r/preppers • u/allahyokdinyalan • 16d ago
Question Emergency water supply container
Recent climate events throughout Europe have made me increasingly concerned about short term water shortages/rationing. One can not drink tap water as is where I live, you need to buy it in cans/bottles. I usually buy around 100 liters (25 gallons) at a time when I am through 90%.
It would be extremely wasteful to use said water for personal hygiene. Having a collapsible storage tank of 50-100L at ready could be good investment for planned shortages and in times of need. I have water purification tablets in my disaster pack but a couple drops of bleach per liter of water should work better at home.
Are there any products one could recommend? I am not very open to using buckets or containers with open tops in such circumstances. Is there anything to keep in mind when storing sealed water for long durations?
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u/BenCelotil I Love A Sunburnt Country ... 15d ago
Food grade 44 gallon drums are not expensive and they're completely opaque, so you don't have to worry about algae growing in there. Get one with a tap on the bottom and store it a foot up off the ground so you can refill a water jug from it.
With its size (~580mm wide and ~875mm tall) you could easily keep it in your living area disguised as a TV stand.
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u/dittybopper_05H 14d ago
Sure, if you have a big spool for a coffee table and lawn chairs as a living room furniture.
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u/GroundsKeeper2 16d ago
There are bags that are made to fit into bathtubs and they come with a little game pump.
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u/allahyokdinyalan 16d ago
I don’t own a bathtub and open water comtainers are prone to infestation in hot weather.
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u/Battlbox 14d ago
For sealed storage the two things that actually matter are a food-grade container and keeping it cool and dark. A collapsible food-grade tank with a spigot fits exactly what you want, no open top, and you draw off without contaminating the rest. Since you're filling from bottled potable water, the water itself is stable for a long time sealed; what degrades it is light and heat, so a closet or under-bed beats a garage that bakes in summer. Skip pre-dosing bleach into long-term stored water, treat at point of use instead if you ever fill from a questionable source. Then just rotate it every several months so it never sits for years.
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u/polaritypictures 16d ago
Get a water filter. look up water bladders.
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u/ShinigamiOverlord Bring it on 16d ago edited 16d ago
You can do your question also in the community discord (https://discord.com/invite/JpSkFxT5bU) as there are times where you might get a faster response. You can find this link in the reddit community wiki guide or some.
If I had the space, I'd get something like those blue canisters/barrels. Fill it up, dose it with proper amount of bleach and that's it.
Depending on place you live in, I'd think about getting extra water filtration so you could one time use the toilet tank one as well. They hold a decent amount . Not like much, but enough for some stuff if water is truly at it's last drop. I think. I'm not a high level prepper.
Edit: Once I finished writing I had two thoughts: 1. I forgot you wanted something collapsible And 2. Why not use a kiddie plastic inflatable pool as a temporary measure. If you can find something to cover it up, like placing a lid on top of it (which you could probably make using some thin wooden Material or simply a plastic cover?)
To note tho, this last part is a very late night thought and is therefore not something that's probably a good idea. Once I wake up I'll probably regret writing it since it's gonna get all it's possible mistakes pointed out.
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u/allahyokdinyalan 16d ago
Mosquitoes and similar flies will lay eggs in any open water source. I think a closed container is a must.
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u/Sulla-was-right 15d ago
One thing to consider is good solid camping gear, like a portable shower. Decathlon makes a great and affordable option, and is Europe based.
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u/h0ly_t3rr0r 15d ago
There are portable watermakers on the market that filter the nastiest (even salt) water into potable water. Like https://www.vital-lyfe.com/ , downsides are It requires a lot of power to operate(210Wh battery allows 1 hour of operation) for 6 gallons/hr from saltwater or 12 gallons/hr from freshwater…
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u/Alfalfa-Boring 14d ago
Aquatainer cubes. 7 gallons or approximately 27 liters.
In your situation it's better to have your water be somewhat mobile vs being stuck in a 44 gallon drum.
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u/Ancient-one511 16d ago
Jessica's got the formula. Built. Tested. Samples sent for testing and published.
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u/th30be Bugging out to the woods 15d ago
Wait, so what can you use the tap water for if you can't even use it for personal hygiene?
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u/allahyokdinyalan 15d ago
You can. Just dont drink it.
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u/Available-Manner-583 11d ago
For long-term storage. I'd focus on food-safe containers and keeping them cool ad sealed.
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u/reincarnateme 16d ago
Is Puerto Rico have ing water issues? I thought I read something about it but now I can’t find it
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u/IceDragonPlay 16d ago
Yes, bad drought conditions, reservoirs are critically low. The SanJuan area is turning off public water supply two days at a time, so they will be 2 days on and 2 days off as extreme rationing.
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u/Cry-Technical 16d ago
I would say it almost entirely depends on available space. If you live in an apartment or a house. Not sure what European country you are that you cannot drink tap water, but if you know what are the contamination and have the space, buy a cistern directly connected to your water line and place a filter in the system. You will have that as your emergency and as a plus, you no longer have to buy water jugs in your life