PDA

View Full Version : water storage



Barefoot
02-17-2009, 06:48 PM
so, i picked up some bpa free jerry cans to store water in for emergency preparedness. living in eastern ky, i have access to "tapped" natural spring water and was contemplating using this to store as it is abundant and free. i know that the water has been deemed clean but it also has a very high mineral content (which is why i don't regularly drink it....KIDNEY STONES HURT!).

my concern for long term storage is that there is no chlorine in it and that existing bacteria could grow. does anyone have any input on this? using tap water is no big deal i just like the idea of the spring water a little better.

also, is there anything i should be thinking about adding to the water for long term storage?

thanks guys....any input is appreciated!

RangerXanatos
02-17-2009, 06:49 PM
Why not go ahead and kill the existing bacteria?

Barefoot
02-17-2009, 06:56 PM
by boiling or chemical additives?

what is the shelf life on tap water without boiling or additives?

forgive the newb questions....;)

RangerXanatos
02-17-2009, 07:04 PM
Boiling and additives will work. The boiling is what most people do to make their water safe to drink from organisms, but as the water tuns to steam, you will have a more concentrated amount of minerals. You could try to boil all of the water out and collect the steam and let it condensate. The condensation should be free from most minerals.

Pure water is pure water. All the water that we have on Earth is billions of years old. I think that is a good shelf life. ;)

crashdive123
02-17-2009, 07:05 PM
Here’s a pic of how I store some of my water. After thoroughly cleaning the containers, I rinsed them with a bleach solution. It is important to make sure that you are storing “clean” water, as any bacteria in it prior to storing will grow.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Emergency%20Gear/Emergencypreparednesssupplies023.jpg

Here’s a link with some helpful info on it, including a table with disinfectant amounts.

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2243.html

crashdive123
02-17-2009, 07:07 PM
Another thing that comes to mind. If the spring water is something that you would not normally drink, why would you want to store it? To me, it's kind of like storing food that you would not normally eat.

Barefoot
02-17-2009, 07:13 PM
excellent link crashdive.....thanks!

i drink it right out of the spring in small amounts but when i was using it as primary drinking water over a long period of time (6 mos) i developed kidney stones from the high mineral content. i very much enjoy the taste of it but my body doesn't like it long term.

really, i was considering it mostly because we are currently in the middle of a boil water advisory with the tap due to a recent leak. given the info i have received, i will just wait on the tap to be palatable again.