Water Storage

Water storage should be the #1 priority of any food storage system.

Your body can survive a lot longer without food than it can without water.

Not only that, but a lot of the foods we store (and eat) require water to be prepared.

Why store water?

During times of serious emergency, the normal water supply to your home may be cut off or become polluted.  In this type of situation, stored water will be your lifeline.

There is a lot that can be written about water storage.
This post will cover recommended amounts, water storage containers, storage conditions, and how often rotation is necessary.

So, how much do you need?

A normal, active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day (1/2 gallon).

Hot environments can easily double that amount.

Children, nursing mothers, and ill people could require even more.

When getting started, remember that anything is better than nothing.

The general rule of thumb is 1 gallon per person per day.

It is recommended to have at the very least a 3 day supply of water per person in your household.

Ideally, having a 2 week supply of water should be your minimum goal (more is always better).

The average water bottle holds ~16oz., or 2 cups. 

Which means that a case of 24 water bottles = 48 cups (or 3 gallons).

Conveniently, one case of 24 water bottles is the perfect amount for 1 person to have a gallon of water per day for 3 days.

They also run anywhere from $2-5 per case, so they are very affordable.

CONTAINERS:
The containers you choose to store your water in will ensure the safety and potability of your water.
That is why I recommend at least a 3 day supply for each person in bottled water.
Purchased bottled water ensures that you will not have to worry about contamination or purification.

Good water-storage containers are airtight, breakage resistant, and heavy enough to hold water.
They should stack well (or at least stand upright), and have a lining that won't rust or affect the flavor of the water.

One of the best options for large amounts of water storage are 55 gallon barrels/drums:

One for each member of the family would be an excellent goal to have.

For more information on how to use 55 gallon water barrels, click here.

Smaller amounts of water containers should be stored for convenience.

(55 gallon drums can easily be emptied into smaller amounts as needed with a siphon or hose).

I would recommend 5 gallon sized containers:

These are easy to move around, and can be purchased with a spout:

The spout turns on and off, allowing the container to be used in place of your kitchen sink or bathtub.
I would recommend having at least 2 of these (one for the kitchen, and one for the bathroom).  Ideally, this would be good for each room in your house that you currently have running water in).

You can also choose to re-use certain containers you already have for your water storage.

If you do this, use only food-grade containers (containers that once contained food).

Do not use plastic milk jugs.  They do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time.
Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.
Do not use glass.  They do not transport well; fragile.

Small containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums will work well for water storage.  (All containers used for water storage should be PETE containers).
If the container is a PETE container, it will have a symbol like this printed or embedded on the container:

It may have a different number in the triangle, and may have PETE written, but it's all good (I'll have to cover that more fully later).

To thoroughly clean containers, wash with hot, soapy water.  Rinse completely.
Make a sanitizing solution (1 tsp. of liquid bleach to 1 quart of water) and pour into container.  Swish around, being sure to cover every surface (including the inside of the lid).
Rinse completely again.
Fill with water and seal tightly (be sure not to touch the inside of the lid.

Label and store.
(This type of process should also be used when filling 55 gallon drums (as explained in the link above), and for the 5 gallon buckets).

Remember that water is going to be needed for several things, not just for drinking.

Old liquid laundry detergent bottles can be filled for instant washing water.

Liquid dish soap, hand soap, etc. can be filled with water as well.
Bleach bottles are not appropriate for storing water for drinking or cooking, but can be used for several other things.
If you have a container that isn't food-grade, you can use it to store water for other purposes.

STORAGE CONDITIONS:
Easiest to remember: Store in a cool, dark place.

More specific instructions:
 Temperature:
- The colder and darker the better - keep away from light and heat.
- Be mindful of freezing; ice expands, so make sure there is enough headspace (at least 9" in 55 gallon drums) if freezing is a possibility.
Most unopened water bottles will not break if frozen, but double check your brand by freezing one bottle first.

Location:
- Store water where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment.
- Protect from light and heat.
- Keep containers (even 55 gallon drums) off of concrete.
- Water stored in plastic containers should not be stored near gasoline, kerosene, pesticides or similar substances, as vapors could permeate the plastic and affect the water.

ROTATION
Just like all food storage items, water needs to be rotated.
This includes bottled water.

For simplicity reasons, I will just say that in most cases, the container itself goes bad before the water does.

However, any water is better than no water.
Purifying it will be easier than trying to find it (but that is a different post).

Try and use all bottled water by the date printed on the bottles, replacing as necessary.
55 gallon drums are recommended to be rinsed and refilled anually.
All other home-prepared water storage containers (including the 5 gallon containers) are recommended to be rinsed and refilled every 6 months.

Remember, these are just recommendations.
Truthfully, I haven't rinsed / refilled any of my water storage containers.  Ever.
My in-laws recently tasted the 10+ year old water from their 55 gallon drum, and noticed no difference in taste or quality.

Also, the amount of '1 gallon per person per day' includes water for drinking AND for food preparation.
If you have to boil water to make rice, for instance, boiling = purifying, so save the bottled water just for drinking.
Our other stored water supplies can be used for food preparation, cleaning, washing, etc.

Water Storage: How to use 55 gallon water barrels

This information was given to me through the emergency preparedness guru in one of my old wards. I included a few more pointers that I researched, and I thought it was worth sharing, since water is by far a top priority for emergency prep.

This information will tell you how to properly open, clean, cut down on algae growth, where and how to store them, how to siphon them, when to rotate, etc.

1. Opening:
The first trick is to get one of the two 4-inch bung lids unscrewed. (NEW barrels have two screw-in lids, but some USED ones have one screw-in lid and one sealed metal cap. If you have one of these, leave the sealed metal cap on forever.) If you can’t get the plastic screw-in lid unscrewed with your fingers, take a pair of pliers and put the handles down in the X-shaped thing on the lid, pull the pliers open, and unscrew the lid by turning the pliers. The pliers give you leverage and something to hold onto. You can also buy bung wrenches made for just this purpose (if you have a poly bucket lid lifter, often times they will have two triangular 'knobs' on the side that are made to open the bung lids (as shown below - just below the 'u' shape).

2. Cleaning:
If you purchased used barrels, they need to have the soda pop syrup rinsed out of them. YOU NEED TO WASH NEW ONES OUT TOO, but barrels that contained soda pop have a better chance of growing bacteria due to all of the sugar.

To Clean: Just put the squirter nozzle on your garden hose and squirt around in the barrels, add some soap, squirt some more, roll them around, then dump the water out, squirt some more, dump it out, etc. Repeat this process until you feel happy. It is also recommended that you then pour a half gallon of chlorine bleach into the empty barrel and roll it around some more and then let it stand for 2-4 hours with the bleach in it. Then dump out the bleach and RINSE IT OUT REALLY WELL. (This will cut down tremendously on future algae growth.) If you’re doing all this in the winter, just wait for a warm enough day. You can also clean out your barrels with the power nozzle at the local car wash!

3. Storage:
Put the barrel(s) where you want them to be — if you are storing them on cement, put some newspaper, carpet, grocery sacks, wood, or whatever under them so the water won’t pick up a cement taste — and then fill them up with a food-safe plastic hose (available at RV supply stores - I even got mine at Wal-Mart for about $10). A regular garden hose is not recommended, but of course is better than nothing.

If you’re storing the barrels where they might freeze, be sure to LEAVE ABOUT 9” EMPTY AT THE TOP FOR FREEZE EXPANSION. You might be wondering what will happen if you need the water in the dead of winter and your barrels are frozen solid. That is unlikely, but the chance that they could freeze is another reason at least 2 methods of water storage is recommended.

4. Rotation:
It is recommended by almost everyone including City Water Depts. that you rotate your water storage annually. (try to leave 9” empty on top for winter freezing.) When you’re ready to rotate the water, first siphon out the old water with a garden hose, squirt the barrels out with a squirter nozzle several times, treat them with bleach again as described above (#2), rinse them again really well, and then fill the barrels with fresh water using a hose made specific for water. (Travel trailer and motor home stores carry them) If your hose water is cholrinated and you rotate your water annually, you shouldn’t need to add more Clorox. Sine people like to add liquid oxygen, but I have never tried it.
Changing the water once a year only takes a few minutes, because once you start a siphon with the hose, the barrel empties itself while you’re able to do other things.

5. Water Cleanliness:
It is important to know that even tap water has some bacteria in it, and so unless your containers and water are 100% purified when first storing, bacteria will multiply over time if exposed to light and heat. They will multiply even more if they have sugar to eat, which they do with if your barrels are used and any pop syrup remains in them. Do your best to sanitize all your containers and use the purest water possible for storing. Then if you think your water might not be safe enough to drink later, filter it, treat it, or purify it again before using.

6. New vs. Used:
The pop taste is very slight in most used barrels but lessens each time you rotate your water. Many used barrels are translucent white. Supposedly, NEW and BLUE barrels grow less algae. BE SURE YOUR BARRELS ARE MADE OF FOOD-GRADE PLASTIC and that used ones have only had something edible for people in them before. New barrels, although more expensive, might be safer since they have nothing in them for organisms to feed on. But again, anything is better than nothing!

7. How to start a siphon:
First, put a squirter nozzle on the end of your hose and then turn on the water. Squirt some water out through the nozzle until all the air is out of the hose and the hose is full of water. With the nozzle still screwed on the end of the hose but not spraying, turn off the water at the faucet end. (The nozzle on the end should be keeping the water in the hose.) Unscrew the hose from the faucet, stick your hand over that end of the hose, and hold that end up to keep the water from running out, and then put that end of the hose down into the barrel ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM, and put something on top of the hose to keep it from pulling out of the barrel. Then run the rest of the hose along the ground (downhill if possible) and unscrew the squirter nozzle. As the water already in the hose runs out, it will start the siphon and empty out most of the water from the barrel.

Pumps/siphons are sold as well, which would of course be a better option if you were storing your water indoors.