tips for long term water storage?

[B Finnigan]

I have a water bubbler in the kitchen for drinking water, it uses the standard 5 gallon water containers, I have a delivery service for the 5 gallon containers of water. When the water is delivered it is sealed and sterile with a factory installed seal. I have 5 of those factory sealed containers squirreled away in the corner of the garage.

We won't talk about how much rice, beans, canned goods, vegetable seeds and 22 ammunition I have stashed, I think I am normal it is everyone else who has a problem. Chris

My opinion also! Last Dec we had a huge windstorm and massive power outage and I have never seen so many un-prepared helpless almost panicked people. My wife and I were completely vindicated when friends and family were calling us with every request you could imagine.

We were always being compared to survivalists but when the poo-poo hits the fan we looked more like comfortable-ists. The only inconvenience we had was pumping gas from out 100 gallon tank and refilling the genertor 2x a day. We also used some of the gas to keep our vehicle tanks topped up. Almost every gas station was either out of gas or had no power to pump it.

If you wear a seatbelt does that also make you a survivalist?

 

[magneto]

I will tell you what I did and it may seem a bit extreme to some but I want to have water when calamity hits. When I was building my home before it was framed I put a 2340 gallon reservoir in the crawl space, then framed the house around it. It cost about $800 but I know it will be money well spent.

 

[Pritch]

I will tell you what I did and it may seem a bit extreme to some but I want to have water when calamity hits. When I was building my home before it was framed I put a 2340 gallon reservoir in the crawl space, then framed the house around it. It cost about $800 but I know it will be money well spent.

Great idea, Magneto! Watching my last house being built, I found all kinds of unused space.

BTW, I'll be driving past your place this weekend. We're heading back to the log cabin up toward Mt. Baker.

-- FLIX

 

[magneto]

Great idea, Magneto! Watching my last house being built, I found all kinds of unused space.

BTW, I'll be driving past your place this weekend. We're heading back to the log cabin up toward Mt. Baker.

-- FLIX

Hope you enjoy yourself Flix!!! There's a feeling of fall in the air out here. Some of the trees are turning already!

 

[Saunterer]

Digging this thread up again as I found something interesting this past weekend.

We finished installing an in-ground pool a few weeks ago (come to think about it I don't have a water storage issue now.... nevermind I have 13000 gallons stored away.. ).

Messing around this past weekend, my wife decided to use the pool chemical tester to test our tap water just for fun. We found out that there was NO chlorine in our drinking water. Being concerned, we called our local water dept and they stated that at the last point of the water line, they remove the chlorine before it hits the residential customers.

So if you are storing water, you might want to check whether or not your municipalities remove the chlorine before it gets to your house. This might make the difference in having clean stored water, or some creepy-crawlies living in your containers since you thought it was chlorinated.

--Chris

 

[Codger_64]

Having a swimming pool as a resource is great. But... understand that the standards for swimming pool sanitation are not the same as for drinking water. To utilize pool water for drinking, it has to be purified. Many pool chemicals are not intended for human consumption. SOme such as algaecides contain large doses of copper and other heavy metals. Clarifiers contain polymeric compounds. Stabilized pool chlorine (trichloro-s-triazinetrione) contains the stabilizer isocyanuric acid. Ammonia compounds ( chloramines ) abound in treated pool water, and chlorine does not kill crypto spores.

I have a similar problem with people touting the use of household bleach (5% +/- sodium hypochlorite)for sanitizing water for use and storage. It is not manufactured for human consumption. Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants, producing trihalomethanes (also called haloforms), which are carcinogenic.

Codger

 

[skammer]

Having
I have a similar problem with people touting the use of household bleach (5% +/- sodium hypochlorite)for sanitizing water for use and storage. It is not manufactured for human consumption. Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants, producing trihalomethanes (also called haloforms), which are carcinogenic.

Codger

It is my understanding that sodium hypochlorite is exactly whats used in municipal water treatment. They dont filter ours before it reaches the end user either.

Never heard of what you stated. Shrugs.

Skam

 

[Saunterer]

OK, you sound like you know what you are talking about. How about a salt-water system for pools? We bought the chlorine generator and I added 300 lbs of NaCl to the 13000 gallons of water. I have put nothing else in there.

But my point was, folks ought to know whether or not their public water depts provided chlorinated water to the tap or remove it prior to the tap. Really surprised me when we could not detect any residual chlorine in our house water.

Regardless, if it comes down to me drinking out of my pool, something really big hit the fan big time.... this subject will probably be the least of my worries.

 

[Codger_64]

Chlorine used in certified public water systems is made for consumption, not whitening your laundry. But the quality of the treatment depends in great part on whether it is done by scientists, technicians, or idiots.

Salt chlorine generators just break the dissolved sodium chloride into the component elements of chlorine and sodium using a weak current. You pay for the electricity to generate the chlorine instead of paying the chemical company to do it. But the tradeoff is that you swim in salt water. And your pool materials (liner or plaster, stainless and aluminum, nylon and brass or bronze) are subjected to salt water oxidation. Even patio furniture and fence nails. I'm not too sure how a steady consumption of salt water would affect your body, but I don't think it would be good even in a 3,500 ppm concentration. You still need to change it into potable water before drinking.

Codger

Edit: With good technique (filtration, distillation, sanitary storage), pool water is an excellent source for drinking water. Also elephant turds and horse or human urine. Consider getting a good filtration and distillation unit to make that water drinkable!

 

[Blue Sky]

I have a similar problem with people touting the use of household bleach (5% +/- sodium hypochlorite)for sanitizing water for use and storage. It is not manufactured for human consumption.

The recommendations of using plain bleach for water purification come from endless sources, government and private. If it was unsafe, why would this be so?

Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants, producing trihalomethanes (also called haloforms), which are carcinogenic.

This would be true of ALL chlorination procedures, including municipal water treatments, correct?

 

[Codger_64]

The recommendations of using plain bleach for water purification come from endless sources, government and private. If it was unsafe, why would this be so?

"They" also recommend ingestion of flouride and put it in water. Ask a dentist what happens when a kid swallows their flouride treatment or eats a tube of flouride toothpaste. In fact, try to find unfouridated toothpaste.

This would be true of ALL chlorination procedures, including municipal water treatments, correct?

Dependent upon the contaminents present and the quantities of those contaminents when the chlorine is added. The big attraction of chlorine is it's ability to remain residual. And it is cheap. Irridation, ionization, and several other processes are used as well. Most chlorine used by municipal water systems is elemental chlorine, not chlorine compounds.

Codger

 

[Briggz]

Codger 64,

I know you said good distillation, filtration equipment but in the event a person can not readlly obtain those what would be your reccommendation for purification of water prior to long term storage (e.g. blue WalMart containers)?

 

[Blue Sky]

"They" also recommend ingestion of flouride and put it in water. Ask a dentist what happens when a kid swallows their flouride treatment or eats a tube of flouride toothpaste. In fact, try to find unfouridated toothpaste.

The sources are so different and widespread, I don't know that the generic "they" applies in this case, and I don't know the presence of chlorine in water presents the same level of risk as flouride. Either way, this moves us to a discussion of concentration or dosage more than anything.

Dependent upon the contaminents present and the quantities of those contaminents when the chlorine is added. The big attraction of chlorine is it's ability to remain residual. And it is cheap. Irridation, ionization, and several other processes are used as well. Most chlorine used by municipal water systems is elemental chlorine, not chlorine compounds.

So then it does apply to both, provided the same contaminants are present.

 

[Codger_64]

Chlorine is an element. It is an oxidizer and that is how it works. Fire is an example of an oxidation process. Whenever either oxidation process is not carried to completion, there are residual compounds left over. In the case of chlorine, what is left is chloramines. Most municipal water is well filtered before chemical treatment. The less organic contaminents, the less chlorine required to render it sanitary, and also the less compounds created. In certain municipalities when I fill a swimming pool, the "clean" water looks like coffee or tea in the pool. Or is green as a coke bottle (it used to come in green bottles).

Chlorine does not suddenly become a non-oxidizer when you drink it. It has an oxidizing effect on your organs as well. It can retard or kill helpful gut bacteria that you need to properly digest foods, among other effects.

The same contaminents in the same quantities (PPM of TDS - total dissolved solids) are not present in the city water as in swimming pools.

Distilling water is not difficult or expensive. Boiling kills organic pests, but does nothing for metals (sometimes adds them depending upon the container used) and chemical contaminents, though some are volitile and will leave when heated. Distilling is nothing more than evaporating water and reclaiming and condensing the vapor. About as pure as you can get. Anything you do to water to advance it from turbid to pure is a plus. Filtering through layers of fine cloth and charcoal to start with if it is nasty, then boil (time from rolling boil depends on turbidity and altitude). There are entire websites devoted to water treatment and storage, so what I know and can explain is nothing unique. And it is my own opinions to boot. I am familiar enough with swimming pools and the water they contain that I would not drink it without further treatment.

Codger

 

[Blue Sky]

So I think we can conclude that water treated properly with bleach is for all intents and purposes no more dangerous to drink than regular tap water, provided the treated water did not contain undue amounts of organic solids. If those contaminants are present, they can and should be filtered out as best as possible prior to treatment.

 

[udtjim]

I probably should do more but at this time I just keep a couple cases of the bottled water on hand for emergency and camping trips.

 

[Codger_64]

I probably should do more but at this time I just keep a couple cases of the bottled water on hand for emergency and camping trips.

:thumbup:

It would surprise most folks as to how many six gallon cases of distilled or ozonated spring water will fit unsed most beds. Bought a case a week, you don't miss the money at all. Rotate it. Keep it out of sunlight and away from electrical motors.

No, household bleach is not stabilized. Strength can vary from 1-6% when sold, and drop to unuseful percentages in storage. A tablespoon per gallon is what I have seen advised. Is there a difference between a tablespoon of 6% and a tablespoon of 1%? And again, household bleach was not manufactured with human consumption in mind. It could contain harmful metals for all you know. Would you take meds made for livestock? Use salt from a Highway Department truck?

 

[skammer]

:thumbup:

It Is there a difference between a tablespoon of 6% and a tablespoon of 1%?
Would you take meds made for livestock?

Yes

Yes, 3 different antibiotics over the years. The ones I took are the same as human meds and made in the same facility in the same conditions.
Still here. Caveat: I understand meds and doseages. Not advised for the lamen.

My best friend growing up, his father was a rural vet and the kids never saw a human Dr till they went to college, animal meds all the way.
But alas that is another thread full of flame potential.

Skam

 

[Return of the J.D.]

Chlorination of drinking water can oxidize organic contaminants, producing trihalomethanes (also called haloforms), which are carcinogenic.

Codger

Trihalomethanes also apparently cause miscarriages--something to consider if your survival plan includes procreating a few little replacements.

 

[Blue Sky]

It could contain harmful metals for all you know. Would you take meds made for livestock? Use salt from a Highway Department truck?

Well since the discussion has degraded to unsubstantiated scary what-ifs and unrelated analogies, further rebuttal is clearly a waste of time. Oh, by the way I think you should know the majority of the bottled water you like so much is little more than the chlorinated tap water you dislike so much.

One of the most popular:
Aqua Fina