# How to properly stock water in apartment?



## MightyG10 (Oct 20, 2014)

I've been slowly trying to stock extra food and water, and equipment (batteries, lights, medical supplies,etc) most of it is easy to stock and organize, however I seem to have a problem with keeping water. I've bought water packets, gallons of water, and 7 gallon jugs. However I only currently store the gallons of water that are filled, I've had those leak through the box before, and the box seems to get moldy. Any tips or solutions on that? I do not have much storage space. Therefore I keep my 7 gallon jugs empty hoping that when shtf I can fill then up quickly. I also bought a 100 gallon bag that fits into the bathtub.

Any ideas? I live in a one bedroom apt on the 2nd floor with my gf and my dog


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## Lake Windsong (Nov 27, 2009)

One suggestion is to stock various ways to purify water and look around your location and any bugout routes for water sources.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I store my 2 liter bottles and gallon jugs in plastic storage tubs with lids. I can store 6 gallons in most tubs. (48 pounds) If they leak, there is a second level of protection. With the storage tubs with lids, I can store the tubs a couple layers high. There are more expensive, but also sturdier storage totes that I would like to start adding to my collection. I think they could stack higher and could hold more preps in one location. I would use a fold up dolly that I use often, for transporting them one or two at a time. If I was to store water in one, it would certainly be at the bottom of a stack due to the weight, and I believe you could get maybe 12 or more gallon jugs in one.

I keep a couple gallons of water in my trunk. There are emergencies that have occurred in my life that were not end of the world, but where some water was a great thing to have. I am often reminded by my boyfriend that it takes more fuel and he is always encouraging me to empty my trunk. 

I also store some water in my garage, but it freezes in the winter, so again, I do a second layer of protection. It seems to fare better when it is in the tub. Maybe the mass of more together, off the floor, is less likely to freeze. 

I store some water, in a single layer in the bottom of closets. I have some in tubs, but some in shallower containers to help contain the potential leaks. I have some restaurant dish bussing tubs that I use to set some in. I use what I can find for free or cheap. I keep my eyes open for useable containers.

Finding space for preps is a challenge for many of us.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> ...I keep a couple gallons of water in my trunk. There are emergencies that have occurred in my life that were not end of the world, but where some water was a great thing to have. I am often reminded by my boyfriend that it takes more fuel and he is always encouraging me to empty my trunk. ...


Boyfriend? It's you car, your gasoline and you MPG so what business is it of his what's in your car trunk?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

To the OP,

I like Weedy's method. 

When we lived in an apartment I filled empty milk jugs with water and stored them along the wall behind the toilet. I also built shelves over every door even in the closets. I stashed preps and water jugs on them. We even sold our mid century modern teak floating bed frame to have a 'preppers' bed- milk crates filled with gallon jugs of water under our box spring and mattress. 

We lucked out compared to most and had a single car garage. It was in the middle of the row and only the door was on an exterior wall. I kept water jugs on sturdy shelves in the back of the garage.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> Boyfriend? It's you car, your gasoline and you MPG so what business is it of his what's in your car trunk?


You know, he is doing his man thing, trying to help me when and how he can and it is love in action. He is not a prepper, but he has taken to having at least one gallon of water in his car as well. I know some of my prepping ways are rubbing off on him, but some of his man tricks are rubbing off on me as well.

I now have one of those tire plug kits that allow you to remove a screw or small bolt out of a tire and plug it up without removing the tire from the car. I had never seen one before I met him and saw him fix his tire while it we sat in a parking lot.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

MightyG10 another thing you should do is find out where the water heaters are located for your apartment building, that would be a big source of potable water you could access if the regular water supply stopped. Many store water in 2-liter soda bottles and they seem to last a long time without leaking. A rule of thumb is store water in clear plastic containers rather than the milky (opaque) plastic.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Get the biggest fish tank you can possibly afford and fit in your apartment, then fill it with seaweed and tilapia. Boom, post apocalyptic food and water.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> Get the biggest fish tank you can possibly afford and fit in your apartment, then fill it with seaweed and tilapia. Boom, post apocalyptic food and water.


Most apartment leases restrict standing water to no more than 5-10 gallons a container. No waterbeds or fish tanks.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

I have a 50 gallon fish tank, about a dozen bottles of water that are non potable uses, had a water bed til it sprung a leak (great place to store water ) Each car has about 30 packets of the 8oz waters. But I am in the North East, there is always water around. We focus more on filtering.

Now I am on a well and have a huge fast flowing river about 30 feet from my back door. Gonna put together a couple giant sand filters this next spring (no clue how yet, will research then).

You can also look at storing more canned goods with a high water content. Not the most economical, but you get water and food.


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## GaryS (Nov 15, 2011)

Get a short, plastic potable water tank, place a round wood or glass top on it, and covered with a large table cloth it will look like a table.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Most apartment leases restrict standing water to no more than 5-10 gallons a container. No waterbeds or fish tanks.


All leases are null & void after the apocalypse anyway. Plus you never get your deposit back.  

I haven't lived in an apartment since the mid 90's. But now because of this thread I want to buy a 12 unit building and call it Prepper Apts. I can make it a high security building with lots if storage and charge triple! The last apt I lived in was a repurposed factory, would have been perfect. Even had a center courtyard with a glass roof.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> All leases are null & void after the apocalypse anyway. Plus you never get your deposit back.


Actually, I get my deposit back 100% in full every time I move. The law here in Cali says landlords have 21 days to give you your deposit back in full or the receipts for what the money was used for. If they don't they forfeit the whole deposit regardless of damages and they now have to pay it 100% in full. If not they can be liable for 3x the original deposit amount.

But I can see how after TEOTWAWKI can void a rental/lease agreement. I am counting on this every time we move. I look for a rental we can use to our advantage after the SHTF.


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

Is it possible to rent space close to you? Does your apartment offer a garage? How about the smallest space in a rental business (you might need to consider one that is climate controlled)? 

I second Lake's suggestion for stocking ways to purify water and locate a source. I have an Aqua Rain (like a Berkey) so we can purify water from a creek that runs just down the hill from our house. (We have nine 55 gallon containers so we wouldn't need to use the filter for quite a while.) If the water source is a distance away, you might consider a trailer for a bike so it can be easily carried. Just remember that even though water is clear, it's not necessarily safe (think giardia) so you need to filter it. 

I've also stocked materials to make a homemade filter device that I read about somewhere on the internets. :laugh: I would first run the water through a debris catcher such as a towel (I have a filter made for the Aqua Rain). You can make a filter housing from a 4-6 gallon container. The filter itself consists of 3 layers: the top layer is coarse rock, the second layer is sand, and the bottom layer is activated charcoal. The water would drain into a second container at the bottom.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Do you plan to rotated this water or keep it for many years because plastic gallons will eventually leak; under a platform bed you can stored many gallons of water in their cardboard cases, cardboard cases can be converted to coffee tables, I replace a dining room table once with water cases and a plywood top, look good till the leaks started , and if you are overly concern with water I would buy a good water filter with a hand pump for just an emergency.


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## MightyG10 (Oct 20, 2014)

I appreciate all the responses, definitely some good input, however i currently can't afford storage nor do I want an fish tank, though thats a best idea!

Ideally I'd like to store this water for a long time as opposed to put it in rotation..


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

MightyG10 said:


> I appreciate all the responses, definitely some good input, however i currently can't afford storage nor do I want an fish tank, though thats a best idea!
> 
> Ideally I'd like to store this water for a long time as opposed to put it in rotation..


As you can afford them buy some of the 7 gallon water jugs from Walmart. Fill them with water and add a water preservative to the water. The stuff I use is good for 5 years.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

MightyG10 said:


> I appreciate all the responses, definitely some good input, however i currently can't afford storage nor do I want an fish tank, though thats a best idea!
> 
> Ideally I'd like to store this water for a long time as opposed to put it in rotation..


Anything is possible. Watch Craigslist's free section in your area. Sometimes the most amazing possibilities show up.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*I have one more idea!*

I have often thought that 5 gallon buckets would work for storing water. It would be heavy and certainly the buckets could be reused for other purposes.

I have gotten some free buckets from bakeries. Where to store it? You haven't said anything about your storage possibilities, but using a layer of these under a bed is an option. I know they would be heavy, but so are water beds!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Weedy has a good idea with the buckets. I have picked up all the free 3 1/2 gallon buckets that I wanted for free at grocery store bakeries. You may have to raise the bed but it is worth the effort and the buckets can be your new legs. A bed skirt makes everything disappear. A single layer of buckets in the bottom of your closet with a board or two on top to make a new level spot to store other stuff and you don't even lose any floor space. 

Pile a few buckets (or cases of food) next to the bed, place piece of plywood a it larger than the stack on top, then cover the whole thing with a piece of cloth to hide it and your night table is storage. This same idea can be used to create a coffee table or end tables. Perhaps a piece of glass might top these tables off.

Slide your couch away from the wall a few inches, stack buckets or boxes, and cover with a throw.

Build or buy an ottoman with a hinged top and storage chamber. 

If you have warning then fill the tub and every pot and pan that you have. Pull the drawers out and empty them. Line the drawers with heavy duty plastic bags and fill with water. Plastic liners in any trash cans you can get your hands on works as well. If you have a cooler you shouldn't even need a plastic bag.

I know you just asked about water but many of these ideas work for food and other stores as well.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Caribou said:


> Weedy has a good idea with the buckets. I have picked up all the free 3 1/2 gallon buckets that I wanted for free at grocery store bakeries. You may have to raise the bed but it is worth the effort and the buckets can be your new legs. A bed skirt makes everything disappear. A single layer of buckets in the bottom of your closet with a board or two on top to make a new level spot to store other stuff and you don't even lose any floor space.
> 
> Pile a few buckets (or cases of food) next to the bed, place piece of plywood a it larger than the stack on top, then cover the whole thing with a piece of cloth to hide it and your night table is storage. This same idea can be used to create a coffee table or end tables. Perhaps a piece of glass might top these tables off.
> 
> ...


Davarm calls these "prepper furniture". Ask him about his Prepper Bookcases.


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## Tucker (Jul 15, 2010)

As another poster mentioned, if you are storing plastic jugs, they WILL leak. It's just a matter of time. Put them into a container such as one that goes under water heaters. I got a large, shallow, black container from Home Depot to wash our feet in bleach/water solution if necessary. One of those would work for this purpose too.


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## Utopian (Mar 4, 2015)

Lake Windsong said:


> One suggestion is to stock various ways to purify water and look around your location and any bugout routes for water sources.


I'm with Lake on this.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Sentry18 said:


> All leases are null & void after the apocalypse anyway. Plus you never get your deposit back.
> 
> I haven't lived in an apartment since the mid 90's. But now because of this thread I want to buy a 12 unit building and call it Prepper Apts. I can make it a high security building with lots if storage and charge triple! The last apt I lived in was a repurposed factory, would have been perfect. Even had a center courtyard with a glass roof.


I have thought that a home with a courtyard could provide lots of opportunities for safety and protection for a SHTF situation. Gardens, water catchment, even some small animals could be protected better as well safer for those tending. As I have looked at shipping container homes, I have thought that one layout would be to put them in an arrangement that makes a square with a courtyard in the middle. The challenge is that they are only8 feet wide, so maybe 8 containers or more would be needed to make a decent living space.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Tucker said:


> As another poster mentioned, if you are storing plastic jugs, they WILL leak. It's just a matter of time. Put them into a container such as one that goes under water heaters. I got a large, shallow, black container from Home Depot to wash our feet in bleach/water solution if necessary. One of those would work for this purpose too.


I have hundreds of gallon jugs from 2011. They're not leaking.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

You mentioned right off that you have a Water Bob to deploy into your bathtub before the water tap is shut down .... the very best "last minute" water storage option for homeowners or apartment dwellers 

there's 2 1/2 and 5 gallon version of the Water Bob available .... flexible poly collapsible containers .... check in your big box sporting goods area .... like the Water Bob you fill before the water closes down .... they store flat and can fit in those apartment cracks & crevices that normally go unused .... good example is the space back of the frig or the space between the frig and the side wall .... even an extra 20 gallons of water will make a difference ....


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Ideas and more............*

So you live in a apartment, and you want to store water, if this a wooden structure you will need find out the floor load rating or maximum load in pounds using this formula= FBd^2 / 9L..Ok all jokes aside here, small places are definitely a problem when it comes to storage and in an emergency we all know that is better to have than not, the problem here is to find room and since you are not going to have a water bag filled in the bathtub all the time waiting for the shtf moment then you need another way. Cardboard boxes don`t work to well after time and the plastic water jugs don`t either, they collapse and leak but depending on how much water you need a solution that I have build for a few friends is a raise platform for the bed, with a single mattress it won`t be as high and you can store lots of things, including water, a commercially sold 5 gallon jug is about 20 inches high or you can buy gallons ,but my advice is to buy commercially sold water seal containers that way you avoid contamination or after taste if you decided to purified your own water for storage but this can work also http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S1RACNY?psc=1, if you also are having water issues in your area a good idea is to have a good hand pump water filter system http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...porting&field-keywords=hand pump water filter they come real handy. Good luck


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