# Is Stored Water Safe After One Year?



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

> I received an email asking my opinion regarding the safety of drinking water that has been stored for a year under specific conditions that include being exposed to higher than normal temperatures during the summer.
> Here is the question and my answer.
> Is Stored Water Safe After One Year?


----------



## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

My SPAM filter blocks them


----------



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

AquaHull said:


> My SPAM filter blocks them


Thats cuz you run some mean security over there. If they make it past the fence then you'd have to shoot them.


----------



## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Water gets reused. There is only a set amount of water on this planet. 

If you have a well and septic. The minimum distance was 100 feet. So you are pumping poop down. And retrieving your water less than 100 feet away. Enjoy your Monday.


----------



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

James m said:


> Water gets reused. There is only a set amount of water on this planet.
> 
> If you have a well and septic. The minimum distance was 100 feet. So you are pumping poop down. And retrieving your water less than 100 feet away. Enjoy your Monday.


The township regulation in my area is still 50ft

Id rather drink my own septic water than Detroits city water which is from the Detroit river which is a dumping ground for everyone's sewage.


----------



## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Water is water. It doesn't "go bad", like the linked article stated. Just clean out any introduced "things", and it's fine again.

Why is the article dated September '14, but the first comment is from July of the prior year?


----------



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> Water is water. It doesn't "go bad", like the linked article stated. Just clean out any introduced "things", and it's fine again.
> 
> *Why is the article dated September '14, but the first comment is from July of the prior year*?


Good question.


----------



## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Im more worried about pollution and especially artificial chemicals. If something comes from nature. It can be naturally filtered out. Chemicals don't like to go away so easily.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I would re-treat the water with chlorine bleach, and filter it if necessary. Because of my location, I have 260 gallon storage plus the water heater. I can't think of any other form of contamination to worry about other than the normal biological critters that might grow.


----------



## Sharkbait (Feb 9, 2014)

IF the water has been stored as described (clean food grade storage,out of direct sunlight and a known good water source treated with bleach),it does not go bad.

However it can go stale.

To remove the stale taste simply re-oxygenate by pouring back and forth between two clean containers and that will revitalize the water as well as rid the stale taste.

Water that has not been stored this way,I would not trust without boiling and/or bleaching and would still run it through a quality water filter before use.


----------



## Kahlan (Sep 16, 2014)

If we're worried about water not being good or safe after a year why not just rotate it? Assuming it's not post shtf and we still have running water etc. I realize that has the potential to be a lot of water to rotate and a potential waste of water but if you rotated your water out regularly used the old water you were rotating... Besides drinking it there are a lot of ways to use your old water. In the garden comes to mind. None of my water is over 4 months old yet but my plan was once it reached 6 months to start rotating out by oldest first. Post shtf I am hoping that by the time a year has passed (hopefully long before then) to have a clean fresh source of water. I consider my water stores to be a temporary solution.


----------



## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

I rotate my stocks too.


----------



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

It doesn't hurt to rotate out your water every so often yet I don't think it is absolutely necessary. I have brewed coffee from water that was stored for several years. It is important to start out with the best water, water storage containers and ideal storage location. 

After that you can rotate the water if you want to, yet if you have taken the steps to do it correctly then all that is really needed is a filter or water purification for peace of mind. 

Bleach is kind of a double edged sword, it works yet looses potency over time. When new (fresh) it is about/around 6% chlorine by volume. Chlorine breaks down and looses potency over time. For the purpose of disinfecting water bleach has a shelf life of about a year before the chlorine content drops to a point where it becomes questionable. 

Heavy metals and pesticides are probably more of an issue when it comes to long term storage of water, if they are present when you store the water they are more than likely going to be present when you get around to using the water. So it is very important to start with water of a known quality. 

Surprisingly most city water (not all) is as good as bottled water. That one threw me, yet it makes sense because it is monitored and treated for a wide range of impurities. Having lived for a while in an area that has heavy metals in the water (uranium and radium) I can tell you that it is a bit nerve wracking to know your water is laced with such things.


----------



## Rob Roy (Nov 6, 2013)

Pardon me, official business *flashes wallet*, I am commandeering this thread to direct attention to this recent article:

Can Good Water Go Bad?


----------



## Daddy O (Jan 20, 2014)

I have done a fair amount of testing for water storage and yes, properly stored water is good for years. The oldest i have drank was 3 years old stored in 2 liter pop bottles. With water that old i worry more about the pcb's from the plastic breaking down than i do the water itself. But you get the best results if you remove all air. Water doesnt go bad per say, but it will become a petri dish if you give it growth meduim. My pool sprouts blackmold every year when water temps hit 85, and i chlorinate like krazy.

Also, keep the drum out of sunlight or it will break down faster. I prefer smaller 2 liter bottles because they are portable in a pinch. Once they get to be a year old i either take em camping or shooting. They are almost indestructable. Try it, drop a 2 liter jug of water over and over again. As long as you dont drop it on the cap, itll survive. 

But drums should be set up on a stand so you can fill\drain them easily, but for a 55gal drum you are talking about a pretty stout stand.

Yes, after a year is easily okay for water assuming it was stored properly.


----------



## Daddy O (Jan 20, 2014)

Kahlan said:


> If we're worried about water not being good or safe after a year why not just rotate it? Assuming it's not post shtf and we still have running water etc. I realize that has the potential to be a lot of water to rotate and a potential waste of water but if you rotated your water out regularly used the old water you were rotating... Besides drinking it there are a lot of ways to use your old water. In the garden comes to mind. None of my water is over 4 months old yet but my plan was once it reached 6 months to start rotating out by oldest first. Post shtf I am hoping that by the time a year has passed (hopefully long before then) to have a clean fresh source of water. I consider my water stores to be a temporary solution.


For you, you should never water your garden from the hose. Trickle fill a drum and water from the drum. Then you will always have a fresh drumof water.


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

In AZ, I don't have much of a garden to water. All my water is in one storage tank so rotating the water stores could be hazardous if the SHTF while I was emptying the tank. Water is fairly precious here and kind of expensive. Since the worst case scenario I see is that on a yearly basis I have to add 9 teaspoons of bleach to my tank, that's what I will for the time being.


----------



## Kahlan (Sep 16, 2014)

Daddy O said:


> For you, you should never water your garden from the hose. Trickle fill a drum and water from the drum. Then you will always have a fresh drumof water.


I wasn't aware of this. Why no hose watering?


----------



## 7515 (Aug 31, 2014)

after 364 days all water turns into vodka.


----------

