Posted: 4/14/2009 12:22:40 PM EDT
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OK, I found a source for cheap plastic and metal 55gal drums.
I was thinking of purchasing a blue plastic drum for water storage. Questions... What do I need to do to prep the drum for water storage? Once I have it filled, what do I need to add to preserve the water? How often do I need to rotate it? |
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Clean those barrels out really really well.
Some say household cleaners will do, personally I like the idea of using something like B-Brite which is a uber cleaner brewers use the "sterilize" out their carboys and other equipment. It is alot more gentle than other cleaners which can leave pits and grooves in the plastic which becomes a nice home for bacteria. This is just my personal preference though... Add 1 teaspoon of bleach to 8-10 gallons of water and rotate every 6 months is the general by the book advice. Many many members here have had good luck with adding no bleach and just adding tap water and rotating too... |
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Quoted:
Clean those barrels out really really well. Some say household cleaners will do, personally I like the idea of using something like B-Brite which is a uber cleaner brewers use the "sterilize" out their carboys and other equipment. It is alot more gentle than other cleaners which can leave pits and grooves in the plastic which becomes a nice home for bacteria. This is just my personal preference though... Add 1 teaspoon of bleach to 8-10 gallons of water and rotate every 6 months is the general by the book advice. Many many members here have had good luck with adding no bleach and just adding tap water and rotating too... Yes this. Go with the bleach it doesn't taste bad. |
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IMHO storing water for when the SHTF is not a solution.
You can't store enough water for long term situation. You'll need one gallon of water per person per day or more. The real solution is to find source of ground water and then set up a system to clean it. It aint's easy to set up a system that will work for long term without spending a lot of $$$$. I have a lake behind my house so I have the water source but I stil have not figured out a system to clean it enough to drink it. Best I can do for now is to filter the water using screen, dacron fiber, paper/cloth, sand and activated charcoal then boiling it for 10 minutes. |
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Quoted:
Maybe I should focus more on storing fuel for my geny so I can pump water from the well. What kinds of situations would result in the ground water getting contaminated and rendering my well water undrinkable? Or what happens if that genny breaks? Or your pump breaks? You can't store water forever but having at least several weeks supply is not a bad idea. I would never rely on only 1 source of anything especially considering that out of all of your preps, out of ALL of them, the lack of water will kill you the fastest. 1 55 gallon drum will do you for nearly 2 months of water. Besides storing water is most likely the cheapest of all your preps... Don't know if any of this applies to you. Link |
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All good thoughts. I will store a short supply of water (probably go with the 55gal drum)
I also have some other options. LIke I said earlier, I have the well and geny. I also have a large pool in the yard and I have a nice sized creek just a short walk from the house. |