Erik's Upgraded Drinking Water Storage w/Pics

[crypto]

Erik, you should really look into some manual bung pumps for getting the water back out of the drums.

http://www.drummates.com/products.htm

That site has info on three types of manual pumps, to get you started. They arent typically that expensive, I think $30-50 for a good one, and far less than that for one if Harbor Freight has them. They screw into the bunghole and are pretty easy to operate. It's a lot easier than a siphon, thats for sure.

[AwPhuch]

Hehehe...you said bung

[Erik]

Erik, you should really look into some manual bung pumps for getting the water back out of the drums.

http://www.drummates.com/products.htm

That site has info on three types of manual pumps, to get you started. They arent typically that expensive, I think $30-50 for a good one, and far less than that for one if Harbor Freight has them. They screw into the bunghole and are pretty easy to operate. It's a lot easier than a siphon, thats for sure.

I may do that! Thanks!

-Erik

[Biff]

...

[safariteam5]

Awesome post Erik. I will have to stop by next time I am home in NC (probably in June/July) and get you to show me where to get some. I imagine my father-in-law would let me store a few in his barn until I am living in the US again.

[Cymro]

Very, very nicely done, Sir. Any plans to expand your storage capacity further, or are you calling it sufficient for now?

Drought, do your worst!

-Erik

Please don't jinx us.

[SweetTea]

Awesome job, Erik! I wish I wasn't moving soon, or I would totally copy you.
*remembers to give schlafly a call once settled down*

[Erik]

Per Crypto's advice, I have purchased a bung pump.

-Erik

[Famine]

Per Crypto's advice, I have purchased a bung pump.

-Erik

*snickers*

Kevin

[pyratemime]

I am up to a whole 6 gallons now. So between me and the dog I have a whole 3 days water. I am still shamed by Erik and his uber water storage capacity.

[Shep]

Can you tell us what the purchase price of the actual water was based off your water bill?

[Erik]

Can you tell us what the purchase price of the actual water was based off your water bill?

Boy, darned if I know. A typical monthly water bill for me is $11.25. So I don't know, another five or ten bucks in water?

-Erik

[southalabama]

Woman Drowns in 55 gallon water barrel.

http://www.koat.com/news/14993696/detail.html

Eric.........don't go diving head first after cats if they drop into the barrel.

[Apollo-11]

You can actually move these when they are full. It takes talent, and two people, or one person who *really* knows what they are doing. Just tip it up on edge (not too far) until it reaches a balance point. This is about 25-30 degrees from vertical. Now you grab the top rim and turn it like a steering wheel and the drum will roll (tangentially) in the direction you are rotating. To steer, don't turn; tip it in a slightly different direction and keep rolling.

Anyone who has run a floor buffer will understand the concept.

[Apollo-11]

Can you tell us what the purchase price of the actual water was based off your water bill?

Boy, darned if I know. A typical monthly water bill for me is $11.25. So I don't know, another five or ten bucks in water?

-Erik

I just looked at some city water websites for us. They were talking about how dumb it is to pay $1.50 a bottle for bottled water when most of it is just tap water anyway. They said that a gallon of city water costs just about 0.7 cents (7/10 of one cent).

So if that's right, a 55 gallon drum would cost 38.5 cents to fill. Your 8 drums would be $3.08 if your rates are similar to ours. Good guess.

[doctor_ocks]

Excuse my noobiness, but how long will that keep before you need to swap it out or add more bleach?

[Erik]

I figure a couple of years before a swap.

-Erik

[Kathy in FL]

Excuse my noobiness, but how long will that keep before you need to swap it out or add more bleach?

Depends on water quality and if it was chlorinated prior to storage. Bare minimum even lightly chlorinated water should give you over a year of storage time.

The only problem with opaque barrel storage containers is you can't see whether a film or minerals are depositing on the inside of the containers. That's one good reason to have a regular schedule that you check all of your preps, including your stored water.

[FriedCheese]

Hey Erik.

How are your shipping skillz?

I wonder ... how much it would cost to ship, say.... 6 - or 8 of those bad boys to Colorado from NC?
I've done lots of searches here, and I can find "NEW" ones for $50 + tax.

I bet maybe a few others here in CO would split the costs.... of shipping plus "Erik Beer or new unused gas mask fees...".

~Cheese

[Erik]

Hey Erik.

How are your shipping skillz?

I wonder ... how much it would cost to ship, say.... 6 - or 8 of those bad boys to Colorado from NC?
I've done lots of searches here, and I can find "NEW" ones for $50 + tax.

I bet maybe a few others here in CO would split the costs.... of shipping plus "Erik Beer or new unused gas mask fees...".

~Cheese

You might find it's no more expensive to buy them locally. They'd have to go on one or two skids, wrapped, and be shipped via freight. It would cost an arm and a leg. It would probably be cheaper in the end to just buy six or eight of them locally.

-Erik

[LittleTeapot]

That is a truly inspiring setup.

[ant69]

Nice job Erik, inspiring indeed. Makes the the eight cases of bottled water and two cases of CG approved water pouches that I have set aside look weak in comparison. Ant

[Umbrella]

Cool Erik...do you have a hand pump to get the water out..or are you going to gravity feed with syphon

I'm going to syphon the old fashioned way.

-Erik

If that is the plan you need a few of these.

http://www.supersyphon.com/

All you have to do is add it to hose and jiggle.

[Old_Man]

I see I need to post some pics of distillation of sea water/brackish for us coastal persons. (though I won't mention the artesian wells located less than a klick away).

Seriously, excellent post. Fresh water and sanitation issues will be, in my mind, the deciding factor for successful survival. A few weeks without sanitation (sewage pump stations) in my area, will render the region a biological hazard.

The drought situation is becoming quite interesting here. Though locally we are in good shape, the rest of the state is looking to divert several million gallons of water from the St. Johns a day to water other people's lawns. Just recently, are landscape watering restrictions going into effect. Not to vent (but I will), if one must implement restrictions...perhaps the grass and landscape should be let to die (statewide) BEFORE it's too late.