[kdog1997]

Can you store these water bottles long term without adding bleach or other additive ?

 

[On_the_Rocks]

What kind of water are you putting in them?

 

[kev]

I dont see any reason why not. The bottles were designed to hold water, so it makes sense to me.

 

[Ziggenation]

I dont see any reason why not. The bottles were designed to hold water, so it makes sense to me.

That's what I was thinking. I think chemical leakage would be minimal since the original design of the container is to hold water. It has to be food\water grade plastic, right?

My opinion is that those store bought bottles will last many, many years. If you are putting tap water into them after they are empty I would recommend adding some bleach (very little, like 5-8 drop). A test kit should be used if you're bottling tap water.

 

[kdog1997]

I wanted to buy the one's already filled up, from walmart it's $11 ea 5 gal bottle. But, the bottles store better than the one gal milk jug types I think. Are all these types of water disteled ? If it is it doesent need additive right?

 

[gcvt]

For true long term water storage, I would look for light-tight containers.

 

[Rockclimber]

The light will cause the water to spoil within a month or two if you don't add chemicals to make the water last longer.
I learned that lesson the hard way. If your bottles are in the dark I would expect them to last 6 moths perhaps?

 

[MikeK]

The water will store well, but the bottles don't stack and are bulky, pretty much guaranteeing you don't have as much water stored up as you could have if you looked into other methods. I'm big on storage. I don't know how many "I have a year's worth of food and 2 cases of water" type comments I've seen. Water is FAR, FAR more important than food.

 

[abatardi]

would it be sufficient to open them up, put a bit of bleach in there, pop the watertight cap back on and then duct tape around it just to keep it secure?

I am a bit worried about water. I have a pond within about 300 yards of me that I could get water from but it is not on my land so I can't count on it 100% as a viable source in an 'event'.

 

[Optimist]

Stored water has its issues. I have two of the 250 gallon containers that a local spice outfit surplussed off, cage and all. After a limited time of storage, I will purify it or boil it before I use it. 5 gallons of water is 5 days of life, if it comes to that....

 

[patriot101]

I used to have 10 giant Poland Springs water cooler bottles stored here. We used some after 2 years (with the poland Spring water still in them). That water was just fine for consumption. If you fill it with tap water, adding bleach when opened can make it safe enough to drink. They say 2 to3 drops per gallon.

 

[Optimist]

I use a solar heater for the first stages after a fast sand filter, and it kills most things that live in ground water. Water filtration is not a bad thing to know about, because the system we live in is fragile, and most of us have not much notion what to do for water if the taps ain't running....

 

[Drchuck9792]

Actually, if you'll store it in total darkness (like 2-3 black trash bags around each bottle) you'll find bacteria cannot grow. Bacteria needs light to grow. Water will last indefinitely in such an arena. As a word of caution, don't use a water hose to fill, or you will introduce bacteria from the hose. I noted recently that Home Depot sells a water safe 25 foot hose for motor homes and campers (in the water hose section) for about 12 bucks. I would think everyone would want a couple of them in their pile of supplies.

 

[MikeK]

I used to have 10 giant Poland Springs water cooler bottles stored here. We used some after 2 years (with the poland Spring water still in them). That water was just fine for consumption. If you fill it with tap water, adding bleach when opened can make it safe enough to drink. They say 2 to3 drops per gallon.

Chlorox company says 8 drops per gallon of clear water, 16 drops per gallon of cloudy or suspect water. But that's using fresh bleach. Bleach has a short shelf life and degrades quickly, losing potency.

A better choice is calcium hypochlorite (pool shock). It's a dry granular form of chlorine that is dirt cheap and stable for years. You can mix bleach on demand and use it for water purification, household sanitizing, etc.

 

[MikeK]

Actually, if you'll store it in total darkness (like 2-3 black trash bags around each bottle) you'll find bacteria cannot grow. Bacteria needs light to grow. Water will last indefinitely in such an arena. As a word of caution, don't use a water hose to fill, or you will introduce bacteria from the hose. I noted recently that Home Depot sells a water safe 25 foot hose for motor homes and campers (in the water hose section) for about 12 bucks. I would think everyone would want a couple of them in their pile of supplies.

Algae needs light to grow. Bacteria does not. But if there's algae, bacteria can feed on it, making the water even worse. Keeping light away is important.

 

[crankyfarmer]

I saw 5 gal jugs at Sam's for $3.58 each.
To stack them put a piece of plywood across the top and you can pile them up.

 

[ocalhoun]

As a word of caution, don't use a water hose to fill, or you will introduce bacteria from the hose. I noted recently that Home Depot sells a water safe 25 foot hose for motor homes and campers (in the water hose section) for about 12 bucks. I would think everyone would want a couple of them in their pile of supplies.

Any hose could have bacteria in it, unless you sterilize it first.
What the food-grade hoses don't have is lead.
Ordinary garden hoses can leach a small amount of lead into the water that passes through them.

 

[payabontim]

Actually, if you'll store it in total darkness (like 2-3 black trash bags around each bottle) you'll find bacteria cannot grow. Bacteria needs light to grow. Water will last indefinitely in such an arena. As a word of caution, don't use a water hose to fill, or you will introduce bacteria from the hose. I noted recently that Home Depot sells a water safe 25 foot hose for motor homes and campers (in the water hose section) for about 12 bucks. I would think everyone would want a couple of them in their pile of supplies.

Then how can there be a thing called septicemia? That would mean that bacteria can not proliferate in the human body then right?

Actually the opposite is true. Water exposed to sun light kills bacteria with ultraviolet radiation, like the sterie pen.

 

[Optimist]

Pure water has no nutrients in it to feed the bacteria and algae. Theoretically, pure water would not require anything by way of disinfecting or treatment. However, pure water is like pure anything. It don't exist in nature.

 

[Burtenshaw]

Another option might be the 7 gallon Aqua-Tainer blue jugs available at Walmart for about $11. I think you could stack those at least 2 high.

And you could always reuse 2-liter pop bottles.