water water everywhere

[PhilipB]

new prepper here

water is essential in any situation and I want to be prepped if the water supply ended. I live in northern ireland that has a poor water infrastructure and it is not unknown for people to be left without mains water. So I have been trying to reasarch alternative water supplies. What I have so far

1. some stored water (problem I am very limited how much I can store 3-7 days max)

2. I bought a Helikon Millbank Water Filter Bag and puri tabs

I have been looking at water filter systems like the berkly and british berkefeld but this is where my knowledge ends. are they worth having and what are their capabilities?

any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated

[grenfell]

Might sound obvious but if you can only store a weeks supply then identifying a source would be a good start. Lake , river , stream , spring or whatever.

[jennyjj01]

new prepper here

water is essential in any situation and I want to be prepped if the water supply ended. I live in northern ireland that has a poor water infrastructure and it is not unknown for people to be left without mains water. So I have been trying to reasarch alternative water supplies. What I have so far

1. some stored water (problem I am very limited how much I can store 3-7 days max)

2. I bought a Helikon Millbank Water Filter Bag and puri tabs

I have been looking at water filter systems like the berkly and british berkefeld but this is where my knowledge ends. are they worth having and what are their capabilities?

any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated

Hi, and welcome.
Yes. Water is heavy and takes a lot of space. Depending on what space you can spare, this needs a multi facet approach. Some discussion in this thread...
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=17881#p210800

For bottled water in England, ALDI 2L bottles are super cheap.

Consider out of home storage? E.g. rent a locker? Water Butts?

And then look to where you could source impure water, either harvesting or from a stream etc. How would you move it? Look at caravanning water wheels. Then, set aside some storage space for your filter rig. Member Yorkshire Andy describes a simple filter rig connecting a sawyer straw with a Millbank bag viewtopic.php?f=44&t=11357&hilit=Sawyer+mini , and member Jansman has apparently rigged something bigger with sand? ( though he has room for it)
Filtering is half the battle. Then, we need to consider maybe sterilising it with tabs or boiling. I favour these...
EVAQ8 Oasis 167mg Emergency Water Purification Tablets 500 Tablets - Treats 10,000 Litres - amazon

[ForgeCorvus]

I have been looking at water filter systems like the berkly and british berkefeld but this is where my knowledge ends. are they worth having and what are their capabilities?

This is the only gravity water filter system I know anything about, I don't own one (but I am planning on building a twin-bucket setup using their filters). Full disclosure, they are a local to me company that my employer supplies with plastic moulded parts.
However, the Boss of KLTechnologies (who make the Coldstream range) has as a test of faith drawn water from the ditches boardering the site and passed it through his filters before drinking it.

[jennyjj01]

I have been looking at water filter systems like the berkly and british berkefeld but this is where my knowledge ends. are they worth having and what are their capabilities?

This is the only gravity water filter system I know anything about, I don't own one (but I am planning on building a twin-bucket setup using their filters). Full disclosure, they are a local to me company that my employer supplies with plastic moulded parts.
However, the Boss of KLTechnologies (who make the Coldstream range) has as a test of faith drawn water from the ditches boardering the site and passed it through his filters before drinking it.

£250!!!!! Yes. looks good, Not as good/cheap as Yorkshire Andy's lashup
ForgeCorvus, Please share your blueprint and photos of your lash-up especially if it works.

I wasn't familiar with Millbank Bags, but at just £15 Irresistible. Project on for when it arrives.
Millbank Bag: on order
Wire Coat hanger ✔
Plastic reservoir bottle ✔
Life Straw ✔
Polythene tube ✔
Collecting bottle ✔
Sterilising tabs ✔

[PhilipB]

Might sound obvious but if you can only store a weeks supply then identifying a source would be a good start. Lake , river , stream , spring or whatever.

yes there is a stream nearby (close enough to carry 20 liters without to much of a problem)

Also in northern ireland rain is not rare.

obtaining water wont be a problem. My concern is making sure it is clean and safe to drink.

[British Red]

I have been looking at water filter systems like the berkly and british berkefeld but this is where my knowledge ends. are they worth having and what are their capabilities?

This is the only gravity water filter system I know anything about, I don't own one (but I am planning on building a twin-bucket setup using their filters). Full disclosure, they are a local to me company that my employer supplies with plastic moulded parts.
However, the Boss of KLTechnologies (who make the Coldstream range) has as a test of faith drawn water from the ditches boardering the site and passed it through his filters before drinking it.

Looks very similar to the stainless unit that "freshwater filter" used to sell and, from the specs alone, the filters look good.

[Rusty74]

Might sound obvious but if you can only store a weeks supply then identifying a source would be a good start. Lake , river , stream , spring or whatever.

yes there is a stream nearby (close enough to carry 20 liters without to much of a problem)

Also in northern ireland rain is not rare.

obtaining water wont be a problem. My concern is making sure it is clean and safe to drink.

we get plenty of rain in the welsh hills as well,fill 20 litre container with the spout away from the flow of water,(if no water purrifying tablets),carry back to camp site and boil and then repeat,i know of one fresh water spring near us and will only take a drink from its source

[jennyjj01]

Might sound obvious but if you can only store a weeks supply then identifying a source would be a good start. Lake , river , stream , spring or whatever.

yes there is a stream nearby (close enough to carry 20 liters without to much of a problem)

Also in northern ireland rain is not rare.

obtaining water wont be a problem. My concern is making sure it is clean and safe to drink.

Just giving this some serious thought from a townie point of view.... Are any of us townies being realistic? Homesteaders get a pass, but bear with me.

For us urban and suburban preppers to even consider using stream water, imagine what kind of S must have HTF! If all water went off in a town or even a suburban village, for long enough to even consider using stream water, we would surely be in an apocalypse situation. Short of that, we would rely on the authorities to lay on supervised standpipes or emergency bowsers. Not something I've ever experienced. Has anyone here?

Visualise the chaos and confusion. Expect landgrabs and some ne'er do well opportunists charging for access to 'their' ponds, puddles and fields, like trying to park at a car boot sale. I chuckle as I visualise the ALDI sized queues for the near empty emergency bowser getting word that there is an open stream a few streets away and rushing off with their buckets to get there first. Fights at the standpipe? Scuffles at the stream?

This is not something that we Brits are used to which I guess is why I think it's worth a thought experiment.
Long term into a 'post-tapwater' scenario, the home with the best independent water source is the one to have.

[jansman]

Back in 1990, we lost power and consequently,water,for five days or so. It took Severn Trent a good couple of days to bring in water bowsers. Laughably,there was a’ boil water’ order.Many folks here are all electric! It was after that I made sure we had a Plan A ,B, and C.