Water: Sealed or Un-Sealed?

[Bonecrusher]

Quick question on storing water. I have a s**t load of one gallon water jugs that are stackable. Is it alright to refill these at the water machines and store for awhile, or would I be better off buying fresh ones that have not been opened? Also, whats the longest you'd feel safe storing the refilled jugs for? They'd be stored inside my travel trailer.

[site59]

How many jugs of water are you talking about?
I would think at some point a water filter(MSR) would be more cost affective, than paying for the replacement water/jugs every six months.
With the filter you keep one or two jugs full and then refill as needed.

[FN64]

Refill for sure!! Rinse them with a weak clorox solution & top em off. Store in a cool dark place. Rotate at least once a year. You can add chlorine bleach (Clorox) to keep any bacteria out.
The standard mix is about 16 drops per gallon (1/4 tsp. / 1.25ml).
Make sure theres NO PERFUMES in the bleach.

When you open for drinking.. give them the smell / taste test.. If the chlorine is to strong let the water sit in an open container for a few hours & the smell / taste will dissipate. Also shake the water to raise the oxygen content.. it will take the "flat" taste out.

73..FN

[Christian for Israel]

actually, the measurement of 16 drops per gallon is for brackish (ditch) water. for clear, unlikely to be contaminated water the dosage is half that. btw, for dosing water barrels and such, 76 drops equals one teaspoon.

as for reusing the translucent 1 gallon jugs, they'll hold up ok for a year or so, but the plastic is designed to be biodegradable so after a year or two they will start to break down (which will make a real mess). you'd be better off going with clear plastic like soda or juice bottles, or simply getting a water drum or two. we're living in a 500 sq ft apartment right now but we still have 2-60 gallon water barrels (enough to provide for the two of us for two months).

as for rotation, the bleach should stabilize the water for two years at least, but we rotate ours yearly.

[karlsgunbunker]

I've been using Gatorade/Sam's Lemonade jugs.
During the summer Wal-mart Carries the Sam's brand lemonade in a thick jug with a handle.
we fill them add bleach and put in the bottom of the closet.
also have some of the 5/7 gallon square bottom stackable water containers.
Wal-mart sells those cheaper than i can get them online.

[Gunfixr]

You need to not use the white translucent jugs, only clear ones. As posted, they will break down after a few months, and will leach chemicals into the water, notably formaldehyde. You can buy 6 gallon water jugs that look like blue plastic jerry cans. They are very heavy duty and work well.

[DirtPirate]

Just a note.

It is best to check the small imprint on the bottom (usually and it is marked with a "triangle") of any plastic container that you plan to use/reuse to store water and make sure it is labeled PTFE or PET and even then...in all reality it is best to only use them for a limited time because of the possibility of [url=http://www.ecologycenter.org/iptf/plastic_types/petmigration.html:28510]chemicals leaching into the water.[/url:28510]

The long term consumption of liquids stored in plastic containers can lead to a toxicity in your bloodstream that can effect your overall health.

For more information read The 7 Pillars of Health available [url=http://www.sevenpillarsofhealth.com/:28510]here.[/url:28510]

My personal thoughts are that if you do store water in plastic long term (which I do and have), plan on being able to filter it for direct consumption.

[Bonecrusher]

The bottles are the Arrowhead one gallon jugs you buy at the super market. Im not worried about the chemicles or anything. I'd just be keeping about 20 gallons for about 6 months or so. I'll end up getting the walmart bigger jugs, but my wife bought 20 of these arrowhead ones and they stack on top of each other. Just figured I'd fill these one time.

[FN64]

I found this while digging thru some image files..
Thought you guys might have some fun with it..
FN
http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/dehydrated_water.jpg

[Gunfixr]

Do you know where I can get that in bulk?? :lol:

[alpmco]

I have a couple of the 5 gallon water bottles they use on water coolers along with caps. As soon as I get wind of a hurricane forming I fill them and add them to me emergency supply.
I've wondered about those Britta water purifier pitchers. Maybe a good investment?

[Christian for Israel]

brita...no. if you want a good filter save and get a berkefeld. if a water filter only does half the job you'll still be in danger. this is one case where you need the best and the berky is the best.

http://www.jamesfilter.com/index.asp?Pa ... ategory=15 (http://www.jamesfilter.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=15)

[DirtPirate]

We use the PUR filter pitchers....it has more to do with the quality of the filter rather than the pitcher...and the good filters are not cheap!

Although I must say...I've wanted one of those Big Berkeleys for like forever...!!! :)