Recycled water anyone?

[ygmir]

I do my own cooking, shower occasionally, drink a lot, and, seem to average using about 35 gallons for 7-10 days out there........
I also share, if someone needs a shower or whatever. I tend to bring 70 to 100 gallons, and, share if anyone runs low. A lot of others do, as well.

As fun as filtering and such is, seems, except for the entertainment and challenge values, it's futile........
Bring your basic drinking needs, add some for washing and, a little extra for the bidet/alkaseltzer camp forays, and, call it good?

Just my 2 cents.
If you run out, come on by, I'll share.

[Victorian]

David, for giggles, I've found you some ideas. I'm not shooting you down, and saying to go for it, but do bring plenty of fresh water also please, just in case.....

But hey, hope this helps!

http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/pro ... e-4548.cfm

:wink:

[lbdavid98]

Seriously.. it's not a pretty thing at all. And the Playa will be beautiful. Why take the risk on your FIRST trip atleast? Not worth it at all hun.

What risk exactly? I'm talking about bringing something out there to try some water reclamation with. At no point have I advocated bringing anything less than what is recommended in the survival guide, and we'll bring a bit more than that even. My roommate and I are veterans as well, and not unfamiliar with proper hydration, we'll be out there with our camelbaks and sunscreen offering a chance to recycle your dishwater and make some conversation during the 30 minutes it takes.

[Victorian]

Ok OK Ok.

Now that you put it that way.. then yes. We better swap contact info and see each other on the playa.

I misunderstood you as a first timer like myself, and it was only for your own concern of safety did I put it that way myself.

But yes... I would rather we swap contact info, and you keep me updated. Maybe I'll be inspired and try myself this year...

[Captain Goddammit]

If you think that's a character flaw

Just for the record, not at all! Sometimes different ones of us disagree in a most spirited fashion while discussing plans here, but when we all go to the Thursday eplaya Meet & Greet at the esteemed Doctor Pyro's or hang together at the Booby Bar, even the folks who spar the most spiritedly here are best friends in person. I make a mean margarita aboard my Yacht and would gladly pass you one, or let you drive it... maybe not at same time...

I still hate the idea of drinking used water! But on a "here's a solution" note, there are ways to get clean water out there if bringing your own isn't an option. Here's a few, and my playa-experience take on them:
Arrange to have a friend bring it for you if you're flying in. This is great but risky - things happen, like you never find your friend, they don't show, they ran out of room or forgot, etc., and you're screwed. Rule number one out there is cover your own necessities!
It is possible to purchase water at Burning Man two ways. There is a company selling fresh water and hauling waste water out, intended for RVs. It's "commerce" but I believe it's a legal heath-dept. requirement issue to have that available. They don't care whether they fill an RV tank or your big jug, as long as you give them $$. Bring cash. They were charging about $75 last I knew, but you got as much water as you had the ability to hold, within reason.
Some people buy ice at Camp Arctica just to let it melt, to get the water. It's $3/bag, but easily worth it when it solves your transport problem. And it's nice and cold!

[lbdavid98]

Ok OK Ok.

Now that you put it that way.. then yes. We better swap contact info and see each other on the playa.

I misunderstood you as a first timer like myself, and it was only for your own concern of safety did I put it that way myself.

But yes... I would rather we swap contact info, and you keep me updated. Maybe I'll be inspired and try myself this year...

Sounds good. My roommate and I are planning to go to Interfuse, the regional burn in Missouri this Spring. So we've got about 5 months to work out a trial system and we'll give it a test in a less strenuous environment and see if we can work some kinks out of it.

[lbdavid98]

I make a mean margarita aboard my Yacht and would gladly pass you one, or let you drive it... maybe not at same time...

Rumor has it the LEOs out there might take exception to that idea. That said I am looking forward to meeting the people from ePlaya out there. I'm also pretty psyched to be going to be meeting my first burners in person this Saturday at a regional event.

[oneeyeddick]

I am still all for you drinking some of your own pee and letting us know how it tasted after using that kit.

I think you owe at least that much to us for all this build up.

[dragonfly Jafe]

Experimenting with water recycling systems is one thing. Depending on them for your life is another....but then you can buy ice (as the Captain says) and watch it melt, so as long as you have money (and the ice trucks keep coming), you won't die of thirst.

just don't ask to "drink" from OED's "penis"....contamination or bad taste would be the least of your concerns (after you figured out how to get your head 10 feet above the ground to reach it that is!)

[Bling]

We were thinking of recycling SHOWER water only (NOT drinking water--I practically gave some poor health department advisor a heart attack when she misunderstood). I found some cheap carbon filter packs on eBay and figured we could put a large Rubbermaid bin in the bottom of our shower to catch the dusty/soapy water, then use a giant funnel to pour it through the filter and back into the 1-gallon water jugs we're drinking. Mark 'em with Sharpies as USED WATER FOR SHOWERS ONLY. Wouldn't this work?

If that doesn't work, we skip the filters, pour it back into the jugs, and toss it under the bed of our RV to serve as ballast for the ride home.

[Victorian]

We were thinking of recycling SHOWER water only (NOT drinking water--I practically gave some poor health department advisor a heart attack when she misunderstood). I found some cheap carbon filter packs on eBay and figured we could put a large Rubbermaid bin in the bottom of our shower to catch the dusty/soapy water, then use a giant funnel to pour it through the filter and back into the 1-gallon water jugs we're drinking. Mark 'em with Sharpies as USED WATER FOR SHOWERS ONLY. Wouldn't this work?

If that doesn't work, we skip the filters, pour it back into the jugs, and toss it under the bed of our RV to serve as ballast for the ride home.

I honestly think this would be the best direct approach. You can use bathwater over. They've done it for centuries. Even my grandmother growing up on a Minnesota farm with 4 siblings stated they all shared the same bath each night. Oldest kid went first, youngest went last... Can you imagine that? I know some consider it gross. But I'm not planning on washing my hair... just dreading or braiding it.. but I would like to keep my body clean... slightly dirty water would feel much better then a baby wipe bath any day... don't care who you are.

[Bling]

Thanks, Victorian. We laid in a supply of extra-large babywipes, too, that Walgreens had on clearance. They're about twice the size of normal ones. They do have a scent, but hopefully they won't bother us too much.

[Victorian]

Thanks, Victorian. We laid in a supply of extra-large babywipes, too, that Walgreens had on clearance. They're about twice the size of normal ones. They do have a scent, but hopefully they won't bother us too much.

I'll definitely be bringing some as well. They have a calming lavender type that I just love... Some organic brand that's not just "fragrance" that will aggrivate your skin either... They're definitely worth having around, in case a neighbor needs one, or you happened to find yourself short of water... recycled or fresh.

[Bling]

I adore lavender! We bought some at the Farmer's Market a few years back, and plunked it in our front yard around a rose garden. The rose garden is pretty pathetic, but the lavender is SO HAPPY it grows like crazy and smells wonderful most of the summer. Every year I think, "we should do something with that," but we never have. Maybe make our own babywipes?

Hadn't thought of skin irritation. Is "normal" skin more irritable with all that dust? Mine's not usually especially sensitive. My sweetie's is, but only because he's allergic to formaldehyde, so we avoid that. Hmm. Better check the ingredients list of those babywipes! Thanks!

[CapSmashy]

Thanks, Victorian. We laid in a supply of extra-large babywipes, too, that Walgreens had on clearance. They're about twice the size of normal ones. They do have a scent, but hopefully they won't bother us too much.

Once you are done with the baby wipe wipe down, follow it up with a wet dish towel and wipe down again. It removes that baby wipe feeling and leaves you feeling sparkling clean.


The best thing I have seen for re-purposing grey water was running it through a screen filter to remove chunky bits and then through a gravity fed three stage filter system and then into an evaporative cooler. Gets rid of your grey water and keeps you cool during the day all in one smooth action.

[Bling]

Evaporative cooler? Tell me more! How does this work? Is there a picture or diagram somewhere that you could share?

I'm intrigued...

[Jmeier]

Evaporative cooler? Tell me more! How does this work? Is there a picture or diagram somewhere that you could share?

I'm intrigued...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler

[Bling]

Thanks! Should have thought of Wikipedia...

[Jmeier]

I bought a real cheap one last year and it was decent enough that if I let it blow directly on me, I could sleep through the middle of the day.

[Bling]

You can buy them? eBay? Where?

I love ePlaya!

[Jmeier]

http://www.google.com/products?rlz=1C1G ... =en&tab=wf

The only problem is power. I killed my car battery in 1 day using a inverter.

[Bling]

This misting fan is NOT as powerful, but it runs on D-batteries. I just nabbed one on eBay. Cabela's has them, too, for a bit more. (It got pretty good reviews--if you stay w/in about 3' of it...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1209wt_965

[Ugly Dougly]

"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."
-Mark Twain

[Victorian]

Are you guys referring to "swamp coolers"????

We use those out in the arizona desert here very very often, every other home has one, or guys like to install the smaller portable ones in their garages. They have free standing ones, or ones you can install in a window. You can just hook your garden hose up to them, and yes, it keeps things cool, but does tend to get a bit more 'muggy' with the water... hence the name "swamp" cooler...

They do work well... and yes, this would be another great idea for larger camps, on what to do with that extra gray water! They're pretty tough machines... and grey water won't hurt them any. Some even have extra filtration systems anyways since you are supposed to use any old tap water.

[Victorian]

Also, IMHO, if you can't stand the heat and need a swamper, this would be great for LARGER camps.. but if you're going solo or by with just a few people.. it may not be worth the effort lugging it out to the playa, sucking up electricity, and trying to keep cool... only because, like I said, it does tend to feel muggy, and works only better in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces...

[Bling]

The misting fan can be used with or without mist, which is nice, too. Batteries last 10 hours with mist and 24 hours without.

[Bling]

The misting fan can be used with or without mist, which is nice, too. Batteries last 10 hours with mist and 24 hours without.

[Victorian]

I can't view the link here at work.. but misting fans, yes, are nice.

What i was mainly referring to Bling, about the baby wipes--when purchasing hygeine products from the playa.. you might think you want something "super smelly" to keep you from smelling bad, but remember, MOST FRANGRACES are made or derrived from rubbing alcohol or alcohol based chemicals, which actually DRIES out your skin... so the more natural, the better... And lots of baby wipes main ingredients are alcohol... which cleans well but isn't always nice if you aren't used to the dry desert climate, your skin will dry out quicker then you think... and believe it or not, your skin will thank you the more hydrated you stay. Pee clear.. pee clear... pee clear... if you get chapped lips.. this doesn't just mean you need sunscreen or lip balm.. it means you also need to drink more water....

I've even gone so far on my camping trips in the arizona desert, to just add bottled water to my baby wipe containers, it dillutes the alcohol.

[dragonfly Jafe]

Are you guys referring to "swamp coolers"????

Yes, they are referring to swamp coolers. They work pretty good at BM (very hot and dry). We used one in 2005 & 2006 using our cooler melt water and it cooled an insulated gp medium tent nicely.

[Bling]

Guess we'll dilute 'em a bit, then, Victorian. Good suggestion. We're also planning to bring tons of lotion. Any favorites?