Water Purification Guide

Water purification, or to make water safe for drinking and cooking generally falls into two steps:

Water Filtration – the process of removing chemicals, particulates and some types of microbes and bacteria. There are many products on the market for this process, such as this  Dual Ceramic Water Filter Bag. You can also learn to improvise filters with natural materials, such as a Sand Filter.

Water Disinfection – the process of killing of any remaining microbes and live bacteria to render them inactive. Read some great techniques for this here.
Continue reading Water Purification Guide

Earthminded RainStation Rain Barrel

The Rain Barrel collects rain water from the roof and its drainage system. The water it collects is not potable, and should not be used for drinking or cooking without filtration & disinfection.

Besides the ability of providing a source of emergency reserve water, the rain barrel provides a great source of water to use to water your lawn and garden.  Any way to reduce your dependency on the utilities is a great thing. The rain barrel is one such way to reduce that dependency and save money on your water bill as well. Continue reading Earthminded RainStation Rain Barrel

Boosting the Efficiency of Your Clothes Dryer

I am constantly looking at ways to save money. Increasing energy efficiency is a win-win, so long as it does not cost me more than it saves in energy costs.

A modern clothes dryer is one thing that has always bugged me, especially in the cold winter months. First there is the obvious waste of energy in that all of the heat it generates is getting ducted directly outside. And the primary cost of running a clothes dryer is the large amount of heat it requires, and that heat energy goes literally out the window after just a quick pass though the clothes.

But it gets even worse than that. The dryer also acts as a large fan blower, and since the interior air being sucked into the dryer is being pumped outside it is as bad for your homes efficiency as leaving a window wide open. Any air that exists the home must be immediately replaced with outside air leaking back in, or else your house would be under vacuum. So not only are you wasting your energy on all the heat the dryer actually generates, you are also drawing cold air in from outside, just like leaving the window wide open. In the middle of the winter, that’s not good. Continue reading Boosting the Efficiency of Your Clothes Dryer