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We’ve all heard it before – the importance of drinking about 8 glasses of water per day for each person. But when it comes to preparing for long-term water storage, there are crucial factors to consider. How many people will you be storing water for? Do you have enough space to accommodate your storage needs? Are you preparing for a short-term emergency like a blackout, earthquake, or tornado, or are you bracing for a larger-scale scenario, like when SHTF?
Not everyone has ample space in their residence to store large water containers like IBC Totes. However, when disaster strikes, having a substantial supply of drinking water for you and your family becomes absolutely critical.
In this blog, we will explore the various options available for storing water, whether it’s for the short-term or the long-term. By examining the pros and cons of each method, you’ll gain a better understanding of what suits your specific situation best. We’ll also address the concerns of those living in the city with limited space, providing you with actionable solutions to start storing water right away.
Join us as we dive into the world of water storage, ensuring you and your loved ones are well-prepared to stay hydrated and safe during any emergency. From space-saving solutions to extensive storage methods, we’ve got you covered!
The Basics Of Long Or Short Term Water Storage
Most people would think storing water is simple but we preppers, know this is not the case.
There are a number of things that could go wrong when storing water for the long term. Rule of thumb, always tests your preps, your gear, and anything that could be life-saving.
When bottling water in what seems to be a clean bottle or jar could lead to little black floaty things leaving the water smell. This could be due to not properly cleaning the jar. Let’s talk more about the mason jar for storing water below.
Contamination can happen as well when bottles are not properly cleaned. It boils down to having a clean container that you have properly cleaned and put the work in to ensure it.
Tip: Water that is from a municipal chlorinated water supply does not need to be treated before storing.
But if it hadn’t then it’ll need to be purified before storing. All the same, you could have even added two drops of chlorine bleach before shelving it.
Two drops per quart jar would be ideal to ensure that most pathogens are killed off. To be more effective you could take these jars and use a water bath canner to sterilize them all.
Storing jars of water will be ideal for drinking water. This should not need to be rotated as any dangerous pathogens will have been terminated during the bottling process. This is a good way of storing water for the long term that will be good to drink and use for cooking.
A little work has to be done in order to get a good supply of drinking water but it is so important and doesn’t think of it as a lot of work, think of it as practice in prepping.
Storing Water For Emergencies - Long Term
Let’s discuss the different options you have to store water for the long term. Most often people buy water from their local grocery store and most likely will come in a few different versions. A water bottle, a 1-gallon milk jug container, a self-service refill container of 2.5 gallons, or a 5-gallon self-refill jug.
I’ve used these bottles over the years and they all have cons in terms of long-term storage for your place. If you ever noticed, after many months, these types of containers start to leak.
They say to have a gallon for each person in a household. That is for drinking and brushing your teeth and staying clean. That is not even for flushing the toilet or cooking. In addition, it is suggested to have at least 2 weeks for each person for a water supply.
For a family of 4, you would need to have 6 of the 5-gallon bottle jugs just for a week’s worth of water supply. Now the smaller the container, the more of a problem it will be to store these in your house and where you decide to store it you’ll have to be sure not to place it on anything that will become ruined if leaks happen.
As you can see here taking stock of these grocery store water containers are problematic. It was an issue I was having and so we decided to find a good solution to storing water long-term.
The Best Way To Store Water For Long Term
Here we will go over some practical options you can store water for an emergency.
Saratoga Farms 5-Gallon Stackable Kit
I have found these 5-gallon jugs that were designed for emergency water storage, safe for drinking, and made with BPA free.
They come in different-sized kits. The smallest kit is a 30-gallon, coming with a total of 6 jugs.
They allow for stacking, and since water is heavy these are great for anyone who can’t lift over 40 lbs. They also save on room as well since you can stack a few of these on top of each other.
Overall it’s got a great design, not too big that you can’t carry it and they can easily be placed in a closet or spare bedroom if you are tight on space.
WaterBrick 3.5 Gallon Stackable
To save even more space these are 3.5-gallon jugs that can be stacked. Ideally, you can place it under a bed or one or more in the fridge.
These aren’t only for water, actually, you can store a lot of different things like food, ammo, or whatever else you would want to keep dry.
The WaterBrick jugs allow for long-term water storage for preppers and for anyone who wants to take supply of a week or two worth of water supply with one of these kits, it’ll be a good way to store drinking water and be able to run a house without power.
55 Gallon Water Storage Barrel
Another great option for long term water storage is the Augason Farms 55-Gallon Water Drum. BPA-free and designed as an emergency water supply barrel, it has some features like the two plugs for filling and drainage. When having a long term water supply and treating it before storage, the water will have no bad aftertaste. These are portable water solutions and you can even get larger water drums.
50 Gallon Water Barrel Stackable
You are also able to get the 50-gallon stackable water drums. They too are another great option to go with if you want to supply water for the next few years.
The great thing about this model is that you are able to stack. Saving space is always a good thing especially when we don’t have much to spare.
IBC Tote For Water 330 Gallon
If you are wanting a huge supply of water for storing long term then the IBC Totes are something to look at.
Normally they transport chemicals in these things and before making a purchase of an IBC Tote for water, look around your area because a lot of us preppers find these for free.
Try a construction site or landscaping company and ask if you can buy them, quite often they will just give them to you just to get rid of them.
FAQs - Long-Term Water Storage For Preppers
Does water go bad?
No. but the thing is, water can become contaminated with bacteria.
When storing water you have to be careful to ensure no contamination is going to happen. In the country, typically there will be well water and it is a good source of drinking water for the most part.
In the city most likely the water is being treated and monitored regularly to ensure safe to drink. This will be fine for storing water in the long run.
How Does Water Become Contaminated?
Mainly from the water source itself and the storage you use.
Is Well Water Safe To Drink?
Most of the time well water is fine to drink. Though it can become contaminated so it is good to have to be tested often and use filters.
Conclusion
When it comes to preparing for you and your family taking stock of a great supply of water will be going to make the world of difference when the power is out for 3-5 days and if you are preparing for a long-term outage for a disaster then it is a good idea to start preparing and take stock with what you have. No matter how much space you have available, having a supply is going to be critical.
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