Author Topic: Emergency Water (Read 2773 times)

Pax Vobis · « **on:** February 23, 2017, 10:34:02 AM »

What are the methods ya'll are using to store water for emergencies? The most common I see are:

- 55 gal barrels collecting rainwater
- 55 gal barrels, stored with treated water

My question is, if you're collecting rainwater, can this be used for drinking? It would seem you'd have to treat it and make sure it doesn't sit for very long or it would grow algae, etc. In my mind, rainwater would be a last resort, but surely better than not having anything at all.

Marlelar · « **Reply #1 on:** February 24, 2017, 12:31:16 PM »

For bulk storage the barrels work, but yes, they must be treated with chlorine to prevent algae growth. Check out youtube for some creative ways to stack the barrels.

Barrels do take up a lot of room and for people in an apartment or condo they are not an option. People with small spaces can store for the short term in 2 liter bottles. It takes a few drops of chlorine to keep them algae free and folks can tuck them all over their apartment. It doesn't add up to a lot of water, but something is better than nothing.

I would recommend getting a British Berkey to treat any stored water before consuming it, and don't forget it is important to rotate your water storage. It is not something you can store and then forget for 5 years.

confederate catholic · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2017, 12:41:37 PM »

i have 3, 55 gal rain barrels connected together collecting water for my garden. Frogs seem to love it! usually it has any number of tadpoles i guess i can get protein with my water if i need to

Arsenius · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2017, 01:26:50 PM »

I wouldn't drink untreated rainwater. The rain picks up all sorts of contaminants in the atmosphere before making it to your rain-collection system. There's a reason the air feels fresh after a large rain. This probably more true in urban and suburban environments.

Pax Vobis · « **Reply #4 on:** February 24, 2017, 02:38:57 PM »

Thanks for the advice. I'm looking into both rainfall barrels and other storage. As they say in the army, "2 is one and 1 is none." In other words, have a backup plan; multiple plans are best.

As far as treating water, i've heard you can use bleach, but that can't be stored longer than 6 mo, so a better, long term option is to get the chemicals used in pools, which is basically chlorine. It can be stored indefinitely and you can use these to purify the water, and then filter it through a Berkey or similar before drinking.