[Njorun38]

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• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Njorun38.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by  Njorun38.

[Njorun38]

If you have an above-ground rainwater cistern, using roof water and water irrigated from the roof gutters into the cistern, this is a pretty common set-up for filtering the water. Many companies that sell above ground cisterns will sell some of these parts, like the first flush diverter, calming inlet, and floating extractor, as part of a kit:

1. For the valve that connects the gutter to the cistern, get a chicken wire or crate style downspout cap to filter out debris like leaves, etc.

2. First flush diverter, with slow-drip control valve. This gets rid of some of the bugs and oily chemical debris from roofs that floats on top of the water before it’s deposited into your cistern.

3. After the FFD, the pipe connecting right after that should have a mesh bug screen (not higher up the gutter, because, with the roof size it may overwhelm the gutters). Clean out the FFD and downspout, and gutter regularly. Make sure the draining overflow pipe and air vent for the cistern also have bug screens. Maybe a louvered outlet for the overflow pipe.

4. Calming inlet as the internal tank entry PVC pipe, to prevent sediment stirring at the bottom of tank.

5. Floating Extractor inside of tank to pull water from the clean water in the middle of tank, and not the particle debris or oils floating on the top, nor the sediments collecting at bottom of the water. This extracted clean water from the middle will be connected to your water pump going from the cistern into the pipes going to your bathroom and kitchen.

6. iSpring 25 GPM Spin-Down (Centrifugal) Sediment Water Filter, connected inside the house just before the RainBro 1/2 HP 6.5 GPM cast iron shallow well (and cistern) pump, to keep sediment out of the pump and water

7. In the kitchen, for drinking water, tabletop filter for after water has left the pipes. Berkey 2.25 Gallon 2-Stage Gravity Filter, with 2 black Berkey filter-purifiers inside (EPA approved to remove all chemicals, including fluoride, and all viruses and bacterias). Can also have a PUR, Brita, or Culligan faucet mounted filter to help ease the burden of the Berkey filter and make it last longer, and also as back up. Filtered water bottles (like Bobble, Sawyer, and Life Straw) can also help. Berkey is by far the best out of all these options, but anything is better than nothing. You can also boil water and let it cool as a primitive form of cleaning water of any bacteria, in the event you have no other options.

8. You can also shock the cistern water with well-safe Calcium Hypochlorite, make sure nobody drinks or bathes in it for 24 hours (can wash hands and drink water from stored jugs for a day). If using this in combination with other methods, make sure to wait about a week before using Berkey filters again, to not overload it with chemicals and cause it to be used up too quickly. This will only be needed occasionally, such as during times where you’re worried about the local rainwater quality due to things like west nile and other bugs in the area.

9. In the event of acid rain, the water can be alkalized with normal baking soda. Be sure to, again, not fill the Berkey filter until the baking soda has diluted for a week, if possible.

10. Soften the bathing water in the bath with VitaBath Vitamin C Dechlorination, 1000mg, directly in the bath water just before bathing. This helps the chlorine shock or any acidity in the rain to not cause dry skin. CraterAquaSystem and AquaBliss also have shower faucet mount filters with vitamin C in them, and also oxygenates and dechlorinates the water. In old times, people would often rinse off any visible dirt with a hose, and clean their feet, private parts, and arm pits with a soapy wash cloth and bowl of water, before hopping in a clean tub to keep the water cleaner longer. This way the whole family can take turns to soak during the week, and the water remains clean. These vitamin C tabs and having baking soda treated water helps to keep the water clean for a good week this way too, and you can use a submersion pool heater to reheat the water instead of using running hot water.

[Njorun38]

Man I would love that level of freedom in building. My family lives in the country, but some places even the country has some tough zoning and building regulations. I’m looking into moving somewhere a little more free and relaxed on that front— but I honestly don’t know how much time we have before a SHTF situation happens… So I’m making do with the best we can here. And I keep praying for enough time, needed resources, and for certain important situations in my life to align correctly to build a loving home somewhere faster and sooner if possible. 🙏

[Njorun38]

Interesting concept! Thank you for sharing!

[Njorun38]

😂 thank you!

[Njorun38]

So straw in cob actually does not accumulate moisture, because the clay mix sucks up the moisture and evaporates it. Cob will not sweat, it will evaporate and dry. Cob structures that have lasted for thousands of years with their integral structure still intact are in mostly rainy climates like in the Amazon basin, and in England. So a cob structure with tadelakt would probably be very moisture and mold resistant.

As for the plastic Groundfridge, I’m not sure. That might be susceptible to mold.

That said, I agree that ground accumulating water would make it hard to get into a root cellar underground. Precipitation is an issue for me too— I prefer a rainy climate for cistern water and predictable watering of the garden. But for a root cellar it’s not ideal. It’s part of the reason I was more interested in a large pantry room inside the house.

But when I saw these groundfridges, one thing that grabbed my attention is the way that people seem to create horizontal instead of vertical access— in other words, kinda like a hobbit hole, a little bit is dug into the ground but it’s almost like the make a small hill out of it and cover the Groundfridge with earth to keep it cool, while having it be slightly above normal ground level. I don’t know if that negatively impacts how effective it is at cooling foodstuffs though! 🤔

[Njorun38]

Interesting! Thank you for letting me know! 🙏

[Njorun38]

That sounds like a great idea! Electrolytes can help immensely with these things especially when hydration and being able to retain hydration is part of the issue causing cramps. Vitamin B1 for cramps caused be nerve issues is another thing that just came to mind.

[Njorun38]

Haha 😆 I agree with ya there. I often say that myself, but then I remember unfortunately not all of us survived those childhoods. I remember when I was a young child a kid in our community was in the passenger seat of a car without a seat belt, and the car was hit… needless to say the child went through the windshield and died. I have memories of riding in the back of a pick-up truck before it got regulated, they’re fond memories… but I’m sure some kids probably had terrible accidents riding in the back. I’ve definitely heard of kids having very terrible accidents for lack of basic common sense safety precautions, and knowing the risk level in your environment. Not that I think the government should ever be an arbiter of what’s safe, they’ve already gone too far with that to the point of being controlling. Common sense will do.

[Njorun38]

I completely agree, gentle teaching and affirmation is super important. Whether they’re “too young” is a bit of a difficult metric. Personally I wouldn’t have a young child below teenage age operating a tractor or heavy machinery as they could get severely hurt— I’ve hear of children as young as 12 losing fingers and toes trying to operate machinery they’re too young for. People need to be wise and accept physical limitations instead of pushing children too hard. That said, can an 8 year old hold a rake give it a go while their parents are tilling the soil? Yeah, that seems relatively harmless and, even if they’re not “tilling right” they can have fun learning and try, as long as you haven’t planted any seeds yet they’re not gonna mess anything up too badly. It’s all about balance and keeping a wise and level-headed perspective, while allowing fun, emotional connection, and the early building blocks of life experience here. As long as the child isn’t feeling forced and is being encouraged to do so from a place of loving encouragement.

[Njorun38]

Interesting perspective! I can see what you mean. Is it “work” if they’re seeing it as just an enjoyable activity of life and living? Nice thoughts on this

[Njorun38]

Also, I hope God leads you to your desired home soon 🙏 Have faith and trust in His timing, keep following his signs to be prepared as you can, and you’ll know what to do when the time comes.

[Njorun38]

I remember shucking corn with my grandmother and picking tomatoes with my grandfather, feeding the ducks at the pond with my grandmother, as some of my fondest childhood memories too. Obviously don’t give children back-breaking labor they’re too young for or exploit them and rob them of the time to do anything they’re passionate about. But a few days a week doing basic homesteading skills and helping you with foraging, gardening, canning, even cooking… these will be deeply cherished memories one day. So simple, but so meaningful and powerful.

[Njorun38]

This, 100%. I feel like the focus should be less on exchange for allowances and “stuff,” and more on balancing time between their hobbies / interests (sports, their favorite show, piano lessons), their studies, and doing “real important stuff” (survival basics). If you feel useless, powerless, and meaningless in life, like you just exist to entertain and be entertained, to shop ad a consumer and be exploited for a pittance wage that doesn’t match rising costs… you teach a child to be miserable, and an obedient servant. An allowance teaches a child to be a wage-slave in an ever-inflating economy. Buy them what they need and some of what they want that you can afford without overly spoiling them, or give them an allowance if you want and teach them to budget themselves, but not for doing the basics of what they absolutely need to know— no one pays you to be a homesteader, and no one is going to pay them either when the time comes. Have them work on the homestead not for an allowance, but to tell them “all that the light touches here is your human inheritance, this nature was made by your Creator, and it’s your responsibility to know how to till and tend it to survive, to pass this wisdom on when you’re older some day.” That’s not “too big” for them, it makes them feel a part of something bigger and they’re old enough to understand.

[Njorun38]

I’d love to build a traditional root cellar with natural tadelakt (lime) plaster as a means to keep pests out, for outdoor storage. Aside from having a nice walk in pantry, a root cellar or a well built outdoor shed seems like a good idea to me, though I think the root cellar can be more naturally kept dark and cool, and pest-proofed, if you want to use it as a place for canned food and dehydrated food storage and medical supplies that need to be kept cool and dark.