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Did they stop issuing the aqua pure tablets with the 1 and 2 qt canteens?
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Feb 23, 2021 06:27
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I have a ton of iodine tablets that I’ve never used from all my trips to Africa. I’d get issued them by my agency’s health division, get to my mission site, and find bottled water was plentiful and cheap. So now I have iodine tablets in my home, in my go-bag and in my car bag, and I’m still finding bottles of them randomly. I prefer using my Sawyer Squeeze as my primary purification method. Compact and reliable, plus you can keep untreated water in the bag in reserve after you’ve topped off your bottles. I have two of the Minis, one’s in my car kit and the other is in reserve for hiking/backpacking/bikepacking. It was great when my wife and I went hiking in George Washington National Forest and could just top off our water every time we passed a creek. Question: how concerned should I be about trying to filter water that would have agricultural runoff in it? In my area, the areas where I’d want to evacuate to are in proximity to exurban farms. I know my filters and alternate methods can handle bacteria just fine, but what about pesticides and fertilizers? I’ve read that the Sawyer S3 can filter those and viruses out, but I’m not sure if I’d need something like that.
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Feb 23, 2021 06:39
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BigDave posted:I've had to drink bleach water before, kool aid or gatorade powder is a godsend IDK if it helps on the toxic effects of excessive iodine.
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Feb 23, 2021 06:43
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Godholio posted:Pretty sure we used iodine in SERE. It's fine, I'm pretty sure it's just that it becomes toxic if you're pounding iodine water for months, since what I heard is that it builds up in your thyroid or something.
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Feb 23, 2021 06:46
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I just drink ocean water*
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Feb 23, 2021 07:17
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SpaceSDoorGunner posted:It's fine, I'm pretty sure it's just that it becomes toxic if you're pounding iodine water for months, since what I heard is that it builds up in your thyroid or something. Yeah, it builds up, its part of why you issue iodine for nuclear accidents: to force the thyroid to absorb normal iodine faster than radioactive iodine.
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Feb 23, 2021 08:33
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A few doses of iodine in a survival situation or part of training won’t cause any long term harm, just don’t make it part of your multiday vitamin. Also, if you’re using a rain barrel or something of the sort as an emergency water source it would be a good idea to make sure it is cleaned / sterilized a few times a year. In regards to that I see a lot of new houses around me being built with underground rain harvesting barrels (3000 liters +) and I have no idea how they intend on cleaning them other than having to always add chlorine which would probably not be great for their gardens. Though they probably also don’t intend on having to drink from it.
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Feb 23, 2021 08:41
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Any good resources specifically for earthquake prep? I live in the Bay Area and it's easily my #1 concern. I am also full of anxiety and get overwhelmed when presented with large amounts of info at once (including the original post) so the more simplified the better
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Feb 23, 2021 19:27
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Yossarian-22 posted:Any good resources specifically for earthquake prep? I live in the Bay Area and it's easily my #1 concern. I am also full of anxiety and get overwhelmed when presented with large amounts of info at once (including the original post) so the more simplified the better Most "prepping" is all the same, water, food, shelter/transportation. Really what you need to look out for is how long without [insert thing] and where you are when that happens. My wife's "earthquake kit" that she kept in her truck was a blanket, real shoes, water, food. I later convinced her a can opener needed to be added. At home basically the same thing, but larger quantities. When she was in CA I think she had a week of everything stocked up. In your case, you are really balancing storage space versus if that structure will continue to exist versus when/where help will arrive. Someone can correct me, but the guidance is 1 gallon of water per person, per day. Once you hit that level, everything else is pretty common sense.
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Feb 23, 2021 19:48
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I took an emergency preparedness class and the biggest anecdote I learned from a Los Angeles resident was to have hard-soled slippers near your bed. Nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night and trying to escape a dark, glass & debris-strewn residence in bare feet.
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Feb 23, 2021 20:14
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Biggest earthquake-specific requirement might be portability because your house might not be habitable afterwards and your closet/basement crammed full of survival gear may be out of reach without an excavator and bulldozer.
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Feb 23, 2021 20:41
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If you do any hiking, keeping your hiking gear stored near your bed can allow it to do double duty of being a portable short term survival gear bag that's more or less ready to go without having to spend any extra money.
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Feb 23, 2021 20:50
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Godholio posted:Pretty sure we used iodine in SERE. Yeah, that's pushing up to the line. CDC posted:Iodine and iodine-containing tablets (tetraglycine hydroperiodide) or chlorine tablets are not effective against Cryptosporidium. Water that has been disinfected with iodine is NOT recommended for pregnant women, people with thyroid problems, those with known hypersensitivity to iodine, or for continuous use for more than a few weeks at a time.
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Feb 24, 2021 01:38
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pantslesswithwolves posted:Question: how concerned should I be about trying to filter water that would have agricultural runoff in it? In my area, the areas where I’d want to evacuate to are in proximity to exurban farms. I know my filters and alternate methods can handle bacteria just fine, but what about pesticides and fertilizers? I’ve read that the Sawyer S3 can filter those and viruses out, but I’m not sure if I’d need something like that. I was concerned about this, and heavy metals. Not only because I live in a big city, but even in the "country" every supply of water is likely to have agricultural and industrial runoff in it. No clear running mountain streams within few hundred miles. I got Survivor filters for our kits. I saw some negative reviews of the S3 and some more positive reviews of these. There don't seem to be many other options. 
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Feb 24, 2021 02:00
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Ok, so dumb question time: Texas totally poo poo the bed last week. If this happens again and power and gas and water are out what's the best way to keep 1 room indoors warm? We isolated the master bathroom/bath so we would have a toilet to use without opening up to the cold rest of the house, hung blankets over the window, stayed in it and it was still low 40s in there after 40+ hours of no furnace going. We burned the candles we had, but that barely seemed to help at all with the heat. (Though maybe it did, the rest of the house was 34ish degrees when power came back). Is there something I can buy or could have done better?
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Feb 24, 2021 02:44
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What about LifeStraws? I bought one super cheap on sale and threw it in my tiny pile of hiking/emergency stuff, figured it’s better than nothing for a few dollars.
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Feb 24, 2021 03:37
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L0cke17 posted:Ok, so dumb question time: Generators for space heaters if your situation allows. A tent can actually help, even indoors. Pile blankets over it to create a sort of “yurt”. The additional layers will help insulate. I would focus on the generator/inverter route though. A space heater will make a world of difference.
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Feb 24, 2021 04:46
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ASAPI posted:Generators for space heaters if your situation allows. A tent can actually help, even indoors. Pile blankets over it to create a sort of “yurt”. The additional layers will help insulate. Cool, we were already planning on generator. Because there's also hurricanes here we were thinking of getting one that ties into our natural gas line and has a backup of propane. Is there anything specific I need to know about storing/stockpiling propane in case the gas goes out?
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Feb 24, 2021 05:31
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L0cke17 posted:Cool, we were already planning on generator. Because there's also hurricanes here we were thinking of getting one that ties into our natural gas line and has a backup of propane. Is there anything specific I need to know about storing/stockpiling propane in case the gas goes out? Propane doesn’t degrade like other fuels, so if your storage container doesn’t leak you should have no problems using it during emergencies. Though I’m not sure how easy / practical it would be to tie into your gas line. Might be simpler to have the generator and gas as a separate system.
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Feb 24, 2021 08:31
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L0cke17 posted:Cool, we were already planning on generator. Because there's also hurricanes here we were thinking of getting one that ties into our natural gas line and has a backup of propane. Is there anything specific I need to know about storing/stockpiling propane in case the gas goes out? Just be prepared for regular maintenance and testing on the generator. Depending on how paranoid you are, an additional smaller gas powered generator might be handy to have. The only issue with a regular generator like that is rotating fuel reserves to ensure you have plenty of "good" gas. From what I have seen in my area, lots of people were having success with solar panel and battery combos. The only issue with those are that they are super expensive. The wife and I have changed priorities and are now saving for a healthy solar system.
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Feb 24, 2021 14:14
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A wood pellet stove may be another option for emergency heating for your house. They only require direct venting to outside so a small hole right next to them instead of requiring a chimney. They do require a small amount of power to run a fan and a small hopper, usually about 100 Watts or something but you would require quite a bit of energy to heat a significant portion of your house with a generator through an electric resistance heater. If you get one properly sized for your house then it will allow you to protect all of your pipes from bursting in a freeze which would save you a lot of money in repairs. Wood pellets also don't go bad unlike gasoline for a gas generator. So you can combine that with a propane-powered generator and you have your heat and electricity fuel sources that won't need to be constantly cycled out.
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Feb 24, 2021 14:27
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Discussion Quorum posted:I was concerned about this, and heavy metals. Not only because I live in a big city, but even in the "country" every supply of water is likely to have agricultural and industrial runoff in it. No clear running mountain streams within few hundred miles. Thanks, I’ll have to check that out. I’ll do some research on this myself and come back to the thread if I find some other options as well. ASAPI posted:From what I have seen in my area, lots of people were having success with solar panel and battery combos. The only issue with those are that they are super expensive. The wife and I have changed priorities and are now saving for a healthy solar system. For a cheaper, interim option, manufacturers like Goal Zero sell solar powered battery banks and generators like this one that can be used to power at least a few devices, although I’d think powering a space heater would drain it super fast. My agency bought a few of these and sent them to some overseas locations where reliable power is an issue, solely for the purpose of allowing critical staff to always keep laptops, sat phones and radios powered.
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Feb 24, 2021 15:30
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pantslesswithwolves posted:
I looked into some things like that actually. They didn't seem to quite solve anything for me though. Between vehicles and battery banks we were able to charge devices without an issue. I'm still getting details on how, but a few people were able to wire in their heater fan (natural gas for heat) to their generators/small panel setups which they claim helped. Once I get numbers worked out I can see if something like Goal Zero would help. I would really prefer to use a solar solution over any form of fuel generators for its ease of use and the fact if the sun is gone we have larger issues... Hopefully the price comes down some and the tech gets better sooner than later.
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Feb 24, 2021 16:10
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I mean, keep in mind that solar is not an ideal power source for the thing you're trying to solve. You're trying to power a heater in the middle of a snowstorm, the time you're likely to get the least amount of sun and when your panels will keep getting covered with snow.
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Feb 24, 2021 17:06
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Nitrousoxide posted:I mean, keep in mind that solar is not an ideal power source for the thing you're trying to solve. You're trying to power a heater in the middle of a snowstorm, the time you're likely to get the least amount of sun and when your panels will keep getting covered with snow. It actually depends on the type of heater he has. In my case, I have gas heat, I only need the small amount of power to spin the fan and run the controls. So small solar/battery can work for heat, but screws me for AC in the summer. That is the reason I am hesitant to spring for a partial solar solution. In my mind, that route carries the same risk/reward as a fuel generator. Ideally, I would be on a system to generates enough solar during the day to fill a battery bank that could last me a couple of days if I conserve. I totally do NOT have the cash for that though...
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Feb 24, 2021 17:28
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Flying_Crab posted:What about LifeStraws? I bought one super cheap on sale and threw it in my tiny pile of hiking/emergency stuff, figured it’s better than nothing for a few dollars. Depends which one you have. The newer ones have carbon filters to clear out contaminants like organic compounds and heavy metals, but they need to be replaced every 100L. The older ones don't and are (imo) inferior to other less fragile and more compact hollow membrane filter devices like the sawyer mini or squeeze. The gold plated solution is something like the LifeSaver jerry can which is good for 10 or 20k liters and removed microbiological contamination but costs a few hundred. It won't get the salt out of seawater but it can treat piss. e. There jerry can has its own issues - the carbon filters make it pretty slow and degrade with time even if not used, and turbid water needs to be strained or treated with a flocculating agent so the filters don't clog - but those are true of filters in general, not just this one. Also worth noting that the activated carbon filters need to be changed out every 500L, and that the filter cartridge can be replaced as well so it's not like you're stuck with a lump of plastic if you managed to burn through all 5200 gallons worth of dirty water in your natural life. Guest2553 fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Feb 24, 2021 |
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Feb 24, 2021 17:54
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Guest2553 posted:The gold plated solution is something like the LifeSaver jerry can which is good for 10 or 20k liters and removed microbiological contamination but costs a few hundred. It won't get the salt out of seawater but it can treat piss. At long last I can have the stillsuit I always wanted.
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Feb 24, 2021 18:06
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Nitrousoxide posted:A wood pellet stove may be another option for emergency heating for your house. My dream offgrid is solar, wood pellet/biomass heat, plus an air stirling engine to pull electricity from that sweet, sweet delta T when the sun isnt enough.
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Feb 24, 2021 18:24
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Store the wood pellets outside of the home though, I've seen a couple houses burn down because of them. One site smoldered under the wreckage for days and the FD had to take a couple trips back when pockets of it flared up.
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Feb 24, 2021 18:29
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Up north a lot of wood furnaces are installed in an exterior shack separate from the main dwelling, then they use a buried glycol/water piping loop to pump the heat to the house. You lose efficiency that way but as the above poster mentioned its better than a house fire.
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Feb 24, 2021 18:37
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I'd as well take my chances with fire over a boiler explosion
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Feb 25, 2021 01:32
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Guest2553 posted:Depends which one you have. The newer ones have carbon filters to clear out contaminants like organic compounds and heavy metals, but they need to be replaced every 100L. The older ones don't and are (imo) inferior to other less fragile and more compact hollow membrane filter devices like the sawyer mini or squeeze. Cool. I live on Lake Michigan so access to good quality water isn’t really a question beyond basic treatment/filtration, luckily.
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Feb 26, 2021 04:14
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Not sure how good all these books are, humble bundle is running a "Home and Hobby DIY" book thing, and a lot of these are relevant for emergency preparedness as resources to have on hand in the event of a grid down situation. https://www.humblebundle.com/books/diy-home-hobby-wiley-books
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Mar 8, 2021 21:12
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There's also a "Survive Everything" bundle going right now as well. The titles appear to range from genuinely useful to SPEC OPS PREPPER SECRETS  https://www.humblebundle.com/books/survive-everything-skyhorse-books
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Mar 8, 2021 23:20
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I like the idea of the book bundle. I don't like that they are all digital. Looking at the titles, I am thinking I may get a few "real" copies as reference to have around.
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Mar 9, 2021 15:05
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ASAPI posted:I like the idea of the book bundle. I don't like that they are all digital. Looking at the titles, I am thinking I may get a few "real" copies as reference to have around. That's a good point. Digital books on emergency preparation are good for advance reading, but pretty useless as reference material once the power is out. There was an amusing Twitter thread during the TX blackouts that got to a similar point - for the love of god make sure you have a non-electric can opener to get into your emergency food. https://twitter.com/torriangray/status/1361778280521605122
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Mar 9, 2021 15:59
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:That's a good point. Digital books on emergency preparation are good for advance reading, but pretty useless as reference material once the power is out.
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Mar 9, 2021 17:09
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:That's a good point. Digital books on emergency preparation are good for advance reading, but pretty useless as reference material once the power is out. I'm personally fine with them, just make sure part of your emergency prep includes a power source like solar/battery. You're going to want one anyway for your phone/radio/lights. Being able to power an iPad or e-reader with all of the reference materials you'd need in a nice compact package is a useful addition. It also lets you download and navigate using OSM maps off the grid as well.
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Mar 9, 2021 17:25
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It's a lot easier to lug a kindle/tablet, a small solar charger, and a lithium battery pack thing than a stack of books.
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Mar 9, 2021 21:37
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For clarification: I have no intention of lugging these books anywhere, and prefer digital books normally. I am just thinking that a manual, in hard copy form, can be more useful than a tablet/kindle when I don't have power (or devices are dead for whatever reason) and I need the info NOW.
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Mar 9, 2021 22:01
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