Questions about water storage and water purification, page 1

I really think you(OP), need to figure out a way to store some water. To answer you question about boiling water, any dissolved solid materials(ie: minerals) will be more concentrated after you boil it. Seeing that you live in Florida, I understand that even though water may still be flowing out of the tap, it may not be safe to drink after a flood or hurricane as the treatment plant may be contaminated. If it is still clear, I would just add 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water, 16 if it is cloudy, and let it sit for at least 30 min. That goes for water you find outside, as well as your potentially contaminated tap water. Please note that if the water is contaminated with salt water, you can't drink it regardless of how you treat it. You can distill it, but as I found out doing a grade school science project, distilling water in any appreciable quantity isn't that easy. Commercially available distillation machines may be available, but from what I have read in your previous posts, you're on a tight budget. Filtering water though cloth to remove debris then treating with bleach will work just fine. You can store it in your refrigerator if you want, but I'm guessing that if you're having to treat your drinking water, the fridge probably won't be keeping it very cold. Assuming that you likely live in an urban area, please know that a lot of the small lakes and ponds that you may find are retention ponds for rain water run off from streets and parking lots. That water is likely contaminated from petroleum based automotive fluids and possibly chemicals to prevent algae growth and mosquito reproduction. You may also be able to collect rain water from your gutter downspouts. I would still treat that water too. Bleach will last at least a year if it is tightly sealed and stored in your climate controlled home. It does eventually start to break down, but it isn't milk. The stuff you buy on store shelves may already be several weeks or even months old. You stated that you live in an apartment and from my experience, your stove is likely electric. Your tight budget likely doesn't afford you doesn't afford you to buy a camping stove and enough fuel to be able to boil large quantities of drinking water. Your likely going to need 2 gallons per day, just for you because you may need to use it also for things like washing your cooking pot. That water needs to be clean too or it could still make you sick. I would get the $20 Coleman propane burner that sit on top of a 1# propane bottle and conserve that for cooking food. In your position, a campfire may not always be possible. Walmart sells these blue 7 gallon water containers made by Reliance, I think. They cost about $11. From what I have read on other sites, they're high quality and unlikely to leak, unless you stack them. They also have a spigot built into the cap. Seven gallons of water weighs 56# and would be tough to pour into a glass every time you want a drink. If that price tag is too high, then you can buy one gallon jugs. Just make sure you get brands that come in a crystal clear plastic jug. They cost a little more, around a dollar each, but the will last much longer without leaking than the milk jug looking ones. The milk jug types( cloudy plastic) will leak eventually. I have read as quickly as a couple months as they are designed to be somewhat biodegradable in landfills due to their prolific use as milk containers. You can also try to get empty food buckets from restaurants that they would otherwise throw away. Those would be free. I use them, and I still put about a 3/4 teaspoon of bleach(for 5 gal) in when I fill them, just to be safe. I would treat it again before I use it , again, just to be safe. The water may taste or smell slightly of something like pickles, but if your situation gets desperate enough to be drinking it, you'll get over it. At least you know that the containers are food grade. If the rubber gaskets are still intact in the lids and you store them upright with an inch or two of head space, they will not leak. If you know that a hurricane is going to hit you, fill up your bathtub and sinks. Assuming you don't get flooded and your building is left intact, your bathtub will hold at least 100 gallons of relatively clean water. Given the potential threats you have posed, you should probably concentrate your resources on storing some water before you need it, rather than on treating questionable water when you need it. I also have a water filter designed for backpacking that has a sediment filter and a pre- filter. It cost about $70. It will filter something like 50 gallons before the filter needs replaced. I keep this for a bug out water source. Most filters will get 99.9% of bacteria, but not viruses. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and require chlorine, iodine or UV light to kill them.