ANOTHER OCD PREP RECOMMENDATION - THIS TIME FOR POTABLE WATER

[chief38]

Years ago I purchased a few bathtub bladders to fill with water in times of expected emergency's. It is a heavy plastic food grade bag sealed except for a filling spout that seals afterwards. It holds 75 gallons, conforms to your bathtub and they usually do not leak. It also comes with a food grade plastic pump to extract the water as needed. I believe it is safe to store the water for up to a month without treatment.

The only downside is that the company that makes it recommends they only be used one time so when the crisis is over, you empty it and dispose of it. I did that this afternoon and the easiest way to do that is to slice it with a knife and just let it go down the drain. They are not terribly expensive and I think I paid around $20 bucks each. They probably went up slightly over the past year or two - just like everything else. I would assume they do not want mold growing inside a used bladder and there is really no way to thoroughly dry it out. The opening is only big enough for the tub spout.

Some people just fill their tub but I do not like the idea of potable water being stored in a vessel that is commonly cleaned by household cleaners, soaps, etc. Plus the fact if used for long term storage I would think the stopper in the tub might leak or water can evaporate. I like this method much much better than storing hundreds of bottle of water in the house. They take up too much space and can only be stored for just so long. It is also much more expensive that way and for 75 gallons you would need many cases ( over 20 cases depending on their bottle size and count ).

The other recommendation that I do myself is to store water purification tablets. In an emergency you can use your pool water to drink if treated and filtered by something like a Brita or Zero Water pitcher. I have a Zero Water with a bunch of extra filter canisters, works very well.

 

[lihpster]

I like the gravity filters That backpackers use. For ease of use they can't be beat. Scoop some water up in one bag and let it drain through a filter into another bag. Here's one that's rated for 2 liters a minute.
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Microfilter-Backpacking-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/B092ZKKYKW?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1[/ame]

 

[StrawHat]

I use 5 gallon bottles. Full, they weigh 40 pounds and are easily moved and you can pour from them.

We use the Berkey water filter and I have a small one in the emergency stuff in the crawl space next to 50 gallons of water. The Berkey is gravity operated and can remove gasoline from water and make the water potable.

Another idea is the plastic 55 gallon drums. They are avaiable at a bunch of places but a cola producing facility has lots of food safe ones. For those you would need a pump.

Kevin

 

[Greyman50]

Have a food grade 55 gal drum that I sanitize with RV water tank treatment before use. Small 12 volt DC pump that runs off another device other than vehicle battery. Thank God have never had to use it.

 

[erikpolcrack]

Have a whole house+ 20KW automatic generator that now keeps our well water coming as usual when power fails. Before that, I stored water in the garage and basement in 55 gallon drums and other large-medium-small containers. Had a hand pump as well as an electric one. Had potable water and bulk untreated water for toilet flushing. We have a regularly-maintained septic tank near the house, so just enough water to flush kept things going for days and days with no problems. Still have all that stored water just in case. Never forget, when push comes to shove, turn off your water heater and drain the water as needed.

 

[Narragansett]

I am really looking forward to " The Best Tub and Tile Cleaner "

 

[mtgianni]

We went to a BSA Jamboree camp one year in a nearby town. There was a large water carrier provided by the National Guard. Had a couple of twins laughing that the "Army couldn't spell portable water".
They got schooled on the meaning of "potable".

 

[djohns6]

Never forget, when push comes to shove, turn off your water heater and drain the water as needed.

Do not drink that water without treating or filtering it .

 

[Rule3]

I have two of these (like the sidelines of football teams)


The filling of the tub is for flushing toilets or use some to wash stuff.



Igloo Coolers | 10 Gallon Seat Top Water Jug With Cup Dispenser-Orange

If you need to disinfect water 12 drops (1/8 tsp) of bleach to 2 gal of water. Stir and let sit 30 minutes.

 

[30-30remchester]

I am the model for the Boy Scouts. Be Prepared. One thing often overlooked it the automobile. Mine is never lower than half tank and I have enough stuff in each vehicle to be able to just drive away. Six water, 2 lbs. of trailmix, enough money to get anywhere in the US and back, copies of drivers licenses, coats, gloves, tools, extra glasses etc. On my person everyday I can do the same. Just because you ran to the store does not necessarily mean you can return home.

 

[DWalt]

Your water heater is a built-in emergency reserve water tank. We have several plastic kitty litter buckets which are around 4 gallons each. Used to store various items in the garage but could be emptied and used for water storage if need be. We had to use them that way once. Also needed to use a large picnic ice chest for emergency water storage once.

 

[SweetMK]

I have a super-oversized bladder tank for my well.

Set the pressure in the tank correctly, there is always water in the tank,, after the power goes out,,
i have about 15 gallons at minimum up to a LOT of water at full pressure.

The other plus is that having a huge tank, the number of times the pump turns on per day is greatly reduced.
The main thing that wears out a pump is the number of starts.
Some days, I think our pump may only start 2 or 3 times.

Even with showers, and lots of cooking ( for 2 people ) I doubt the pump starts more than 8 times a day.
Laundry day,, yea, more starts,, but, that is refreshing the stored water!!

I have been thinking about adding a second bladder tank.

The plus to bladder tank water storage??
The water gets changed at least twice a day,, no "old" water concerns.

Sorry, you city folk with constant water pressure would get no benefit from a bladder tank,,

I can start the generator, fill the bladder tank, and have water for hours, with the generator off,,,
No need to reduce water use,,,,,,,

 

[oldbrownhat]

I have 3000 Imp. gallons of rainwater in 2 underground tanks. I'm good as long as an earthquake (the main worry up here in coastal BC) doesn't take everything else out

 

[wood714]

I have a deep well for my irrigation system. I put a hose bib on the outlet pipe coming from inside the garage where the pump is. Generator would pump all the water I'd need.

I've thought about putting a old hand pump on it, but the well is located 4 foot from the front of my house, and 4 foot off the side.

 

[CalifEd]

It's good to be prepared but I also have several "life straws", along with other stuff, as a JIC.
If you are really up against it, these are real handy to have.

 

[DWalt]

When I was growing up long ago, our house was not connected to city water as there was no such thing. Our water supply was a concrete cistern fed by gutters and downspouts from the house roof to collect rainwater. It went through a sandbox filter then into the cistern. Normally it rained enough to maintain a usable amount of water in the cistern. I think it held about 2000 gallons. During a really long dry spell, my father had to have a tank truck of water delivered. Water for household use was drawn up using a chain pump in the cistern. One of my chores was pumping and bringing in water for household use, such as filling the toilet tanks, bathing, and washing clothing.There is more to that story but I won’t get into it here. For drinking and food preparation, my mother boiled it. We never got sick, as I guess we developed immunity to every waterborne disease know to medicine. By the time I reached around age 12, we finally got hooked into a city supply via a 5 mile long pipeline. Indoor plumbing made life much simpler.

 

[mtgianni]

There is an outfit that sells hand pumps to fit in a well. It is 1 1/4" PVC run down next to your well and has a hand lift portion. Pretty easy way to have water in a power outage.