1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works. Hey, brain stuff, 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: it's Christian saga here. Lots of situations can leave you 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: stranded in the wild without supplies. You could have camping miscommunications, 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: unexpected side quests, or I don't know, alien abductions with 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: imprecise return drops, you know, all that stuff. Whatever the reason, 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: you find yourself out there, you're gonna need to find 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: water and a minimum of two courts per day to 8 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: maintain good health. That is, to keep your blood circulating, 9 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: which you know you want to do. And that brings 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: us to today's question, how do you find water in 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: the wild. Well, I'm gonna walk through three methods. There's 12 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: well digging, solar still making, and transpiration collection. But first 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,919 Speaker 1: I should mention that this information is for your education. 14 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: Only use it at your own risk. Legally speaking, I 15 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: can't recommend that you do anything I say. So, all right, 16 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: we got past that. Let's assume that you can't find 17 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,639 Speaker 1: any large sources of fresh water. There's not a rain 18 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: cloud in the sky and no streams, rivers, or lakes nearby. 19 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: That is, you've looked for animal tracks, lush green vegetation, 20 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: and swarming insects to no avail. You can't find any water, 21 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: you can't hear it, and you've checked out the local 22 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: valleys and other low lying areas, but you can dig 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: a well. Look for mud or damp soil. In a 24 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: dry river bed, there may be groundwater near the surface, 25 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: so dig a hole about a foot wide and a 26 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: foot deep. If there's water, you're well will start filling up. 27 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: Even in the desert, you can try digging at the 28 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: low point between dunes near vegetation. Put rocks in the 29 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: bottom of your well to keep sediment from stirring up 30 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: into the water, and line the sides with wood to 31 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: prevent the walls from caving in. You should never drink 32 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: salt water, but you can dig a fresh water well 33 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: near saltwater. Starting at the shoreline, walk about a feet 34 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: back from the water, and dig a hole three to 35 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: five ft deep. If the water that collects there is 36 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: still salty, back away even further. Well water needs to 37 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 1: be purified before you drink it, give it a boil 38 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: for ten minutes. Even water that looks clean can harbor 39 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: nasty microbes that will make you sicker than a dog. 40 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: But if your wells turn up dry, you can create 41 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: structures to collect water from thin air. This is a 42 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: solar still. You'll need some plastic sheeting, a container to 43 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 1: collect the water, and one rock. Having a length of 44 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: tubing or some definitely non poisonous vegetation would you know 45 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,239 Speaker 1: also be a bonus. Choose a damp bit of ground 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 1: that gets sunlight for most of the day. Dig a 47 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: bowl shaped whole about three feet across and two feet 48 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: deep in the bottom, dig out enough space to place 49 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: your container. If you have a tube, place one end 50 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: at the bottom of the container and secure the other 51 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: end on the surface out side the hole. If you 52 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: have some leaves or other greenery that you know for 53 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: sure are not toxic, tear them up and add them 54 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: to the walls of the bowl. Place the plastic loosely 55 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: over the hole and hold down the edges with rocks. 56 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: Put your rock in the center of the sheet so 57 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: that it SAgs in a little more than a foot 58 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: directly over the container. Add more rocks and soil to 59 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: the edges of the sheet to give it stability. The 60 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: heat of the sun will evaporate moisture in the ground, 61 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: producing condensation on the plastic. It'll drip and collect in 62 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: your container, and you can either sip it directly through 63 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: your tube or retrieve the container at sunset. But if 64 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: your energy is low, you'll want to avoid all that digging. 65 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: Then that's when the transpiration technique comes in and it 66 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: yields less water. But all it requires is tying a 67 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: knot in a plastic bag. Find a you know, definitely 68 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: non poisonous leafy tree again or a shrub that will 69 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: be in the sun for most of the day, and 70 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: you tie the bag around one of its branches. Over 71 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: the course of the day, this plant will exhale or 72 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: transpire water vapor that will collect at the bottom of 73 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: the bag. Untie it or poke a hole in it 74 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: to collect the water, then tie it off again and 75 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: reuse the bag. Plants transpire a lot. About ten of 76 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: the moisture in our air comes from transpiration. So there 77 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: you have it, three different ways to get water in 78 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: the wild. Check out the brain stuff channel on YouTube, 79 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: and for more on this and thousands of other topics, 80 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: visit how stuff works dot com.