerous world right now, so I wouldn't go trusting sources off the farm, such as other ponds, streams, etc., but I do remember, as a kid, accidentally swallowing a pretty good occasional mouthful of pond or even river (

) water and suffering no ill effects. Ditto for an occasional drink out of local streams, until Pop told me that might not be the best idea.

As for rain catchment water, if it's clear, and has no smell, and no off taste, I'm not concerned.
I suspect it was the genius behind the random chance of evolution that afforded us eyes, nose and taste to determine the worth of a great many things, water being one of them.