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  • homeslice

    Be honest.
    Rating - 100%
    87   0   0
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,901
    38
    St. Charles Parish
    We recently moved, and I had two bins for hurricane supplies...
    Canned Food, Water, Untensils, Tools, etc. Mostly cheap stuff I had lying around the house I threw together before this recently passed season. Well, when I picked up my bin with Food/Water I felt something odd, so I opened it up to find that my water container had burst soaking everything. I can not imagine the despair I would have felt should I have needed this in an actual emergency...

    TL: DR Check your gear.
     
    Last edited:

    ryan

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    Nov 19, 2008
    2,024
    36
    Metairie
    i keep all my water supply in the boxes with 6 gallons per box as I buy them from sams club. I keep them stacked up away in a corner and rotate them each time I buy a new box.
     

    flamatrix99

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    62   0   0
    Oct 7, 2008
    5,282
    48
    Zachary, La
    I have a box with 6 one gallon containers in it. Now that hurricane season is over I will use it in my aquarium and buy new next summer for the new hurricane season.
     

    f350drvr

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    65   0   0
    Jun 16, 2008
    1,545
    38
    NOLA
    I have found that the 2.5 gallon containers do not keep well at all. I had 3 of them just sitting on a countertop in my garage with nothing near them. Over 6 months or so, every one of them started to leak.

    I will have to try the case of 6 gallon containers.
     

    Ellis1958

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    17   0   0
    Jul 9, 2009
    560
    28
    Port Allen, LA
    When Gustave crushed my house I hit the stockpiled water supply. Gallon jugs from Kentwood. Every other one popped a leak for one reason or another. Need to find a better container for water storage.
     

    42

    Don't Panic
    Silver Member
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Apr 9, 2010
    975
    18
    Olla, La
    I went with some metal cans after dealing with a similar issue. Although I do not fully trust plastics (polyethylene), we still have the higher density bottles for our initial use around the house.

    My thoughts are to utilize the metal cans in the event of a SHTF situation calling for us to quickly mobilize what we can and not worry so much about where/how to stack, etc....in the event we have to leave the area. And we can use them for fuel later if needed. The cost may be high, but how much is water worth to you if you are left with nothing.

    check out this link for more info:
    http://www.survivalmonkey.com/water-storage-container-faq.html
     
    Last edited:

    themcfarland

    tactical hangover
    Rating - 100%
    58   0   0
    Dec 6, 2008
    4,655
    63
    Destrehan
    water jugs are meant to biodegrade now, you have to find a better way to store the water..

    I struggled myself and settled on individual bottles and some 30 gallon barrels collecting water from run off of the roof and then filtering it..
     

    Wolfgang1952

    LOCAL Fla. Par, Cha. Pres
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 27, 2009
    614
    16
    Mt Hermon / Franklinton La, USA
    I’ve been stock piling two liter coke bottles. Filling them with water and freezing them. Y’all are talking about the milk jug type jugs, right? I thought about buying a couple of 5gal. plastic gas cans. They are heavy enough plastic and they won’t degrade. That is just an option.
     

    homeslice

    Be honest.
    Rating - 100%
    87   0   0
    Mar 13, 2009
    1,901
    38
    St. Charles Parish
    I'm going to buy those 5 gallon heavy plastic Kentwood-watering hole bottles next. Thoughts?
    I love the idea of having a monstrosity of a water container like a drum, etc. However, it would not fit with the idea of my kit that could be easily taken with us.
     

    LACamper

    oldbie
    Premium Member
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jun 3, 2007
    8,629
    48
    Metairie, LA
    for staying at home 5 gallon jugs work fine. You can't carry a 5 gallon jug with you on foot though.
    Instead you need a few nalgene bottles per person and a water filter. We're in LA, water is everywhere. You just need to clean it up, as long as its not salt water. I haven't found a pocket desalinator yet :)
     

    edman87k5

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    35   0   0
    Oct 22, 2007
    2,625
    38
    Ventress, LA
    I have several gallon milk jugs full frozen in my upright freezer and feel this is the absolute best way to store a few gallons. I usually toss them in the big ice chest when I load it because the frozen blocks keep for a while and if I dont use the water, i just toss them back in the freezer.
    Of course, this only helps if you have some spare freezer space.

    My question? What about the plastic gas cans/ water cans? Wouldnt they be a good way of storing bulk water for the short term? Like filling them up wheneve there is threat of a storm, and dumping them after it passes. They are under $10 for a 5 gallon container and I imagine you could use a red gas can instead of the blue one as long as it is new. They are thick and I doubt would ever develope a leak if stored indoors.
    What say ya'll?
     

    LACamper

    oldbie
    Premium Member
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jun 3, 2007
    8,629
    48
    Metairie, LA
    I wouldn't reuse those frozen jugs. Once they thaw I'd toss them and freeze new ones. The water picks up a taste from the plastic. In an emergency I wouldn't care but why not use new ones?
    I've used the big plastic ones before. They're OK. Don't leave water in them long term.
    For short trips I use (and swear by) nalgene bottles. They don't impart a taste, and won't rupture even if frozen full. They're pretty much indestructible (short of shooting them!).
     

    Alpo

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 7, 2011
    63
    6
    Redneck Riviera
    The milk-bottle type plastic is designed to degrade. Storing water in them is asking for a leak. I have the five-gallon jugs from Coleman. They work fine. Also have some 5-gallon steel cans. Not jerry cans, although they look very similar. The mouth is much larger. They are military water cans. Several years back I bought a bunch of French and Italian military surplus 2 1/2 gallon wine cans from Sportsmans Guide. But my everyday storage is 2-liter soda bottles. I personally drink seltzer. My tongue feels the bubbles and tells my brain it's soda, but no calories. Since it is just water and CO2 I don't have to wash them. If using coke or 7-up or any other flavor, of course you must wash the sugar syrup out of them. They are designed to be under pressure, they are food safe, and they don't degrade. If you can score some of the racks from your friendly Pepsi guy, you have nice stackable storage for 8 of 'em. The advantage of a 2-liter over a 5-gallon is if you spring a leak you lose 1/2 gallon and not five.

    I also store my water separate from things that need to be dry, like food, matches, candles and blankets. As the original poster said, it sucks to find all your stuff soaked by leaky water storage.
     

    BigNick73

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    Sep 21, 2008
    515
    16
    Brandon, MS
    For short term I've used plastic gas cans before. Buy new and wash before use. The spout makes it handy for pouring into cups, pots whatever.
     

    my-rifle

    I make my own guns.
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Dec 12, 2007
    3,135
    38
    Jefferson Parish
    We recently moved, and I had two bins for hurricane supplies...
    Canned Food, Water, Untensils, Tools, etc. Mostly cheap stuff I had lying around the house I threw together before this recently passed season. Well, when I picked up my bin with Food/Water I felt something odd, so I opened it up to find that my water container had burst soaking everything. I can not imagine the despair I would have felt should I have needed this in an actual emergency...

    TL: DR Check your gear.

    Thanks for bringing this up. I'll check my water supply.
     

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