Forgive my ignorance ahead of time - new to the forum and pretty much to prepping in general. Determined to get serious but I don't know much about many things. To date, I only have a corner of a storage room stocked up with water bottles/a few jugs. I also have a bathtub water bladder thing I ordered but have never used. With all the train/water issues lately, I want to be prepared. Q #1: I want to order an indoor large container (55 gallon?) to put in that storage room. I'm assuming it'll be okay in there? Concrete floor and all - central heat and air. I don't know how to properly store water in something like that long term with drops and all that. It's all so confusing. Need recommendations on an exact product to buy and advice on how to properly store it. Q #2: Also wanted to get a rain barrel for outside. I don't have gutters, though - just the roof slants and it all falls right off. What's a good option for me for collecting rain water? Is this just for gardening purposes or can it be used for drinking? Unsure of how to properly store/save the water outside. Do I periodically put drops in it or something? I'm assuming mosquitos will be in there if not. God I hate being uninformed and I don't want to get caught in a bad situation where I haven't planned. I just need a starting point. Thank you!
All of my long term water storage is in gallon jugs of store bought bottled water. I buy it by the case and use it during the year replacing my stock periodically. Just like my canned goods in the pantry it is in a rotation of use and replenishment. I'm not sure what your rainfall is in your local, but here I could collect enough for the entire neighborhood in one season just from s simple catchment system. Like this one...
The first thing to do is research the Water Rights Statutes of your State of Residence.. Water Rights are governed by State Statute, and each State is different.. There are a few States where collecting Rain Water is in violation of State Law, and other states where rain water belongs to the State once it touches the Ground, even if you own that ground. Just Say’en, best to know what the Law is in your State, before you make your plans…
You might want to try using new 40-gallon plastic garbage cans with lids for water storage. Be sure to get the heavy-duty ones and wash them before use. You will need to use bleach or long-term drops to keep the water fresh, but you will also need to rotate the water occasionally, hence the plastic garbage can which is much easier to empty and refill than a 55-gallon drum. You need to be careful when reusing plastic bottle and jugs as they often have mold, fungus, and bacteria in them.*** I recently heard on the news that refillable water bottles and travel mugs can have more bacteria in them than a toilet bowl! The bacteria are not the same but none of them are good for you, so clean your water bottles and coffee mugs daily!*** As far as collecting rainwater, without gutters and down spouts that is going to be almost impossible. However, if you are worried about using treated tap water on your garden you can just fill another plastic garbage can with water and let it stand for 24-48 hours and most of the chemicals will be gone. You might want 2 or 3 cans so that you will always have "pure" water to water your plants with, and you will need to treat the water with mosquito killing donuts, add some mineral oil or cover the garbage can with some cloth to prevent insects and other pests. NOTE...The bathtub bladder is a one-time use thing, as mold will develop inside of it after use and there is NO way to clean it! They are only to be used in an emergency when water quality and/or supply is threatened!
We have an outdoor catchment tank. It holds 10,000 gallons. Water quality and levels are checked monthly. Chlorine and baking soda added and mixed as needed (no more than once a month). From there, it goes through our filter system making the water clean and potable coming into the house and our hoses. Inside redundancy is a Berkey filter. A fellow monkey has a catchment system that is low profile. He has a 5,000 gallon capacity in connected cubes. I forget the cube capacity, but there are potted plants on the cubes and you would think nothing of it if you notice it at all. He also has a separate small catchment for yard stuff. And redundancy is one of those water machines that pulls water out of the air.
Lots of good ideas here to get you going... I think one thing that wasn't mentioned for long-term water storage is to ensure the water container is opaque, to block sunlight, and they should be store out of sunlight. Also, might be a good idea to set your indoor water barrel on a small pallet if it's going to be in a garage on a cement floor. A handy thing is to strap the barrel to a hand truck so one can move it around easily. Hanzo's idea of a Berkey filter for an emergency is an excellent one. Yeah, they are a bit expensive but worth every penny if you ever need it.
I make a filter using a 5-gallon bucket and washed sand and activated charcoal. I get coffee filters from Starbucks which are large enough to handle the bucket. Secondly, I make my own colloidal silver and did an experiment that I added 1/2 an oz to each gallon of water that went into storage, and I used the last of it that had been stored for several years and it was as good as fresh no problems whatsoever. Silver kills all bacteria, and there is no taste. I buy Simply Orange, orange juice partially because the bottle is a Christal clear plastic that is very resilient and safe for water storage. When I had a home, I had everything that could store water full, but now that I live in a camper, I have to be more particular what I'm able to keep. Water is still a major concern but something I deal with, weight and space are a big issues.
Thanks y'all! Like gardening, seems to be lots of science involved. Not my forte. I'll ask my son to figure out safety etc. He's smart with that stuff.
Actually, that was one of the reasons I suggested a small pallet as not sure where it's going to be located, could use forks (forklift, tractor, etc.) to move it if outside, inside it's still a good idea though to keep it off the ground. If not, it shouldn't be too bad to move inside if strapped to a hand truck/dolly. The truth is, you are going to want to be able to move it as sure as hell as soon as it's full, weighing 450 lbs, you will need to move it for some reason. You can bet on that! LOL!
That is why I suggested a 40-gallon plastic garbage can, because it both lighter, and easier to empty if you need to move it or change out the water. Remember, she is
Rubbermaid plastic trash cans will split after a year or so with water in them. I had 3 split within 2 weeks of each other. Food grade barrel on cement blocks about 18"-24" off the floor makes for easier siphoning into smaller containers. If you prefer baths you can run a hose to the tub and fill it with bath water to help rotate the supply, or out the window to water the garden. As long as you are on city water there is plenty of chemicals in there to last 30 days, done so to keep the water towers clean. Just get on a rotation schedule. Maybe invest in a piece of plastic rain gutter from the home improvement store to aid in catchment? The Berkey water filter is the best advice, they can make mud taste OK.
I haven’t spent much time with water preps, there’s a good abundance of it in my AO. Does anyone store it at height for more head pressure? Seems like it could be a lot more useful stored that way.
We get plenty water here, so much the parish wants you to catch it in the form of 55 gallon old pickle drums used to be free now seems that these come ready with screened top, water valve outlets and an overflow fitting at the top so you could link up several. The catch, cant be used for drinking but okay for your garden??? The new price this year 45 bucks.
