[olebama]

Don't I recall a post on another thread about not storing plastic containers in contact with concrete? Something about the lye in the concrete will be absorbed into the plastic and into the water? Or did I imagine that?

[Celticwarrior]

Originally Posted by olebama

Don't I recall a post on another thread about not storing plastic containers in contact with concrete? Something about the lye in the concrete will be absorbed into the plastic and into the water? Or did I imagine that?

Yes, there are several redundant threads about common survival questions here. That particular one is a recently resurrected thread. I was answering a few questions for people there, including one about why we use pallets or other barriers rather than just stacking water jugs or barrels on the cement floor. The leached lye can destroy your container, and contaminate the contents.

[stairman]

I store mine on a wood pallet.

[AlpineZone]

Check your local restaraunts. Some will sell you 5 gallon containers that where once used for canola oil for around 50-75 cents a pop. Use 1 pint of dawn ultra concentrated dish detergent and 1 gallon of hot water and shake it around for a bit. If its still greasy do it again. Hope this helps.

[Unswydd]

Okay, this has me interested now. I keep bottled water in the basement (on shelves) and some of it is recycled bottles I've filled from the well (filtered). Do I need to use this????? some of it is 6 months old or less. I just keep adding to it. I use the 2 liter bottles pop comes in and send it down to the cellar.

[Unswydd]

Quote CW..... Celticwarrior
Senior Member
FireSteel Tube Armageddon Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,664



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All containers will leech something into the water, as TJ noted. The level of that contamination and what substances are imparted are the real deciding factor. PET plastic, which has been rated as Food Grade, and has been set for LONG TERM storage would be the best. There are plenty of companies, like Emergency Essentials, that sell what are essentially empty, never used barrels that were destined for things like packing olives or other foods for shipping. Those types of containers are best if you can get them. Canning water, just like canning foods and sauces, is also a way people kept clean boiled water from contamination long term. Ceramic (think ancient amphora in Greece and Rome or Little Brown Jugs from the mountain moonshiners) and glass have the lowest possibility of contamination, if they are sealed properly. Things like milk jugs and pop bottles are ok for shorter term storage but they will break down over time. Rotation of the containers, not just the water inside, is necessary. They are also a porous plastic, and are subject to the vapor contamination I mentioned earlier.

Here is the answer I was looking for. I just kept looking and found it. Thanks CW!!!

[Celticwarrior]

Welcome. Happy to help. These older posts are useful for things like this. When someone has a question, it is a good idea to check the Search bar to see if it has been covered before. Using as many keywords as you can will narrow the search. We cover a lot of things here, and it's almost impossible to keep them all straight, unless you have a photographic memory. Not everyone does.

[UnknwownWarrior]

Originally Posted by duster22

I like stabilized liquid oxygen for long term water storage. The stuff is good to have on hand because it has a lot of other (supposed) uses, it stores way longer than chlorine (which starts to deteriorate after about a year), and is small and easy to carry with you (2 oz bottle fits in your pocket and goes a long way).

One ounce will stabilize 55 gallons of water for 5 years.

Here's a link:

Stabilized Oxygen Water Purifier: Maintain Clean Water

You can find more about it by poking around on any internet search engine and make up your own mind, but this is the stuff I use for my set of 55 gallon drums and I keep a 2oz bottle in my BOB and in my camping gear.

Looks like a very nice thing to have. I'm wondering if I should get one to two bottles but don't know if they would ship it to India? I'll check if it's available anywhere in India.

[UnknwownWarrior]

Sorry for the long post but it seemed interesting.

This is from Tom's Disaster Preparations


STORING (AND HIDING) YOUR FOOD

Storing food is just as important in the city as in the country, but hiding it is far more important. That’s because in the worst areas, marauders will be going from house to house, demanding your food or your life. If you're dumb enough to put everything you own in the obvious places, you might as well not buy it in the first place. They will find it. To count on having any amount of food left over after the marauders break in, you'll need to hide your food.

One alternative is to plan on defending your home with force. If you have enough gun-wise people in the house, and enough firearms and ammo, you can probably pull this off. But most of us aren’t nearly as experience with firearms as the gang members. A better alternative might be to plan on bringing you supplies to your ward/stake building where all of the Saints can both pool and defend their resources. This of course will depend greatly on your local Bishop and Stake President.

Back to hiding: the best way to hide your food is to bury it. You’ll need airtight containers, long-term food that won't rot and you’ll need to plan ahead. Bury your food at night so nobody will notice, and make sure you don’t leave the map on the refrigerator door! (Better to memorize it!) Try to get the ground to look normal after you're all finished. You’ll want to bury your food as early as possible because it gives the grass time to regroup over the spot. If you’re in an area that snows, you’ll have a great concealment blanket! Most food marauders won't go to the trouble to dig up food, especially if you insist you don't have any.

Best plan: Have some smaller amount of food stashed around the house, letting them find something. Better to give them something and send them on their way. The art of hiding your food is an ancient one. You've got to get creative. Use the walls, the floors, and the structure of the house.

If hiding your food is simply not an available alternative, then try not to advertise it. Keep it put away in your house or garage in as discreet a manner as possible. Don’t make a point of telling people that you have a years supply (or more). Word gets around fast that Bro. Jones has a ton of food in his garage. Boxes of food fit nicely under beds, behind furniture, in the attic, etc.. Be Creative!!

To sum up the food storage, you really have three strategies here:
* Store it all in your house and plan on defending it by force.
* Bury it in your yard in case you get overrun by looters.
* Store part of it in your house, and hide the bulk of it.
* Relocate all of it as soon as you recognize a major disaster is in progress

One of the best ways to store food for burying, although it will only last 2-3 years in high-humidity areas, is to purchase 55-gallon good-grade steel drums. You can get them from: Memphis Drum Service, 3299 Tulane, Memphis, Tennessee 38116 (901) 396-6484; (800) 960-3786) The drums are only $16.50, but shipping them is around $30 each. Once you obtain the drums, dump in your grains or other food items. If you purchase bags of food from Walton Feed, this is the perfect way to store it. Don't leave it in the bags unless you're actively eating it. [Note: Plastic barrels do not rust.]

Then sprinkle some diatomaceous earth into the drum. You'll need about two cups to treat a 55-gallon drum, and it must be mixed in well. Diatomaceous earth is made from ground up sea shells, and it kills bugs by getting into their joints. You can get some from: Perma-Guard, Inc. 115 Rio Bravo S. E. Albuquerque, New Mexico 87105 (505) 873-3061

This diatomaceous earth is food grade, and on the bag it says, “Fossil Shell Flour.” Their prices are one pound, $4.90; 2 lb., $8.05; 5 lb., 14.70, 10 lb., $18.00; 50 lb., $24.95.

Once you get these drums filled and sealed, you can then bury them in your yard. This is actually a HUGE UNDERTAKING and is a LOT more difficult than it sounds, since you’ll need to dig to a depth of around 5 or 6 feet in order to sufficiently bury these drums. You’re likely to attract a lot of attention unless you do it at night, and you’ll definitely be removing a lot of dirt that you’ll need to find some use for. Because the drums are steel, they will also deteriorate unless you line the outside with plastic (a good idea) and treat the drums with some kind of protectant or oil. (Don't use WD-40.) Even Vaseline would work well, although you would definitely need a lot to coat a 55-gallon drum.

When you’re all done, you should have your protected grains in 55-gallon drums, buried in your yard and protected against the humidity of the surrounding earth. It’s a big effort, but then again, the food inside may save your life. You’ll find it much more efficient to bury several barrels at once; side by side.

In reality it would be faster and easier to simply build a false wall in your garage and seal up your food behind the false wall. Sure, you might loose 2-3 feet of useable space in your garage, but the tradeoff is knowing everything is safe and sound.


STORING EXTRA WATER

Water can be stored in exactly the same way, although you might want to bury the barrel before you actually fill it with water. Make sure you treat your storage water, rotate it or have filters on hand when you get ready to use it.

If you don’t have a yard, or it's not practical to bury your water, you’ll have to store water inside your house. This can get very tricky because water takes up a lot of space and it's very difficult to conceal. It’s best to get containers made for long-term storage, but in a pinch, you can use almost any container: soda bottles, milk jugs (although it's very difficult to rinse the milk out), and even rinsed bleach bottles (in that case, you won’t need to add bleach). But a lot of these containers will deteriorate quickly, and they may break easily. Also, consider what happens if your water may be subjected to freezing. Will your containers survive? Be sure to leave enough air space to handle the expansion.

In order to prepare yourself for the water shortage, assuming you’re going to stay in the city, stock at least six months of water at a minimum two gallons a day per person. That’s nearly 400 gallons of water if you have two people.

Of course, even with the best in-house preparations, you may find yourself depleted of water supplies. In this situation, one of your best defenses is to have a really good water filter (like the Katadyn filter) that can remove parasites and bacteria from the water. You can also treat your water in other ways (iodine, distillation, silver solution, bleach, etc.). Armed with these items, you can safely use stream or river water (or even pond water) for drinking.

WATER WELLS

By far, the best solution for obtaining long-term water supplies is to drill a well. Buy the best-quality hand-pump available (cast-iron pumps available from Lehman’s) and a good cylinder. They will last a lifetime if installed properly. With this setup, you'll have a near-unlimited supply of water.

The total cost of doing this, depending on where you live, ranges from about $4000 - $6000. Is it worth it? If you’ve got the money, I think so. However, many cities simply don’t allow the drilling of wells, so you may not be able to get one drilled even if you want to.

The deeper your well, the more expensive it gets. Most well drilling companies charge by the foot. When water is deeper, you also need a bigger pump and a more powerful cylinder, so the costs tend to really grow the deeper you go. If you can find water at 20', you’re very lucky and it might not cost you even $2000. If you have to go down to 200', it might cost you $7500, and you’re at the depth limit of hand-powered pumps anyway.

[WoodsCustom]

Don't forget this thread...

How much water do you have?

WC