By far not the most knowledgeable guy on outdoor living/survival. And not digging a bunker...

But my wife for the first time in our relationship expressed some concern for some of the world and domestic events and asked how well prepared we are. So I have been going through some questions in my head.

Our location, northeast PA in a somewhat remote area on a lake, more firewood than you can burn in a lifetime, etc. is good. But I am not as prepared as I would like to be. We keep a decent amount of food in longer storage, 2-3 weeks, pretty good on meds, first aid, and other non-perishables. Our current home renovation we will be putting a photovoltaic system in but need some advice on that or any other topics that you may think as important.

One major topic is water. We get a fair amount of rainfall, and we live on a 50 acre lake. So supply is not a concern. What water filtration/purifier system, small, medium, or large would anyone recommend? I can read reviews on Amazon for a month and still be unsure so I would rather come to the authorities.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Agree with Berkey. If you buy one, be sure to get a couple extra filters, a bit pricey, but you'll be glad you have them if you ever need them.

Be redundant in your means and methods.

Pool Chlorine goes a long long long way and has a very long shelf life.

https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/how-to-use-pool-shock-to-purify-water/

https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/how-to-purify-water-using-the-sun/

Build your own, it isn't hard.

Sand
Charcoal (finely ground)
Sand
Charcoal
Sand
Charcoal
Sand

I have an Aquasana water conditioner on my house in conjunction with a salt based water softener. The Aquasana does a great job and lasts 10 years or 1mm gallons, so the longevity is a good thing.

I have been having some of the same concerns. I just purchased my first prepper meals so my family will be able to survive if society shuts down for awhile after the elections. I need to buy more charcoal.

In reply to 1988PA-Aggie Rain water capture is pretty common in the TX hill country. Slowing gaining popularity as the ground water sources get sucked away by the cities, development, and drought.

These are the go-to filtration systems for most of the rain water harvest installers in the area:

https://www.trojantechnologies.com/en/products/residential/whole-home?origin=dropdown&c1=products&c2=residential-light-commercial&c3=whole-home-point-of-entry-systems&clickedon=whole-home-point-of-entry-systems

The whole home system with the inline sediment, carbon, and UV light will take care of everything.

The sediment filter gets replaced approx 2-4 times a year, depending on how good of a first catch filtration system you have at the point of entry into the catchment system.

The carbon filter 2x a year.

The UV light 1x a year.

Must be nice. Rain recapture in CO is illegal.

In reply to Bocephus

Bocephus said:

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I have been having some of the same concerns. I just purchased my first prepper meals so my family will be able to survive if society shuts down for awhile after the elections. I need to buy more charcoal.

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Prepper meals...what company and how much did you get? I have very little knowledge or experience in this category.

I have been focusing a bit more on 'infrastructure'; electric (if possible and no EMP?), wood (for heat or cooking), lighting, etc. What else have you been doing?

I have one acquaintance who swears an EMP is coming from Russia this year. He is outfitting a few cars with pre-computer distributor caps/wiring. He is building all sorts of devices for this task or that. And of course, loading up on ammo. I am no where near that. But I still want to be somewhat prepared just in case a few pounds of crap hit the fan.

In reply to JustPanda

JustPanda said:

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Must be nice. Rain recapture in CO is illegal.

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Really?! That never would have entered my mind...but now that you say it, I guess the whole Rocky Mountain snow pack and water courses are essential for other areas/agriculture.

In reply to 1988PA-Aggie Unless they changed the law, we were I think the only state w an outright ban. Maybe they have loosened them up some, but for as long as I can remember it was 100% ban.

In reply to JustPanda

JustPanda said:

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Must be nice. Rain recapture in CO is illegal.

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"Most homeowners in Colorado are now allowed to use rain barrels to collect rainwater. A maximum of two rain barrels with a combined storage of 110 gallons or less are allowed at each household."

Change in law happened a couple years ago.

Do you want the filter to require power source to work?

That would change the list dramatically

Having multiple different ways to purify is the best bet. Don't want all your eggs in one basket. I have heard of the rocks/charcoal/sand method but haven't tried it out. I would use a bandana or something to filter the water both before and after that goes through the homemade filter. I would plan on that and then boiling water as my last ditch effort if my other purification methods end of not working out.

I also know you can use unscented bleach to purify water. 8 drops/gallon of water. Still would wanna boil the water after that. Make sure you have Celtic salt or some other means of adding electrolytes to your water.

In reply to JustPanda

JustPanda said:

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Must be nice. Rain recapture in CO is illegal.

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My understanding was that if you had 35 or more acres, the rain that falls from the sky onto your land is yours?

In reply to 1988PA-Aggie

1988PA-Aggie said:

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Bocephus said:

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I have been having some of the same concerns. I just purchased my first prepper meals so my family will be able to survive if society shuts down for awhile after the elections. I need to buy more charcoal.

---

Prepper meals...what company and how much did you get? I have very little knowledge or experience in this category.

I have been focusing a bit more on 'infrastructure'; electric (if possible and no EMP?), wood (for heat or cooking), lighting, etc. What else have you been doing?

I have one acquaintance who swears an EMP is coming from Russia this year. He is outfitting a few cars with pre-computer distributor caps/wiring. He is building all sorts of devices for this task or that. And of course, loading up on ammo. I am no where near that. But I still want to be somewhat prepared just in case a few pounds of crap hit the fan.

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I used some company on Amazon called Ready Hour. I bought 120 servings. Also bought a 10-pound bucket of oatmeal. I need more charcoal and water so I can cook the meals.

I've been slowly accumulating ammo. I have the radios that you wind up, and solar powered cell phone chargers. I have the water filtering straws.

If we actually have electricity, I have enough meat in the freezer to last a couple months.

With no power, I think I'm good for a month.

Midway USA has some good deals on Freeze Dried Mountain House #10 cans going on. Good time to stock up. No tax on food.

In Lundazi we used what amounted to homemade water filter for 5 years and never got the trots. And a hell of a lot cheaper than a Berkey.

Basically it consisted of 2 clear +/- 3 gallon buckets, one sitting on top of the other. Unfiltered water was dumped in the top bucket which had a hole cut in the bottom with a ceramic filter sitting in the hole. A hole was cut in the lid of the bottom bucket to allow a small piece of hose running from the filter through the hole where the filtered water drained. A spigot is located near the bottom on the side of the bottom bucket.



Making a Water Filter
https://portlandprepares.org/2016/09/homemade-two-bucket-water-filtration-system/

Ceramic Filter
(https://www.amazon.com/HUI-NING-Replacement-Countertop-Filtration/dp/B093KXW3JR/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=18TRRBMFOOEOG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fpRjLdE9XvFP91EpEJYNprONj12zn_7BZ1gzgvkbroGkX2HJa4zOyUNY9qyf1_PQsPeqCHigMgh-1hXUuUY_GbM1kAA9BN73pKOxqqG4EIPWdJAELoNd9AackwPCUD0JVqL6W39-It4QsLT9VX09J8sgOAs-yQDyNQYHUKK5qgAVkiKKWOaXnwVJiQ-iFEGl1QjkEKLVUuO0rufHAgPABA.AkGHPavhtzzJF-VI4sJ65CBApCSgHoWR5_ZJfv4tR1c&dib_tag=se&keywords=ceramic+water+filter+for+5+gallon+bucket&qid=1714950341&sprefix=ceramic+water+filter%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-3)