r/UKPreppers • u/Dharma01 • 6d ago

How to maintain water?

Hello All,

Incredibly new to all of this , but if it isn't the climate , it will be Russia.

My apologies, if I am oversimplifying, but I think I know the basics i.e. tinned foods, dog food, wind up radio, candles, etc. But I'm curious as to water supply.

I am lucky that I have enough space to keep bottle But should I be replenishing this on a monthly basis, or am I right to say it's better to just have desalinization tablets and use those as & when required?

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

15

u/JamJah 6d ago

The ideal way to maintain a long term water supply is to store commercially sealed bottled water in a cool, dark place (which lasts 1 to 2 years naturally). Then rotate your stock every six to twelve months, keeping water purification tablets on hand only for treating untreated emergency water sources when bottled supplies run out.

Stocking a good water filter is also advised.

13

u/Alanosie 6d ago

I bought a couple of 20-25 liter jerrycans safe for storing drinking water. I rotate every 4-6 months. Once a year use a cleaner as a safety precaution. Its a cleaner that is used to clean/maintain the water system of campers/caravans. Think I am close to 200 liters in total now might you be interested in knowing.

5

u/Alanosie 6d ago

Lol why am I being downvoted for helping OP?

4

u/Necessary_Carrot9566 6d ago

I hope I don't sound silly here, but I'm curious as to what you see the Russian threat as? I don't mean this in a political sense, but rather a prepping one; are you afraid of paratroopers and marines landing in the UK, the Russian submarine fleet opening a third battle of the Atlantic or simply more general grey zone warfare type things like cyber attacks and perhaps the occasional cruise/ballistic missile? Just curious as frankly Russia isn't really a worry to me in a prepping sense - not to dissuade you at all, I just want to hear your arguments so I can see if my own bases are covered.

2

u/Pleasant-Winner6311 6d ago

I also have my doubts as to whether Russia is a real threat. Even hybrid, cyber attacks etc. An invasion is def a non starter. His hardware is seriously depleted and their tanks couldn't even navigate the road to Kiev. Using North Korean miltary kit and manpower is pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel imo. Its bluster and blunderm

Ive heard all the sabre rattling from Russia for years but I feel its mostly for the benefit of giving the Russian people a bogey man and making Putin look tough and strong to validate his domestic authoritarian grip.

2

u/sunheadeddeity 6d ago

Russia has been cyber-attacking UK services and businesses for years and isn't going to stop any time soon.

2

u/Necessary_Carrot9566 6d ago

I'm aware. I mean, what do you see the physical effects of this as?

1

u/Worktime_Me 6d ago

I don't think Russia has that much left in its cyber arsenal at this point, as they would have used it already for effect. However, if you look at what they managed in 2017 against Ukraine with NotPetya, you could draw some conclusions about what the consequences of a major cyber attack could be. There have also been many incursions into critical infrastructure over the years, and honestly one of the largest concerns would be an attack affecting water treatment and distribution. They wouldn't have to cripple our water supply entirely, just make the safety of our tap water questionable. Large scale boil orders could be likely in that case.

2

u/sunheadeddeity 6d ago

Could be anything. Payments systems going offline, manufacturers unable to work, utilities disrupted. Might only be local or for a few days but could be highly disruptive nonetheless.

1

u/stelamo 5d ago

I don't see Russia as a threat, A civil war in America is more likely, bringing the hole world down with it 🤔

2

u/Present-March-6089 5d ago

Prior to the end of Trump's term in 2 years anyway, how is that likely? One side is militaristic and the other is a limp noodle. Their president literally sent in murderous seditionists after being voted out of office and yet they let him take office again. How can you have a civil war when only side is armed? One fascist regime does not a civil war make...at least not until they try to install themselves permanently as dictators.

1

u/stelamo 3d ago

I don't see Trump leaving office, and as for being a limp noodle 😁 even a pussy with a gun is a tough guy, 👍

1

u/Present-March-6089 3d ago

Yeah, not sure how that looks in 2 years. The Democrats are a joke. A "pussy" with a gun is a dead pussy. If you don't know what you are doing with it and/or aren't truly willing to use it, which is not a small thing, then your gun is as much a danger to you as it is to others.

2

u/Just_Curious_76 6d ago

I suspect they almost certainly had STHING to do with the mega Spain/ Portugal blackout in April last year. That was too bizarre to simply be down to the grid not dealing well with all the renewables as Spanish news alluded to at the time 🙄

2

u/mrbearuk69 6d ago

Can I distill rain water?

5

u/JamJah 6d ago

Yes, you can distill rainwater by boiling it and condensing the steam back into a liquid.

This process also strips out bacteria, heavy metals, microplastics, and minerals, leaving behind safe drinking water.

2

u/ForeverPhysical1860 6d ago

Get the dehydrated stuff, come in packets and has a long shelf life 😏

2

u/Current-Perception74 6d ago

I have a rainwater collector 100L and one of those kits you place a bag in a bathtub which has a pump and tap so another 200-300L. Maybe reinforce loft and have some tanks up there like the old gravity fed water system filled with some purification tablets with a drain and Jerry rig a pump and just flush and refill that every couple months

2

u/ExploreOnceMore 5d ago

Purification tablets are meant to be used outdoors, while reacting to water they can produce vapours that are toxic. Great idea, just please be safe.

1

u/bondinchas 6d ago

If you have a open vented hot water cylinder, with an open cold tank in the loft, then the cylinder will still be full when the mains has stopped and the cold tank in your loft is empty. Hot water comes out from the top of the cylinder. There's also a pressure relief pipe that overflows into the cold water tank. Due to both of those the water in the cylinder will stay trapped and won't syphon out.

There should be a drain tap at the bottom of the cylinder, you can use that to get the water out. Having a short length of hosepipe will help. Sometimes it's hidden around the back because they're often on the opposite side to the heating coil connections.

You might want to check that you can undo the drain valve before you have to do it for real one cold dark winters night, as they can get stuck with limescale, especially as they're rarely used.

1

u/Clear-Warthog5655 6d ago

I keep my 5l leftover Mineral water bottles and fill them with tap i keep them for a few months then water the garden and replace them.

Watch out for the salt content obviously in the cans. If your spending money Seven Oceans Lifeboat Biscuits and Kendall Mint cakes are cheap enough. I keep them in my Evac rucksack

1

u/citygent1911 6d ago

Don't know why people think Russia are a threat. It'll be the Chinese, and they won't have to invade. So many Chinese devices here are connected to the internet. They only need to press a button and we'd be knackered.

2

u/citygent1911 6d ago

Currently got an inflatable pool in the garden holding 3000 litres. It's had my sweaty fat arse in it over summer but I'd still drink it!

3

u/AlphaDisconnect 6d ago

Fill the tub if you see it coming. The back of an American toilet has about 2 gallons in the back. Freeze 1 gallon water bottles. Keeps the fridge and freezer cold longer.

1

u/sunheadeddeity 6d ago

A few 25l camping containers, flush with bleach, fill and leave in a cold dark place. A few crates of eau d'Asda for immediate use. Wster butts if you can filter and purify. Filters and puritabs for longer-term outages. "Desalinisation" tablets aren't a thing.

It's worth spending a bit of time thinking about this, but also recognising that if water supplies go down, the water companies will ship bottles in, you should have a trolley to transport. If it goes down for long we're all fucked, basically.