What have you done this week to prep?

[rhino]

Boiling it is not an option...???
We have a fire pit and large pot for such things but I see your point.
Looks like the pool becomes a bathtub of sorts.

Boiling is necessary for distillation, but boiling itself will only kill pathogenic microorganisms and remove a significant portion of any volatile organic compounds that are dissolved in the water. To make the pool water suitable for consumption, you need to actually distill it: boil it, capture the steam, condense the steam back to clean water. In addition to your boiler, you'll also need something to catch the vapor and condense it, much like the copper coils you see on a 'still for making moonshine, and then collect the condensate (which should be water as pure as you can get it) in a clean container. It's a very fuel-intensive process, which is why most industrial deionized and/or purified water is processed via reverse osmosis rather than distillation.

 

[churchmouse]

Boiling is necessary for distillation, but boiling itself will only kill pathogenic microorganisms and remove a significant portion of any volatile organic compounds that are dissolved in the water. To make the pool water suitable for consumption, you need to actually distill it: boil it, capture the steam, condense the steam back to clean water. In addition to your boiler, you'll also need something to catch the vapor and condense it, much like the copper coils you see on a 'still for making moonshine, and then collect the condensate (which should be water as pure as you can get it) in a clean container. It's a very fuel-intensive process, which is why most industrial deionized and/or purified water is processed via reverse osmosis rather than distillation.

Thanks my friend. Trust that I full know what a distilling unit is and how to build one. I have most all of the components on hand.
I am glad you put this up.

I am glad this came up. Good discussions. We do not have a well. But there is one close by that an Ingo member informed me of when he lived at that house. The new owner might be approachable if he needs a power source to run that well. We currently have 2 Generacs 1 is 12 HP the other is 10HP. We also have a Colman (Re-brand) that is 10 HP and a smaller 2 cycle inverter Genny for clean power. .

 

[bwframe]

This is the Survival and Disaster Preparedness forum. Everyone here ought to have a still anyway.

 

[churchmouse]

This is the Survival and Disaster Preparedness forum. Everyone here ought to have a still anyway.

Right on time....

 

[rhino]

This is the Survival and Disaster Preparedness forum. Everyone here ought to have a still anyway.

For fun and profit!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

This is the Survival and Disaster Preparedness forum. Everyone here ought to have a still anyway.

That's the big gaping hole in my preps.

 

[dudley0]

I am open to any and all suggestions. Water is the key.

I know that space is a concern for you. If you could get a chunk of floor space in the garage I have a 275 gallon tote for you. It previously stored food grade wax (like they put on apples). I have two set in my current garage, and one in the new place.

Built in skid and cage. Has a 2" ball valve below and I think a six inch cap on top. Mine has frozen at least once, but probably more, in my unheated garage. For the most part it is good to go even though they are by the overhead doors.

Have a pond at the current place, but not at the new one. Have never had to use these, but nice to know they are there.

 

[churchmouse]

I know that space is a concern for you. If you could get a chunk of floor space in the garage I have a 275 gallon tote for you. It previously stored food grade wax (like they put on apples). I have two set in my current garage, and one in the new place.

Built in skid and cage. Has a 2" ball valve below and I think a six inch cap on top. Mine has frozen at least once, but probably more, in my unheated garage. For the most part it is good to go even though they are by the overhead doors.

Have a pond at the current place, but not at the new one. Have never had to use these, but nice to know they are there.

The garage at my house is now living space with the attached carport now a room with the wood shop in it. We stack the firewood out there as well.
We own the house next door and my daughter and family live there. My mechanical shop is in that garage. So we work out of both of those spaces. Zero room for anything else. As stated....space is at a premium. But that sounds like a good storage system.

 

[dudley0]

Well throw a blanket over it and you have a new nightstand maybe.

We will be running short on space when we move to the new place. I am going to lose a bedroom and an attached 2-1/2 garage that was converted to a workshop.

 

[churchmouse]

Well throw a blanket over it and you have a new nightstand maybe.

We will be running short on space when we move to the new place. I am going to lose a bedroom and an attached 2-1/2 garage that was converted to a workshop.

Oh that is gonna hurt.

Spouse and I spent some time looking at space last night. I may have a plan but it will cost me.....

 

[Old Bear]

Oh that is gonna hurt.

Spouse and I spent some time looking at space last night. I may have a plan but it will cost me.....

Anytime my spouse helps me with a "plan"....it costs me plenty

 

[BluedSteel]

It's a very fuel-intensive process...

It's possible to do some impressive things with one of fresnel lens solar concentrators. We all know that sunshine isn't always available, but full sun isn't needed with one of the larger arrays. Not only will they power a still, they can also be used for cooking. Maybe even canning. And the newer plastic ones are pretty affordable.

 

[Leadeye]

It's a comfortable feeling that when every news outlet is screaming about the next ice age that my furnace didn't run at all last night. Nothing like living in a forest and heating your house with wood.

 

[churchmouse]

It's a comfortable feeling that when every news outlet is screaming about the next ice age that my furnace didn't run at all last night. Nothing like living in a forest and heating your house with wood.

Not a forest dweller but yes, we use wood as the main heating source in the front of the house. The add on is electric base board but the gas log does the lions share out there.

 

[Aszerigan]

Tuned up the house generator and stacked extra firewood this past weekend in case of major outage. Also filled and checked the kerosene barrel stove. Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.

Bought extra heat lamps for the chickens too.

 

[Leadeye]

Not a forest dweller but yes, we use wood as the main heating source in the front of the house. The add on is electric base board but the gas log does the lions share out there.

That kettle is a nice touch for improving humidity indoors. Looks like enough space on that shelf for the kitchen staff to prepare a hot meal if it was required.

 

[rhino]

Got two dead and poorly performing 401Ks rolled-over into an IRA with a much better strategy.

 

[dudley0]

Got two dead and poorly performing 401Ks rolled-over into an IRA with a much better strategy.

I have one of those that I lost a bit with last year. I need to get it switched out to something I have control over, or at least more control than now.

 

[rhino]

I have one of those that I lost a bit with last year. I need to get it switched out to something I have control over, or at least more control than now.

That's pretty much what I did.

 

[teddy12b]

Last friday night after work I drove just over 3.5 hours to a place to go on an over night hike. At the start of the trail head I headed out just before 10pm on a 5 mile solo overnight in the dark. Around 3 miles in I heard a pack of coyotes tear into and then fight over a meal. They were far away, and whatever died had a rough way to check out, but it was raw and wild. Once at the campsite for the night I setup my hammock and as I was doing so frost started on my tarp before it was completely setup. It was below freezing and the temp was dropping. I started a little campfire, and looked at the stars briefly before calling it a night. Next morning I did a little exploring, but ultimately ended up packing up after breakfast and leaving the woods a little something to remember me by. The hike out the next morning was nice since I got to see more of the area that was concealed by darkness the night before.

Couple lessons learned:
1.) I'm a believer in trekking poles now. I'm surprised at how much smoother it all went up and down hills using them. I think they look goofy as they are, and I feel like a dumby walking around the woods with them, but hiking an icy trail solo, or going up or down icy hills showed me their value for sure. I'm hooked.
2.) I slapped a maxpedition dump pouch on the waitbelt of my pack. Towards the end of my hike when I saw standing dead wood right along the trail I'd stop for a minute and gather any fine dried tinder for starting a campfire. That was a new way of gathering resources for me and it made it super easy once I got to camp and setup a fire solo.
3.) The water sources were frozen where I went, and had I not brought two 1 liter stainless bottles with me that were 3/4 way full to prevent freezing and bursting I'd have been hurting for water. As it was, I ended up a little dehydrated, but completely serviceable.
4.) Using stainless water bottles will never count as ultra light, but heating them up with water inside and tucked into cold spots in my hammock helped me sleep like a baby.

Ultimately, I got outside and did something solo to reconnect with nature and to test myself. I passed my test, I learned a few new things, and I got better at doing things lots of folks only talk about on the internet. I'm hoping to make some version of this an annual solo trip. It's just easier when you don't have to plan around anything besides your own schedule and pace.