A lot of people think water does not go bad. There is differing opinions and bad information when it comes to long-term water storage.
When ordinary tap water is exposed to light, heat and air (bacteria) and time. It will go bad. All water has bacteria unless it has been purified and sterilized. How fast the water goes bad depends on its level of exposure to the elements above. If you buy one gallon water containers at the store you have to understand that those plastic water containers are not air tight. Because the plastic breathes, it means bacteria and other contaminants can impact your water.
Complete Guide on How To Store Water Long Term
So here are few mistakes folks are making when it comes to storing water long term for emergencies.
1. Do not use old bleach bottles. These plastic bottles are not made for drinking . The plastic mixed with tap water and bleach residue will release harmful chemicals from the plastic into your emergency water over time.
2. Do not store in glass containers. Glass is too fragile and does not block light.
3. Do not store in used barrels. These barrels have had some sort of concentrate stored in them, like coke syrup, orange juice, etc. The reasons these barrels are readily available and cheap is because the industry can only use them once. Your problems begins when you try to store water in them and you grow some wierd black mold. There is no way to make these barrels suitable for long term water storage.
Here are some tips on How to Store Water long term;
What you store your water in is important for water safety. You will need a container that can be made airtight and doesn’t let any light in. That will solve two of the biggest problem. A 55 gallon blue water storage barrel is the perfect solution. It is safe for food or water storage, is opaque and can be made airtight.
Now that you have the right kind of container, you need to treat the tap water before storing it in the barrel. Remember all water has bacteria in it. so we need to pre-treat the water after filling the barrel. This potent and a clean and pure form of chlorine will kill bacteria providing you with a long-term 5 year storage? A product that is EPA approved is “Water Preserver”. This chorline based safe chemical does not contain of any of the dangerous chemicals that bleach does. It will kill all the bacteria in the water and the inside your storage container providing you with clean safe water for 5 years. The Water Preserver must be used in combination with barrels that are not clear and have caps that are airtight.
At the end of 5 years, simply dump the water, refill the barrel with fresh tap water and then re-treat with Water Preserver for another hassle free 5 years of emergency water storage.
CAUTION: Adding Bleach to your water storage is never a good idea or plan, it does nothing to extend shelf life and only contaminates your water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers bleach as a pesticide. Bleach can contain mercury and arsenic. I know everyone promotes bleach as a primary way to treat questionable water. I consider it a last resort.
There are many better options before you should have to resort to bleach.