Post by L.A.C.R.I.M.O.S.A on Apr 28, 2007 16:54:52 GMT -5
How to Make Water in the Desert
The desert is hot and dehydration can set in quickly. If you are stuck or stranded in the desert, you can use the sun to generate a sufficient amount of water for yourself. You will probably, however, lose more water perspiring while building the still than it will generate for you in the end. This article discusses the concept of a "Solar 'still", or distillery. It can be used to collect water from soil in any climate, given enough sunlight and existent soil moisture.
Steps
1. Dig a few curved holes (the more the better) about two feet deep so that the moist subsoil is clearly visible.
2. Place an open coffee can, mug, cup or canteen in the center of each hole.If you have a length of plastic tubing, you can run it from the bottom of the coffee can out the edge of the hole.
3. Lay a taut piece of clear plastic wrap across the top of the hole. To create a seal, pour sand in a circle around the hole along the outside of the plastic wrap. Pour the sand an inch or two from the edge of the plastic wrap. Ensure that the tubing runs underneath the plastic, and that there are no gaps not sealed by the sand.
4. Place a small to medium sized rock in the center of the plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap dips to a point above the can.
5. Sit back and wait for the sun to evaporate water out of the moist soil. The water will condense on the plastic wrap because it cannot escape the hole and will drip into the can. Given the right soil moisture, this technique can generate an abundance of water! You can use the tubing to suck the water from the can without dismantling the 'still until the hole is depleted.
6. Once the sun dries the subsoil in that hole, start the process all over by digging another hole.
Alternate Method
1. Collect it from fog. It may seem odd, but fog is usually present where other forms of water are not. This technique only works in high elevations, though.
2. Make a sort of net from nylon or polypropylene.
3. Prop up the net in a double layer supported by two poles.
4. Prop up the net so the wind blows into it.
5. Place a sort of tank underneath the net.
6. Leave your net up overnight.
7. In the morning, check the net. There should be water in the tank. What happened is that as the fog rolled in, the condensed water droplets hit the net. The droplets could not pass through the net and thus they rolled into the tank.
Tips
-In the hole you can add a small amount of vegetation so that more evaporation will occur.
-Do not dig the hole in the shade. The process needs direct sunlight to work correctly.
-This technique can also be used to purify dirty water. Simply replace the hole with a larger container and do everything else the same. Fill the bowl with the muddy and nasty water and seal it over with plastic wrap and weight the sheeting over your cup. Place in the sun and wait. Once the water evaporates, it will be free of contaminants and clean, and safe to drink (so long as there are no microbes that might still be hanging around).
-Urinating in the hole provides extra moisture and is sanitary because only the water evaporates. Urine has Urea Nitrogen in it, which converts to ammonia, which will evaporate more readily than water!!
-If you are trying to find water elsewhere, it will be easier if you know where you are. Remember that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West.
Warnings
-The plastic wrap must seal the hole shut; if it is punctured the water will not condense.
-Keep the plastic wrap from touching the can or else the water will not drip into the can.
-Water loss through perspiration from constructing a solar still may be greater than the amount of water produced by the still.
Contrary to what is written in some popular survival books, the solar still will *not* provide adequate water to keep a person alive, even if it is constructed in moist soil. Noted primitive skills and survival experts such as Christopher Nyerges, Ray Mears, Cody Lundin and the late David Alloway have demonstrated this fact many times in their classes and videos.
-If you know approximately where you are and head for a nearby mountain range, you may and probably will fail due to the fact that (a) the nearest mountain is often not within walking distance, and (b) stranded persons often do not know where they are.
-ONLY look for water in other places if you are absolutely certain that no one will find you where you are. It is HIGHLY reccomended by many officials to stay where you are if you are stranded. To be found, make noise. If it is nighttime, light a fire. If you have a parachute, lay it out flat on the ground.
-You should always carry water whenever you plan on being active, do not count on other sources of water. Drink this water, don't save it for later; you need water. Many people who become dehydrated develop hydrophobia, a deadly condition where a person actually believes that water will kill him/her.