Erik's Upgraded Drinking Water Storage w/Pics

[Benbrutal]

The best storage I have seen was a guy who had plumbed 2 each 275 gallon palstic tanks (used to hold fruit syrup) between where the line came in and the hot water heater. He always has 550 gallons of good water, and he can bypass the tanks when they are filled. I think he just flows through them once a month to keep it fresh.

[FriedCheese]

The best storage I have seen was a guy who had plumbed 2 each 275 gallon palstic tanks (used to hold fruit syrup) between where the line came in and the hot water heater. He always has 550 gallons of good water, and he can bypass the tanks when they are filled. I think he just flows through them once a month to keep it fresh.

Brutal - I did some searching.... cannot find anything on this... Got a link for us?
THanks man!
~Cheese

[SmallFry]

Try looking for IBC containers (intermediate bulk containers)

I know of a place near Asheboro NC that regularly has them, used of course, for $50!!! PM if you want details.

SmallFry

[Skindad88]

nice set up there..

One thing you can do with the old barrels is use them under your rain gutters to collect the rain (after the drought). This water can be then used for your garden, or clothes or washing up, that way you don't have to use your drinking water.

[BloodLust]

Even if the containers are plastic, shouldn't hey be elevated off the ground?

[TheFreakinBear]

I would think that any containers dealing with food and water no matter what they are stored in should be at least on a pallet but I guess it can depend on your location, and their location (their being the food/water/etc).

[jung]

Now, if someone faced a real crisis and that rusted water was all they had, how would one make it drinkable? I'd dislike seeing all that water go to waste, especially considering the drought. Flush toilettes with it?

[Fenris]

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

Actually, Erik, it may be cheaper for him to rent a Uhaul flatbed, and drive over, but if I was him, I'd definatly check local first...

-fenris-

[Apollo-11]

Now, if someone faced a real crisis and that rusted water was all they had, how would one make it drinkable? I'd dislike seeing all that water go to waste, especially considering the drought. Flush toilettes with it?

Rusted? Did I miss something?

If the water was in clean steel barrels that rusted, you could still make it potable. Move it to a clean container (glass or plastic), and allow the junk to settle out. Then either treat the rust chemically (a few drops of bleach makes dissolved rust drop out of solution) or run it through a good backpacking water purifier (such as a PUR hiker). Let it stand until the bleach smell goes away, pour it back and forth between two containers to aerate it, and drink away. If this doesn't work, distill it. That will definitely do it.

Unless the water is contaminated with something soluble like oil, you can do that. If it's something like oil, gasoline, solvent, or pesticides, you are pretty much screwed. (This is why you should always question the source of a used plastic barrel.)

There are three ways to treat questionable water. If you really want to make it safe, do 1+2, or 3 if it is really bad:

1. Filter (*)
2. Purify (boiling or chemical treatment)
3. Distill (boil, condense steam vapors into a clean container)

*If you have a backpacking water filter, you should always let cloudy water stand to settle out the junk, or use a prefilter to lengthen the life of your filter.

[jung]

Thanks for the info. The OP wrote that his original steel drums rusted and discolored the water a bit so I was just wondering. I'm not so sure about bleach precipitating rust out, but if it comes to it, I'll try it out. Thanks.

[Midian]

At a water treatment plant I have worked at we used Potassium PerMangenate solution to clump any iron or rust out of the water through a permangenate sand and charcoal filters. this of course will work only in a flowing system, not a barrel of water.

[phoenixmastm]

I would think that any containers dealing with food and water no matter what they are stored in should be at least on a pallet but I guess it can depend on your location, and their location (their being the food/water/etc).

Speaking of pallets, not to divert or anything, but this sorta goes hand in hand.

When you go around looking for a pallet to put under them bad boys. Ask to see if they have any older, worn out pallets. They make great firewood, just run a circular saw alongside each of the spars that hold the slats, and then cut the spars in half once the slats have been completely cut off.

The slats burn really nice, and when split with a hatchet/machete/kukri/etc, they make really good kindling. The spars themselves make amazing fuel, most burn for more than 4-5 hours and produce a lot of heat. Just be careful you dont get ones that have oil/chemicals in them, those are useless.

Sorry, I'm done hijacking your thread now, please continue with the barrely goodness.

[bingo 7]

Last time the convenience store had Dr. Pepper 2 liters on sell I bought eight of them. The clerk told me to take the plastic carton that was used to display them. She stated I could have all I wanted because outside the store they had a pile of them and the vendor would not take them. I did not take any at the time, but I got to thinking. That would make a good way to store a large amount of water in usable sizes.

[MikeCharlieUniform]

I really want to do this, but finding reasonably priced barrels is proving difficult. $60/ea is ridiculous.

It might be helpful for the group if anyone finds an industry that regularly discards this kind of stuff to post it here; people might be able to find a local company in that field to check with for their "waste" barrels.

[ToddGray]

Even if the containers are plastic, shouldn't hey be elevated off the ground?

I was thinking the same thing. Your local hardware store (or even Wally World for that matter) should be willing to part with some wooden (or maybe even plastic) pallets for cheap.

[SkullGirl]

That is not a bad idea to get a few of those and put them in my storage on the porch. I may be pming you for in fo on the location!

[Erik]

That is not a bad idea to get a few of those and put them in my storage on the porch. I may be pming you for in fo on the location!

By all means.

[WeirdoC]

I really want to do this, but finding reasonably priced barrels is proving difficult. $60/ea is ridiculous.

It might be helpful for the group if anyone finds an industry that regularly discards this kind of stuff to post it here; people might be able to find a local company in that field to check with for their "waste" barrels.

They aren't barrels, but they are free, and I know for sure that I can get at least three of them every Monday afternoon 'til TSHTF.



These are the jugs in which my local Arby's fast food restaurant gets their fry oil. Every Monday, they change out the oil in each of the three fryers, and then throw away the three empty jugs. I believe that McDonald's may use similar jugs. Next time you go to get a burger, ask if they use jugs like these, and if they just throw them away to set them aside for you.

The jug is food-grade #2 plastic. Basically, it's a four gallon milk jug that's really thick and sturdy. The mouths are fairly wide, which makes washing out the residual corn oil pretty easy. They are squared off, so they store and utilize floor space better than round drums. Also, the handles and lids are even on top, so if you stack two or more side-by-side, you can put a board across the top and start a second course.

I live in a second-floor apartment with nowhere to put a 55-gallon drum, so these are much more convenient for me. Also, I like free stuff.

Hope this helps some folks with getting water stored.

[grannie smith]

Was it difficult to get the oil residue out of those?

[WeirdoC]

It's just corn oil. A few drops of dish soap and about a gallon of hot water, swish it around a lot. You really need a garden hose for rinsing them out, though. It takes quite a bit of water to get the job done, so make sure you do it before TSHTF.

[kir]

I was at a local grocery/department store, Fred Meyers, today looking for unrelated goods when I came across a whole aisle of these:



Maker: http://www.cccllc.com/

Five gallon containers for $10 each. Screw on tops. They have a tag on the side that states they are food grade containers intended for water use only. Specifically states that the plastic won't impart any smells or other alterations to stored water. Additionally there's a handle built into the container that after filling one with water, I found easy to carry around.

Not the best deal around, considering the options that Erik and others have indicated in this thread. However, given my circumstances (apartment) it seemed a reasonable method for storing water. At 2 gallons of water per day, if I got 6 I would be set for two weeks. Less if I started portioning it out to others.

Easy to carry and move to my truck should I decide to leave town. Not so easy if I'm moving on foot, but for the intended purposes of water storage at my BIL with the option for easy relocation to my BOV it seems to serve the purpose well.

I would suggest getting some kind of sink-hose and/or a funnel to make filling these up more efficient. It didn't fit in my sink, so hand filling with the largest jar I could find was tedious.

[Allen]

I was at a local grocery/department store, Fred Meyers, today looking for unrelated goods when I came across a whole aisle of these:



Maker: http://www.cccllc.com/

Five gallon containers for $10 each. Screw on tops. They have a tag on the side that states they are food grade containers intended for water use only. Specifically states that the plastic won't impart any smells or other alterations to stored water. Additionally there's a handle built into the container that after filling one with water, I found easy to carry around.

Not the best deal around, considering the options that Erik and others have indicated in this thread. However, given my circumstances (apartment) it seemed a reasonable method for storing water. At 2 gallons of water per day, if I got 6 I would be set for two weeks. Less if I started portioning it out to others.

Easy to carry and move to my truck should I decide to leave town. Not so easy if I'm moving on foot, but for the intended purposes of water storage at my BIL with the option for easy relocation to my BOV it seems to serve the purpose well.

I would suggest getting some kind of sink-hose and/or a funnel to make filling these up more efficient. It didn't fit in my sink, so hand filling with the largest jar I could find was tedious.

Water Cooler Carboys are a good idea.
Thanks!

[E]

wierdoC - thats bloody brilliant. I'll have to check around and see man, I never thought of that before. I'm sure if I checked around I'd find some. good job man

[Glockmeister]

Exactly what I need! Then again I don't have anywhere to store the barrels that wouldn't freeze in the winter.