# Preserving Water (I opened some of my stored water today)



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

I have commercially packaged water, tap water in water jugs, and tap water in reused containers such as juice containers. I even had some large whiskey bottles (1.75L) that I had retasked for storing water. 

When I was reorganizing my storage area today, I decided to replace the former alcohol bottles with better water storage containers. But when I was pouring out the water into our sink, the odor from the water was very strong...like sulfur, maybe? (These were glass bottles, by the way, not plastic.)

It was just water that had been stored for maybe a year in a reused whiskey bottle. Now, I could always filter that water to drink it, but I was amazed at how strong the smell was. I certainly would be worried drinking it straight from the bottle.

Any thoughts on this? Where did the smell come from? Is that a biological waste smell from, I don't know, bacteria? Was the water contaminated when I stored it?

I stored tap water without any chlorine / bleach in it. Do I need to put some bleach in every bottle I store?

Is there some other way to condition water so that it stores longer?


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## Sparky_D (Jun 3, 2013)

Get a water purity report from your local water utility.
It should tell you what levels of impurities are allowed/present.

Faucet filter systems like Pur or Britta should remove the solids and unwanted minerals like sulfer.

For long term storage purposes, I use commercially packaged distilled water jugs purchased locally for around $0.70/gallon. I've tested them past 3 years with no noticeable difference in taste and quality. I generally don't push it past 2 years, though. I let the wife use the older bottles for plants and the animals so they don't go to waste.

I also have a water cooler with five 5 gallon jugs of spring water that I rotate first in-first out. Oldest bottle is never more than 60 days old.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Does your municipal water not have chlorine, or is it well water?


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> Does your municipal water not have chlorine, or is it well water?


It is municipal water, not well water.

I don't know what they put in it. I drink it straight from the tap, without filtering--tastes fine to me...and I put it directly in my containers without any bleach or chlorine.

I've done some research, and it seems that the sulfur smell can come from chemical or biological sources. The fact that this water was fine when it went in the bottles, but smelled a year later, tells me that it is a biological sulfur bacteria of some sort. I figure that means I need to start adding chlorine to my stored tap water.

I still welcome comments from any one. That is just my take right now.


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## zracer7 (Apr 17, 2012)

Might be as simple as not remembering to clean the cap.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

If you can't smell any chlorine at all from the tap I would guess, though I don't know much about the water system in the states, that you water comes from wells, many municipalities still do this up here at least.

If storing water that has not been chlorinated, like well water, if nothing is done to treat it it WILL go "funky" to use the technical term. There will always be some bacterial growth, minute quantities of organics to decompose, etc. Keeping it cold (like in a cistern) will dramatically reduce this but if left without circulation and air flow it will still happen there.

Adding some chlorine to your containers will probably the safest/easiest alternative. Others have discussed "canning" water on here, that would work as well if you have containers that can be boiled.

I actually use glass bottles like whiskey bottles for storing water on a regular basis and they can be boiled (carefully) or I have poured boiling water into them, leaving a bit of head space, then put on the cap. This reduces "staleness" and "funkyness" a lot, even if left in a truck or tractor cab in the heat.

Basically your best bet imo and experience, is to kill the bacteria that cause the problem whether through heat, chemical, or u.v. OR try to filter nearly everything out which is always tricky.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Tap water spoused ta have enough chlorine in it ta make it storable fer 6 months. However, I don't run with that rule er trust my stores ta them folks. We use well water an treat it with pool shock. Mix it up an add ta our storage water. When we use tap water, we test it an do the same. 

The glass bottels be fine ta use cause odors don't tend ta transfer through em like it can on plastic. Just becarefull what ya store next ta yer water ifin yall use plastic.

Here in the midwest we got purty hard water an lots a limestone. That an iron an sulphur so I ain't surprised yall found yer water smellin like a match. I'd filter yer water, treat with chlorine then store it. Nice thin bout the chlorine be ya can retreat yer water to. Also keep yer water outa the light. Helps ta slow down the bugs.

We also can water. Not a huge amount, but enough fer a few days while we would be gettin the filters set up an the rest a the water treatment goin. We use test strips an store our water in the 4 -5 ppm range. 5 be a bit high, but ifin ya let it set fer a bit er pour it from one bucket ta another it drops off perty quick.

Ya can get pool shock in lots a places, 78% is a good strength. Also make sure it don't have no algacides er nothin else in it. Just calcium hyporchlorite an inert ingriedients. The solution yall mix up is only good fer a short time so don't mix up to much er yer just gonna waste it. There be a couple posts on here bout how ta do it. Also be a good way ta dissinfect water in the field. I allways carry some in the pack.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Treating water chemically, filtering or boiling kills most of the critters. Left long enough the critters left will multiply. Retreating it will make it safe to drink.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

If you buy the cheep bottled water in 24/36 packs (plastic) How long will these last. They are stored in the basement that stays around 55 to 60 year round. No sunlight gets in


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

My guess is they will last about forever.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

helicopter5472 said:


> If you buy the cheep bottled water in 24/36 packs (plastic) How long will these last. They are stored in the basement that stays around 55 to 60 year round. No sunlight gets in


Our team had some hold over from the 08 flood. Last year it was startin ta get a tad "funky". That was stored bout the same way. I'd say 2 ta 3 years myself.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Recently, I bought some cheap bottled water on the way to a park for a family hike--it was the cheapest I've ever seen it, and they had a limit per customer. When I started distributing the bottles to the family for the hike, I noticed water on the _outside_ of the bottles. One or more of the bottles was leaking. They make the plastic so thin and flimsy these days.

Also, about a year ago, I bought some cheap bottles of water that had an odor to it

Next time, I will study the bottles, and I may consider a more expensive brand name (as much as that hurts to say, since I'm a total cheapskate). The odor and the leaking makes me wary.

I'm even nervous buying the 1 gallon bottles from dollar store (although they have the stronger plastic).


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The newer bottles that have that flimsy cap that is only like a 1/4" thick, one drop and poof!
I drop wine and alcohol bottles used for water and other things all the time it is crazy what they can withstand. Same with stainless of course, but then the cap is usually plastic anyways.
Kept cool it may last longer but after a couple years I have never seen it taste good, usually plasticy and unpleasant. Obviously one can kill the bacteria again and make it drinkable but what's the point of having it in bottles to begin with then. Don't forget the plastic is permeable to gases so odours and other chemicals can get in.


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## MetalPrepper (Nov 25, 2012)

We have a well and the water is "hard"....we have filters everywhere. My husband drinks "hawaian punch" whhich comes in thinck plastic bottles. When he finishes one I rinse it out and fill it and store it in the (finsished) basement. The bottles don't leak and I would have to be hard pressed to drink it, but I have carbon filters and other filtering things if it came to that. After seeing people say they would drink pool and hot tub water , even river or pond water.....I like my back up stores....


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

I agree with you all on how thin and crappy the water bottles have become. My wife likes the Tradewinds Green Tea which come in gallon size, The plastic is quite thick and make good refillable water jugs. The same jug can be found in the Arizona Green Tea's. When I stack them I put a thin sheet of wood and have been stacking them 4 high so far.


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Follow-up: I recently opened some of my juice bottles that I had retasked to store water. The water smelled fine...or, more accurately, did not have any smell at all.

I suspect my problem before was an issue with me not cleaning the liquor bottles & caps enough before filling them with water. I will be more diligent in the future.


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

Thanks for the follow-up (I didn't see this thread when first posted). Our place in the mountains is on a well and not used every day. One year I had to drain the hot water tank each time we went up there because of the sulfur smell. Horrible. Since then, we have been on and off of the well and not noticed the smell. I'll check this weekend. 
Helicopter, I drink the Arizona Green Tea also and thought what a great thing to store water. So I started storing them in the greenhouse....empty, thinking I could clean them better then fill with water. Then I looked on the bottom and noticed the number inside of the triangle was a "6"!!!! Guess it's back to the soft drink bottles.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> If you buy the cheep bottled water in 24/36 packs (plastic) How long will these last. They are stored in the basement that stays around 55 to 60 year round. No sunlight gets in


I have some stored in an old filing cabinet in the middle of a junkpile in BFE, Texas. I imagine it gets over 120 degrees in the summer.

The bottles I put in there in 2009 still taste fine to me... yes, the flavor changed slightly but it isn't objectionable at all. Keeping them out of sunlight is paramount. None are leaking; they are just store brand (H-E-B) water.


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## TEXASGIANT1959 (Feb 14, 2012)

I fill Gallon milk jugs with scalding hot water after a good soapy rinse. leave no air and when they cool the sides pull in a bit making a nice vacuum. At the 2 year mark they don't smell but I am not planning on using this straight from the jug, I'm just making sure there is water to be processed for consumption. I also have a drum catching my air conditioner output, and believe me in Galveston, Texas there is plenty of humidity.
Which brings me to my next idea. A dehumidifier doesn't stand a chance of keeping anything dry around here but it will snatch many Quarts of water right from the air every day. I am working on bringing together the right balance of an efficient dehumidifier, a bank of enough batteries and solar panels to get my water from thin air. While this wouldn't be much good in El Paso here on the coast I could have enough water to sell. 
Also, If you're a cheep old wino like me the wine in these boxes is adequate and with a chunk of fruit in the blender I have my wife convinced that it's for my health, but I digress. The bag inside can hold a good amount of water, the boxes stack nicely and are tough as building blocks. Or just rinse out the bag, air dry and save them to be filled when needed.
Just a few more ideas to help.


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## ReadyMadeWater (May 3, 2012)

I don't want to come across as selling because I don't want to violate terms and conditions, can anyone tell about that before I share a solution to this problem?


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

ReadyMadeWater said:


> I don't want to come across as selling because I don't want to violate terms and conditions, can anyone tell about that before I share a solution to this problem?


Sure .. follow the instruction in this link: http://www.preparedsociety.com/advertisers/

We can get you setup quickly :wave:


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## unbill (Aug 15, 2013)

What ever clean container you use to store water in put 8 drops of regular bleach in each gallon of water you store. I have used this method and have drank
water 10 yrs old with no foul taste or cloudiness at all. There are a lot of expensive
water treatments out there and they will do no better than this method recommended by FEMA. Be sure to clean your containers thoroughly before using
them. I have approx 5500 gallons of water stored this way for a 35 man bunker.


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## cantinawest (Nov 9, 2011)

Wow, that is a lot of water.

I was feeling pretty good about my new 250 gallon water tank and four 35 gallon water barrels, but I can see I still need more...In fact I know I need more, because you can never have enough water.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

cantinawest said:


> I was feeling pretty good about my new 250 gallon water tank and four 35 gallon water barrels, but I can see I still need more...


You probably have enough storage, but make sure you also look at ways to treat other water. If you have a good water treatment plan, you can replenish (refill) your storage tanks.

If you are on a budget, make a slow sand filter from a barrel. Filter the water you find, then add some Sod Hypo to purify it, then run it through a Berkey candle filter. All of that takes much less space than simple storage only.

Make sure you catch your rainwater, too!!!


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