Water is as necessary for our survival as oxygen, so what plans do you have in the event your water supply is compromised? Here in the U.S. we expect that every time we turn on the faucet, clean water will pour out. Fortunately that’s pretty much true, but ask the folks of Flint, Michigan and they’ll quickly tell you how much they miss such a convenience. Also with all the uncertainty around us these days (hurricanes, wildfires, civil unrest, disruptions in distribution due to COVID related restrictions) and we quickly realize we may experience a water shortage. Immediately after a large hurricane, water is one of the most cherished commodities. So what would you do if you found yourself in that situation?
Collecting water is the first step, then the second is purifying that water. If you don’t have a well or creek on your property, you can collect an abundant amount of rainwater off your roof by linking several 50 gallon rain barrels together to collect water off your roof. Its a very simple project and not expensive either. So the next step is to purify it. Government agencies will instruct residents to boil water after a crisis, but that’s a real hassle and requires electricity or a flame to heat the water. Instead you might consider a filter such as the Big Berkey.
This sits on your counter and you simply pour water into the top and let gravity do the rest. The filter has an upper chamber in which up to four filters can be installed, or you could use just one. The more filters, the faster the water is processed. With two filters, you can produce two gallons of clean water in about 15 minutes. But how clean?
The filters are extremely efficient and remove 99.99% of both chemicals and biologic contaminants including bacteria and viruses. In fact, the way you test to see that its working is by dropping red food coloring into the upper chamber and if the water pouring into the bottom chamber is clear, then its doing its job. Amazing! The filters are so effective that they remove food coloring out of the water! See the photo above.
The Big Berkey is just one water filter system that is very effective, but absolutely the easiest to use. Plus each filter will filter approximately 3,000 gallons. So if you have two filters in the upper chamber, that’s 6,000 gallons. If you use five gallons per day, that’s 1,200 days or more than three years worth! One bit of advice, if you purchase a Big Berkey, not only should you purchase replacement filters, but also purchase a replacement tap. They are made of plastic and if damaged, it would be a real hassle to operate the filter without one. Remember the adage of prepping: “Two is one, and one is none.”
