I typically store my water off of the ground, whether it be in the basement or garage. The main reason I do so (no matter the type of actual storage device) is primarly to avert the leaching process: concrete to plastic to water. If you search the internet there is no shortage of folks who believe in mitigating the leaching process and others who say it’s not true, in any event it doesn’t take much to elevate storage containers off of the ground like so.
Method 1: Wood.
I like to cut 2×4’s for my large 55 gallon drum containers, usually 4 per container. The wood is obviously very sturdy and helps to distribute the weight of the drum which can come in around 380 lbs (each).
Method 2: Foam Boards.
Local big box improvement stores have foam project boards which can be purchased for cheap, I use these primarily for water bottles, jugs and water bricks. Truth be told there could be chemicals leaching from the foam boards into the chemicals from the plastic into the water, I try to mitigate all of this by simply cycling through my water storage supply.
I recently had an experience which made me very thankful that my items were up off of the ground. We had a clog in our septic system which resulted in a backup and rather disgusting overflow in our garage. While it flowed out of the garage and into the rocks outside it passed right under my water storage. All of the items which held the water bottles / jugs etc became rather soaked with the nasty liquid but the bottles remained unscathed. I was able to toss out all of the nasty stuff, clean the floor up with bleach and put the storage items back in place.
If I had to wager a guess I probably have around 600 gallons of water stored on site, while I do have a well if the power goes out and the generator runs out of fuel we’re screwed. I cycle through my water and also protect it by keeping it up off of the ground using two methods. Think about this when you address your own storage needs.
For more tips on food and water storage for emergencies check out the FEMA website here.
2 comments
there seem to be a lot of different opinions on water storage, a couple of questions for you:
how often do you recommend cycling water out?
what do you think is the best way to clean out a 55 gallon potable water barrel when cycling water out?
I get a lot of different opinions on these subjects, was curious as to what you recommend.
Author
Cycling depends on the type of container:
– We are constantly cycling through bottled water, the large packs from Costco that are $3 each.
– Water Bricks / 7 Gallon water jugs, minimum yearly…stored sealed (jugs) or with bleach additives (bricks).
– 55 Gallon every 2-3 years depending, some mixtures allow for 5 years. Usually just flush out with a bit of bleach and refill.
I do have a very large water source on site which would require boiling / filtering but could be used for quite a few tasks.