Need to Prep Water

[Jeepers]

Now I'm concerned about the 5 gal. plastic water bottles I have.

 

Wonder how long bottles of water have been sitting on the shelves? Also, wonder how long they have been sitting in a hot warehouse?

 

What is the alternative? Glass half gallon canning jars? Pretty expensive and space consuming.

[Cowgirl]

4 hours ago, Jeepers said:

Now I'm concerned about the 5 gal. plastic water bottles I have.

 

Wonder how long bottles of water have been sitting on the shelves? Also, wonder how long they have been sitting in a hot warehouse?

 

What is the alternative? Glass half gallon canning jars? Pretty expensive and space consuming.

 

I know. I am concerned too! Water toxic enough to kill grass ... Scary!!

 

The black berkey could likely remove most of whatever chemical that is, but I would rather not have such a poison in stored water. And I wonder what chemical it is?

[Jeepers]

I know the water jugs I bought said BPA free on them but BPA might be the least of our worries.

[Mt_Rider]

I agree with Cowgirl.  From my research [which might be outdated...years ago] the black Berkey filters were the best for getting out all types of contaminant, including chemicals.  The only thing they were vague on was that toxic algae stuff.  I don't think the LifeStraw is nearly as good as Berkey, Katadyn, and Sawyer.  But Lifestraw is extremely good if your alternative is filtering water thru your bandanna.  LOL  Ya do the best with what you have at hand.....when a crisis hits.

 

Don't forget to research water distillers too.  They take out just about everything.  Exception is some metals that have a low temperature vaporization point [or however you say that]. 

 

Annarchy, y'all got some skeeerrrry water there, friend! 

 

MtRider 

Edited July 27, 2018 by Mt_Rider

[The WE2's]

In a life changing event, I'd be boiling my water "before" I even put it in my Berkey.  We have two Berkey's ... a smaller one that we can take traveling and a bigger one that we use for our drinking water etc.  Our bottled water we keep on wood flooring and away from sunlight and heat/cold.

[dogmom4]

Bump....

[Littlesister]

Thank you Dogmom. It just reminded me that I still have to fill my water jugs. I have 14 of the blue 5 gal. jugs. I have 6 of them that I have to change the water out. Been 6 months. That was my hurricane supply. I can use that water for cleaning and such. I have canned several quart jars of water and have 6 cases of the blue can water that is good for 50 years. Getting time to buy 2 more cases. I do that every 4 months as a case of 24 cans is 30.00.  I also have a Berkley. Those are one of the best. I have several of the black filters also.  I had been looking into those BPA free water bags. They have different sizes and I am looking into the 300 gal. ones. Not cheap, but for water it will be something I might have to bite the bullet on that one. Will think about it as I also would need to totally move things around in garage to put them in there to store. Not quiet sold on them yet. These bags are huge, guess if you know what the water bobs are that you put in bath tub as I have 4 of those. These are heavy duty bags just for water storage. I will have to find the sight again for those. I need to also get a shallow well hand pump. So much to do on this and just so busy with everything going on, I can't find the time. And I fear time could run out before I get some things in place. No time to be putting things like this on hold. 

I do know that even with a well if we have another drought like we did a few years ago, My well was almost dry. So can't fully depend on it. If we get that 2000 stimulus check I heard them talk about again, that would be 4000 for us. That might more than cover having someone come out and put in another well. But I am not counting on that money.  The one we have now is 35 feet deep. 

[euphrasyne]

I am weird.  I prefer to stock water in the 16oz plastic bottles.  They are small and manageable and I can pull out how much I need at a time and store them in different places.  I do not like to keep water in non climate controlled places if it is in plastic.  BJs carries a 40ct 16oz pack for $2.79.  That is 5 gallons at about .56 cents a gallon for every case I buy if it is not on sale--which it often is and I more regularly pay about $1.99 for a case.  We do have a well, but the iron content is so high I prefer to not drink it and use it for other applications.  

[Mother]

We have our own well with relatively clean safe water. We use electricity to run the current pump.  However it is only 25 feet down to water and we have a small hand pump complete with pvc pipe already set up that we can install if needed.   It would mean opening the well and taking the chance of ground water entering but we have a Berkey filter to help with sanitation.  The well sits within ten feet of a door which would make it fairly easy (we are no longer young or strong) to pump and carry water.  We do have several springs we could tap but they are at a distance from the house in a wooded hillside which would make them more dangerous to access.  We have a very small pond that is not much closer and a deep unused water filled quarry a longer distance away.  Despite all that we store water in plastic gallon jugs here and there around the house and refresh them often by using them routinely to water plants in the small green house, give water to the outside cats (we no longer have livestock), flush with, or whatever. 

 

I also have knowledge and experience (practice?) of how to find liquid in nature by various means but that would be a last resort as it expends a lot of energy to harvest enough.  (Did you know that you can use the sun and a clear container to sanitize water? )

 

One last major prep we've been contemplating is a 220 generator to run our well pump or perhaps a solar well pump  Then I might feel water secure.  Maybe.  It is one of the things you can't live without for any length of time. 

[Littlesister]

Mother we have a 220 well pump, it is very old but still works. That is what we are using. Only thing now is that it is so old we have to prime the well each time we use it. So need to get someone out to check it and to get a new pump and hand pump. I am working on that situation soon.

[Ambergris]

Our well water tastes pretty bad too, Euphrasyne.  We spend a lot of money on bottled water even though we have some filtration.  I love most cave water and well water.  I even like the taste of iron in water (which we don't have).  But some mineral in this water is not tasty.  Nevertheless, it's water and would keep us going.  If we ever get the solar pump works installed.  Hm.  Need to give DS1 another push on that.