Water Storage

[Daniel]

Ive been trying to figure out the best way to store water for a family that could extend water supply from a week to a month without needing to take up a whole room. I came up with this idea but it has some problems. Heat is a major one but I would like to find ways around it. I want to purchase an rv water storage tank and put it in my attic and plumb a spicket to it in my garage so I can hook up a hose to it easily and fill it or empty it from one point. Tanks range in size but I think with what I have in portable water a 55 gal tank would do the trick. However my attic temperature is over 110-130F. With its high pitch and ventilation its really not that bad to spend time up there. So here is my questions.

1. What does heat do to water if it is reguraly circulated.

2. What ways could I insulate it so the heat isn't as major factor.

Anyways your input on this would be great.

Daniel

[WillowTheWhisp]

Daniel is your attic strong enough to take a heavy tank? Water can be very heavy and some attics don't have strong joists because they are only there to support a ceiling rather than a floor.

I don't think heat affects water at all because we boil it to drink don't we?

[FrankJL]

Heat won't effect it as far as I know. The second time I was in Iraq they delivered and stored the bottled water we got on open trucks in similar tempatures.

Also if you live fairly near a natural water source, you might want to look into a filter for longer term water use. I have a MSR Sweetwater I use for hiking/backpacking that works really well. Just be sure to get one with a ceramic element, not a paper one so you can just clean it instead of replacing it. I've had my MSR for about 3 years and have probably put hundred of gallons through it, all you have to do is take the element out and swish it around in the water and brush it off some and it works just like new.

[Iggy]

Daniel is your attic strong enough to take a heavy tank? Water can be very heavy and some attics don't have strong joists because they are only there to support a ceiling rather than a floor.

I don't think heat affects water at all because we boil it to drink don't we?

Heat helps the bacteria and such to grow in water. That is why it is recommended to add water purifier or bleach to it and then to empty it every six months.

As an example I have a gravity feed water dispenser for my two cats. I use filtered tap water to fill it. After about six months there is green stuff growing on the sides and corners. Fortunately the lid comes off and it is easy to clean, but the first dispenser I had didn't have a lid. I would put heavly bleached water in there and let it sit for days to try to get the crud out. I even filled it with hot water and about 6 efferdent tablets. That worked some.

What really bothered me was the pinkish growth inside the container.

The water dispenser is away from light too- it is under the kitchen table. Anyway - unless your water is sterile and your container is sterile- you are going to get growth.

Daniel, I would think that the garage rafters would be a better place.

What if vermin chewed holes in your tank and you had it in the attic. Think of the water mess you would have.

Our problem here in Arizona is the heat- and availability of water. If we were going to live here for the rest of our lives, we would build a water storage shed. Insulate and AC it from the heat.

When you use hoses to fill your containers- use RV white food grade

hoses. Garden hoses taint the water. Garden hose end attachments such as pistol sprays, etc are not food grade either.

[Guest Username-Removed]

There are many ways to store water. But for me, I've settled on storing water from my local Aqua One supplier. There are other suppliers that are just as good.

I have delivered 5 gallong water cooler style containers every month. Im about half way to reaching the supply I want. I use my office closet to stack them up and date them. See picture in may gallery below ...

WordFLOOD’s water

Then to rotate them, I purchased one of those water cooler stands from Home Depot or Lowes for about $75. I use the water for drinking and cooking. Then, every month they come by and deliver the water to my doorstep for about $5 per 5 gallong container. I give them the used containers, and they drop off the new ones.

This works for me because we have a lot of hard water here, and its nice to have very good water to drink and also have some decent storage.

The main thing with water is to start with a good source. Since my water is already filtered and purified, it will keep for a long time. Light is the second thing. You want to make sure there is as little light as possible reaching your water supply. And then, heat. As already mentioned, you want to keep heat at a minimum, combine that with light and you'll have all kids of bugs in there!

Like I said, there are lots of valid was to store water. This one works for me. I live on the ground floor with a concrete floor so the weight is not a problem.

[Daniel]

Thanks for the input. So far so good and many points I did not think of. Here are my solutions to some of them.

They sell a water bactericide that should take care of any heat related bacteria and that could be purchased at a camping store or army surplus.

I have plywood up there right now to distribute weight better I guess I will need to check the strength of my rafters. . Although I think it would be ok I mean I got my ac unit up there and its very common for people to have their water heaters up there and those would weigh more then a food quality plactic tank and water which shouldn't exeed 500 lbs.

We already had a vermin problem and luckily I was able to have my roof rat proofed by a pest control company so that should have taken care of that I hope. But yes I will need some kind of drip pan and escape route for it. Maybe an a/c pan?

I have soft water and R/O system built into my home so having water delivered and rotating it with usage wont work.

So far all we got are 7 gallon water containers stacked in the storage room in our garage. Got enough for a week for a family of 4. I think this is looking like a viable solution lets keep thinking about it and try to find any other downfalls that you all might find?

Daniel

[Guest Username-Removed]

Oh and one other thing, I do have an MSR waterworks filter I put in my 72 hour kit. They are pretty nice, I've had it for the last 10 years or so, using it when I used to do quite a bit of hiking. So, thats a back up plan if all my other water fails

[pam]

There are many ways to store water. But for me, I've settled on storing water from my local Aqua One supplier. There are other suppliers that are just as good.

I have delivered 5 gallong water cooler style containers every month. Im about half way to reaching the supply I want. I use my office closet to stack them up and date them. See picture in may gallery below ...

WordFLOOD’s water

Then to rotate them, I purchased one of those water cooler stands from Home Depot or Lowes for about $75. I use the water for drinking and cooking. Then, every month they come by and deliver the water to my doorstep for about $5 per 5 gallong container. I give them the used containers, and they drop off the new ones.

This works for me because we have a lot of hard water here, and its nice to have very good water to drink and also have some decent storage.

The main thing with water is to start with a good source. Since my water is already filtered and purified, it will keep for a long time. Light is the second thing. You want to make sure there is as little light as possible reaching your water supply. And then, heat. As already mentioned, you want to keep heat at a minimum, combine that with light and you'll have all kids of bugs in there!

Like I said, there are lots of valid was to store water. This one works for me. I live on the ground floor with a concrete floor so the weight is not a problem.

I like the idea of the water cooler stand. I hate having to commit to a weekly or a monthly water delivery however... Just wondering how sterile or how long the water would last if I had those bottles and filled them say at the local grocery store. The only thing I worry about is they are not sealed as when you have them delivered.

[Guest Username-Removed]

I like the idea of the water cooler stand. I hate having to commit to a weekly or a monthly water delivery however... Just wondering how sterile or how long the water would last if I had those bottles and filled them say at the local grocery store. The only thing I worry about is they are not sealed as when you have them delivered.

Pam,

The Aqua One water service calls the day before the delivery. This reminds me to put out my empty 5 gallon containers on my doorstep. When I come home from work, the filled ones are sitting there on my doorstep. These are sealed and will last a really long time - Although mine are never more than 3 months old. I suppose they would go up to a year if needed. Worse case senario, If the water seemed to not be pure, I could use my MSR filter to fix that issue.

There are lots of ways to store water for sure. This one works for me. And I do love the taste of really good water!