Water Storage: General Information

From Homeland Security

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/safewater/

Containers That Can be Used for Water Storage
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/safewater/

(Snip) ... Food-grade plastic or glass containers are suitable for storing water. One-, three- and five-gallon water containers can be purchased from most outdoor or hardware stores. Any plastic or glass container that previously held food or beverages such as 2-liter soda bottles or water, juice, punch or milk jugs, also may be used. Stainless steel can be used to store water which has not been or will not be treated with chlorine; chlorine is corrosive to most metals.

55 gal drums, designed specifiacally for water storage can be difficult to transport, if the need arises, but are of a tremendous value in an emergency .When looking for additional food grade containers, the bottom will be stamped with HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene) and coded with the recycle symbol and a “2” inside. HDPE containers are FDA-approved for food. Containers without these designations aren’t OK because of possible chemical interactions between the water and the plastic.

Clean used containers and lids with hot soapy water. Once the containers have been thoroughly cleaned, rinse them with water and sanitize the containers and lids by rinsing them with a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Leave the containers wet for two minutes, then rinse them again with water. Remember to remove the paper or plastic lid liners before washing the lids. It is very difficult to effectively remove all residue from many containers, so carefully clean hard-to-reach places like the handles of milk jugs. To sanitize stainless steel containers, place the container in boiling water for 10 minutes. Never use containers that previously held chemicals.

From American Red Cross:

Prepare and Store an Emergency Supply of Water
https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDF_s/Preparedness___Disaster_Recovery/Disaster_Preparedness/Food_Safety/Food_and_Water-English.revised_7-09.pdf

To prepare the safest and most reliable emergency supply of water, it is recommended that you purchase commercially bottled water. Keep bottled water in its original container, and do not open it until you need to use it.

Store bottled water in the original sealed container, and observe the expiration or “use by” date.

If You Are Preparing Your Own Containers of Water ...

t is recommended to purchase food-grade water storage containers from surplus or camping supplies stores to use for water storage. If you decide to re-use storage containers, choose two-liter plastic soft drink bottles — not plastic jugs or cardboard containers that have had milk or fruit juice in them. The reason is that milk protein and fruit sugars cannot be adequately removed from these containers and provide an environment for bacterial growth when water is stored in them. Cardboard containers leak easily and are not designed for long-term storage of liquids. Also, do not use glass containers, because they are heavy and may break.

Preparing Containers
-Thoroughly clean the bottles with dishwashing soap and water, and rinse completely so there is no residual soap.

- Additionally, for plastic soft drink bottles, sanitize thebottles by adding a solution of 1 teaspoon of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to a quart (1/4 gallon) of water. Swish the sanitizing solution in the bottle so that it touches all surfaces. After sanitizing the bottle, thoroughly rinse out the sanitizing solution with clean water.

Filling Water Containers
-Fill the bottle to the top with regular tap water. (If your water utility company treats your tap water with chlorine, you do not need to add anything else to the water to keep it clean.) If the water you are using comes from a well or water source that is not treated with chlorine, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to each gallon of water.

- Tightly close the container using the original cap. Becareful not to contaminate the cap by touching the inside of it with your fingers. Write the date on the outside of the container so that you know when you filled it. Store in a cool, dark place.

-Replace the water every six months if not usingcommercially bottled water.

This article about reusing plastic water containers popped up on my AOL account and thought I'd share this with you. It basically states that it is not safe to reuse plastic water containers, but you be the judge of that statement:


https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2019/07/30/this-is-why-you-should-never-refill-your-plastic-water-bottle/23782731/

rick1 wrote:This article about reusing plastic water containers popped up on my AOL account and thought I'd share this with you. It basically states that it is not safe to reuse plastic water containers, but you be the judge of that statement:


https://www.aol.com/article/lifestyle/2019/07/30/this-is-why-you-should-never-refill-your-plastic-water-bottle/23782731/

I'm more concerned about those office coolers that people refill their bottles at and they touch the spigot with the top of their (used) bottles. Now folks who are using cups that don't touch it are getting germs from the refillers...

And while it wasn't mentioned in the article, I find the 1 gallon plastic jugs to be horrible for storage let alone reuse. They quite often develop pinhole leaks in a year or so....makes a mess and means you don't have what you thought you did.

I stored bags & bags of those 1 gallon jugs and now I'm throwing away those bags & bags of jugs because the empties that I stored got BRITTLE! Now, I'm just saving my bleach & laundry detergent bottles. I figure the bleach bottles can store drinking water, detergent bottles will store gray water.

Emergency Water Storage By Vicki Tate
http://prepareforpeace.blogspot.com/2007/10/emergency-water-storage.html

A couple of months ago I met a very interesting gentleman via the telephone who is on the President's committee for dealing with disasters. He goes into areas around the country after earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. have struck. As we were talking, he said that the coverage you see on TV doesn't reflect many of the realities of the situation. One of the specific things he mentioned was water typically going sold for $5 a gallon during the aftermath. Any of us who've thought much about emergency preparedness realize that one of the most crucial items to store is water. The "how-to's" of water storage is one of the questions I'm asked most often. ---CONTINUED---

From backdoorsurvival.com, basic water and water storage:

https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/survival-basics-water-and-water-storage/

Best Water Storage Solutions for Emergency Situations
https://alphasurvivalist.net/water-storage/

  (BIG SNIP) ... if you are facing the prospect of surviving a crisis type emergency situation during which your electricity and water supply is cut off, then water storage becomes, not only prudent but quite possibly a matter of life and death!   ---CONTINUED---

Includes:
Water Storage – How much do you need to store?
Best Options for Storing a 2 Week Emergency Water Supply
Glass Water Storage Containers
Stainless Steel Water Storage Containers
The BPA Issue
What ‘Not’ to Store Water In
Long Term Water Storage Tanks for Emergencies
Food Grade Plastic Container
55 Gallon Water Barrels
Large Water Storage Containers
Alternative Water Sources that Impact Your Water Storage Requirements
Important things to Remember about Water Storage

The Beginner’s Guide To Emergency Water Storage
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/beginners-guide-to-emergency-water-storage/

  There’s More to Emergency Water Storage Than Filling Up Jugs and Putting Them in the Basement.   ---CONTINUED---

Table of Contents

   When No Water is Safe

•        Waterless Realities
         Water Storage as an Option
         It’s Not Just About Drinking Water
  

   Estimating Water Needs

•        Drinking Water
         Sanitation
         Cooking
         Cleaning
  

   Weekly Totals for Water Usage in an Emergency

•        A Realistic Estimate?
  

   Estimating Disaster Durations

•        Figure at Least a Week
         Water Storage Assumptions
  

   Water Storage Details

•        1. The Water is Safe
         2. The Water is Purified
         3. The Containers Are Designed For Water Storage
         4. You Have a Place to Store Your Water
         5. You Have a Way to Preserve the Quality of Your Water
         6. You Have a Way to Test Your Water
         7. You Have a Way to Extract Your Water
         8. You Have a Way to Transport Your Water
         9. You Have a Way to Store Grey Water
         10. You Have a Schedule for Rotating Your Stored Water
  

   Should You Do it?
   The Weekend Waterless Test

How To Store Water When SHTF
https://www.askaprepper.com/how-to-store-water-when-shtf/

(SNIP) ... While pondering the idea of survival if things go south, I had to think of creative and AFFORDABLE ways to store water, and not just a little water.

My thoughts are 3 months of water if things were bad. I started with the usual things most of us do. ---CONTINUED---