THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

maryb

We are on top of a hill so pretty safe from flooding. However when there are torrential downpours we do get damp floors in the cellar from rain penetrating the airbricks. I keep dry goods in plastic storage boxes, largely because of having seen how much damage one little mouse can cause, and I keep them on shelves raised a bit above the ground so they don't suffer and the cellar dries out quite quickly because the boiler is down there along with the hot water tank. That keeps the atmosphere dry enough to be able to store food

The washing machine is also down there and that did decide once to empty itself. But again no damage to stores

Tiddlywinks

I've got a store cupboard full of the usual tins etc, boxes of batteries, wind up radios, candles etc.

But, I need help, what about water for drinking? Most of us don't have wells and the water to our homes relies on the national infrastructure so.... what provisions have you made for drinking water?

Is it at least 2 litres per adult, per day? That's a LOT of water.

I know I can fill the bath and all the pots and pans... but then what?

I'd love to hear your ideas.

ivyleaf

Nothing to do with what we've been discussing, but something to be prepared for:

Perhaps I am one of the last to hear this particular piece of news, but from September the law is changing and you will need a licence to watch BBC IPlayer They do acknowledge that you don't need a licence if you only watch ITV Hub, 4 On Demand, etc.

Apologies if it's "old news" to everyone else I only found out today and already watch TV anyway.

Karmacat

Ivyleaf: It's happened very fast, the whole pay-for-iplayer thing I'm a bit peeved, I must say but rules change all the time. MvM has said that it's still legal to listen to radio via iplayer, but I wouldn't trust the authorities to distinguish the two ... I'll be dragging out my old CD player.

Mary: thats impressive storage! Sounds like you've got it really well covered.

Tiddlywinks: you *can* fill the bath, of course, but plugs are usually very inefficient, and it will drain away quite quickly. There are a range of measures:
- water purification tablets, as sold at camping shops.
- buying 2 litre or 5 litre bottles from supermarkets. Two litres of water only costs 20p.
- a water butt installed near your downpipes, or to catch the water from a greenhouse, if you have one.
- someone I've seen online a couple of times uses a clean plastic dustbin to store water inside her home - I don't think it can seal well enough to be airtight for any length of time, but thats what she says.

If you *know* something's happening, yes, the bath will hold water for a while, and I'd also get the laundry out of the laundry basket, swoosh it around with Milton fluid and fill *that* with water

You probably also need some containers to take to the nearest bowser - but you have to be savvy about that, they get vandalised/sabotaged these days. I don't think you can beat bottles of water - I don't buy the 5l any more, because when I tried to empty and refill them, I couldn't open them at all, too much arthritis

So it goes!

GreyQueen

I watched a couple of things (history things) on i-player this month then got bored and couldn't find anything else I wanted to watch. Won't be watching after you need a TV license as I don't have one and have no intention of getting one. Let the greedy beebies make progs and have them unwatched; remember that they used to allow students to live away from home and be covered by the paretnal license? Not any more, that one difference alone must be coining them millions per annum.

The bestest ever spud harvest was this year's with 7.5 kg planted and 126 kg harvested. I have let the family take 120 kg and kept a few for myself. Dad commented that the last time he saw a spud harvest like that, was the same year we last won the footie world cup. I was a proud bunny to hear that.

Re water, I keep a mixture of 50 litre camping carriers and 2 litre bottles of water around the premises.

milasavesmoney

:T:T:T. Amazing potato haul, absolutely wonderful!!! Congrats!
Your dad must be so proud. (I never get tired of beaming at my kids accomplishments, no matter how old they get)

I'm going through my pantry shelves and cleaning/clearing. So far I have far too much of everything! One surplus is grains.
Note to self: cook these things.

[Deleted User]

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Is it at least 2 litres per adult, per day?

I'd suggest around 5L per day.

I know I can fill the bath and all the pots and pans... but then what?

Filling the bath, pots, pans etc., is all well and good, provided you know the water is going off, but what if you awake one morning, to find the water is already off?

[Deleted User]

Karmacat wrote: »

Ivyleaf: It's happened very fast, the whole pay-for-iplayer thing I'm a bit peeved, I must say but rules change all the time.

Won't affect me at all, because I haven't watched anything from the BBC in years.

Tiddlywinks

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Filling the bath, pots, pans etc., is all well and good, provided you know the water is going off, but what if you awake one morning, to find the water is already off?

So - what's the answer? Without fluids we die so what do we do in an emergency where the state isn't able to step up and provide water?

There aren't even any rivers or lakes close to me so I'm pretty stuffed before I start :eek:.

milasavesmoney

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

So - what's the answer? Without fluids we die so what do we do in an emergency where the state isn't able to step up and provide water?

There aren't even any rivers or lakes close to me so I'm pretty stuffed before I start :eek:.

We keep water in water safe storage containers. They can be found online or at camping supply stores. You will want a good quality but don't have to spend a lot to get decent containers.
You will need to decide how many days you want to store water for and purchase containers for that amount of time. At least a three day minimize is recommended by US FEMA. I assume your UK agency recommendations are the same. ( Bob?)
Remember, you don't have to do it all at once but can spread the expense of the containers out over time as you purchase them.