How Much Water Should You Store?
When things get crazy out in that wide world in which we live – say, an earthquake or a tornado (or both!) come through town – bad things could happen that will disrupt the way you live. The grid could go down, and several water mains could break. It’s not just natural disasters, either. Your local water supply could become contaminated from e.Coli or from a diesel spill, which means you could be without water for at least 48 hours – or longer – until they get the water clean again. So now there you are, at home, without the running water you’ve come to rely on. Years ago, you wondered if this sort of thing could happen. You were reluctant at first, but eventually you began storing water, just in case something like this happened. But did you store enough? How Much Water for Kids?The general rule of thumb is to store one gallon of water per person per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also suggest that, in an emergency situation, you should drink two quarts (half a gallon) of water a day – more if you’re in a hot climate, sick, pregnant, or a child. The other half gallon can then be used for hygiene (thanks in advance). Of course, you should remember to store extra water for your pets (after all, they’re part of the family, too). An additional gallon of water should be stored per day for each cat and dog. Now you know how much water per person (or animal) per day you need. Now the question is, how many days’ worth of water should you have? As a minimum, you should have three-day’s worth of water. That means, if you have a family of four, you’ll want at least 12 gallons of water stored up. That should keep you going during minor emergencies where you just have to wait a couple days for the city to fix whatever problem it’s encountered. Perhaps a safer minimum would be to have enough water to last for at least two weeks. This would enable you to survive much longer should a much more devastating disaster come through. And, going back to your family of four, this would mean you would need at least 56 gallons of water. This is where you’re beginning to ask, “Where on earth am I supposed to store all this water?” Wonderful question. Allow me to go ahead and answer that. How Much Water?There are plenty of ways to store water. If you don’t have much storage space, you can begin by getting a case or two of water from the store. Those are easy to keep under your bed and therefore won’t take up any extra space. We also carry cases of boxed water as well as cases of emergency canned water. Empty pop bottles can be filled up to store water in, too, but be sure to thoroughly wash them first. This is also a good option if you’re on a tight budget. If you have a tad more room, you can add to your cases of water with some 5-gallon water jugs. Those fit nicely in many storage areas and are made of good, clean, water-safe material. In fact, it would be wise to have a couple of those around anyway, as they would make a great grab-and-go option should you have to bug out. If you need to store a lot of water - and have the space to do so - then consider investing in a water barrel or two (or three, or four…). They can be small, such as the 15-gallon water barrel, or larger like the 55-gallon barrels. Of course, you could always have more water, and if you do have the room, then by all means, go big or go home! This 320-gallon water reserve should keep you going for quite some time. Remember, water is the most important resource you can have, so the more the merrier! If you do want a ton of water but are out of room, you can always commandeer your bathtub. With the AquaPod, you can store 65 gallons in a clean container that fills up your tub. Of course, bathing might be a wee bit difficult with that in there, but in an emergency, I’d rather have drinking water. Fortunately, it can store nicely under a bed or in a closet, so if you know a hurricane or other disaster is coming, bust that thing out and get filling! How Much Water?One more thing. If you’re filling your own water containers, you’ll want to make sure your water is clean before it sits on a shelf for months on end. If it’s coming straight from your faucet and is treated by your city, then you should be fine. If you’re getting your water from a well or other source, consider treating it with bleach before consuming. To treat with bleach, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to the water, and let it sit for 30 minutes before using. If you don’t notice a slight chlorine odor to the water, add two more drops and let the water stand another 15 minutes (these steps can be found at ready.gov). Or, if you prefer a pre-prepared method, get yourself some water treatment solution to drop in your water storage. If your water hasn’t been commercially treated, you should rotate it every six months. So there you have it. Now you know how much water you need, and have some different options for storing it long-term. Water is so very important during disasters and survival scenarios, so don’t forget to get your emergency water storage in place. How have you gone about establishing your emergency water storage? Let us know in the comments below!
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6 comments

Steve

Steve

NEVER USE BLEACH. It has a short shelf life of 3-6 months. Store bought bleach typically uses 5.25% actual bleach. A more secure approach is to go to a pool supply store and purchase 1 pound of Calcium Hypoclorite (pool shock) minimum of 68%. Use a clean bucket and add 2 gallons of water; to this add 1 heaping teaspoon of pool shock; stir until dissolved. This becomes your solution. Using your 2 gallons of water solution, dip out 1 pint of the solution for 12.5 gallons of water. If the clorine taste or smell is too strong, stir a lot or use a couple of clean buckets back and forth. The smell and taste may be objectionable, but it won’t harm you.

Joan

Joan

I also fill my empty laundry soap bottles with water to have soapy water for washing out clothes in a five gallon bucket. There is enough soap left in the bottle to give nice soapy water. It saves my other water for drinking, cooking etc.

Emergency Essentials

Emergency Essentials

Good call. These steps are for 2-liter pop bottles as suggested by ready.gov. So, two drops per two liters of water.

Dawn

Dawn

“To treat with bleach, add two drops of non-scented liquid household chlorine bleach to the water, and let it sit for 30 minutes before using. If you don’t notice a slight chlorine odor to the water, add two more drops and let the water stand another 15 minutes.”

2 Drops per glass? Per liter? Per gallon?

Doug Linn

Doug Linn

Also having a water filter system like http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Base-Water-Filter-10-Liter/dp/B00NKPOC3I/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1438967084&sr=1-3&keywords=camp+water+filter for those like myself who live close to rivers and lakes. Just another way to get and purify water in SHTF scenario and fill containers. great for camping which is its prmary function but in SHTF scenario you may be camping out at home!

Emergency Essentials

Emergency Essentials

Very true. Might I add to your water filter suggestion? The Katadyn Hiker and Hiker Pro (beprepared.com/katadyn-hiker-pro-water-filter.html?sc=BLOG&oc=BP0807) are another great choice. They are the most popular, with the most units sold. Tried, tested, and true, you can’t go wrong with Katadyn filters. And like you said, Doug, you’ll want to have one (or two or three…) of these when things go bad and you’re stuck camping at home.

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