They say that 4 Litres of water per person per day for drinking and cooking. I am aiming on 8 Litres per person per day just to be on the safe side. Just this week No Frills h
ad 15 pack, 500mil bottles of water on for $1.00 . I got 12. My water storage space was looking empty, so just had to fill it up. Cost almost as much for deposit and recycle
fees as the water itself did.....Ouch.

Next question. Everyone says something different. But how much water do you really need per day per person. Liters please.

4L/pers/day allows for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene (teeth brushing and washcloth bath). Add as required if you consider flushing toilets, washing dishes, doing laundry or having an every-now-and-then more complete bath or solar shower.

Next question. Everyone says something different. But how much water do you really need per day per person. Liters please.

4L/pers/day allows for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene (teeth brushing and washcloth bath). Add as required if you consider flushing toilets, washing dishes, doing laundry or having an every-now-and-then more complete bath or solar shower.

4L a day is accurate as a bare minimum. Emergency Management Ontario, FEMA, etc. all agree on this number....but...the average household use is about 160L of water give or take per person per day in most SW Ontario regions. So you can imagine going from what one is used to...down to 4L is...

My two cents is store double what EMO recommends, and keep a Berkey or some form of water purifier on hand to produce as you need. Especially if you are tapped for room, a water purfier can store smaller than hundreds of gallons of water, move easier if you have to evacuate, etc.

You are right Crownsown, but while you can purify water, you can't "make" water. If the city looses it's water pressure in the mains, there might be nothing at the faucets. You can collect rainwater, but depending where you are in the country, rain may be few and far between. If you live in a larger community, having access to a pond, creek or river may be difficult. So all that to say, it pays to have a certain reserve to start with.

You are right Crownsown, but while you can purify water, you can't "make" water. If the city looses it's water pressure in the mains, there might be nothing at the faucets. You can collect rainwater, but depending where you are in the country, rain may be few and far between. If you live in a larger community, having access to a pond, creek or river may be difficult. So all that to say, it pays to have a certain reserve to start with.

Agree with you totally. Let me clarify what I was saying. If you have a finite space such as in an apartment/condo, etc. store what you can. But the reality is you cant store as much as you could in a house, or larger property which has the volume/space to do so. What are some other options?

My two cents is: 1)Store realistically. 4L / day / person is really tough when your going from the average consumption we are all used to. Count on much more than that.... 2x or 3x that amount is still a real achievement meaning trying to survive on 8 or 12L a day. Add in the extra water your going to use if you have Kids, infants, seniors or those with disabilities living with you or any other variables you are faced with and...we have to take a real hard look at water consumption...

2)Invest in a small portable water filtration system. I agree it doesn't "create" water. But it does give you the chance to obtain 1000's of L of potable water if you have a source...any source. There is a real benefit in keeping a water filter which takes up a fraction of space compared to trying to cram water in every free corner of a dwelling. This doesn't mean put all your eggs in one basket and forget about storing water, but this is still a great tool and option. No one knows the OP's specific circumstances whether they have a stream nearby, or other source of water, so your warnings are well heeded. Should a disaster get so bad that municipal services are cut for an extended period of time, or indefinitely.. it's probably time to evacuate. And if you evacuate...that water filtration system can go with you.

Several people here have discussed cache's, and not putting all your eggs in one basket.. ie- not storing everything in one spot..being your home. Wonder what storing cache's would be like in an urban setting...pitfalls and benefits...

I agree with the water theories. Don't forget water for the pets. Especially for big dogs which will need alot.

In a long term SHTF situation, your water storage will run out. A water purifier is a must , and one that is
portable. I have a BIG berkey, which can fold smaller, but is rather large unless it is in your car and is not for your backpack.
I will be getting an even smaller Berkey and have been watching for sales on a Katadyn .

Although I feel more confident with a Berkey over a Katadyn . LOL

There is a "Travel" Berkey, and an even smaller " GO " berkey

In a long term SHTF you are going to need two types of water:
1. high quality water for drinking and cooking
2. " other " water for miscellaneous uses not for internal consumption.

In other words, don't be using your drinking water or purchased bottled water for laundry , toilets, bathing. etc

you might need different types of containers to easily tell which water is for what purpose,
so guests and freeloaders do not use up your high quality water supply on bathing and laundry , and toilets.

Not for an apartment: but while on the topic of water:
I would like to get an outdoor rain water collection system setup. Maybe one of those
"caged" water tanks , or start out smaller with just a low-end collector and learn the ins/outs
before upgrading to a full roof rain water collection.

Another idea for some might be an outdoor water storage tank , where a water truck comes and fills up.
They can be inground or above ground. These are not the barrels we see for sale at places like
thereadystore. These are huge tanks (cisterns) not meant for an emergency but meant to be used day in
day out where perhaps their well has dried up. But imagine having one of these filled with water
for a long term emergency . 🙂 However, they will run out eventually also. Would still need
rain water collection system, a purifier, and a MANUAL pump on the well if you have a well,
and a source of water .
I have not been able to figure out a manual pump on my well as yet.

Those living in apartments will have a harder time with water storage. It is heavy and takes up room.
It runs out quickly.

Now what should you do about guests or freeloaders . Living in an apartment if you get a bunch of
guests, you will run out of water that very quickly.

All your food, medical etc. supplies will run out quickly.

Those 4L or 10L water jugs with handles. are great to save.

I save them and they are hanging around from the ceiling EMPTY in various places that I can find.

So they are easy to grab and fill with water while I still have fuel for the generator.

Fill 4L and put in freezer,
Fill 1.5L sizes and put in freezer . It will be a block
of ice protecting your food until it thaws and then you will have more water.

Goldie, One of the best manual pumps are the stainless steel ones from the Simple Pump Co. if you have a 4" or 6" well casing. The suction end should fit down between your (standard) existing wires and piping inside your casing down past your water level. It's a good idea to test depth with a dry cord and a weight ,at the replenished well level ,and then the bottom point , to see how much (seeping storage) distance is between. Never put the suction end too close to the bottom.
You can also get an optional fitting on the spout which allows you to screw a standard garden hose on it and pump water uphill to where you might want to replenish/store gravity-fed water from later, at will. Saves a lot of schlepping.

I have already looked at the Simple pump, but my well is older. So just has an old fashioned flat tile lid over well.

However, even so , it could be converted , I just don't want a pump on my FRONT LAWN , some
20 feet from the edge of the public road. In a SHTF , standing outside on the front lawn to pump does
not sound very safe , and also it is shouting that I am prepared.

I need something else that can work from inside the house . It would be different if it was in the backyard,
but my septic is in the backyard.

Goldie,

If you did convert it, would you be able to disguise pump set up in a decorative wooden wishing well built around well crock?

Or at least have the equipment available now so you can convert later if needs be? If you're the only one in the area, it's use can go both ways : highlight you as a target or if you help everyone water-wise, then maybe they'll "check your 6" in return.

There is another option which i checked out years ago, as i have one of those portable well drill rigs...now in need of a new motor...
There were several 12v direct current submersible pumps available, and one of them was as small as 1-5/8" in diameter, which would fit in a 2" casing with a 1"or 3/4" plastic pipe. They can be run by solar direct or solar/battery . They are often used in the remote field for purging a new well or a clouded water problem. These were advertised as good for over a thousand hours....not bad for an emergency. They are also used for polluted water testing
Since you seem to have a dug well with a large cavity, you don't have to go that small. There were others 12v , which were longer lasting....but with a bigger electrical draw.
Re inconspicuous, i'm thinking ...( Unless your house roof is fairly close for mounting a solar panel and running heavy enough cable from house to well ), several feet from your well, between your well and the house, put up a tall birdhouse on a 3" steel post , out of sight-range of its roof, from any angle , if possible. Use one or both of the angled slopes of its roof for a solar panel (s).Run the wire down thru the pipe, exiting shielded out the bottom and into your well casing attached to the pump , and via the same dug trench you would then also run your 3/4 pipe to the house in the other direction.
You'd have to be careful not to dig into your existing pipe/wire trench location coming from your well. Best to shut off the power for that operation.

Bringing this back to prepping in an apartment. So if you need 4 liters per day. How much for drinking vrs other (half and half I think?) what are some feasible storage options for an apartment? I like the pop bottle idea but at 4 liters a day per person thats 8 bottles a day. That adds up really fast. And being in an apartment means limited space. Any more ideas? Even at half and half thats 2/3 case of water a day for drinking, and 4 pop bottles.

regular bathtubs can hold around 160 liters. That's 40 days of water at 4 liters per day. If you plan to bug in for more than that you might want to rethink that and move someplace else where there's still water.
All you need is a good plug and a water filter for drinking water. Forget about the waterblob and similar, it's a waste of money as it's a one time use.
Also you can fill up every pot in the house, all the sinks, washer and dishwasher if you have. And a few collapsible water containers like this one:
https://www.relianceproducts.com/products/hydration/81.html

The idea is that in any emergency you should have enough time to fill up before the water system gets drained. If you think long term, a tarp to collect rain water.

Sad I never even thoughts of the bath tub. Great and easy idea. 🙂