Answering Questions

It’s time for more answers to your questions. I love these questions and hope you will keep asking. I know others are learning from those concerns you each have.

Can you tell us where we would find biohazard bags?

We sell these at TotallyReady.com You can also win some in our March Give Away!!  We are currently liquidating our inventory as researching and writing have become my priority. When our stock is gone, it’s gone.

My only concern with low flow toilets is if your plumbing is hooked up to a septic system rather than public sewer. With a septic, you need more water to keep things moving along.

Only you can judge whether or not a low flow toilet will work at your home. There is normally no problem with a low flow toilet on a septic system. If you have a very long drain field there may be a problem but that is unlikely. I would probably not use an ultra low flow toilet but again I would ask someone familiar with your area and drain field.  There really is no reason to purchase a new toilet as you can accomplish the same objective with a few easy changes. We talked about reducing the amount of water in the tank by adding something to take up room in the tank. You can also install an adjustable flapper and/or a fill cycle diverter. Admittedly I don’t really understand how they work but they do. Ask at your local hardware store or ask a plumbers for advise.

How can I tell if I have a low flow toilet?

There are three types of toilets now in use, the 5 gallons per flush standard toilets, low-flow 3.5 gallons per flush units, or the more recent ultra low flow toilets which use only 1.5 gallons per flush.

You can determine the volume of water the toilet uses by measuring the water in the tank with a ruler and applying the following formulas:

Width X Length X Depth = ______ cubic inches of water in the tank

Divide the answer by 231 (231 cubic inches=1 gallon) for total number of gallons

Watch the tank as you flush to determine how much water remains in the tank after the flush is complete. Deduct that amount from the total number of gallons to find the amount that went down the drain.

About the start of the general store, I have heard you mention “put this in you binder” before, but I’m not really sure what the binder is, how it is set up, etc. Is there a post where this first began?

I referred again yesterday to your binder. Simply, it is the place you will accumulate all the materials relevant to your General Store. From time to time there will be charts or information which you will want to keep in a safe place where you can quickly access it. How you organize it is up to you. For example, in my post Pandemic…What is There to Drink? I discuss how to make rehydration drinks from foods you have around your home. This would be a great post to copy and include in your binder, then, when a family member has the flu, or is becoming dehydrated for any reason, you have the formula and can easily find it.

I think I caught that the general idea is to get 3 months worth of all supplies, but if we are doing our one thing a week, how long does this take? I don’t have the ebook yet, so maybe I just need to turn to that . . .

This is a 52 week process. In today’s economy many do not have the financial resources to purchase items much faster than that. If you want to work faster the ebook does have the totals for exactly how much food you will need to have a nutritionally balanced store. Again, my advice is to work toward a well balance storage for a few weeks rather that storage for three months that only includes a few items. I know it is a temptation to run out and buy lots of rice or pasta, as it’s cheap, but think about it. If you are confined to your home for two – three months during a pandemic meal times will be a huge part of your day. You will want variety in your meals and you will want those meals to be ones you can include the kids in preparing, takes up time, and gives you time to talk. So.. a three month, well balanced General Store, stocked with foods you love, is our goal by the end of 2009.

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