[marylp]

There is a thread about how long the water will flow out of the faucets after SHTF. Someone said something about only a matter of time when the electricity stops that we may start seeing the sewage back-up thru the shower, toilet etc..How does one stop this? What can you put over the shower drain or toilet. I don't want poop in my house. That is one stinky mess I dont want to clean up. Is there anything I can prepare right now to put over the drain? Im thinking maybe a 5 gallon bucket filled with cement to sit over the drain. But what about the toilet? Kitchen drains? Help

 

[Odessa]

Turn your water off, get a solar shower and a poncho and shower outside between some trees, gather your water from local streams and ponds and purify them over your George Foreman grill, and finally, poop in your ever growing collection of walmart bags.

 

[Purdy Bear]

I think it really depends where and which country you live in.

Most of the Uk sewage systems are the old victorian type that worked without electricity, I think its not until you get to the sewage works that electricity comes into play.

I do know that in some countries they rely on electricity to pump the sewage out of the area.

I would look into getting dry toilets, chemical toilets, etc.

The other problem is going to be people who do persist in putting cooking fat, sanitery wear, nappies, tissues etc down the toilet and thus blocking up the whole street.

I think the only thing you can do for current toilets is to slush them down with a bucket of water - thats in the UK though, not sure that would work elsewhere.

 

[goose3]

You can get one-way valves in your sewer line to prevent backups.

This is only an issue if you are in a relatively lower area, into which sewage from homes at higher ground flows.

If you're on high ground--I am --then it's not a problem unless everyone below has stopped up the outlets in their houses, causing it to back up higher than their homes.

If you have a gravity system that flows to the sewage plant, and that plant has overflow mechanisms to deal with overcapacity, then you may not have anything to worry about. (If your sewer lines terminate at a lift station, that is different, as the lift station will lift the sewage to a high point from which it can drain via gravity flow to the sewage plant). In my town, we had a couple events last year where there was so much stuff going into the system that the sewage plant had to allow spillover into the adjoining creek.

Find out as much as you can about topography, where you are in relation to others, how the sewage system works, and then you can decide if you have a problem you need to anticipate and remediate.

 

[TJETTN]

We've been wondering about this also. I believe someone on another thread said you need to put in a sewer cut-off valve to prevent it from backing up into your home.

If anyone has more information and photos of how to install one , that would be great.:

 

[CodaSmog]

We call it a backwater valve and its easy to insert.......

http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=UC_6TfbmFsHY0QHu9enGAw&ved=0CGcQ8wIwAg#

 

[Horned One]

We already use a humanure (what some call a sawdust) toilet. We compost our waste, and there is no smell as long as you cover your business after use.

If you have the land, you could set up a similar thing. You just need the 5 gallon bucket, a toilet seat, and a pile of cover material which is usually a mixture of partially decomposed sawdust, or a mixture of 75% pine shavings and 25% peat moss.

If that's too radical, you could get a non-electric composting toilet. for about $1500.

 

[stephpd]

Like Goose3 said it depends on where you live.

I'm also uphill of the plant. Between me and it there is a lift station, meaning it flows downhill to the lift station where it gets pumped up to a higher elevation before rolling downhill again.

For me, if power goes out the sewage would flow to the lift station where it would then overflow and make it's way to the river. For it to backup to my house would require that the sewer main become clogged close to my home. Kinda hard to do since it's a large pipe, Even if that happened it would still come out of manhole covers downhill from my house. The only way for my house to back up with sewage would be if something clogged the pipe between my house and the sewer main. (pretty much what would happen if there was a valve between the two and it got shut, by me or others.)

Now if you live on really flat ground, or at a lower elevation then your local treatment plant that would be a totally different story.

 

[nomadjanet]

You can get a backwater valve installed in your main line that will keep other people's stuff from coming up in your house.
http://stores.drainageproducts.us/-strse-Valves-dsh-Backwater/Categories.bok
Then build yourself a small outhouse in your yard.
http://www.i4at.org/lib2/hmnwaste.htm
Lay in a supply of aeromatic wood chips and some enzyme digestant.

 

[marylp]

Turn your water off, get a solar shower and a poncho and shower outside between some trees, gather your water from local streams and ponds and purify them over your George Foreman grill, and finally, poop in your ever growing collection of walmart bags.

I was hoping for some useful advice..what dah..:xeye:

 

[MikeK]

There is a thread about how long the water will flow out of the faucets after SHTF. Someone said something about only a matter of time when the electricity stops that we may start seeing the sewage back-up thru the shower, toilet etc..How does one stop this? What can you put over the shower drain or toilet. I don't want poop in my house. That is one stinky mess I dont want to clean up. Is there anything I can prepare right now to put over the drain? Im thinking maybe a 5 gallon bucket filled with cement to sit over the drain. But what about the toilet? Kitchen drains? Help

You can't really stop it from the inside. But you can install a cutoff valve on your sewer line. If the sewer starts to become unusable, then you know that backups are next and you would need to turn off the cutoff valve.

 

[AlabastorOwl]

Install a one way valve as mentioned above if you are you connected to a sewer system. If you have your own septic tank just pour a bucket of water in the toilet after use to flush. A healthy septic system with a good drain field should last years without backing up.

 

[MikeK]

Now if you live on really flat ground, or at a lower elevation then your local treatment plant that would be a totally different story.

My last house was down in the valley so this was a real concern for me. I didn't realize there was a one way valve available for zero pressure applications so I installed a cutoff valve instead. Then shortly afterwards, I discovered the old septic system and it was still in working order, so I installed a diverter valve so that I could have used the septic system.

There's nothing quite as inspirational as looking into the city and realizing that one entire side of town is uphill from you!

 

[otterboy]

Back up is not restricted to just the drain lines! If houses up hill from you have issues in their water supply, it can drain down into your water supply. Your house can also pollute others. The county government had a display at the county fair one year about various check valves and layout for preventing all this. I am sure you can get free info from the county water people.

 

[Odessa]

One might consider, in all seriousness, other methods of doing the deed when it comes to "potty time". I was partially kidding about my last post and going in walmart bags but if you can shut your sewage valve off, where else ya gonna go? After a while your favorite tree will become a mine field and if opsec is key, then digging cat holes are the only other valid option, but even then, after a while, you can run out of places, especially if you have a family with toddlers or post toddlers who insist on mommy or daddy going with them. This will become tedious and eventually you will get lazy about it and find a faster method of doing the deed. So finding other methods like a camp comode or similar items might be an idea, then you can use those walmart bags I keep mentioning.

TMI but I was put into a situation where I had to think fast for the deed had to be done, and done right now. No portolets were abound around the tarmac of Anderson AFB in Guam. Having just got done doing my stik's static drop from a C130 I worked my way back to the transport bus, luckily no one was there for I had to go immediately. I go around the other side of the bus only to find myself looking at video cameras and lots of razor wire, so I had no choice. I entered the bus.

Turns out I had to go inside of an empty MRE bag on the back of a bus, next to a highly resticted area in Guam.

PS I highly suggest Wet Willies and Tahiti Ramas surf side bars if one is ever in Guam.

 

[Murphman]

I'm bumping this thread to confirm what others have said. I live in the city on a small lake in the lowest part of my neighborhood. I called my local utility office and spoke with the supervisor of the sewer dept. and he confirmed that based on my location it would be very prudent to get a backflow preventer on my sewer line. Nice guy who understood that I was worried about a SHTF scenerio and admitted that it could be problem for me rather quickly if power was knocked out to the city sewer pumps.

Going to get to work on that in a few weeks.

 

[ShaynaGirl]

I faced this problem in Florida after the storms. I found my sewer main line outside the house and opened the valve (which was hidden in shrubbery against the outside of the house).

That way any overflow would happen in the bushes instead of inside the house.

 

[Alpha-Zombie]

We have a well established septic system. If water is shut off for some reason, a bucket of stream water, etc., dumped in the toilet is all it takes to flush it. The leech field isn't all that large and would work fine within city limits. Other than that, a portable throne along the lines of a porta-potty or a 5gal bucket with a bag liner works fine, too. They can be placed wherever you feel comfortable to do your duty.

 

[Moccasin]

You can get one-way valves in your sewer line to prevent backups.

This is only an issue if you are in a relatively lower area, into which sewage from homes at higher ground flows.

If you're on high ground--I am --then it's not a problem unless everyone below has stopped up the outlets in their houses, causing it to back up higher than their homes.

If you have a gravity system that flows to the sewage plant, and that plant has overflow mechanisms to deal with overcapacity, then you may not have anything to worry about. (If your sewer lines terminate at a lift station, that is different, as the lift station will lift the sewage to a high point from which it can drain via gravity flow to the sewage plant). In my town, we had a couple events last year where there was so much stuff going into the system that the sewage plant had to allow spillover into the adjoining creek.

Find out as much as you can about topography, where you are in relation to others, how the sewage system works, and then you can decide if you have a problem you need to anticipate and remediate.

I would add that, even if you live on higher ground and shouldn't have to worry about back ups, every time you flush the sewage is still going to go SOMEwhere. If it's to the sewage treatment plant this will probably lead to dumping, either in a field or into a river. Neither would be good, long term health wise. Still, that would be better than if it wound up flowing out of the drains of someone lower down than you are. That might drive them out of their house and send them looking for somewhere else to go... like maybe taking YOUR house. Or it might also lead them to plug the sewer line at their location. Meaning that eventually the line between your place and the plug will fill up, and some time when you flush, you'll get a BAD surprise...

If the local sewage system fails and you're not on a septic tank, I'd suggest digging a hole and building an outhouse.

 

[speedofl33t]

If you have not prepared, and you have a sudden disaster, and you notice your toilet wants to start spewing out sewage... what do you do?....