Posted on 01/03/2014 2:39:13 PM PST by Kartographer
re distilling
I understand that as a concern. Pure distilled water as drinking water can mess up the fluids and electrolites.
However, I’m wondering that if you are able to have other minerals and salts from other areas of one’s preps, then perhaps in the interest of not dying from possible chemical contamination, distilling could be an option for some who may not have or afford a Big Berkey as you describe.
Just a possible option, especially in a short term situation. It seems that could also apply to folks who are in an area where the ground water is possibly contaminated with agricultural/oil-gas drilling chemicals.
Not sure about the salts and trace minerals.
I have seen people , especially those from the South , who say that they will get water from their air conditioner (assuming electrical power exists)in SHTF
That water is basicly condensation without benefit of trace minerals or salts.
Liquid yes , ... but absent of trace minerals and salts necessary for cellular developement or cellular replication .
It might be suitable for growing crops in drought conditions,but those same plants would get missing minerals and salts from contact with the ground.
Also, it requires a lot of energy to boil water. If your heat source is wood you’ll spend a lot of time cutting wood and tending the fire.
Distilling water takes a lot of energy and as driftdriver says that’s a lot of wood. Seems a waste of labor when you can be using high effeciant and dependalbe filters and let gravity do the work.
Two words : " Rocket stove "
Google it for information, or check out Kartographer's stove
Maximum heat from a minimal fuel source
Yes Rocket stove would work, but even then how long do you think it would take not to just boil water, but to actually distill it? Boiling water does kill the biologicals, but what about other contaminates, like lead or the cooper salts from pool water? I would imagine some petrolum and chemical slovents, might even evaporate and pass through the distilling process.
Rocket stoves are good but not really very effective for the volume you would have to boil for water. It would cut down on volume of wood but you’ll still be stuck there monitoring and feeding it.
A gravity filter is easy, you fill the top and go do something else while it works.
For the short term, if you had to have water or die, drink distilled if that is what you have. The situation determines what must be done to sustain life.
I recommend accessing the preview and checking out the table of contents. You'll find that it is packed with far more information than virtually another other preparedness book.
Where some books might recommend raising rabbits for food, for example, this book provides complete details on the subject - from raising and taking care of rabbits to proper killing and butchering. (Same for chickens, goats, etc).
Eventually, I will be experimenting with dried or powdered versions of my recipes. For now I’m using fresh because that’s cheaper to experiment with.
Good point. I had not thought through fully the fuel issues.
Exactly. That is the important thing: BE FLEXIBLE AND EXPEDIENT!
OK. Thanks.
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