# Fresh water storage



## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Hello All. So I thought my first post would be about an old subject but one most newcomers are concerned with..Fresh Water Storage. I think this should be one of the very first items to start with. Its easy, cheap and it's usually one of the first things to go in almost any emergency scenario. With that said I'll share what I currently have on hand and follow up with a few curiosity questions for the more experienced members on here.:bow:
I subscribe to and agree with the 2 gallons of water a day/per person. I maintain 3 different storage containing methods. 
1. I currently have 4 55g drums of fresh water, easily accessible and obviously for Bug In situations. 
A. I completely empty them every spring and refill with nice fresh water.
B. I add one full cup of bleach to each barrel at filling. (Note: I have used the more expensive chemicals for storage but at the end of the year I can not tell any difference in taste.) This could change if I stored my water for 5 years but I haven't had a need.
C. You can store water for much longer and it would be fine, I just feel as long as I'm getting fresh water I'll keep replacing every year.
2. I have 10 7g totes, easily accessible and for both Bug In and Bug Out (in vehicle situations).
A. I completely empty and refill these every spring as well.
B. They receive 3 teaspoons of bleach.
3. I keep 5 cases (24 pack) of 8oz bottles. These I use on a rotated basis, I mark each with a number and we open and drink the older ones first and re-purchase as necessary.

So for my family of four (wife and two awesome kids) we have just over 300 gallons of emergency stored water. That comes out to about 2.5 months of water. 
My goals for this year.
1. Procure a rain water catchment system.
2. Purchase a 250 gallon water tank.
So, some questions to you more experienced, Do you store your water for a lot longer? What is the longest you have stored water and then consumed? 10yrs or more? What was taste quality? (I know taste would not be huge concern in an emergency situation) however if you have kids you would understand why I ask. Am I in-line with what you guys are doing? Sorry for the long post and thanks for your comments!


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

You current and future storage is good.
Although, I question why you would add bleach to already sanitized water from your municipal supply.
Chlorine bleach degrades very quickly, and will be completely broken down in about 2 weeks. After that, it has no effect. 
Since the city municipal supply already treats the water, adding this bleach doesn't actually kill anything.

Assuming you are cleaning your containers with bleach, and only filling with clean fresh water, and sealing them tight, there is no need to treat the water when you fill them.
If any of the above factors are not fulfilled, such as opening the container from time to time, then re-sanitizing would be necessary.

Rather than spending effort sanitizing already cleaned water, I'd move that effort to the back end. Ensure the water you drink from these containers is clean by sanitizing it when you need it. This eliminates the worry about containers being 100% immaculate, or opening of the seal a few times.
Just assume water that has been sitting stagnant for a long time should be sanitized and aerated, and you should be good.

Aeration goes a long way toward making old water taste better. Just pouring back and forth between two clean containers a few times will make it far more palatable than straight from the barrel.
I'm lucky when it comes to kids and water. We raised ours to prefer it. Personally, I can't stand it, but don't tell them that.
For my sake, I'm storing drink mixes to add to water. For now, that will be our little secret.:shame:

As for my current storage, I've got 2 55gal drums in the garage that I've not incorporated into my catchment system yet, and a 275gal caged water tote in the backyard to catch roof runoff. I still need to design a proper system. For now, I just funnel the water from a roof valley into the container with a screen on the mouth to keep out bugs and debris.
It is almost full thanks to the past few rains, and tonight's should top it off completely.
I've also got 36 Ozarka 3 liter jugs in the stock room for bug out.
If I filled everything tonight, I'd have over 410 gallons of water.
For the 4 of us, I've calculated that should last us about 3 months, assuming no rain adding back.


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Do you really need to store water? If you have a well and a swimming pool with a means to generate power is it still necessary to store water? I don't mean to hijack your thread but I have wondered this and can't think of a reason why I should store any more than the 3 cases of bottled water we usually buy just for monthly usage.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

My stored water is contaminated as it rain collection off a roof. But I have multiple means of purifying it. So the water I use will be freshly purified & aerated.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

rjd25 said:


> Do you really need to store water? If you have a well and a swimming pool with a means to generate power is it still necessary to store water? I don't mean to hijack your thread but I have wondered this and can't think of a reason why I should store any more than the 3 cases of bottled water we usually buy just for monthly usage.


Actually, the swimming pool is stored water. And hope that well has a hand pump for when you loose electricity. Even with an electric portable generator you only have so much fuel for it.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Great subject and you'll find that there are some very "Water" knowledgeable folks on the Forum. Check into some larger tanks if you are going to put in a rainwater catchment system. Mine are Norwesco brand tanks. I'd also recommend some sort of "First Flush" devise and screens to keep the dirt/bird droppings/leaves etc from your roof getting into your tanks.

I rotate my tanks pretty often and in the spring and summer they are used to feed my garden. We are in the Southeastern US and while we get some periods of drought, for the most part rain is abundant. You'll be surprised how quick a 500 gallon tank like the ones I have (pic below) fill up during a rain storm.

We keep some water in gallon jugs as well as some bottled water and usually rotate it out every year or so. Sounds like you've got a good system going.

Thanks for the post.

View attachment 9427


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

PS

Look into a water filtration and purification system if you don't have one. Berkey, Doulton etc are excellent choices and you can make a very reliable home-made system using some good filters and 5 gallon food grade buckets...or buy a pre assembled system like the Big Berkey Stainless Steel.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

rjd25 said:


> Do you really need to store water? If you have a well and a swimming pool with a means to generate power is it still necessary to store water? I don't mean to hijack your thread but I have wondered this and can't think of a reason why I should store any more than the 3 cases of bottled water we usually buy just for monthly usage.


What if your neighbor gets the Ebola and falls into your pool and dies? Betcha would like to have some stored water eh?


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks for the comments so far!
@Kauboy, that is great info. I mainly put the bleach on the front end as a precaution, we have community well water and while it is treated it just makes me feel better I guess. I keep several gallons on bleach on hand in the event I have to treat on the back end as well as a few filtering options. Right now I don't open the containers but once a year but that would change if I had to use them full time. And YES, I keep a lot of powder drink mixes for the kids and, I won't lie me/wife if the time comes. I hope to have a little over 4 months when I'm done. Thanks for the great input.
@rjd75, no worries brother, you actually have a ton of water stored like huntinghawk pointed out, as long as its not a salt water pool and you have ways of purifying it if needed you are good to go for awhile. A good hand pump would be advisable for the well though. 
@huntinghawk, thanks, do you just have barrels attached to your gutters or some other way of collecting off the roof? What if your area goes through any type of drought or long period without rain? I hope to have a rain catchment system soon so I'm jealous.


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks for the comments so far!
@Kauboy, that is great info. I mainly put the bleach on the front end as a precaution, we have community well water and while it is treated it just makes me feel better I guess. I keep several gallons on bleach on hand in the event I have to treat on the back end as well as a few filtering options. Right now I don't open the containers but once a year but that would change if I had to use them full time. And YES, I keep a lot of powder drink mixes for the kids and, I won't lie me/wife if the time comes. I hope to have a little over 4 months when I'm done. Thanks for the great input.
@rjd75, no worries brother, you actually have a ton of water stored like huntinghawk pointed out, as long as its not a salt water pool and you have ways of purifying it if needed you are good to go for awhile. A good hand pump would be advisable for the well though. 
@huntinghawk, thanks, do you just have barrels attached to your gutters or some other way of collecting off the roof? What if your area goes through any type of drought or long period without rain? I hope to have a rain catchment system soon so I'm jealous.


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

First, sorry for the double post, trying to figure out how to delete one, not sure what happened there. 
@slippy, thanks, I'm looking at the Norwesco's now, what is the model of the one you have pictured. I can't seem to find it on their website. Did you install a spigot on yours or does it come with one? If you don't mind me asking, how big is your garden and how fast do you go through the water? I figured to so the same with my small garden for the summer time when we usually get plenty of rain.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

sheepdog, my rain storage system is eight 55gal barrels. Plus have a 100gal Rubbermaid water trough I sometimes use as a dog pool but can use for extra water come a SHTF. And I have a deep well & two backup generators.


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

Slippy said:


> What if your neighbor gets the Ebola and falls into your pool and dies? Betcha would like to have some stored water eh?


LOL I hadn't considered that. In all seriousness, I would use the pool water as grey water for showers and flushing toilets. But if SHTF I would fire up the genny and fill my storage tanks then. No need to rotate or maintain in my opinion.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Sheepdog said:


> First, sorry for the double post, trying to figure out how to delete one, not sure what happened there.
> @slippy, thanks, I'm looking at the Norwesco's now, what is the model of the one you have pictured. I can't seem to find it on their website. Did you install a spigot on yours or does it come with one? If you don't mind me asking, how big is your garden and how fast do you go through the water? I figured to so the same with my small garden for the summer time when we usually get plenty of rain.


Here you go;

Norwesco :: Above Ground Tanks :: Black or Dark Green Water Tanks

http://norwesco.com/_site_components/uploads/pdfs/Vertical/500 Gallon Vertical Tank.pdf

I buy my tanks from a dealer that handles Ag Products and Tanks. They provided me with all of the couplings and spigot attachments so I can attach a garden hose or even a drip hose to the tank to water my raised beds near the tank. The 2 garden beds are approx 4'x12' that are planted near it. And I've got some Stock Tanks that I use for raised bed gardening too. Even a 15 or 20 minute shower will send lots of water to the tank.

The next tank I install, I will raise the platform at least a foot or two higher so that I get more pressure when watering.

500 gallons is a lot of water and last summer it stayed at least half full the whole summer. 
Good luck!


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

If anyone gets into the pool with sunscreen or insect repellent on you now have chemical contaminated water.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Sheepdog said:


> Hello All. So I thought my first post would be about an old subject but one most newcomers are concerned with..Fresh Water Storage. I think this should be one of the very first items to start with. It
> 1. I currently have 4 55g drums of fresh water, easily accessible and obviously for Bug In situations.
> A. I completely empty them every spring and refill with nice fresh water.
> B. I add one full cup of bleach to each barrel at filling. (Note: I have used the more expensive chemicals for storage but at the end of the year I can not tell any difference in taste.) This could change if I stored my water for 5 years but I haven't had a need.


Hi, you say you use a cup of bleach per 55 gallon drum. Is your water from an untreated source? While I understand that sodium hypochlorite deteriorates in about a year, the normal amount bleach for a 55 gallon drum is only 6.875 teaspoons per the US EPA. I was wondering why you use nearly 7 times the normal amount? 
I store 260 gallons in a tank and even though it is city water, I add 1/2 the recommended amount just to be safe. My plans are not to rotate the water for 2-4 years, but will add the normal amount of bleach at yearly intervals, as long as microscopic analysis is ok, longer if I can. If I needed to use it, I would simply add the normal 4 drops of bleach to the water I use to be sure it's safe. One thing I pan to build for this years add of bleach is a 6 foot long, 4 inch diameter mixing propeller to go into my drill to mix the new bleach and water thoroughly.


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## jbrooks19 (May 22, 2014)

I have a family of four and currently keep this on hand:

At a minimal, 10 cases of bottles water.
5- Militray Canteens (The type you can drink out of with a gas mask on)
5- Water bottles with built in filters
10 Gallons of bleach (Cheap and will sanitize a LOT of water)
2- Hand pump water filters (Forget the brand)
4- Bottles of water purification tabs
1- 55gal rain barrel

Plus, my BOL has a manual hand pump for the well, with a complete spare pump as a back up, with extra parts to repair if needed.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

For the rain water system might want to build a sand filter system. Beware of the roofing material where you are collecting.

Roofwater harvesting system


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks guys! @paraquack, I looked up your comment and your right on target. Not sure where or why I began using one cup...maybe because I was storing it for a year and thought it would last longer??!! Either way I just made a note in my rotation to drop that amount to 7 teaspoons this April and get on track with the correct amount. Thank you very much. Interesting idea about the drill you'll have to share your design when you get done. @jbrooks19, very nice, a BOL with a well is ideal, let mother nature filter it for you..


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Chlorine bleach is lost from water through off-gassing. Filling the vessel to the absolute top and then capping it retards off-gassing. 
I contacted Clorox some time ago and they said the self life of their bleach is one year before it starts to loose it potency. Because of that and my slight knowledge of the off-gassing process which is retarded by not having any room at the top of a vessel for the gases to accumulate and having the vessel tightly capped, *I am guessing* and can not confirm that the chlorine bleach in one of our storage vessels would last for some time. If the vessel is tightly capped, the gases coming out of the water should build up enough pressure that the pressure should prevent any additional off-gassing since the pressure should eventually equalize. But since I'm not going to bet my health on it, that's why I plan to re-purify my water as it is consumed.


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## rjd25 (Nov 27, 2014)

HuntingHawk said:


> If anyone gets into the pool with sunscreen or insect repellent on you now have chemical contaminated water.


I don't think my toilets will mind...


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Your toilets won't die from dehydration.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Save dirty water from bathing to flush the toilet. Since charcoal filtration is supposed to be real good, will it filter out contaminants such as sunscreen from pool water. I hope so. I have the charcoal filter and I have 18 pools within 3 blocks. Fortunately I won't need those for 3-4 months. But even here in AZ, I'm surprised with how much water I can collect of the roof with out meager rainfall. Right now we use it only for tiny garden.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Good info here

The Average Gallons Of Water People Consume Each Day


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

rjd25 said:


> Do you really need to store water? If you have a well and a swimming pool with a means to generate power is it still necessary to store water? I don't mean to hijack your thread but I have wondered this and can't think of a reason why I should store any more than the 3 cases of bottled water we usually buy just for monthly usage.


Here is a small example from Montana. They have declared an emergency and are trucking in case after case of water.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/20...-river-oil-spill-contaminates-drinking-water/


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

Avoid the chlorine! Just not the way I wanna go. 

Water stores just fine in containers so long as you remove all growth media. That means remove all air, keep out of direct sunlight, the cooler the better. I've stored water bottles for years and years and the water outlasts the bottle itself (some plastics break down faster than others and sunlight can speed this). No need for chlorine of you just button it up properly.

I have a pool, so there's another 14,500 gallons of totally drinkable water (once you stop chlorinating and let the sun break down the chlorine naturally) Essentially I am keeping the water sterile until I need it. Out at the fallback site there's a generator and a well. After that we'll drink the neighbor's blood.
Did I say that out loud?


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

So it takes a cup of chlorine per 55 gallons of clean well water to purify????

I used to use 2 drops per quart while camping and wait an hour for it to work. When I filled my 55 gal airtight emergency barrel I used 1 tablespoon bleach. I have a good 2 micron filter I with charcoal I'd use on this water if ever needed for drinking. Do you really need a cup of Clorox for a 55 gal barrel?


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

jbrooks19 said:


> I have a family of four and currently keep this on hand:
> 
> At a minimal, 10 cases of bottles water.
> 5- Militray Canteens (The type you can drink out of with a gas mask on)
> ...


Since bleach degrades over time you might want to consider storing calcium hypochlorite (pool shock with 78% available chlorine). 1lb can purify 10,000 gallons of water.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

My pool is reserve water along with 4 each 7.5 Gal conatiners and 2 each 55 Gal. drums. I change them out every year. The 7.5 containers as back up for bug in and is easily carried in truck for bug out. I am looking at a larger tank that can fit behind the garage. I have a scource on those and can get them at cost. I will probabably increase the 7.5 as well. They are easy to store and portable.


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Hey, Great Info and thanks for sharing. @preparedone, I am having a pool installed this spring for the family to enjoy, it'll be a salt water pool though and I haven't checked into whether the salt will evaporate over time and I could then filter and drink it. (I could always use it for cleaning/bathing and such). @blackdog, thanks! I agree with you,I have a few bags (1lb) I grabbed from Walmart a couple years ago, I just don't use them yearly. @foolami, NO, it does not take the full cup I have been using, it was pointed out, correctly, that I was using to much! You sir are right on target. @Ralphrotten, umm, agree with the first part...I won't comment on the second..LOL.


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

"Also in August, a toxic algae bloom contaminated the water of 400,000 people in Toledo, OH. And last January, 10,000 gallons of crude MCHM, a chemical used by the coal industry, spilled into the Elk River in West Virginia, contaminating the drinking water supply of 300,000 people."

Great Article and thanks for sharing that Arklatex! I feel sorry for the residents but can you imagine if it was multiple locations at once that caused a water shortage. This is why I "we" prep. It doesn't have to be the EOTW just the ability to NOT count on someone else to save us! While the vast majority is running around crying because there is no water on the shelves at the store we sit back and enjoy our beer, because we prepared for it earlier!


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## Tennessee (Feb 1, 2014)

Slippy said:


> What if your neighbor gets the Ebola and falls into your pool and dies? Betcha would like to have some stored water eh?


I know you said this in humor. But I have thought about how to keep the pool clean when the SHTF. I would put or keep the pool cover on. It would protect anything from falling in even the Ebola neighbor.


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

Sheepdog said:


> @blackdog, thanks! I agree with you,I have a few bags (1lb) I grabbed from Walmart a couple years ago, I just don't use them yearly.


Check the ingredient on the Walmart stuff. Before I got mine online I checked Walmart and local pool supply houses. Everything they had for pool shock was a different chemical than calcium hypochlorite, though I don't recall what it was. Mayhap that it works the same way and is as safe to use as calhypo but calhypo is all I've ever seen recommended for our purposes.


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## Sheepdog (Jul 22, 2013)

Thanks Blackdog and good point, I'll check on that when I get back home. I'm not sure but I don't think the active ingredient was Calhypo!


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## Wryter (Jan 30, 2015)

I just got a 250 gallon tank and added it to my 600 gallon spa and 120 gallons of stored bottled water. I'm in permitting to get a well drilled and am planning on an off grid PV installation for it. But the least expensive and best water prep I have is an AquaRain 404 for water filtration/purification. Most of you have probably heard of Berkey filters but IMHO the AquaRain is superior. For hiking and in my vehicles I keep LifeStraw filters. (Back in my younger, fitter days--when I took month long solo backpacking trips--I'd have killed for one of these).

Here are some links: MyAquaRain.com | Water Filters by AquaRain for clean water in any emergency or disaster or for daily use.

LifeStraw® | Internationally recognized and award-winning water filters


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