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Survival and Preparations Long and short term survival and 'prepping'.

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  #1  
Old 03-27-2013, 3:08 PM
Aufdrahtsein Aufdrahtsein is offline
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Default SHTF Salt Water Pool into Consumable Water?

Aye' folks, my mom has a salt water pool and since her recent surgery I've been spending a lot of time helping 'round the house; I was curious to see if anyone knew how to go about turning salt-water-pool water into consumable drinking water if in the event of an emergency? Suggestions?
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Old 03-27-2013, 3:15 PM
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You can distill salt water.

It just requires heating it up in one container and having that container be covered with a tube coming out of it to direct the steam and let it cool. The output of that tube will be clean water.

In addition, you can also do some fun stuff with solar stills with materials you most likely have around the house now.
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Old 03-27-2013, 3:21 PM
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Why does she have a salt water pool?
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Old 03-27-2013, 5:21 PM
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If you look into what boats use, they use some special resin filter under high pressure to obtain desalinated water from the ocean. They are not the same but similar in set up to the osmosis filters under many home sinks bought from Home Depot. Key difference, desalinators use a higher pressure system. Each filter can run thousands of gallons before loosing functionality. Initial investment is considerable. Both desalinators and distillation type setups need high energy input to get drinking water. I'm not sure but it is possible that solar power may be able to provide the power to run the desalinator. Or a generator. You would have to run a cost-benefit analysis to see if its worth it.
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Old 03-27-2013, 8:35 PM
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I don't see a cheap, easy way. Distilling it by boiling and recondensing the steam is easy, but would take a large amount of energy. I would plan on keeping enough plain water stored for driniking, and using the pool water for everything else like washing, cleaning, flushing toilets, etc.
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Old 03-27-2013, 8:37 PM
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Originally Posted by 21SF View Post
Why does she have a salt water pool?
You clearly have never swam in a salt water pool! It is an alternative to using chlorine. The water is soft, doesnt burn your eyes, no chemical smell, drying out your skin or hair, turning you hair green, etc. They are awesome.
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Old 03-27-2013, 8:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaligaran View Post
You can distill salt water.

It just requires heating it up in one container and having that container be covered with a tube coming out of it to direct the steam and let it cool. The output of that tube will be clean water.

In addition, you can also do some fun stuff with solar stills with materials you most likely have around the house now.
This was my first thought also.
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Old 03-28-2013, 7:29 AM
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What about ceramic filter?
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Old 03-28-2013, 8:18 AM
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Since Sodium chloride is in solution with water rather than suspended in it, salt goes right through ceramic. Ceramic is said to filter suspended elements like viruses down to 2 microns but it takes a special membrane and continuous water flows on one side of it to attract sodium away from water on the membrane's other side and therefore have a useful reduced sodium water output such as in hemodialysis (I oversimplified this process of course).

Last edited by trg-s338; 03-28-2013 at 8:26 AM..
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  #10  
Old 03-28-2013, 8:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G-forceJunkie View Post
You clearly have never swam in a salt water pool! It is an alternative to using chlorine. The water is soft, doesnt burn your eyes, no chemical smell, drying out your skin or hair, turning you hair green, etc. They are awesome.
But in the end, it's still that same chlorine that's treating your pool.

Just that now you're buying and adding salt, plus a control box and cell to activate. It's whatever floats your boat.
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Old 03-28-2013, 8:35 AM
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Originally Posted by G-forceJunkie View Post
You clearly have never swam in a salt water pool! It is an alternative to using chlorine. The water is soft, doesnt burn your eyes, no chemical smell, drying out your skin or hair, turning you hair green, etc. They are awesome.
Clearly I been missing out!
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Old 03-28-2013, 8:43 AM
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Find a fresh water source, when in doubt place a few drops of Iodine in the water. It is now perfectly safe to drink =)
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  #13  
Old 03-29-2013, 3:21 AM
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Smart fellow above is informed.

I've been living on 1100 ppm water for two decades, but it isn't sodium chloride. Salt pools that use electrolysis to produce hypochlorites are typically 1500-6000 ppm NaCl. At the low end, it's very drinkable without modification.

A good solar still can produce more than a liter per square foot per day from some pretty nasty input. Swimming pool water diluted with the product of the still could sustain a few folks for a long time.
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Old 03-29-2013, 3:44 AM
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Salt concentrations are low enough you don't need to worry about it short term.
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Old 03-29-2013, 5:17 AM
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Longer term, more than a few days, without electricity to run the filtration pump and the electrolysis unit, any pool is going to become quickly contaminated with algae and bacteria. Then, some kind of distillation or disinfection will be mandatory. An untreated swimming pool is not a long term solution.

Anyone who is serious about being prepared, especially those who live in the city or the suburbs, just isn't going to get the best info from here or a cable TV program. Look to the survivors of Beirut, Grozny, or Stalingrad. Take lessons from the Franks' failures in Nazi-occupied Holland. None of us can predict what will happen in any set of circumstances, but history provides some valuable lessons on survival.

Look long and hard at those who survived living on the Green Line.
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Old 03-29-2013, 9:56 AM
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While no one is going to argue that drinking untreated water is a bad idea, I would have to question the rest of your statement.

Most pools use chlorine and most pool owners have chlorine tablets and will be able to treat their pool long term. Chlorine tablets last much longer than liquid bleach and pool owners would have an advantage.

Also, TV and internet forums allow us to be exposed to a much wider variety of topics than in previous years. No one here is saying "All I ever need to know I learned from Calguns..."

Places like this allow us to share ideas that we normally would have not thought of. Cable TV has some great history programs that I would have never cared to have read about. The show WWII in HD is awesome. If you then see something that interest you, you are then responsible for going out and learning about a topic.

Your statement about this not being the best place for being prepared is not entirely correct. I am not planing for a hostile take over of our country, I am being prepared for a natural or man made disaster. Sharing thoughts and ideas with other people from my geographical location and current time in history serves me just fine.
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Old 03-29-2013, 4:30 PM
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There are hand pump water filters (slightly larger than the backpacking type) that are stored on lifeboats to convert seawater to drinking water. I cannot remember the manufacture but check out WestMarine online.
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Old 03-30-2013, 12:28 AM
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Tag. Interested, as I have a pool with salt as well.

How long would pool water be considered not even worth the time if the filter pump isnt running? Or distilling rancid pool water still ok if it is still a last resort?
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Old 03-30-2013, 7:45 AM
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Sorry for the delay in the reply, been working a 72hr shift and I just got home; when she bought the house she found it was more cost effective as far as maintenance goes, despite the initial investment. We supplement the pool with a little bit of chlorine from time to time in order to maintain it, but that's probably only once a month. I was thinking about investing into tools for a solar still, or just creating a rudimentary one myself from supplies as Casa De Depot.
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Old 03-30-2013, 9:09 AM
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This is what we used to do in survival training. No energy expenditure, and as a plus...it works great with urine too! It doesn't make tons of water, but it will get you by.
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Old 03-30-2013, 7:58 PM
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I would think an under-sink DI water system with a pump, pulling from the pool would do the job. You can either get a powered pump, or a manual one with a pressure regulator to match the PSI the system is designed for. I have seen systems on ebay with an electric pump for around $250. I picked up one for my drinking water and it works quite nicely. Mine was under $150 (without pump).
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Old 03-31-2013, 3:06 PM
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Inflatable solar still.

Pricey, low yield.

But no DIY needed. As others have said, you can build your own. Use the solar still for drinking water. Use the untreated water for flushing, washing, and cooking. (Pretty much every recipe requiring boiling from spaghetti to oatmeal to soup to hard boiled eggs starts with: put water in pot, add salt, heat to boil.)

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/memss.html
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Old 03-31-2013, 5:50 PM
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Originally Posted by SamIAm View Post
Inflatable solar still.

Pricey, low yield.

But no DIY needed. As others have said, you can build your own. Use the solar still for drinking water. Use the untreated water for flushing, washing, and cooking. (Pretty much every recipe requiring boiling from spaghetti to oatmeal to soup to hard boiled eggs starts with: put water in pot, add salt, heat to boil.)

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/memss.html
Great point. An idea that would keep things close to how they used to be (but might encourage more usage) is to install some valves in you city water input to your house, so you could cut off city supply and tee in pumped water from the pool. Then you could use all your fixtures as normal, and if you already have a DI water system installed in your kitchen it would continue to supply good drinking water! Voila!
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Old 07-30-2020, 1:47 PM
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This is an old thread but I also have a salt water pool and would like to know the best way to harness that water during a SHTF event. Any other solutions since 2013?
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Old 07-30-2020, 4:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 21SF View Post
Why does she have a salt water pool?



Yep. I'd feel better about a chlorinated FRESH water pool in SHTF.
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Old 07-30-2020, 4:36 PM
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Reverse osmosis system.
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Old 07-30-2020, 5:10 PM
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Reverse osmosis system.
And distillation and evaporative setups, already mentioned in the thread.

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/w...center_objects

Technology and prices on all that have not changed much in 7 years. https://apexwaterfilters.com/how-to-...rinking-water/

Boat watermakers - http://myboatsgear.com/2016/12/30/wa...ers-for-boats/

Large RO systems - https://www.foreverpureplace.com/category-s/1857.htm

Mid-range desalinators from katadyn - https://www.portablewaterfilters.org...inator-review/, https://spauldingmarinestore.com/col...ns/watermakers

Tiny RO gadget - https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Technol...6158172&sr=8-6

Last edited by Librarian; 07-30-2020 at 5:32 PM..
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Old 07-30-2020, 5:30 PM
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I have a salt water pool and agree with the pros mentioned. The cons mentioned are not a big deal - for instance on the comment regarding chlorine being better for SHTF, even if true I have chlorine on hand and can add it if I want. Also in terms of consumption issues, the salt content is very low most months. I really only add salt in the warmer months of summer. One con is rust, I have had heat lamps near the pool rust due to water splashing on them regularly, etc. I will report back in a number of years on the health consequences of drinking it but so far my 4 year old dogs which drink it every day (I can’t stop them) are doing great.


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Old 07-30-2020, 5:39 PM
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Great points Librarian. As always.

Regarding distillation and evaporator type systems and fuel consumption specifically, I have been playing with the use of a Fresnel lens (Solar) to accelerate heating of a steel pot/kettle system for use in distillation as an alternative to combustion fuels. I have also played with parabolic mirrors for the same effect and both prove viable on a small scale.

The Fresnel lens system works on a limited basis for salt water, but I am working on a larger scale operation that has the ability to load raw water into a separate reservoir outside of the heating element (as to not disturb the heat reaction within the unit and thus slow production) and a receiving reservoir also located outside of the reaction area to provide a usable "potable" water. The main issue I am running into is a float design to limit the raw water entering the system and not running the system dry.

Test are still on-going, but show promise.

Just some food for thought.

Best regards,
870classic.
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Old 07-30-2020, 5:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G-forceJunkie View Post
You clearly have never swam in a salt water pool! It is an alternative to using chlorine. The water is soft, doesnt burn your eyes, no chemical smell, drying out your skin or hair, turning you hair green, etc. They are awesome.
If you had all those issues, you cleary either were maintaining your pool incorrectly, or you should have fired your pool guy. My house came with a chlorine pool, the only issue my kids get occasionally is dry skin.
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Old 08-18-2020, 12:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kaligaran View Post
You can distill salt water.

It just requires heating it up in one container and having that container be covered with a tube coming out of it to direct the steam and let it cool. The output of that tube will be clean water.

In addition, you can also do some fun stuff with solar stills with materials you most likely have around the house now.
Distill your own urine which is 90% water anyway.
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Old 08-18-2020, 4:07 PM
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The other component people have not mentioned is CYA (cyanuric acid) that pool owners use to protect free chlorine from being broken down. This component itself does not break down over time and has to be diluted to bring down the levels. I'm not sure of the harmful effects of this by being consumed, but a reverse osmosis system will remove this though.
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