What is the best type of container to hold water long-term?

I was looking at another cite when I came across this one advertising water containers: beprepared.com...

It addressed all of my issues.

Now, does anyone know where I can buy a water container like this without ordering it in the mail? I don't want the UPS guy to put this on my doorstep so the package can sit there all day until I get home.

Do any large stores (Lowes, Home Depot, Atwoods, etc) carry this or do I have to order it by mail/Internet? Remember, I'm going for the "not-so-obvious" approach. I'd like to be discreet. Thanks for any tips you may have!

Here you go

Home Depot even sell one that is disguised as a big ugly rock

here#

I assume you can just take the downspout converters off and use them as storage

GSE grapefruit seed extract can be used to purify water.

www.naturalmeals.com...

__GSE NutriBiotic®
Grapefruit Seed Extract
A 2 oz. bottle costs only about $10.95, contains 1260 drops,
and safely purifies up to 126 gallons of water. __

You can get the Citricidal - triple strength version from Nutriteam.com $11 an oz. TRIPLE THE POTENCY
of Nutribiotic the latter can be bought in many stores now. Only medical providers can now buy the gallon
version of Citricidal - which would last you and some pals a lifetime!

I keep a quart around not wanting to use chlorophyll to purify water in case of an emergency.

I have taken 3-5 drops a day of Citricidal for 12 yeas and have only had 3 colds and one bout of flu in that period.

It is effective for 800 viral, bacterial, parasitical and fungal infections - can be used for diabetes, athlete's foot,
gingivitis, candida, strep, poison oak etc. ALWAYD DILUTE!

The list goes on and on. Cut a grapefruit in half and voila! it looks like the SUN -
it does seem to be a panacea.

NEVER take the several drops of either Nutribiotic or Citricidal in a glass of water though - put it in juice when taking it as a preventive or curative. NEVER put a drop on your mouth or you will be sorry - it is so sour that way.

Only a little is needed to purify water. You will need to call the company or do some web search or use the formula at the top of this post and do some calculations

When storing water I learned during the y2k prep that one should fill a water container almost to the VERY top
to minimize the possibility of bacteria. Every 6 mos. change it - not 12 months - I think is better.

My glass jars all froze when I left them outside a couple years ago. Consider storing under your bed!

A medical doctor said in general if you buy bottled water of any sort it is preferable to put a few drops
of lime or lemon in it for structure (unsure exactly what that means though!).

How would I fare if I used a local water source, like a creek or stream.
Of course boiling it, would that be effective?
Or should I be concerned about contaminants/chemicals from humans?
How should I test this water source to make sure it's safe enough?

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

For now, I'm going to buy those water containers from Wal-Mart that are close to the water refilling station and fill them almost to the top with tap water. I'll empty them out and refill them every 6 months.

Somewhere I heard that I should keep them off the concrete floor in the storm shelter. Is that true? Why would that be?

On this survival site it says

Do not place your water containers directly on a concrete floor. The chemicals from the cement can leach through the plastic, thus contaminating the water. Rather, put down some sort of wood platform between your water and the floor. Furring strips, untreated 2x4s, or even plywood works great for this.

I have no idea how valid that is

A concrete cistern hooked up to your house's gutters, or a deep well. Empty bleach bottles hold water and have trace amounts of bleach to keep it sanitary. Boil water for ten to twelve minutes and it's fine to drink from the questionable sources. Your bathtub, water heater, and the back of the toilet seat all have water stored.

reply to post by davespanners


Thanks for the tips, Davespanners! I'll have to figure out some sort of system before I put all that water on the floor again.

Originally posted by frugal
A concrete cistern hooked up to your house's gutters, or a deep well. Empty bleach bottles hold water and have trace amounts of bleach to keep it sanitary. Boil water for ten to twelve minutes and it's fine to drink from the questionable sources. Your bathtub, water heater, and the back of the toilet seat all have water stored.

Frugal, have you used empty bleach bottles yourself? I'd be interested in hearing about your actual experiences doing this.

I purchased four 3 gallon containers to hold water. I am planning on buying much more, but I need to have my system in place to hold the bottles before I get any more.

Someone said I shouldn't put them directly on the ground. Can I put them on bricks or is that the same thing? I thought about putting them on wood, but I don't want to attract termites down in the storm shelter.

Does anyone have ideas for some sort of storage system?

Also, have any of you bought the 3 or 5 gallon containers that already have water in them? Do you empty some of the water out in case it freezes, etc.?

I'm using 4 55-gallon HDPE Food-Grade Drums. I've used the bleach method to keep the water disinfected and rotate it every 6 months. I test the water every time I rotate it out to ensure it's potability. This is definitely not a portable method of storage due to the drums weighing roughly 400lbs when full. This is a good method for a "bugging-in" type of scenario.

reply to post by Waiting2


water will go bad after 6 months.Use 2 liter soda bottles,but only fill them 3/4 full,so if they get too hot,they won't blow up

Wow, things have sure changed since my first reply to this in 2010.

Now, my storage system is:

Primarily, a well, with an optional manual pump to use in emergencies (normally, an electric pump).

Two 55 gallon barrels (if I lose power, I lose the electric pump, so that sucks. While the manual pump can work, it's slow, tedious, and a lot of work...eventually, back up generators for this) - This is for drinking water. These are designed for it, and the cost is pretty damn good here. (get one of the kits too, for accessing the water easily). I'm planning on putting two more of these out by the stables too.

beprepared.com...

Two 50 gallon rainwater barrels (this is for water for cooking or cleaning). The name is deceptive, my gutters get nasty, so these really aren't going to be fed by rain water except in an emergency situation.

I periodically drain and refill these (using the water for the horse troughs or gardening, etc.) to keep the water more fresh, and of course have purification methods on hand (and the horses love a little bleach in their water)

Not too long ago, we had a slab leak (leak in a copper pipe, under our concrete floor). Pain in the butt...and left us without water for a time, while we fixed it. It was SO nice to have the above alternatives (we had less at the time), that we increased the water backup.

This is definitely not a portable method of storage due to the drums weighing roughly 400lbs when full.

I can concur with this, though it feels more like a ton, hehe. I use three cinder blocks (on end) under each barrel to raise it up to a more accessible height.

reply to post by Alexander the Great

How would I fare if I used a local water source, like a creek or stream.
Of course boiling it, would that be effective?
Or should I be concerned about contaminants/chemicals from humans?
How should I test this water source to make sure it's safe enough?

If by local you mean in a city, then I'd avoid it... Size matters, the smaller the metro area, the cleaner the water.
Boiling will kill organisms that contaminate, but not chemicals and metals. If you live in a city area, and don't plan to leave, I'd recommend getting a portable water filter (Katadyn makes good ones)
beprepared.com...

There are also water tablets that can help (Chlorine Dioxide tablets).
There are test kits you can get to discern the potability of water.

reply to post by Waiting2

Frugal, have you used empty bleach bottles yourself? I'd be interested in hearing about your actual experiences doing this.

I have, no different than swimming pool water, in essence, it is the same thing.

reply to post by Waiting2
I did not read all the replies but a short story from the covered wagon days. They used to place a silver 1/2 dollar or full silver dollar in their wooden water barrels and the water would not spoil when traveling transcon..

reply to post by 727Sky


Silver is lethal to bacteria, that's why, but a rather expensive solution...except for those preppers who now regret spending thousands for now worthless pretty metal......

Originally posted by Gazrok
reply to post by 727Sky

 

Silver is lethal to bacteria, that's why, but a rather expensive solution...except for those preppers who now regret spending thousands for now worthless pretty metal......

Well the good thing about that method at least they had some pocket change when they reached their destination... Ha..

Several water filters used to use silver in the charcoal filters to kill the bacteria or stop it from growing in the first place...

reply to post by 727Sky


It is effective if you have it, just expensive is all, if you don't. On really good sports socks, they'll sometimes have some silver in the thread to help retard bacterial growth.