SAS Urban Survival Handbook by John Wiseman Page B
Authors: John Wiseman
Tags: Fiction, General, Reference, Survival, Survival skills, Self-Help, Health & Fitness, safety, Personal & Practical Guides
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one uses common salt to remove the ‘hardness’, another uses a magnetic field to prevent limescale forming. Again, these are not cheap options. If you only want a ‘softer’ bath, soda or bath salts will reduce scum and the amount of soap needed.
There are various commercial treatments to de-scale systems and appliances. Consult a dealer or plumber who will tell you if your system needs such attention.
WARNING
If you instal a sodium-based water softening device, it is advisable NOT to include the main drinking water tap. Drinking sodiumsoftened water all the time could add marginally to your body’s sodium levels. Also, removing all calcium from the water you drink may not be a good idea.
Boiling water/purifying tablets
Boiling water for several minutes should kill off most bacteria, which are not normally present in correctly-processed drinking water. This should only be necessary if there is a declared emergency, or if supplies are from a primitive source.
Water-purifying tablets are available, but these are only really intended for short-term use—while on holiday for example. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
DOMESTIC SYSTEMS
Before the water enters your premises, there is usually a heavy-duty stopcock (on/off valve) which is intended for use by the water company. Inside your premises, there should be another stopcock/gate valve so that the entire supply to your home can be isolated. Make sure you can operate this valve. In some areas there is also a meter, which registers the amount of water you have used.
Indirect systems
The supply will feed at least one tap directly—this is your drinking water. The rest of the taps or appliances in your home are usually fed by a large tank containing 189 litres (50 gallons) or more. This tank is actually a large heavy cistern and is often situated in the loft space.
TANK/CISTERN
The height of the cistern above your taps and other outlets determines your internal water pressure. This is known as the ‘head of water’. The cistern is so heavy that it is important to check that the supporting timbers are strong enough and not deteriorating from rot or insect infestation.
The cistern should be protected from freezing by lagging. Loft insulation is not carried under the tank. Any warmth filtering up from the rooms below is useful to help prevent freezing.
Like most cisterns, this tank contains a floating ballcock which cuts off the intake when the desired level of water is reached. When you use water, the level falls allowing the ballcock to drop—opening the inlet valve—so more water enters the tank to refill it. Keep the tank covered and check that it’s clean and in good repair. Everything from rotting wood to dead birds and rats have been found in loft cisterns.
In indirect systems there is usually a sealed hot-water tank (keep well lagged)—usually in a cupboard, bathroom or kitchen. This heats water, either by an electric immersion heater (like an electric kettle), or by heat exchange from a coiled pipe inside the tank. This coiled pipe is fed with hot water by the central heating boiler.
Often, also in the loft, will be a smaller cistern which feeds water to water-filled central heating systems. Both hot water tanks and water-filled central heating systems require ‘ expansion pipes ’, which are open-ended to release bubbles and steam. These are usually allowed to drip back into the respective feed cistern. DON’T block these pipes. If a fault develops, water may boil in the pipes. Pressure MUST be allowed to escape.
All cisterns are fitted with an overflow or warning pipe (which drains through an outside wall) in case they overfill.
Direct systems
As water enters the premises, it feeds all the outlets in turn. Hot water is achieved by taking the water through a boiler—or, in some cases, there may still be a hot-water tank with an overhead cistern.
Scaling of pipes and appliances is more of a problem with
There are various commercial treatments to de-scale systems and appliances. Consult a dealer or plumber who will tell you if your system needs such attention.
WARNING
If you instal a sodium-based water softening device, it is advisable NOT to include the main drinking water tap. Drinking sodiumsoftened water all the time could add marginally to your body’s sodium levels. Also, removing all calcium from the water you drink may not be a good idea.
Boiling water/purifying tablets
Boiling water for several minutes should kill off most bacteria, which are not normally present in correctly-processed drinking water. This should only be necessary if there is a declared emergency, or if supplies are from a primitive source.
Water-purifying tablets are available, but these are only really intended for short-term use—while on holiday for example. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
DOMESTIC SYSTEMS
Before the water enters your premises, there is usually a heavy-duty stopcock (on/off valve) which is intended for use by the water company. Inside your premises, there should be another stopcock/gate valve so that the entire supply to your home can be isolated. Make sure you can operate this valve. In some areas there is also a meter, which registers the amount of water you have used.
Indirect systems
The supply will feed at least one tap directly—this is your drinking water. The rest of the taps or appliances in your home are usually fed by a large tank containing 189 litres (50 gallons) or more. This tank is actually a large heavy cistern and is often situated in the loft space.
TANK/CISTERN
The height of the cistern above your taps and other outlets determines your internal water pressure. This is known as the ‘head of water’. The cistern is so heavy that it is important to check that the supporting timbers are strong enough and not deteriorating from rot or insect infestation.
The cistern should be protected from freezing by lagging. Loft insulation is not carried under the tank. Any warmth filtering up from the rooms below is useful to help prevent freezing.
Like most cisterns, this tank contains a floating ballcock which cuts off the intake when the desired level of water is reached. When you use water, the level falls allowing the ballcock to drop—opening the inlet valve—so more water enters the tank to refill it. Keep the tank covered and check that it’s clean and in good repair. Everything from rotting wood to dead birds and rats have been found in loft cisterns.
In indirect systems there is usually a sealed hot-water tank (keep well lagged)—usually in a cupboard, bathroom or kitchen. This heats water, either by an electric immersion heater (like an electric kettle), or by heat exchange from a coiled pipe inside the tank. This coiled pipe is fed with hot water by the central heating boiler.
Often, also in the loft, will be a smaller cistern which feeds water to water-filled central heating systems. Both hot water tanks and water-filled central heating systems require ‘ expansion pipes ’, which are open-ended to release bubbles and steam. These are usually allowed to drip back into the respective feed cistern. DON’T block these pipes. If a fault develops, water may boil in the pipes. Pressure MUST be allowed to escape.
All cisterns are fitted with an overflow or warning pipe (which drains through an outside wall) in case they overfill.
Direct systems
As water enters the premises, it feeds all the outlets in turn. Hot water is achieved by taking the water through a boiler—or, in some cases, there may still be a hot-water tank with an overhead cistern.
Scaling of pipes and appliances is more of a problem with
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