Keeping cached water potable

C

candlelight001

Joined
Jun 3, 2008
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Have been thinking about my earthquake kit lately. Have 20 gallons of water put up, wondering if it will still be good when I need it. Is there any sense in putting iodine or chlorine dioxide in it ahead of time to keep stuff from growing in it? Or a different way to put the question: what are best practices for long-term water storage, be it in the city, or cached out in the desert?
 
I have read, but not tried this. One drop of bleach per gallon of water, and it will store for "long-term". I just don't know how long that will last. May depend upon the conditions, in your fridge vs. in the sun.
Another thing to consider, if your fridge has empty space, fill that up with water jugs. The jugs will occupy air space, and not allow for so much temp exchange when opening the door.
A filter is always great to have around, or iodine tabs to treat any kind of water.
 
Don't count on maintaining a long lasting disinfectant residual because it will degrade over time based on a variety of factors. Keep the water cool and out of the sun. For good measure throw a little chlorine in when you store it, but plan on treating the water when you use it.
 
Im not sure who posted it on here before.. I think it was Bushman5, But it was mentioned that his water was good after 10 years and i think he put 8 drops of chlorine for each gallon.

Sasha
 
Keeping a chlorine residual for ten years seems pretty unlikely...unless it's stored in ideal conditions...and even then I have my doubts. Eight drops per gallon is pretty much nuking it and I'm not sure what effect that would have on the water quality (good or bad) after ten years. Maybe in a very controlled environment it would work. In the public water system the chlorine residual begins to drop in a matter of days (at best). Water tanks are aggressively cycled up and down, particularly during the warm summer months, to get rid of the old and bring in the new. This is one of the two main reasons why chlorination has been largely replaced by chloramination (chlorine & ammonia). Chloramines are weaker but last much much longer. hmmmm...sounds like time to break out the water jugs and experiment.
 
candlelight001 said:
Have been thinking about my earthquake kit lately. Have 20 gallons of water put up, wondering if it will still be good when I need it. Is there any sense in putting iodine or chlorine dioxide in it ahead of time to keep stuff from growing in it?
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Usually you'd use silver ions for that, but that's only up to 6 months.
http://www.katadyn.com/en/katadyn-p...pur-micropur-classic/micropur-classic-mc-10t/

That said, arguably, once a stash of water has been purified, it should remain sterile if stored in a sealed clean container (heat sterilization is common, probably also possible with chemicals although not sure right now).

That said if I'd to create a clean water stash I'd rather go with bulk cheap plastic bottled water: it's cleaned and sealed. It is already partitionned and self containing: you can stack them move them around give to friends, re-use bottle etc...
 
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Here's something I found on the CDC's website:

17. Why does free chlorine in treated water decline over time?

Chlorine is an extremely reactive chemical. Right after the sodium hypochlorite is added to the water, chlorine levels decline because the chlorine is reacting with organic matter and microbes. After those reactions are complete, chlorine in water will slowly escape into the air as a gas. This is the reason that free and total chlorine levels slowly degrade over time in a covered (but not sealed) container, and also why we recommend that the pH of the hypochlorite solution be raised to over 11 to extend the shelf-life before it is used.
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Basic chlorine, keep it in your basement or somewhere else cool and dark, and it should keep for a year or so. Just make a habit of rotating out new water every year.

Mine in my basement is about two years old now... I need to rotate it out. Should still be drinkable though.
 
Ravaillac said:
Usually you'd use silver ions for that, but that's only up to 6 months.
http://www.katadyn.com/en/katadyn-p...pur-micropur-classic/micropur-classic-mc-10t/

That said, arguably, once a stash of water has been purified, it should remain sterile if stored in a sealed clean container (heat sterilization is common, probably also possible with chemicals although not sure right now).

That said if I'd to create a clean water stash I'd rather go with bulk cheap plastic bottled water: it's cleaned and sealed. It is already partitionned and self containing: you can stack them move them around give to friends, re-use bottle etc...
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I read recently of one guy who stashed several jugs of commercial water. when he checked it 6 months later, the jugs had all cracked open, and lost the water. Apparently the jugs that are used, are made to break down over time, for landfill use.

EarlFH
 
I have treated five gallon containers with three teaspoons of bleach, and they were still good two years later, and the bleach had not deteriorated. I've seen this formula recommended in survival guides.

EarlFH
 
I'd still say the best bet is to treat for storage and treat again when used. There are many variables, and nothing can guarantee long-term disinfection under anything other than ideal circumstances.
 
I agree with JcavSD, treat again when ready to use. I just checked Google and there are more than 1.25 million hits for 'disinfecting water with the sun.' Seems that UV for several hours plus the oxygen byproducts and reactions solar UV causes in the water kills most microscopic life. So, if filtering will remove most of the chemicals and heavy metals, and sunlight will kill the bugs, why worry about the basically clean water in storage?
 
I've had water in storage since 2004 in all types and kinds of potable water containers. It's kept in temp controlled area, about 350 gallons of it.

About once every 2-3 months or so, I'll have either my wife or son try it (since I can't smell, and therefore can't taste very well) and they report the water is fine. No odor, no smell, good taste, just water. My city water is very clean when it comes out of the tap, per the water board's own water tests and mine, so I don't treat it before storing it.

Get good clean water, store it in clean containers and out of light, it will keep for a long time.
 
EarlFH said:
I read recently of one guy who stashed several jugs of commercial water. when he checked it 6 months later, the jugs had all cracked open, and lost the water. Apparently the jugs that are used, are made to break down over time, for landfill use.

EarlFH
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Same thing happened to my parents ... think it was Arrowhead one gallon jugs. They all leaked in less than a year.
 
Brian Sargent said:
Same thing happened to my parents ... think it was Arrowhead one gallon jugs. They all leaked in less than a year.
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Well I was more thinking about PET bottles. I can't say I have fully tested them but 6 months-1year seam extremely short, I think I've had some myself for more than that. Actually most bottled water come labeled with a shelf life of several year (if I'm correct).

That said I'm no expert in plastic aging.

Anyway, as with most stashes the best way is rotating your stash on a "first in, first out" basis, so when problems happen you're pretty sure to have a functional stash.
 
This might not work everywhere but solar disinfection is a good route to go if you can pull it off in your area. Here in Brazil it works very well. We have periods in which our city water system will go off line for extended periods. I have currently a large stock of clear 2 liter bottles stored in full sunlight. The UV rays kill off everything in the water and the water remains clean. They get a full 8 hours of direct sunlight a day.

We also use this method to store water in several dry camps we use during dry season. We pack in extra water and leave any extra stored in clear 2 liter bottles in a sunny place near the camp.

Look up SODIS for a complete explanation.

Mac
 
something that I do,

I have five 20 litre containers of water, and they are kept nice and cool etc. I set aside one weekend every few months (3-6) and empty, rinse and repeat.

I'll do a little research on these other methods later on when I have more time
 
I've got a small supply of water, just in case our power quits for a day or two. We keep a 24 pack case of bottled water. Any idea how long it will last? I guess I am more concerned with the plastic breaking down, causing the water to leak out. I supposed I could rotate it every 6 mos or so?
 
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