Question on storing tap water

[TCC]

I am currently trying to become more and more prepared for disasters or SHTF type scenarios. It is quite hard to do on a nearly non existent budget, however. Right now, we have enough bottled water put back to meet my family's drinking and cooking needs for 3 days. I would like to get to at least a month's supply, though, if not more. I absolutely can not afford to buy any more bottled water. My plan is to store our tap water, which comes from a county supply and not a well, in 2 liter soda bottles. I have already saved quite a few empty bottles for this purpose.

My question is, since the water is coming from a municipal supply and is already safe to drink, should I still treat it with bleach or similar before storing? I have tried googling this, but have seen mixed results. Some say to treat it, and some say not to treat since it is already safe. I apologize if this has already been brought up. Also, how often should I rotate my water supplies if I store tap water?

Thanks!

[Blitzen2k5]

I dont bleach mine. I have several 5 gallon jugs I use to store water in. First thing I do though is clean the jugs thoroughly. After washing out I soak them in boiling water for a time. Just to make sure they are clean. Caps as well. Then when I store them I store them in dark places. Last thing I do is rotate them. I always dump them every 6 months and refill them. Cleaning the bottles out again as well. I could keep them longer I am sure but just in case I rotate them.

First time you open one during a rotation if you get that smell (cant describe it really but you will know it) then you know the next batch you would need to bleach as well. Each municipality is a little different in what they consider potable from what I have heard.

Blitz

[raptor]

A lot depends on the quality of the tap water. I agree try it without bleach and see how well it stores. As was noted be sure the storage container is clean and if you do decide to use bleach make sure it is unscented.

[Red Green]

My suggestion won't be practical for amounts more than a few 2 litre plastic bottles of water but what I do in addition to bottled water is to keep 4 to 6 big plastic water bottles in my freezer as I use them for fishing trips & such anyways, so if the power does go out I don't have to worry about starting my standby generator (which isn't quite up & running anyways...) to keep stuff cool for a few hours as well as a source of cold potable water.

[Tater Raider]

I did this by rinsing the bottles then filling with water and adding a capful of plain bleach. After screwing on the lid I'd turn the bottle upside down to ensure everything got wet and the cap was completely setrilized then let sit for at least 30 minutes. After that I dumped it out and refilled with tap, dated a strip of masking tape and put that on the bottle, and then stored it in an area with no sunlight. I've decided each 2ℓ is good for 6 months, then I'll water some flowers and refill it, date it again, and back into storage they go.

I budgeted 2 US gallons per person per day, 1 for drinking and 1 for my 3 cats, cooking, and personal hygine. That's near enough so as not to matter 53 liters per person per week so you aren't too uncomfortable.

If you watch your grocery store, you can pick up a case of half liter bottled water for under $4, that's 6 liters without a lot of sacrifice and much easier to grab and go if you have to bug out.

I use both methods and got enough to get me a 2 man/week supply in under a month. I'm still growing it because, yanno, just-in-case.

Other people do it differently, but that's how I went.



Edited for math.

[2now]

I have always kept a couple of 2 liter bottles of water around. I have never used bleach, nor have I had a problem with them even after 5 or more years. But I usually use well water that I KNOW is clean, and make sure the bottles are completely washed out.

YMMV

[phil_in_cs]

It's often overlooked, but tap water is really, really cheap. Just rotate your water out annually and you'll be fine.

[TCC]

It's often overlooked, but tap water is really, really cheap. Just rotate your water out annually and you'll be fine.

This is exactly the reason I am storing tap water. I am unemployed at the moment, so I have no disposable income. Thanks for the help guys! As of now I have 16 litters of water stored, along with the 3 cases or so of bottled water. I hope to get to a 2 week supply within a month, for my family of 4.

[ElevenBravo]

1 drop of bleach per liter of water, 20-30 minutes later it should be sanitized for consumption. Once sanitized it should be good for long term shelf storage. For me, if I were to desire to consume some after say a year or two of storage, I would sanitize it again prior to consumption.

Ratio of bleach to water for larger quantities can be found easily via Google. I know 1d/1l as that is the size of my Nalgene bottles I use for hiking/exploring.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Ryder358]

I've pick up a few 55 gallon drums that used to contain Caramel Coloring used in a popular soda. I sprayed them out really good and then before filling them with Tap water I sanitized it with 10 gallon mix of Star San, a common no rise sanitizer used in brewing beer.



You add one ounce of Star San to 5 gallons of water. "A high foaming, acid anionic, non-rinse sanitizer that penetrates hard-to-see places. It is an excellent hand/soak product. Does not stain and will not impart odors or off flavors"

It keeps the bugs out of my beer I figure it wouldn't hurt to sanitize my 55 gallon drum before adding my water for storage.

[ninja-elbow]

We're known for some pretty clean water here in Portland, and I store water in both 5 gallon jugs and 2 litre bottles (some in freezer too plus a few 1 litre bottles) and I just wash the soda bottles in warm soapy water and let air dry before filling and storing. I rotate every 6 months or so too. Never had a problem.

[majorhavoc]

I too store tap water in cleaned and sanitized 2 liter soda bottles. But I always add about 6 drops of household bleach before storing them.

[dizie]

Are old milk jugs good to store water?

I started storing water in 1gal milk jugs. Read a lot of contradictions. I googled, to use 8-16 drops of bleech. Some said 6 months-forever. Some said after 6 months the plastic starts to degrade.

I figure worst come to worst could still use to flush toilet.

[TCC]

Are old milk jugs good to store water?

I started storing water in 1gal milk jugs. Read a lot of contradictions. I googled, to use 8-16 drops of bleech. Some said 6 months-forever. Some said after 6 months the plastic starts to degrade.

I figure worst come to worst could still use to flush toilet.

I have read that old milk jugs are bad because it can be difficult to completely clean out the proteins left behind from the milk.

[Tank Woman]

Agreed, 2 litres for drinkable water, 1 gal milk jugs for flushing toilets, etc.
Keep them all out of direct sunlight.
Only stack the 1 gal jugs 1 high. I tried 2 high using cardboard between, but they started to crush the tops of the bottom row after a bit of time.

[TCC]

Agreed, 2 litres for drinkable water, 1 gal milk jugs for flushing toilets, etc.
Keep them all out of direct sunlight.
Only stack the 1 gal jugs 1 high. I tried 2 high using cardboard between, but they started to crush the tops of the bottom row after a bit of time.

If you ask at your local grocery store, they will probably save you woke empty milk boxes. They hold 4 gallon jugs and are very stackable. We usually stacked them 5 or 6 high when I worked retail.

[redneckzombiekiller]

I understand the need to store water in case of emergency, unfortunately due to hassle of boiling containers and getting the bleach/water ratio correct. I've just started purchasing bottled water a little here and there 5 bucks every now and then and now my stock pile is up. Don't really know how long they will keep but all the expiration dates have always put my supply over a year without having to deal with the aggravation of emptying out and renewing my supply. But that's what works for me.

[Tater Raider]

Bottled water you buy at the store has an expiration date because the FDA says it has to have one. In reality it should store nearly indefinitely. Tap water isn't handled with the same care so that does have a shelf life.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Cavediver]

Are old milk jugs good to store water?

I started storing water in 1gal milk jugs. Read a lot of contradictions. I googled, to use 8-16 drops of bleech. Some said 6 months-forever. Some said after 6 months the plastic starts to degrade.

I figure worst come to worst could still use to flush toilet.

A lot of people say they've had problems with long-term use of milk jugs (myself included). The plastic does tend to get brittle with age and they will develop pinholes, leaking water all over whatever they're stored on and whatever is under them. IMO, it's better than nothing, but you should try to find better containers, or at least rotate out the old milk jugs and replace them with new ones. If that's not possible, make sure you check them frequently.

[Finch]

Are old milk jugs good to store water?

I started storing water in 1gal milk jugs. Read a lot of contradictions. I googled, to use 8-16 drops of bleech. Some said 6 months-forever. Some said after 6 months the plastic starts to degrade.

I figure worst come to worst could still use to flush toilet.

A lot of people say they've had problems with long-term use of milk jugs (myself included). The plastic does tend to get brittle with age and they will develop pinholes, leaking water all over whatever they're stored on and whatever is under them. IMO, it's better than nothing, but you should try to find better containers, or at least rotate out the old milk jugs and replace them with new ones. If that's not possible, make sure you check them frequently.

in my early days as a preper i kept 2 3 gallon water jugs (the kind with the spout) in the closet of my apartment. After 3 years when i moved i pulled them out of the closet they were bone dry with no signs of leaks.

[Towanda]

Bottled water you buy at the store has an expiration date because the FDA says it has to have one. In reality it should store nearly indefinitely. Tap water isn't handled with the same care so that does have a shelf life.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Actually, a lot of bottled water is just municipal tap water with a fancy label.

Tap water is already treated with either chlorine or bromine, depending on your municipality, and should be safe to store indefinitely in clean 2-liters or other food-safe containers. Don't use old milk jugs because that kind of plastic can't be cleaned completely.

When I was living alone in a one-bedroom apartment, I had a month's supply of tap water in 2-liters. Well, enough for my cat, too.


Sent via messenger owl.

[Lakewalker]

For my family if 7 I'm going with a incasaof.ca super tanker available in 125 or 250 gallon size

http://www.incaseof.ca/supertanker.php

[Tater Raider]

Bottled water you buy at the store has an expiration date because the FDA says it has to have one. In reality it should store nearly indefinitely. Tap water isn't handled with the same care so that does have a shelf life.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Actually, a lot of bottled water is just municipal tap water with a fancy label.

Tap water is already treated with either chlorine or bromine, depending on your municipality, and should be safe to store indefinitely in clean 2-liters or other food-safe containers. Don't use old milk jugs because that kind of plastic can't be cleaned completely.

When I was living alone in a one-bedroom apartment, I had a month's supply of tap water in 2-liters. Well, enough for my cat, too.


Sent via messenger owl.

I completely agree with the municial tap water (evian spelled backwards is niave after all); however, the amount of hands on with bottling your own versus the the hands-off bottling process itself is why I firmly believe in what I say. Your mileage may (probably will) vary but at least ya'll know why I think what I do.

I'm also in the no milk jug catagory because of what Towanda said. Towanda is wise and has tought me much here and I'd like to derail the thread for a moment to thank her for that.

[zombieapocalypsegame]

Bear with me on the long post - I can't claim good prep on a lot of other fronts, but I think I can here. This is one area I feel I am in really good shape.

I have a 55gallon drum of drinking water for a family of four. But that's the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

It's food grade blue plastic and in the garage out of sunlight's reach. That one originally contained hydrogen peroxide - a sanitizing agent similar to chlorine. Europe apparently uses it like we use chlorine in municipal tap water. After two very thorough rounds of rinsing and drying, I filled with tap water and sealed. I might put a bit of bleach in it at some point, but I plan to monitor it and see what happens first. I don't relish the idea of two different chems in there, even if they're both sanitizers, they've been massively diluted, and it's over a long period of time.

I also have 12 more identical 55 gallon drums as rain barrels outside. Four are on one side of the back yard, with another six on the side of the house that's a tiny bit lower and gets more downspout volume. I have another two as overflow on that side. I am thinking about connecting them to the existing six when they empty out - but I like the idea of having two spare barrels without any air/water overflow holes drilled in them. Those two had the same peroxide in them. The rest held tomatoes or soy sauce. So they each got two thorough rinse & dry routines before putting them into active duty. This water is for my raised bed gardens - about 144sq feet. The peroxide, even if still present in some remnant volume, is an anti-fungal. So it could potentially affect any mushrooms I try to grow, but everything else should be unaffected.

I also re-use all of the juice/milk jugs we buy, as well as the gatorade and personal size water bottles my wife gets. It's not for drinking water - purely intended as garden/toilet as needed in emergencies, and lawn when rotation requires it otherwise. They're actually from overflow, too. You'd be amazed at how much water you get during even a quarter-inch rain storm. I had kept the jugs & bottles for target practice, but had so much rain, I had a ton of free water on hand and saw the opportunity to prep a ton at once for $0 other than my labor. The big jugs probably amount to 1-2 more barrels. I'm saving up the small plastic bottles for target practice.

$15 barrel x 8 = $120
$20 barrel x 5 = $100
Pipes, hardware, tools for rain barrels = $150
Hand crank pump $35 in case we don't have power but need the water

Total cost $405
55gal immediate availability, with another 110 drinking water capacity possible very rapidly, and a grand total of 715 gallons for all uses.

Costco advertises 24count 0.5 liter bottles @ $6 per case, with 8-12 case quantity required. Let's even say $4. 8 cases = 25 gallons @ $32.00, therefore 50 = $64. Those 8/16 cases would stack and take up about the same space as my 55 gallon drum. Each barrel is $20 max, with some $ for washing it out and the time to do so, plus a few pennies (maybe a dollar?) worth of tap water. Less than one third the price, minimum, and up to a 4x price factor efficiency if I use the $15 barrels. The soy sauce ones were $15 but I'd rather go with the peroxide for drinking purposes - taste matters, and the sanitizer won't hurt if properly prepared.

At the same $405 I have spent - you'd get about six 50-gallon sets of bottled water - about 101 cases. The barrel method is FAR cheaper, except the initial time factor as was mentioned. For the equivalent of six 50-gallon sets, that would cost $90 for the barrels.

But, I can replenish my supply far more easily, and far more cheaply in terms of time, money, and even fuel going back to the store for more. I get another 55 gallons for about another dollar versus another $64 for another 50 gallons in bottled water cases. Note the replenish mechanism here is only based upon using the tap. I didn't even count the fact that I am capturing rainwater. That part occurs without further effort, and has zero cost for several uses, and marginal cost for others, worst case.

I think I'm really good on water for a while, although I haven't actually calculated a duration. If needed, I could filter & boil the water from the rain barrels. Buying another gallon of bleach for standby use is on my list.

The big advantage the cases have is portability, of course. Which, as I consider that, also makes my water fundamentally a bit harder to steal. Folks interested in taking it would have to arrive with several men, a truck with a ramp or liftgate, and a flipping dolly to get just one barrel. Unless they want to punch a hole in it and fill up whatever they had on hand. Since they're probably carrying a couple bottles each or thereabout - I'm not worried on that front. I however would be far more reluctant to put three barrels of water in the same 2nd story room that you might use, simply due to concentration of weight. Three barrels doesn't have the footprint of a waterbed, but combined they are nearly 1,400 pounds when full. I can't move mine if SHTF inside my own house, and the outdoor ones are visible at the moment. Bringing them inside, I could even use them to block the doors and save the wood for the windows. You won't bust down 1,400 pounds of barrels holding the door shut without ramming a car into it, so I can focus on defending the windows.

Oh, one last thing. I don't live on a farm, or some similar scenario. This is a rental house smack in the middle of a suburban subdivision. My personal mandate is everything I have done or will do should be portable to my eventual home on a ranch, and I want to be as multi-use as I can reasonably be. I want to bring everything with me when we finally get the land + build the house we want. That even goes for the raised bed gardens, although those are considerably less portable. hahahahahha

ZAG