Self Sufficient Farm Living
Self-sufficient living, no matter the location, involves planning ahead for water. When living off the grid, what are you using as a water source? Do you have a backup plan? For self-sufficient farm living, make sure to address both of these points.
The average individual uses 110 gallons of water per day. If you're on a farm, water is also needed to grow food, hydrate, and clean animals. Part of self-sufficient farm living involves realizing the amount of water needed but not going overboard. Rather than relying on a standard pipe system, opt for a hand-water pump to get the exact amount needed daily.
In an emergency, however, about 14 gallons of water per person per day is needed; for a family, aim for 56 gallons. In the event a hand-water pump isn't functional, what can you do? A backup water supply, in this case, is necessary. Water storage tanks are ideal for keeping a supply. Made out of blue high-density food-grade polyethylene, water storage tanks hold 15 or more gallons, and some are even portable.
For keeping a backup water supply, which can come pumped from an aquifer or gathered gradually during a rainstorm, a storage tank must not be kept near sunlight and needs a non-porous barrier between its base and the ground. To prevent cracking in the winter, make sure that the tank is no more than 90 percent full. While being able to supply your own water, daily and in emergency situations, is a crucial part of self-sufficient farm living, realize that it is likely still in a raw state – or undrinkable. Before the water is used, it must be purified and filtered in order to remove all microorganisms, pollutants, and other debris. Purification is necessary for removing microorganisms. For self-sufficient farm living, what are your options? If you have the equipment, boil the water for three minutes and let it cool off. However, the water may still need to be filtered, and boiling requires both fuel and cooking equipment, which aren't always available in the event of an emergency. Raw water can also be purified through chemicals, such as iodine and chlorine, but this method is risky; if too much bleach is added, the water becomes poisonous. Ideally, eight drops of bleach should be added, and after the water sits for 30 minutes, all dirt and debris should have settled at the bottom of the container. The most practical purification option is ultraviolet light. For this method, water enters the chamber of a purification device and goes around a high-output, low-pressure vapor lamp emitting UV light. Microorganisms absorb the light, which disrupts their DNA to prevent them from reproducing. While purification drastically cuts down on microorganisms, filtration is necessary for removing pollutants and debris. Filtration devices, some of which are portable, have filters made out of ceramic, glass fiber, or hard-block carbon. Because of its small pore size, ceramic is considered the strongest filter, while glass fiber is ideal for short-term use. Hard-block carbon is useful for removing chemicals and some pollutants and, as a result, is better as a secondary filter.
