Re-Cleaning water storage containers?

[Blacksheep]

So I have about 100 gallons of water in 3 different forms,
Store bought water 3liter ice mountain bottles (stack like a dream)
(Was my first stock before I realized it would eventually go bad)

Next I bought 5 gallon jugs
Filled with tap water( chlorinated) and added a bit of bleach anyways figured couldn't hurt

Now lately mostly for the reason of cost , joy of repurposing things, and more convinient weight per container I've switched to 2 liter bottles

When I do the 2L bottles I soak them in warm water to help release gooey syrup remnants and labels
Then I wash with soap, bleach solution, rinse clean,and add 4 drops of 8% bleach and cap

I am past the point where I should rotate my water
Even though it doesn't smell, look bad ( no growth or gunk), or taste off

My question is, to what level do I need to wash them when I rotate the water?
Should I fully soap and bleach and all that, or just pour out old water a refil?

[Blacksheep]

Bueller? Bueller?

[duodecima]

Bueller? Bueller?

I got nothin.

Logically, there's a film of the water left inside each container, so if you're concerned enough to rotate the water, you should soap and bleach again (which is exactly what I did to my 2L's). It's not a wrong thing to do,anyway, just some extra work.

[yossarian]

Just dump it and rinse with bleach solution or this stuff http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Homebrewi ... B0064O7YFA. I don't like using soap in water containers if I can help it.

[ZombieGranny]

...

[Blacksheep]

No visable growth or smell or taste
But the water is close to 2.5 years old

Not that I fully buy into the plastic leeching into the water, but that's the only reason really

I just don't want to soap if I don't have to, would save a lot of time
But I wanna make sure I'm not missing something

[yummbrains]

I was watching this thread for an answer because I had no answer myself. I used all of my water last winter when we got our butts kicked in the ice storm. Otherwise it would probably be about a year old by now.

I normally rotate out my water every summer because I have a convenient way to use it in order to rotate. But now that I'm re-configuring my water storage, it will be less convenient to rotate, plus i'll have to wash rather than replace the containers.

Thanks for the topic, Rebel

[raptor]

Water really does not go bad. It gets contaminated, containers leak and it may get an off taste but it really does not go bad.

The FDA says water stored properly has an indefinite life

That said stored properly means starting off with a clean container, sealing out crud and storing it in a cool place out of the sunlight. Now that is not to say water cannot take on a nasty flavor.

This thread is one such example. The water was clear and appeared to be ok except that it tased like mud.
http://www.zombiehunters.org/forum/view ... &sk=t&sd=a

That said rotating water preps is relatively easy and cheap if you use tap water.

As for cleaning I suggest a higher than usual chlorine level say 3 ppm to wash the container and let it soak for a while. Then rinse a lot with regular tap water. I really do not like to use soap. If you have to use soap use a weak mixture of dish washing liquid.

On my boat I generally flush the water tanks annually by simply emptying them and adding a solution of pool shock (the kind without algeacides or stabilizers) pre-dissolved in a bucket of water to the tank and refilling it to get it to the 3ppm level. I then take the boat for a run to agitate and let it sit for 24 hours and then pump the tanks dry through all of the facets and flush the tanks again.

BTW never ever allow someone to put diesel fuel in your water tank. That happened once and it took days of flushing and Dawn dish washing soap to get rid of the diesel flavor.

Some people like to add chlorine but my municipal water already has .5ppm so I do not add more chlorine.

BTW for my home I use 55 gallon food grade drums. They are 8 years old and still going strong. I simply drain, flush and refill them annually.

[Stercutus]

BTW never ever allow someone to put diesel fuel in your water tank. That happened once and it took days of flushing and Dawn dish washing soap to get rid of the diesel flavor.

I am surprised you got it out. I have seen a number of people diesel in to water cans over the years and you have to throw out the can.

[Blacksheep]

Why don't you like to use soap?
I do because I wasn't sure if bleach would remove everything,
Sure bleach will kill everything exposed, but what about a film? Wasn't sure

I have been using a drop of dawn in each 2 liter and rinsing about 4-5 times

[raptor]

Why don't you like to use soap?

It is just a personal preference, not science. YMMV

Because the soap itself can leave a film that is hard to wash off if you do have the ability wipe it off the container sides or agitate it enough to get the water to wash it off. Especially if the water is soft.

In the case of a gallon or 2 liter bottle you can shake it to get the soap film off. In the case of a 55 gallon drum that is more difficult unless you tip it over and roll it around. In the case of 125 gallon water tank built into a boat ... good luck unless there is a nice beam sea available to agitate the whole boat.

I have used vinegar for cleaning water containers but since it requires at least a 1 to 4 ratio +/- to be effective I have never used it for tank cleaning. However, I prefer a salad flavor to that of either Dawn or diesel fuel.

BTW if you use clorox bleach be sure to get the un-perfumed variety. I also can attest that citrus scented clorox bleach does not taste citrusy.

[maldon007]

To me, my time, energy, cleaning supplies and.... time, are better spent making money/saving money somewhere else that small container cleaning. Grab an extra cheapo gallon of h2o every time your at the store, trust it to last indefinitely, store in dark place, party on. The time and supplies to clean a 2ltr are worth more that the $.59 it costs for a sealed bottle from the store, imo.

...And to be safe, I rotate these into use whenever we do family camping/take road trips/etc. So they usually don't sit around for more than a year anyway.

[Blacksheep]

To me, my time, energy, cleaning supplies and.... time, are better spent making money/saving money somewhere else that small container cleaning. Grab an extra cheapo gallon of h2o every time your at the store, trust it to last indefinitely, store in dark place, party on. The time and supplies to clean a 2ltr are worth more that the $.59 it costs for a sealed bottle from the store, imo.

...And to be safe, I rotate these into use whenever we do family camping/take road trips/etc. So they usually don't sit around for more than a year anyway.

What kind of containers are you getting for .59 that aren't the milky clear kind that's designed to break down?


Also raptor, good points about agitation
Now you've got me thinking about how to clean 55 gal drums

There's a guy near me that sells used food grade drums for cheap

I think they are used for some kind of flavoring for alcoholic drinks or something, possible alcohol in the drum, been a while since I got one for odd project

I cut open the drums before for projects, used a power washer to get all the gunk out, but man was it in there, think caramelized sugar

If you can't agitate, how do you clean something like this?

[raptor]

If you can't agitate, how do you clean something like this?

That is simple, put it on its side and roll it around on the ground a lot. They are made to be rolled that way.

The used ones I got held strawberry jam and cleaned up easily since the process that used them used hot water to move the jam out of the drum. The easiest ones to clean up though are the ones used for soda syrup. They clean up very easily.

[Sworbeyegib]

Another vote for a diluted bleach solution, followed by a good rinse of clean water. Preferably with some pressure behind it.