How are you storing or planning to store water long-term for periods where fresh water might be in short supply. Not necessary TEOTWAWKI, but something like an extended power outage, a spill into your local water supply, etc.

I've got 4 55-gallon sryup drums thanks to the local Coca Cola plant. I'll be picking up at least 2-4 more personally, as well as trying to hook up some friends w/ some. I figger that the 4 that I have now, being 220 gallons, should be at least a 1 month supply for my family of 3 (plus the dogs)

I havent really thought about it much. I have a few plastic bottles and jugs filled with tap water and a couple drops of bleach. That will not last very long I know, but its a start.

I have enough water on hand for a couple months. A pond and stream close by plus couple gallons of bleach. Could fabricate a still with items on hand in a few hours. A camp filter would be a GOOD addition for me - need to consider that.

Get my water from a well. Don't see that becoming contaminated. My generator will run the pump. Failing that, I am equipped to dip enough water from the well to survive.

City folks have it much tougher - but then, that is why I don't live in the city!!

Trust me Micky, living in the urban environ isn't my first choice. If I could find a place in the country for what I'm paying now, I'd be on that like white on rice. I grew up in the country, got married and moved to the city. It's convenient, yeah, but I liked open spaces, without effing mariachi music at all hours of the night, sirens constantly moaning in the distance, and nosey damn neighbors. Eventually I'll be making enough to afford to move back out to the stix, where we belong

Actually I use a 200 gallon water bed shock treated with chlorine. This wasn't as easy as it sounds since the bed can't be the normal polypropolene material which leaches into water but nylon material. Even then, the drinking water would be filtered.

Tj

Good idea TJ.

Yea, I'm afraid another learned the hardway. During Hurrican Alicia when I was in TX, we were without utilities for 7 days. I had a waterbed which came in real handy. Unfortunately it was polypropolene so the water tasted like a USGI canteen that the water had been in a couple years. The nylone cuts that way down.

Tj

Thats a heck of a good idea. so you put no other chemicals in besides chlorine?

It's not necessary. Once you shock the water killing all the microbial life, it's not going to come back unless you open it thus contaiminating it again.

Unlike a 55 gallon drum that loses it's oxygen content over time just setting there, a water bed gets jossled regularly when used.

BTW, I would never recommend a water bed for second floors only bottom floors with a concrete flooring. Their weight is like 8 refridgerators stacked together. Still it is an excellent water storage option for someone who lives in apartments which is where I lived during Alicia.

Also not a good idea in an apartment complex when the utilities are out to let anyone know you have a toilet that flushes.

Tj

Some of the places we have lived you would have a hard time NOT having that get out. Paper thin walls and all that.

I have a waterbed that we used to use as our spare bed in the guest bedroom before our daughter was born and we turned the room into a nursury. I will probably be putting the bed up in another room before too long, and now I have another reason to!

How much bleach do you add?

9-12 drops per gallon

Two drops of Chlorox original no additives per gallon.

TJ I would say you are right, but for long term the 9-12 drops are ok.

You just may need to pour the water back and forth from a few containers for a minute to drive out any residual chlorine.

At least you will not get harmful organisms in the water .

When putting in tap water from a city supply ,you may be right, for untreated well water I would go with a higher dose .


http://www.aquatechnology.net/emergencywat...rification.html

Here is another good site for water purification and use - you need Adobe

http://www.lifewater.org/resources/rws3/rws3m.pdf

This post has been edited by barnacle: November 17th 2005 11:00 PM

Agreed, was referring to city water only and in a seal container such as a water bed or 55 gallon drum that is rotated. City water has already been Chlorine treated and a sealed container does not allow the chlorine gas to escape.

The 10 drop method is an excellent method for treating raw potentially contaiminated water open to air with a short time frame of under an hour, however typically part of that procedure is to allow the cholrine gas to go to air. In a closed container at those dosages the gas tends to bubble in a water bed or collect in the top of the container. Stored contaner water typically is not used for months so the lessor amount gets the job done due to a longer timeframe. An advantage to the water bed method is it regasifies some of the chlorine with each use of the bed or jossling/mixing. 55 gallon drums using the same dosage levels should be either rotated every six months or shook to regasify the water.

Thanks for pointing that out.

Tj

with each use of the bed or jossling

Are you saying you are a sex machine



j/k

Thanks, thats what I wanted to know. So shake before drinking? Or just let it breath before drinking?

After 33 years of marriage?

Pudwak,

Most people recommend you pour from container to container to degasify the water. I personaly used the majority of stored water for non-consumption use, flush the John etc, and filter through a charcoal filter for cooking or drinking. I haven't found any plastic at all even Lexan that doesn't leach into water with time. You can only get some better than others. Charcoal filters are cheap and in a pinch not hard to make which would make a good thread for someone. The plastic taste of long stored water isn't good even if it is germ free.

BTW, just so you guys know I came up with my city water number by doing colony counts with a kit from Milipore. It's not very scientific since it only shows there is bacteria not what type but it's pretty much used alot in the water industry which was a former life I had.

In the field, I use a First Need (see campmor.com) which is a fiber filter rated for virus and with activated charcoal so I don't have to treat the water. As a backup I use iodine tabs and per the rules of three my third backup is liquid iodine which doubles for treating scratches as an anitseptic. Iodine still tastes bad but at the levels to sterilize contaiminated water chlorine is worse, IMHO only it's taste thingy. Given the time an d gear, no filter system, I prefer boiling to treating.

Field water filters is another good topic for there are many good systems out there.

At home, I use a cheap charcoal filter bottle and a couple of Pur products.

BTW2, If you guys have a good recommendation for 55 gallon water drums it would be appreaciated. The wife is pressuring me to change the water bed out and I will need to switch. I figure 4 at least for it's a long walk down to the creek.

Tj

I would be interested in the 55 gallon drum ideas too - Iv'e got 4 of em right now. I plan on getting more.