Water Boysupplying homeless campers with critical basics
This page lists battle-tested basics for serving unhoused friends and neighbors here in Oakland, California.
Jump To: Water Containers, Fire Extinguishers, Water Filters, Transportation, Communications
Water Containers
transport and store drinking water
Preferred:
- Scepter #04933, made in Canada
- smaller capacity
- seals watertight
- lighter blue color easier to mark
- just one top handle
- sturdier caps
- Igloo #00042154, made in Texas
- larger capacity
- vent hole does not seal
- darker blue color harder to mark
- two handles
- caps easy to crack by overtightening
Buying:
- Both are available on Amazon Prime from time to time. (Last Updated: August 2020)
- Don’t pay more than $25 for a Scepter or $20 for an Igloo. (Last Updated: August 2020)
- NorthernTool.com carries Scepter. (Last Updated: August 2020)
- Expect huge shipping boxes.
Criteria:
- high capacity, around 20 liters, but not much more
- durable, no flimsy plastic or collapsible designs
- at least one carry handle
- spout of some kind
- blue color, marked for water only
Fire Extinguishers
help campers to keep themselves and their places safe
Preferred:
- Amerex B500 (Amazon Prime)
- Amerex B402 (Amazon Prime)
- Badger 5MB-6H (Battalion One in San Leandro)
- First Alert PRO5 (Amazon)
Buying:
- Don’t pay more than $55. (Last Updated: August 2020)
- Often available in sets at a significant per-unit discount. (Last Updated: August 2020)
Criteria:
- five pounds of powder
- 2A:10B:C rated, minimum
- pressure gauge
- solid construction, metal operating parts
- red color
Water Filters
cleans water going into containers for distribution
Preferred:
Buying:
- Don’t pay more than $25 or so. (Last Updated: August 2020)
- If Amazon doesn’t have them, try WalMart.com.
Criteria:
- handles chemicals and sediment
- fits garden hoses
- high throughput
- resistant to bacteria when not in use
- NSF/ANSI 42 Aesthetic Effects (chlorine, taste, odor)
- NSF/ANSI 53 Health Effects (lead)
Transportation
moves containers and extinguishers to camps
Preferred:
- own vehicle
- GIG Car, as of 2020-07-29:
- $15.00 per hour
- roughly $0.45 per additional minute, depending on vehicle
Criteria:
- sufficient cargo room
- safe and easy to load and unload, e.g. hatchback, low truck bed
- can manage terrible Oakland industrial-zone roads
Communications
receives requests back to exchange empty containers for full ones
Preferred:
Criteria:
- forwards SMS text messages
- forwards voice calls
- can change the forwarding numbers
Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome by e-mail.