Something easily taken for granted is the brilliance of indoor plumbing and running water. Being able to turn a faucet and get water under pressure pouring out. You don’t really realize how much you rely on these simple contraptions until you go without. Being able to easily wash dishes, hands, rinse out stains, keep areas sanitary, and of course, flush away waste, are incredibly functional aspects of modern life. Between running water and electricity, you’d probably be surprised to find yourself missing running water more if you suddenly had neither.
When disaster strikes, you won’t always know exactly what situation to prepare for, but having a few basic solutions to replacing running water is something you might want to consider, if you are planning on bugging in. (This article, of course, assumes you already have access to water and filtration.)
Water Bins With Spigots
Honestly, it’d be almost sufficient to restrict this article to just this single product. There are a couple different options out there for what you can buy, but a simple square 5 gallon water container with a spigot will adequately serve many needs for water usage when plumbing no longer works. You can keep it over a sink or wherever you plan to wash and use as you would a faucet, or elevate and shower under it (this will use a lot of water of course, simple sponge baths will probably be sufficient if water supply is limited).
The reason a spigot is desirable is because if you have to pour water out of a container, you can risk contaminating your whole gig. The stream of water can be easily turned on and off, and that flow with pressure can clean away debris and bacteria the most effectively without plumbing.
Five Gallon Buckets
There are of course many survival uses for five-gallon buckets and carrying water is probably at the top of the list. They’re great for carrying and short-term storage, and you can take a pretty reasonable shower by filling a bucket about 1/4 full with boiled water, and the rest with cool water, and simply pouring the contents over yourself. Five-gallon buckets can also be affixed with a spigot and are also sold this way.
Sun Shower Components
Sun showers can be kind of cheap and unreliable, but the thick plastic tubing and spigots can easily be reused for improved or repurposed sun showers or faucets. It’s useful to be able to take advantage of gravity simply doing what it does best, letting the water flow down the tubing for a nice steady stream.
These are a few reliable options for replacement running water-stay tuned for waste disposal!