Long term Water??

[Tim-g19]

Well I never paid much mind to the dates on bottled water.
I had a few cases left that expired in 2006, Man did they taste bad.

The only thing we could come up with was the plastics in the lid or bottles had started to break down. Very bad strong Chemical taste.


Would I drink it to live? Yes. But not refreshing while doing yard work.

So What are you guys doing for water needs long term?

I didn't pitch it yet, going to try some filtration techniques to see if it kills the horrible taste.

[melensdad]

I dug a well and pump my own water.

[karlsgunbunker]

I use the Jugs that Gatorade and Sam's Lemonade & fruit juice's come in.
Have a couple of the Aqua block blue plastic jugs from Wal-mart.
Dutch Mil-Surp 5 lt jugs from Sportsmans Guide and Major Surplus.
Bleach bottles work well as do 2 & 3 liter soda bottles.

[baldmax]

I found this emergency water purification calculator.

Emergency Water Purification Calculator

It shows the ratio bleach to water. It could help out in the long run.

[rhino]

Originally Posted by Tim-g19

I didn't pitch it yet, going to try some filtration techniques to see if it kills the horrible taste.

The best way to get rid of that taste would be carbon adsorption filter. You don't need anything fancy, just something like a Britta pitcher should do the trick.

You could also get rid of some of it by aerating the water. Put a few bottles into a blender and let it whirr for a little while, and whatever is volatile will tend to leave the water.

I'd go with a Britta pitcher.

Or, use it to water your lawn, and in the future, cycle through your store-bought bottled water more frequently.

I keep water in empty 2 liter soda bottles. The 2 L bottles are about the least likely to make your water taste bad over time (except for glass or polycarbonate), and their essentially "free" if you drink soda. You can either put a couple of drops of bleach in them before storage, or treat when you use it, or both. I just put tap water in them and I'll worry about treating or filtering if and when I need to use it. I've been lazy about cycling through it, though. Every year or so would be a good idea. I do write dates on the bottles with a Sharpie before filling.

[indyjoe]

Originally Posted by baldmax

I found this emergency water purification calculator.

Emergency Water Purification Calculator

It shows the ratio bleach to water. It could help out in the long run.

One thing I didn't realize until I started researching water purification, is that Bleach breaks down to half strength after a year. 1/4 after two. Eventually it becomes salt water. Here is a good article on SurvivalBlog.com about using powdered calcium hypochlorite to make bleach when needed. Then you use that to purify water. (calcium hypochlorite is also know as Pool Shock and very cheap compared to an equivalent amount of bleach and stores for a decade or more, with no degradation if kept dry. Just make sure to get pure calcium hypochlorite, with out other additives)

[mastery]

If you near one of the bottling plants, pick up some of the 30 or 55 gallon drums. One of my neighbors works at Pepsi, and I asked him to bring me several of the 55 gallon drums. Took me a few hours to wash them out of the syrup...but now they contain nice clean water.

[KDUBCR250]

Originally Posted by melensdad

I dug a well and pump my own water.

+1

[Lars]

Originally Posted by mastery

If you near one of the bottling plants, pick up some of the 30 or 55 gallon drums. One of my neighbors works at Pepsi, and I asked him to bring me several of the 55 gallon drums. Took me a few hours to wash them out of the syrup...but now they contain nice clean water.

How frequently do you rotate supplies? Or do you intend to purify the water with bleach in an emergency? I'd imagine 110gallons (two drums, you may have more) take a while to drink.

[Fenway]

And where does the volatile stuff "go"? I didn't do well in science

Originally Posted by rhino

You could also get rid of some of it by aerating the water. Put a few bottles into a blender and let it whirr for a little while, and whatever is volatile will tend to leave the water.