How much drinking water do you currently have?

[OX6603]

Anyone have a source for the blue food grade barrels? I'm looking for 8 or 15 gal. Only ones I've found locally are used and I don't wanna get raped buying online.

[psi]

Not storing any but I probably should. Maybe I'm overly suspicious of plastics but the idea of storing it in stainless steel or perhaps glass is more appealing to me. I may look out for a couple of glass brewing carboys for that purpose.

[Nickelless]

Psi, if you keep the bottles in a cool, dark area, the plastic shouldn't leech into the water at nearly the rate you should worry about. Since the purpose of water storage is to keep you hydrated so that you can survive, you should worry about dehydration, not about plastic. I have about 60 gallons of water in 1-gallon jugs from Mountain House (I think it's Mountain House) that I bought for less than $6 per 6-gallon case at Sam's Club. Here's a great thread on water storage:

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/the ... ur-home-2/

[Merwanseth]

On Saturday, May 21, 2011, psi said:
"Not storing any but I probably should. Maybe I'm overly suspicious of plastics but the idea of storing it in stainless steel or perhaps glass is more appealing to me. I may look out for a couple of glass brewing carboys for that purpose."

I think you should be suspicious of plastics. There are many different grades of plastic that are (unfortunately) approved for food and beverage storage. Some are a lot better than others for this purpose. If you plan to store water in plastics, please research what grades will be the least "harmful". And if you do store water in plastic, it may be a good idea to date the bottles and drink them before they get too old and replace them with newer water in different plastic bottles.

Regarding stainless steel and glass, glass is probably the best medium that I know of to store water with few if any "harmful" effects. That is if you have a good "air-tight" cap on the bottle. Of course its potential problems include extra weight and fragility.

If your purpose to store water is strictly for hydration, and if you have good clean stainless steel storage facilities, that would be an ok storage vehicle. But, even for survival purposes, water is important for the body in many ways besides hydration. And stainless steel will quickly bio-chemically rob the water of what's known as it's oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). This is a vital characteristic to help it to deliver nutrients into cells and allow for efficient lymph drainage and anti-oxidant activity.

Thus, even though this thread and overall thought is about storing water for survival purposes, I'd very much recommend storing as much as you want in glass if possible.

[Nickelless]

Merwanseth, the problem with glass is that if you live in an area with even light seismic activity, the glass could break and leave you without one of your most vital survival resources. I live in the New Madrid fault zone. I'll take my chances with plastic.

But for that matter, how big of a health risk is water bottled in plastic if you rotate what you have on a regular basis? Given the prospect of having to do without water in a survival situation, I don't think plastic leeching into my water would be high on my list of concerns, and I'm not sure anyone else should worry about it if they're rotating their water stock.

[Treetop]

Go with number 2 food grade plastic. Its easy to find in 3-5 gallon sizes along with 55-60 gallon sizes. Im sure there are issues with ALL plastics, but this one can be used safely even for long periods. Especially if not in direct sun or heat. It is not known to break down chemically into the water.

ANY water stored in anything can grow pathogens in it, even bottled water still sealed. Otherwise such things would have an indefinite shelf life. You can throw a silver coin in there though to.

For myself I think Im going to experiment with a whole different route this summer. Im going to grow green water (an algae) and lots of rotifers and daphnia other things like that for fish I have in my tanks. It will essentially be a mostly self regulating system. Ive done it in sunny windows all winter. They literally eat bacteria and such that grow in there, along with the greenwater. So I will essentially have as much of an active reserve of water as I want. It would be like having a small lake or pond around really. I can clean it if I ever needed to. and if I dont it will just be growing me food for my fish. I can keep all these same culture going in even 16 ounces of water (some persists in cyst form I can hatch later also).... so if I ever needed to use 99.99 percent of the water I could without ending my cultures.

[Merwanseth]

On May 23, 2011, Nickless wrote:
"Merwanseth, the problem with glass is that if you live in an area with even light seismic activity, the glass could break and leave you without one of your most vital survival resources. I live in the New Madrid fault zone. I'll take my chances with plastic.
But for that matter, how big of a health risk is water bottled in plastic if you rotate what you have on a regular basis? Given the prospect of having to do without water in a survival situation, I don't think plastic leeching into my water would be high on my list of concerns, and I'm not sure anyone else should worry about it if they're rotating their water stock."

You make some excellent points, Nickless. I still feel that glass storage is superior to any kind of plastic that I am aware of. But if you are living in a seismic zone, you are probably making the correct decision for your personal needs by using plastic storage containers.

I also agree with you that water stored in "good" plastic containers are probably not much of a health risk, especially if you rotate what you drink and store on a regular basis. And that, purely in a survival situation, it's a lot better to have ample clean drinking water than to worry about bio-chemical definitions like oxidation-reduction potential, etc. I guess what I was saying in the previous post was that if we had the time and appropriate storage area, that we might as well try to have our stored supplies be the very most effective for our needs...

[OX6603]

Yesterday I found barrels at (*shudder*) walmart. Blue, stackable, bpa free, food grade, 7gal barrels. $10 each. I bought the 3 that they had and I'll be back for more. Also they're canadian made, I wouldn't dare store water in the typical chinese walmart crap.

[Nickelless]

Yesterday I found barrels at (*shudder*) walmart. Blue, stackable, bpa free, food grade, 7gal barrels. $10 each. I bought the 3 that they had and I'll be back for more. Also they're canadian made, I wouldn't dare store water in the typical chinese walmart crap.

I'm not using barrels for potable water, but I'm getting 6-gallon cases (6 1-gallon plastic bottles) of Ice Mountain water at Sam's Club for less than $6. Just a thought for you if you wanted something that's easier to move than a 7-gallon barrel.

[OX6603]

Yesterday I found barrels at (*shudder*) walmart. Blue, stackable, bpa free, food grade, 7gal barrels. $10 each. I bought the 3 that they had and I'll be back for more. Also they're canadian made, I wouldn't dare store water in the typical chinese walmart crap.

I'm not using barrels for potable water, but I'm getting 6-gallon cases (6 1-gallon plastic bottles) of Ice Mountain water at Sam's Club for less than $6. Just a thought for you if you wanted something that's easier to move than a 7-gallon barrel.

Not a big fan of the 1gal platic jugs. We've been using them for a while now, they break down and start leaking after a while. We take our bottles (now barrels) to a local spring and fill up for <$.25 per gallon. Starting to be a pain messing with all those jugs, every time we fill up some leak. 7gal is a manageable size for me, we'll see how they work out.

[Nickelless]

Yesterday I found barrels at (*shudder*) walmart. Blue, stackable, bpa free, food grade, 7gal barrels. $10 each. I bought the 3 that they had and I'll be back for more. Also they're canadian made, I wouldn't dare store water in the typical chinese walmart crap.

I'm not using barrels for potable water, but I'm getting 6-gallon cases (6 1-gallon plastic bottles) of Ice Mountain water at Sam's Club for less than $6. Just a thought for you if you wanted something that's easier to move than a 7-gallon barrel.

Not a big fan of the 1gal platic jugs. We've been using them for a while now, they break down and start leaking after a while. We take our bottles (now barrels) to a local spring and fill up for <$.25 per gallon. Starting to be a pain messing with all those jugs, every time we fill up some leak. 7gal is a manageable size for me, we'll see how they work out.

How often do you rotate your water supply? I can't imagine that the bottles would break down significantly if you were rotating first-in, first-out on a regular basis. Bottom line, though, is to at least have water stored up. Here's a great thread about water storage from PreparednessPro.com from a few months ago:

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/the ... ur-home-2/

[Whinstone]

If I was going to drink out of a stream, I think I would add a little CL2 or iodine tablets from my local military store to the water. There are some really bad things that could happen to you drinking from a stream. If you could find the spring coming out of the ground, that you can drink. I fill empty carton with tap water to be used as wash water later on. So I think I have plenty of water right now.

[OX6603]

How often do you rotate your water supply? I can't imagine that the bottles would break down significantly if you were rotating first-in, first-out on a regular basis. Bottom line, though, is to at least have water stored up. Here's a great thread about water storage from PreparednessPro.com from a few months ago:

http://www.preparednesspro.com/blog/the ... ur-home-2/

Takes us 2-3 months. Maybe breaking down isn't the right way to put it. The jugs just aren't intended for, and don't stand up to, repeated use IMHO.

Filled the barrels yesterday, much easier then the way we used to do it. Made some nice silver scores on the way too, 6 40% and a '46 dime!

Thanks for the article, good read.

[mflugher]

Consider these things.

1. Storage: <1 month

A: Plastic bottles. Plastic breaks down etc, health risks are small compared to dehydration, Store 10 days of water in plastic for portability and convinience. I'd suggest all in 1/2 liter bottles because as previously stated we don't drink this long term this is just for convinience and portability, and I know you can't carry more than 3-4 gallons per person in a pack and it wouldn't be practical to carry more than 20 gal per person even in a truck.

B: Storage tank If you really wanted to store some water, get a few 30 to 100 gallon cold water storage tanks (the kind we with wells use) put them into your home line. this means you have 30 gallons minimum of water stored on site at all times, that also automatically is refreshed with fresh clean water that isn't contaminated. Keep in mind your hot water tank also does this. This assumes the city water you already have is ok and not poisoned. Now you don't have to rotate your plastic containers. I'd recommend having 30 days, so for a family of 4 you would need to store 120 gallons, you can get 2 60 gallon tanks, but I priced the 36 gallon tanks at $130ish, $3 per gallon may seem steep, but you don't have to rotate it, worry about it getting old, worry about overusing your stash that you are rotating, or think about it and you have about 30 lbs of steel scrap when you are done using it



2. medium term water supply treatment: Its not practical for any of us to think we can store much more than a months worth of water, nor is it economical so a longer term solution must be found.

A: Iodine (I have a few bottles of iodine tabs bc they are convinient) NOt a long term solution you don't want to ingest that much iodine, also it does not filter out heavy metals etc. Great for moving around or camping.

B: Filter: I have a hand filter pump that I use camping which I keep about a dozen extra filters for, also a good idea to have one because it is extremely portable

C: Personally I'd rather have 20 gallons of bleach stored than the 80000 gallons of water it could treat (at 1 tsp per gallon you can treat 3840 gallons per gallon of bleach, this is for cloudy water, not relatively clean water where you would use half as much). If you live in an arid area where there are literally no freshwater streams within 10 miles of you you might have a different opinion. Note Streams are better than ponds/lakes because of less stagnation. if it is in a stream you can be reasonably assured it has been naturally purified by the water table or by the giant still called the rainclouds in the last month so it can't be that bad... http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/wtp/EmergencyWaterTmt.htm




The "forever" solution:
I have all the stuff on hand to convert my pressure cooker into a basic still. I could easily distil 50 gal of water a day with firewood assuming all I wanted to do all day was feed the fire, feed the still fresh water and chop wood etc. but in an emergency situation I can see myself stilling 50 gal on monday and doing other tasks th remainder of the week. This is my "forever" solution. It is also useful for "other" distillation projects which could come in handy during a collapse.

[Nickelless]

Liquid bleach breaks down in a matter of months. Storing pool shock is a much better option. I'm storing mine in half-pint mason jars with plastic (non-corroding) Tattler brand lids. Here's a thread about pool shock on GIM:

http://www.goldismoney2.com/showthread. ... rification

Fatboy has given me a couple tips as well that I'll dig up and post here in the next couple days.

[Rob72830]

I have a well on my property that hopefully I will have electricity (RE or grid) that will allow me to pump. If I can't get it to hot water heater, solar energy will warm it up for baths just like we did when I was young staying with my Grandparents.

[Copper Catcher]

The following is an interesting containment system to consider...not bad considering it is only a $30 investment...

The waterBOB® is a water containment system that holds up to 100 gallons of fresh drinking water in any standard bathtub in the event of an emergency. Constructed of heavy duty food grade plastic, the waterBOB® keeps water fresh and clean for drinking, cooking, washing and flushing. Water stored in an open bathtub, with dirt, soap film and exposure to debris will spoil and become useless.

During a hurricane or tropical storm, water main breaks and storm surges can interrupt or even contaminate your water supply. It is during these conditions the waterBOB® may be used for temporary water storage. Constructed of heavy duty plastic that is FDA compliant for food storage, the waterBOB® keeps water fresh and clean for up to 4 weeks.

http://www.waterbob.com/

I noticed the website shows out of stock but some are listed on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wat ... 86.c0.m359

[68Camaro]

The following is an interesting containment system to consider...

The waterBOB® is a water containment system that holds up to 100 gallons of fresh drinking water in any standard bathtub in the event of an emergency. Constructed of heavy duty food grade plastic, the waterBOB® keeps water fresh and clean for drinking, cooking, washing and flushing. Water stored in an open bathtub, with dirt, soap film and exposure to debris will spoil and become useless.

During a hurricane or tropical storm, water main breaks and storm surges can interrupt or even contaminate your water supply. It is during these conditions the waterBOB® may be used for temporary water storage. Constructed of heavy duty plastic that is FDA compliant for food storage, the waterBOB® keeps water fresh and clean for up to 4 weeks.

http://www.waterbob.com/

What a great idea! However, they say they are out of stock...

[Copper Catcher]

I edited my post....

I noticed the website shows out of stock but some are listed on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wat ... 86.c0.m359

[68Camaro]

I edited my post....

I noticed the website shows out of stock but some are listed on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=wat ... 86.c0.m359

Yep, I see amazon has some as well. The reviews sort of brought me up short though, as I realized from reading them that this is a one-time use item.

I think I would rather buy a few more 6 gallon water jugs for drinking water (in addition to the cases I already have, and bleach, and filters, not to mention the well), and just store the bath water straight in the bath, simply for the purpose of toilet flushing...

[Rosco]

What causes the bleach to break down as I have about 5 Gal Bleach holding for over 4 Years/

Is there a test for the bleach, would it be PH test?? Thanks

[mishra142]

I keep a few gallons of bleach on hand, which can be used at 1/8 tea spoon per gallon to treat water. And of course I have many streams within walking distance from my house to get the water. Although I have been considering creating a small stockpile of bottled water when it goes on sale.

[reddirtcoins]

I have 25 gallons I swap and a graded filter that I can put stream water into

[Double3]

About 100,000 gal or more...

I run the water treatment plant in town.

[copperhead57]

The spring on my property should be enough.