Stockpile on water supply with bathtubs

[LeoIvanov]

Thought of this for a while. "What would I do first if an apocalypse was to happen and I knew that the water was about to cut off sooner or later?". Here's one of the thoughts that haven't made it in the final game yet but worth attention.

 

- Filling bathtubs with water - First thing I'd do is close the hole in the bathtub and turn on the water. That thing is massive, and should the water cut off, I have atleast a week's worthy of water to drink before I run out. Should hold out twice, if not four times more than rain barrels at their maximum state.

 

 

[Kajin]

Bathtubs and sinks are a pretty good place to store water, though I think I'd wash them out first to make sure they're clean. Just to be sure there's not some kind of fungus or bacteria growing on the ceramic.

[Hell Toupee]

A bit of bleach ought to fix that.

[Walther]

I like the idea. stockpiling on water is one of the first steps I guess.

 

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take for water to go bad? does it ever?

[Suomiboi]

I like the idea. stockpiling on water is one of the first steps I guess.

 

Just out of curiosity, how long does it take for water to go bad? does it ever?

If it's in a sealed container, water never "spoils". Also if kept in constant motion.

 

If water is still and open to air and bacteria, it starts developing algae and other bacterial things after about a month or two. But I would say it's drinkable for quite some time after that, maybe not a full year but at least 3-4 months. Even after this if you boil the water it's OK for some time.

 

Why water bottles have expiration dates:

1. Some states require all food items to have an expiration date.

2. Taste. About after a year the water slowly starts to taste bad because of the plastic that's been absorbed by the water. Direct sunlight and warm storing conditions speed this process. But in this case the water is and will be drinkable if the seal hasn't been broken.

3. Bottles aren't necessarily 100% air tight. That means if there's a small hole that bacteria can enter through, you're gonna get some bacteria growth inside. But this would take a really long time imo.

 

EDIT: gameplay wise I would say if water "spoils" you should be able to boil it to drinkable at any time.

[GodWaffle]

+1 for this, I'd do this too in an apocalypse so it should be a feature

[Connall]

Great until a zombie slips and falls into your bathtub of water, then you got poisoned water! D:

[Rathlord]

Shit, I do this during bad storms just in case, I certainly would for the apocalypse.

[Connall]

Shit, I do this during bad storms just in case, I certainly would for the apocalypse.

 

Must be a waste of water, if nothing comes of it?

[Kajin]

A bathtub of water costs... What, a dollar? A dollar fifty? Not that much of a waste and it's there if you need it.

[VamyreLord]

Shit, I do this during bad storms just in case, I certainly would for the apocalypse.

You drink from a bathtub? is that healthy?

[Rathlord]

I've only had the power off long enough to need the water once (we have a well). I keep my bathtubs clean weekly, it's certainly not gonna hurt me.

[k12314]

A bathtub of water costs... What, a dollar? A dollar fifty? Not that much of a waste and it's there if you need it.

 

Depends on where you live. Here in my city baths can add up on your water bill pretty quickly. It's why we never use our bathtub and just use the shower.

[Rathlord]

Being outside the city limits, we just pay for the use of the pump in with our normal electric bill. Electricity is cheap, so pumping out a few gallons for no good reason is pretty affordable, probably less than ¢ 50.

[k12314]

Being outside the city limits, we just pay for the use of the pump in with our normal electric bill. Electricity is cheap, so pumping out a few gallons for no good reason is pretty affordable, probably less than ¢ 50.

 

And of course, for the sake of this thread, we don't exactly have to worry about water bills in the apocalypse, now do we? All we have to worry about is stagnation and bacteria.

[Connall]

 

Being outside the city limits, we just pay for the use of the pump in with our normal electric bill. Electricity is cheap, so pumping out a few gallons for no good reason is pretty affordable, probably less than ¢ 50.

 

And of course, for the sake of this thread, we don't exactly have to worry about water bills in the apocalypse, now do we? All we have to worry about is stagnation and bacteria.

 

 

Even then like was said above, as long as you boil the water you would be fine. Would be an interesting thing to have in the game for sure.

[k12314]

 

 

Being outside the city limits, we just pay for the use of the pump in with our normal electric bill. Electricity is cheap, so pumping out a few gallons for no good reason is pretty affordable, probably less than ¢ 50.

 

And of course, for the sake of this thread, we don't exactly have to worry about water bills in the apocalypse, now do we? All we have to worry about is stagnation and bacteria.

 

 

Even then like was said above, as long as you boil the water you would be fine. Would be an interesting thing to have in the game for sure.

 

 

Just scoop it out with a pot and boil it on a stove/over a campfire. Maybe they should make it so that drinking rainwater can make you sick unless you boil it? It won't make you sick 100%, but I'm fairly certain rainwater isn't perfectly clean.

[Connall]

 

 

 

Being outside the city limits, we just pay for the use of the pump in with our normal electric bill. Electricity is cheap, so pumping out a few gallons for no good reason is pretty affordable, probably less than ¢ 50.

 

And of course, for the sake of this thread, we don't exactly have to worry about water bills in the apocalypse, now do we? All we have to worry about is stagnation and bacteria.

 

 

Even then like was said above, as long as you boil the water you would be fine. Would be an interesting thing to have in the game for sure.

 

 

Just scoop it out with a pot and boil it on a stove/over a campfire. Maybe they should make it so that drinking rainwater can make you sick unless you boil it? It won't make you sick 100%, but I'm fairly certain rainwater isn't perfectly clean.

 

 

It's dependant on some factors but it's just safe to assume that the rain water isn't clean. So yeah, that would be pretty good.

[Rathlord]

In most parts of the U.S. you could drink the rainwater for several lifetimes without a single adverse effect. Rainwater is clean enough that adding any negative effects from it would be completely inplausible imo.

[Kajin]

It largely depends on the location and what sorts of industry happens to be taking place nearby. If there's a factory spewing a lot of chemicals into the air the rain definitely will NOT be drinkable. But that would solve itself after a few years of apocalypse since the factory would almost certainly not be working and spewing chemicals anymore.

[Rathlord]

I don't think anywhere in the southern U.S. has enough pollution to make it remotely bad. You'd need to go to a few specific places in the north, or the west coast. 

[Footmuffin]

How would letting the water sit in the pipes come into play? In my neighborhood at least, our water will just sit in a pipe if it isn't running. Collects things and tastes nasty in extreme situations.

[Connall]

How would letting the water sit in the pipes come into play? In my neighborhood at least, our water will just sit in a pipe if it isn't running. Collects things and tastes nasty in extreme situations.

 

I think if it sits in the pipes for too long it can become contaminated by rust. But don't quote me on that. I also imagine you would need someway to force the water out of the pipes after the initial few minutes.

[Rathlord]

 

How would letting the water sit in the pipes come into play? In my neighborhood at least, our water will just sit in a pipe if it isn't running. Collects things and tastes nasty in extreme situations.

 

I think if it sits in the pipes for too long it can become contaminated by rust. But don't quote me on that. I also imagine you would need someway to force the water out of the pipes after the initial few minutes.

 

 

In city limits, as long as there's water in the water tower (which there would be for quite a while) gravity exerts force on the water, which allows taps to flow freely. It wouldn't be until the water tower was nearly empty that you'd have a problem, and that wouldn't be until after the power had been off for a good while.

 

If, however, you're on a well, water stops almost instantaneously when the power goes out. There's not really any way to force it out other than going to the lowest pipe in the house and busting it open.

[k12314]

 

 

How would letting the water sit in the pipes come into play? In my neighborhood at least, our water will just sit in a pipe if it isn't running. Collects things and tastes nasty in extreme situations.

 

I think if it sits in the pipes for too long it can become contaminated by rust. But don't quote me on that. I also imagine you would need someway to force the water out of the pipes after the initial few minutes.

 

 

In city limits, as long as there's water in the water tower (which there would be for quite a while) gravity exerts force on the water, which allows taps to flow freely. It wouldn't be until the water tower was nearly empty that you'd have a problem, and that wouldn't be until after the power had been off for a good while.

 

If, however, you're on a well, water stops almost instantaneously when the power goes out. There's not really any way to force it out other than going to the lowest pipe in the house and busting it open.

 

 

Is there any way to open a water tower? Imagine two groups of NPCs fighting over control of one.