Any chance to merge with the storage topic and tack?

Good advice.

http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?...roducts_id=1137

If you have a well in the ground, there is an excellent way to get water out of the well if the power is out. whether it's 100' or 200'

Get a PVC pipe 3-4' in length. An end Cap. one 3/4" bolt with 4 washers and two nuts. A section of rubber. PVC cement

Cut the rubber to fit the cap.

drill holes in the cap 1/4-1/2 inch away from the center. One hole in the very center. On the inside of the cap, bolt the rubber piece, cut the rubber to fitthe cap place into the cap itself. Washers on the outside of the cap and on top of the cap. the rubber piece should cover all the holes and the rubber piece should be atleast 1/4 inch thick.

Make sure you drill hole at the oppostie end of the 'cap' for the rope. Secure it WELL. secure the rope to the well or a tree. drop the pipe into the well. let the pipe fill with water. lift and drop again letting the water that's entered into the pie carry it deeper into the well.

pull up - water should be in the pipe. if you use too thick of a piece of rubber, use more washers. (more weight)

I've done this for kicks and giggles - it does works.


I originally got the idea from either Countryside living, Homesteading journal or Backwoodsman mag - - - can't remember.

I have opted to save space and weight. I went with my own filtration system. I have tested it and the purity seems good, taste is tolerable, once you get used to charcoal flavoring. There are many good filtration systems, portable ones, out there. I don't really have space to store water, I'm not discouraging it though. Never hurts to be prepsred. What happens when you need to bug out?

I have a source for 55 gallon blue plastic food grade barrels at 12 for $100. the barrels had a concentrated coffe syrup in them and are not cleaned. some had a strawberry flavor in them. they are hard to clean but it can be done with some elbow grease! I have about fifteen of them. I do not currently have a well and use them all the time for my water system.

Dumb question:

i recently picked up some 55 gal plastic drums for water storage. i notice the caps (bungs?) have threaded holes in the middle. it appears this is to attatch a valve of some kind. only thing is the holes are sealed. should i just cut them open? drill bit? am i making any sense?

thanks for any help!!

Great thread.

We have a Big Berky gravity filtration system

Several 55 gal Blue drums

An inground pool, for non potable water.

and a couple of 275 gal food grade tanks.


As far as the water bed storage, beware that many of those that were made with baffles were treated inside with algacide, and can be toxic.

You guys should buy a good fish tank filter.
I have a fish tank filter that I have never use for the tanks thats saved to run on my water storage.

When I first moved to rural Colorado, I was surprised to realize that mineral rights and water rights are sold independently from the land. Water is gold out here. The 36 acres I got, had no well but did have an account with the local municipality to buy water from their tap on the cheap. We hauled our own water for three years at about $3.50 for 750 gal. THAT will teach you about conservation in a hurry. This was transported on a flatbed trailer to the house where gravity filled a 1500 gallon cistern sitting above ground in an insulated hut. When I built the shop, I got another 1500 gal cistern for the same purpose, and built that into the shop. Later on, the well finally got drilled and now we just use a float valve to keep the 2 tanks topped off. They work just like the one in the toilet tank but a little bigger. At any given time we have 3000 gallons sitting above ground we can draw off of with no electricity needed. The generator will run the well pumps if we have to. One of the old transport tanks has been converted to a wood fired hot tub. The bump in section of the plastic tank that allowed it to fit in between the fender wells of a full size pickup, make nice seats for two people. The top was cut off, tank was insulated and framed in and then we hooked up a Chofu stainless steel double wall wood stove. Convection alone circulates the water - again no electricity needed, but we do use an old sump pump, a whole house filter, and some spa chlorine tablets to keep things clean.