Living without running water

Vickie Bryant

 

     We are in a historic drought and many communities have run very low on their municipal water.  We all should know how to live if we no longer have the water resources that we now enjoy.  Many things can disrupt the water supply such as earthquakes, major power outages where the pumps no longer work, contamination of water facilities, broken pipes, etc. 

 

  Nowadays we take water for granted. Most of us don’t worry where the water will come from or how. We just turn on the tap and water magically appears !  But clean running water is not guaranteed.

 

     When I was about 10 years old we lived in a 3 room log cabin with electricity but no running water. We did this for about a year. We had a parlor stove in the front room and a wood cook stove in the kitchen. So I have first hand experience with living without running water.

From a young age we were taught to  be aware of our water usage and only used what was needed. We never wasted water. The water was acquired from friends' houses or the gas station in town. It was transported and stored in metal 10 gallon milk cans. There was a small wash stand in the kitchen for washing hands and we didn’t throw it out until it got very dirty.

Saturday night was mandatory bath night whether we needed it or not !

We had and old #10 galvanized tub that we put about 4 inches of water in. The water was heated on the cookstove.   All 4 of us children used the same water, I was the eldest so I got the cleanest water ! The tub was refilled for our parents but they didn’t fit well in the tub so they did what we call a navy shower, you get wet, lather up then rinse off. If we needed to be cleaned in the middle of the week we got a ‘spit bath’, that is just a wet cloth and soap.

Dishes were done once a day in a large metal dish pan which also served as a bread making pan.

     We took our clothes to friends’ or relatives’  houses but my grandma used a wringer washer and twin tubs for laundry. Clean heated water was put in the washer then wrung into the first rinse tub then into the second rinse tub then hung to dry.  Often the rinse water was from the nearby ditch which in those days was clean and clear.  Whites were first then towels then colors then the work clothes which were overalls and blue jeans. The used laundry water was then used for grandmas’ flower garden.

 

To me the worst part of not having running water was having to use the outhouse, especially in the winter in the middle of the night . In the summer I was always afraid I would step on a snake or run into a skunk !

My maternal grandparents never had running water while my grandmother was alive. It was some years after her passing that my grandfather was able to have a well dug. This was in the late 1960’s up until then they hauled water.

 

 

 

 

     So what do we do to prepare ?  One way is to store water. You should plan on storing at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking and cooking.              

 

     Water needs to be stored in glass, food grade plastic or specially lined metal containers. Water can also be purchased in mylar bags and cans from preparedness vendors.  It doesn’t matter the size of the container, just be sure to sanitize it before you store the water in it. If you have limited space to store water you can use sanitized soda bottles, canning jars or any food grade small container that can be sealed. 

 If possible your water stores should be rotated every 6 months.  However you could store water for 2 years if you resanitize your water at least once in that time.  Store your water in a cool dark place but try not to put your containers directly on concrete.

      There are a few different ways to purify your stored water .  One way is to use liquid chlorine bleach with no additives or fragrances . Use 1/2 teaspoon of bleach per 5 gallons of clear water, 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of cloudy water. Water should be at least 65 degrees F when adding the bleach as chlorine is ineffective at chilled temperatures. With this method you should be able to smell the bleach an hour after treatment and the water should be clear. If not, do the treatment again if the water is still cloudy after an additional hour, then discard it. Always start with a small amount of bleach first then add if needed.

     A better way than liquid bleach is to use Calcium Hypochlorite which is granular chlorine. It stores better than the liquid bleach.  You can get this chemical at swimming pool supply stores or online.  You can make liquid bleach out of this by adding 1ounce of granules to 1 pint of water and you have perfectly good bleach for cleaning and to purify your water.

     Another chemical is Iodine. It requires a higher dose than chlorine. Use 8 drops per 1/2 gallon of water and double it if the water is cloudy. If still cloudy then discard.  Pregnant or nursing mothers should not use this method as health risks are associated with long term use.     

      Water purification tablets are just chlorine or iodine  in a tablet form and have a shorter shelf life and cost more.

     Chemicals won’t sanitize water that has been exposed to radioactive or harmful chemicals.  Modern filters can clean protozoa, harmful chemicals and even radioactive particles. Viruses and bacteria can be removed chemically then the chemicals can be removed by filtration.  Activated charcoal is a good filtration method. You can make your own filtration system or purchase tabletop models such as Berkey, Aqua Rain or Pro Pure and many other brands.

Distillation results in pure H2O with no minerals . If you use this method, take mineral supplements.  This is a good method if you have salt water but no fresh water . You can make your own distiller or buy one available commercially.

    Silver is a natural sanitizing agent and the people of the old west knew this.  They would keep a silver dollar at the bottom of the water barrel  !

     We can harvest rainwater and greywater to help water our gardens.  Many communities have regulations governing the use and collecting of these waters so be sure to look up the regulations for your specific area. In Utah we are allowed to collect and store rain without registering in no more than 2 covered storage containers if neither container has a maximum capacity of more than 100 gallons.  The total allowed storage capacity with registration is no more than 2,500 gallons. You must register for this so that you can be in building code compliance.  Collection and use are  limited to the same parcel of land on which the water is captured and stored.  There is no charge for registration. Besides using rain water in your garden and landscaping,  rain water can be filtered and treated for drinking.

Another way to water your garden is by using graywater. This is using the water from your shower, bathroom sink, and your clothes washer.  There are many methods to capture this water and use it in the garden; they can be found on the internet or YouTube.  Again there are regulations that have to be followed in order to use this method legally. Check with your community.

 

     There are many alternatives to using our regular toilets if we have no water.  There are a great number of camp toilets such as a composting toilet, Porta Potty and the old standby the 5 gallon bucket !  The internet has a ton of tutorials on making your own composting toilet or you can buy a commercially available model. I have made my own Luggable Loo style toilet. We have had to resort to this type of toilet several times because of sewer problems that have lasted for days at a time.


The web sites for full time RVers  are an excellent source for other types of water saving and usage. Such as solar showers.  Another source is the many prepper websites and YouTube channels. I have included a resource list but it is in no way all that can be found.  I hope I have given you a starting point to do your own research.