Suburban Pools - Hiding in plain sight : Now with Pict's

[Tourg]

So yesterday at work, I was draining a pool on a foreclosed home that was rather green and swampy and it got me thinking. In a SHTF scenario, drawing attention to yourself seems like it would be unwise. Supplies stored indoors can obviously be hidden and kept out of site much better than something large and normally in the center of your yard. It doesn't take a lot of chlorine to keep a pool relatively "clean", but I keep thinking about letting it look as nasty as you can. That way all you need to do is filter / treat it as you need it with items that can be kept inside and out of site. Personally, if i'm walking through my neighbor hood during a disaster situation and I see a clean manmade body of water, I'd assume who ever it belongs to has not only the supplies to keep it "clean" but also thought ahead and maybe has a few other items to "spare". Anyone else ever thought of something like this?

[MacAttack]

I think it would take quite a while for a pool to start looking nasty. Probably longer than any normal emergency situation.

And if someone is cruising around my neighborhood looking into backyard pools then he will have a bit more trouble than just noticing my pool is clean.

[Grey Mann]

I don't care how you cut it, scavenging and raiding are stealing, stealing is illegal (and don't give the hive here at ZS any shit about no laws in the PAW), and we don't discuss illegal activities here. It's stickied...in the forum rules...in bold.

[duodecima]

I don't care how you cut it, scavenging and raiding are stealing, stealing is illegal (and don't give the hive here at ZS any shit about no laws in the PAW), and we don't discuss illegal activities here. It's stickied...in the forum rules...in bold.

To be fair, I think he was meaning letting his own pool look unkept, and projecting that someone else might notice a clean pool and think that this was a place with supplies.

[Grey Mann]

You're right; I misread and jumped the gun after seeing so many similar posts over time from people trying to sneak around such basic principles as not swiping property from others.

I would think if one has a pool and is keeping it potable, you would be putting out far more obvious signs of occupation and preparedness in your home. Google has failed me in turning up any relevant precedents.

[Tater Raider]

Pool cover.

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[KnightoftheRoc]

Pool cover.

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^^^ This.

Another route you could go with, would be to pipe an access to that water in the pool, that you can use from INSIDE the house. For instance, if you have a pipe to fill it with that's permanent, setting it up to be two directional with drawing water as an option as you lay out the pool when building it. A simple bib cock "as a drain" would give you access to that water, protected by the above mentioned pool cover, all from the security of your basement. A hand operated pump might be required in order to do this, depends on your particulars, but- the water needs to be able to go somewhere when emptying the pool- look at how you plan to accomplish that, and see what your tap-in options might be.

Even if you have to run a rather stiff-walled garden hose out to, and then under, the cover, it would look like an inactive line that was 'forgotten' there, and probably not inspire anyone to investigate further. Just be sure not to chlorinate the pool so much that the distinctive odor gives your 100,000 gallon potable water supply away. You can keep the pool at a minimum level, and treat as needed from inside the house.

[JesterODX]

Tourg, no offense but aint no way. I can not stand a pool to look that way. I'd sooner fill the pool in with dirt and get a discount on home owners insurance then let one stay that way. And I am not a clean freak or anything, rather the opposite. But those pools filled with green water just bother me... Of course that might be the point, that it would bother people like me in raiding parties or what not. Not that I would be in a raiding party or any thing.

[Tourg]

Sorry for not being clear, I have No intention of "Scavenging" supplies. Water is my biggest concern as open water sources are few and far between where I live.

I like the idea to add a way to pump water out / in while not leaving the home. Depending on what is going on outside and what the disaster is, it might be a good idea to stay in door's as much as possible.

As for the cover, I can not believe I forgot about them,especially since I had to take one down about a week ago. They are great for keeping mosquito's and algae from taking over a pool and would work well to keep others from wanting to "Scavenge" your pool for water xD.

For Example. These are the two types of covers I'd go with. 2"x8" frame 16' Oc, takes less than a day for two people with basic knowledge to build and I've seen em last for years.





The water had been neglected by the time we put the Cover with mesh and visqueen up, and here's a photo 3 years later. The wood was in perfect condition and is currently being used as my 3/4 completed storage shed in the back yard.






I wish I would of gotten a sample and had it tested to see how bad the water was after 3 years and only one initial Shock Treatment, smelled clean but it might have needed a filter / sanitizing still

[cap6888]

My above ground pool is my back up water source. I have 3 seven gallon containers plus a couple of case of water on hand to get things started. But should bugging in become a necessity, I will quickly cover my pool to "hide" its availability. Light Knight suggested, I will then run a hose inside the house so I don't have to go outside to access the water.

My only concern is that I use a biguanide product (baquacil) for my pool instead of chlorine. I think by boiling the water, it should take out enough of the chemical to make it safe to drink.

[Sckitzo]

Hell no, last thing I need to do is draw more insects to my place. I can see your rationale though 100% just the cost to benefit is to much into the cost for me.

[Dogan]

I actually (only vaguely related) saw the thread and thought of a pool cover which looked like a nasty pool (complete with 'dead critter' floating) as a way to hide in an empty pool by making it look like a nasty undrinkable pool when in fact, you're underneath it.

[KnightoftheRoc]

I actually (only vaguely related) saw the thread and thought of a pool cover which looked like a nasty pool (complete with 'dead critter' floating) as a way to hide in an empty pool by making it look like a nasty undrinkable pool when in fact, you're underneath it.

This reminded me of this :
Sorry, the sound quality sucks.

[Fletch]

Someone say Pict?

Pool covering seems the best option to me, with a nice covering of dust, dirt and leaves (if you have trees) to give it that 'abandoned for ages look'
My main thought though is that usually a pool is in the back yard, and if someone is going to the trouble of bouncing around looking in backyards they're probably going to g through the house they're raiding for supplies (bad people ) and so I think you'd have contact with them before they see your pool, unless they're looking in from a neighbours garden/house - in which case unless you're off hunting or whatnot, you should be aware of someone else in the neighbourhood, hopefully.

[Dawgboy]

I really think what that family in Phoenix did with their pool on Doomsday preppers was very cool, and seemed like a very sustainable model for a pool. They had an aquaponics system with chickens pooping in the water, Tilapia eating the poop and a ton of duckweed, and the whole thing re-filtering through a sand filter and a lot of edibles. I was damn envious!

[Tourg]

My main thought though is that usually a pool is in the back yard, and if someone is going to the trouble of bouncing around looking in backyards they're probably going to g through the house they're raiding for supplies (bad people ) and so I think you'd have contact with them before they see your pool, unless they're looking in from a neighbors garden/house - in which case unless you're off hunting or whatnot, you should be aware of someone else in the neighbourhood, hopefully.

Since my area is covered in avocado and citrus tree's I could definitely see people wandering around by my place sooner or later, and due to the hilly terrain my pool is easily visible. It is laid out to where I'm in the middle of a grove on a small hill surrounded by other hills of varying height and distances. I'm just trying to keep people from going,"Lets check that place out". The house / garage is built in the middle of a clearing approximately 250yrds across so it would be easy to notice someone coming, just trying to avoid that if possible.

[Tetra Grammaton Cleric]

Go ask the Spartans, passer by...

Even while dealing with protests and open riots, the new Greek government is trying to change things. It is rationalizing its tax-collection system. It has simplified taxes and done away with some of the loopholes. And it has stepped up its enforcement efforts in ways large and small—tax officials have, for instance, been sending helicopters over affluent neighborhoods looking for swimming pools, as evidence of underreported wealth. These efforts have made some difference: the self-employed seem to be reporting more of their income, and the evaders have had to step up their game. (There’s now a burgeoning market in camouflage swimming-pool covers.)

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial ... surowiecki

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[NachoBorracho]

I don't know. I have a pool and in a long term disaster, I think having a pool filled with water born disease and disease carrying insects in close proximity to your house is going to be more detrimental to survival than potential looters. A pool cover seems like a good idea though. I just don't like the idea of letting the pool go and then trying to filter the water enough to use. I would rather maintain my water supply than have to treat it all the time. While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

[MacAttack]

While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

So exactly were do you get your water? Since even the municipal system posses a risk also.


I don't know. After drinking untreated water out of dozens of lakes and countless rivers and streams and NEVER getting sick off them, I would think that a good three minute boil should do pretty well.
You guys do swim right? And it does get into your eyes, nose and mouth every time.

[Tater Raider]

While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

So exactly were do you get your water? Since even the municipal system posses a risk also.


I don't know. After drinking untreated water out of dozens of lakes and countless rivers and streams and NEVER getting sick off them, I would think that a good three minute boil should do pretty well.
You guys do swim right? And it does get into your eyes, nose and mouth every time.

Depends on the water source. I seem to remember tributaries to Lake Erie catching fire once upon a time due to the polution in them.

[KnightoftheRoc]

While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

So exactly were do you get your water? Since even the municipal system posses a risk also.


I don't know. After drinking untreated water out of dozens of lakes and countless rivers and streams and NEVER getting sick off them, I would think that a good three minute boil should do pretty well.
You guys do swim right? And it does get into your eyes, nose and mouth every time.

Both points are true. Water is essential to all life on this planet, to some extent- therefore, it's not surprising to find so many forms of that life living in the water. When I was a kid, the local municipal beach was all we had to go swimming in, unless you owned, or had a friend who owned, a pool. We got sick swimming at the beach every summer, and it drove my mother nuts. Turned out that a housing development upstream of the beach had their sewer lines running down to the water- completely untreated. No wonder we got sick. And we weren't drinking the water, either.

I'd rather keep the pool water usable than have to fight an ongoing battle with every drop I got from it, myself. There's a higher risk of detection, simply from the smell of chlorine, but it's a risk you'd run anyway, even if the pool was skunky, stagnant water. Once you got your water, filtering and boiling should handle your needs, but why NOT have the additional protection of limiting the amount of possibly harmful things in the water first?

[MacAttack]

While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

So exactly were do you get your water? Since even the municipal system posses a risk also.


I don't know. After drinking untreated water out of dozens of lakes and countless rivers and streams and NEVER getting sick off them, I would think that a good three minute boil should do pretty well.
You guys do swim right? And it does get into your eyes, nose and mouth every time.

Depends on the water source. I seem to remember tributaries to Lake Erie catching fire once upon a time due to the polution in them.

And since the 1960's steel and chemical plants have been cleaned up all the water ways are pretty much perfectly clean around here.
But now the lake is so clean from Zebra mussels that visibility has reached 30 feet when it used to be muddy with visibility less than 3 feet.
Even the worst river in my local area is clean enough that anything caught in it is now safe to eat.


But then again I was the one guy in our group of 4 working in Mexico that drank the water and didn't get deathly sick. It never bothered me for weeks on end. They couldn't go a week without being sick for 2or 3 out of 7 days. Tequila kills germs.

[NachoBorracho]

While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

So exactly were do you get your water? Since even the municipal system posses a risk also.


I don't know. After drinking untreated water out of dozens of lakes and countless rivers and streams and NEVER getting sick off them, I would think that a good three minute boil should do pretty well.
You guys do swim right? And it does get into your eyes, nose and mouth every time.

While I agree that any water source has risk, I think that a municpal water system has a few more redundancies than sticking your backpacking filter in a bug infested, stagnant pool and then boiling the water after. Besides the possibility of getting ill, you also have to factor in the energy required to sanitize the water back to drinking stage over keeping it clean. Filters take time, break, and wear out. Boiling also takes time and fuel. My plan for my pool is to use it for cleaning and washing. I have a separate supply of sealed drinking and cooking water.

[silversnake]

I don't know. I have a pool and in a long term disaster, I think having a pool filled with water born disease and disease carrying insects in close proximity to your house is going to be more detrimental to survival than potential looters. A pool cover seems like a good idea though. I just don't like the idea of letting the pool go and then trying to filter the water enough to use. I would rather maintain my water supply than have to treat it all the time. While there are many good water treatment options out there, none is 100% whether from malfunction or user error. Diarrhea will kill you as dead as anything else.

There's an easier way around this than chemicals though. I didn't go as far as that family on Doomsday Preppers or whatever, but fish are a wonderful thing. I don't have a backyard pool, but I do have a substantial ornamental pond in the back yard stocked with koi. In standard conditions, it's a lovely addition to the garden and the fish keep down the mosquitoes. If we ever did get to a prolonged SHTF situation (which I wasn't even thinking about at the time I dug the hole for this) then I've got quite a lot of water that just needs a filter and a boil before I can drink it and, though they don't taste the best, I could eat the fish as well and they'll keep the bugs down until such time as they're all consumed. Add in the rain barrels that I plan to get this summer for watering the garden and some bottled water in the house and I think I'm good to go as far as water supply for quite some time.